Two and Three-dimensional photonic crystals of titanium dioxide and optical properties

Two-dimensional photonic crystals of titanium dioxide are predicted to have many advantages over semiconductor photonic crystals, e.g., silicon and GaAs: in particular, low optical loss in the near infrared region used for optical communication, low thermal expansion, and a refractive index which is close to that of optical fibers. However, it is difficult to create micro-nano structures in titanium dioxide, since semiconductor micro-fabrication techniques cannot be applied to titanium dioxide. As the first step, we calculated the photonic band gap of titanium dioxide rod-slab on SiO₂. Band gap percent against thickness of the rod-slab was also examined. Finally, we confirmed the most suitable structure for 2D photonic crystals. A deep X-ray lithography technique was employed to create a very deep and precise template. Liquid-phase deposition was then used to faithfully deposit a tightly packed layer of titanium oxide onto the template. Finally, the template was selectively removed to obtain a photonic nano-structure. A template for the most appropriate three dimensional structure was also fabricated using the method proposed by Yablonovitch. By employing the same method, we successfully obtained the 3D structure of TiO ₂.