Optical characteristics of photonic crystals based on the fractional Talbot effect

摘要

The Talbot effect refers to the self-imaging property of periodic structures illuminated by collimated, coherent light. Complex periodic and quasi-periodic irradiance distributions are formed in three-dimensional (3-D) space near the gratings through diffraction and interference. A wide variety of novel irradiance distributions can be synthesized through design of the grating structures. These irradiance distributions can be converted into dielectric structures through exposure of photosensitive materials and subsequent processing or, alternately, can serve as inspiration for photonic crystals to be fabricated through other techniques. In this paper, we explore the dispersion properties of a rhombus lattice photonic crystal structure inspired by the fractional Talbot effect. These "Talbot crystals" are used to demonstrate potential for broadband "all-angle" self-collimation for waveguide and optical multiplexing applications. Additional directions for future research will also be discussed.