Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Photonic crystals

Remember the light

Nature Photonics volume 1, pages 11–12 (2007)Cite this article

The ability to rapidly tune the properties of a photonic crystal nanocavity and 'program' it to store light for more than a nanosecond brings optical memory a step closer.

One of the most promising technologies for creating photonic integrated circuits is the photonic crystal (PC)1 — a miniature structure riddled with holes that manipulates and controls the passage of light by exploiting a photonic bandgap (a forbidden frequency region in which light cannot travel, analogous to the electronic bandgap of semiconductors).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The 'photonic chip'.

References

  1. Yablonovitch, E. Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 2059–2062 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Tanabe, T., Notomi, M., Kuramochi, E., Shinya, A. & Taniyama, H. Nature Photon. 1, 49–52 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baba, T., Mori, D., Inoshita K. & Kuroki, Y. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 10, 484–491 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Mori, D. & Baba, T. Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 1101–1103 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Yanik, M. F. & Fan, S. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 083901 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Soljacić, M . & Joannopoulos, J. D. Nature Mater. 3, 211–219 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, 240-8501, Japan

    Toshihiko Baba

Authors
  1. Toshihiko Baba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baba, T. Remember the light. Nature Photon 1, 11–12 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2006.58

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2006.58

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing