Holographic method for a direct growth of three-dimensional photonic crystals by chemical vapor deposition

A method to obtain three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is presented. Campbell [ N. Campbell, N. Sharp, M. T. Harrison, R. G. Denning, and A. J. Tuberfield, Nature 404, 53 (2000) ] have developed a method of holographic lithography for producing 3D periodic structures with photoresists. Their method is adapted in two main directions. First, we optimize the geometry of the interferometer with respect to polarizations and relative intensities of the beams. The construction of an interferometer adapted to a ultraviolet laser source at 355 nm is described and direct observations of the interference field obtained by a video camera are presented. Second, we show that a laser source with short pulses could induce a suitable thermal contrast on a convenient substrate in order to grow a 3D photonic crystal by CVD. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.