Demonstration of two-dimensional photonic crystals based on silicon carbide

We demonstrate two-dimensional photonic crystals of silicon carbide (SiC)-a wide bandgap semiconductor and one of the hardest materials-at near-infrared wavelengths. Although the refractive index of SiC is lower than that of a conventional semiconductor such as GaAs or Si, we show theoretically that a wide photonic bandgap, a broadband waveguide, and a high-quality nanocavity comparable to those of previous photonic crystals can be obtained in SiC photonic crystals. We also develop a process for fabricating SiC-based photonic crystals that experimentally show a photonic bandgap of 200 nm, a waveguide with a 40-nm bandwidth, and a nanocavity with a high quality factor of 4,500. This demonstration should stimulate further development of resilient and stable photonics at high power and high temperature analogous to SiC power electronics. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America