Multiband planar metallodielectric photonic crystals using frequency selective surface techniques

Two-dimensional single layer metallodielectric photonic crystals (MDPCs) with multiple stopbands in the far-infrared transmission spectrum have been designed and fabricated using frequency selective surface (FSS) techniques at the micron-scale. These surfaces consist of self-similar fractal cross-dipole or fractal square patch metallic elements patterned on thin, flexible dielectric substrates using standard semiconductor microfabrication techniques. Optimization of design parameters, such as element spacing, through the application of a periodic method of moments (PMM) modeling code leads to experimental results with two transmission stopbands, each with greater than 10 dB attenuation. These results are in excellent agreement with those predicted by the PMM model. The positions of the bands can be readily controlled by utilizing the modeling data to determine optimum element geometries.