ABSTRACT
Photonic crystals (PCs) are periodic dielectric structures that aim at controlling photon modes and light propagation. They have seen major advances in the past few years in the optical range. Several calculation techniques are available, each with its application range. Various three-dimensional (3-D) fabrication approaches have been developed, and some quantitative measurements are now available. The association of in-plane waveguiding and two-dimensional (2-D) PCs in thin slab or heterostructure waveguides leads to a good 3-D optical confinement with easy fabrication. Such structures, which are much easier to fabricate than 3-D PCs, open many exciting opportunities in optoelectronic devices and integrated optics.
