Fabrication of large-area 3D photonic crystals using a holographic optical element

A holographic technique for fabricating 3D photonic crystal is presented. The key element in the fabrication system is a holographic optical element (HOE) consisting of three gratings. Used in combination with a mask, the HOE can generate four beams under single illuminating beam, and 3D lattice structures can be formed by the interference of the four beams. Holographic approach is used to make HOE, so large area lattice structures can be fabricated. Numerical simulations indicate that beam intensity ratio of central beam to outer beam is one of the factors that affects the structures fabricated in photoresist, and high diffraction efficiency of the gratings in HOE is favorable when using cw laser with relatively low power as light source. Experimental results show clear 3D lattice structures fabricated using the HOE, verifying the effectiveness of the technique.