Holographic fabrication of 3D photonic crystals using silicon based reflective optics element

We present a silicon based single optical element that is able to automatically generate desired laser beam polarizations and intensities for the holographic fabrication of woodpile-type photonic crystal templates. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold based reflective optics element is fabricated for the generation of five-beam interferences where four beams are arranged four-fold symmetrically around a central beam. Silicon chips in the inner surfaces of the mold are used to reflect the circularly or elliptically polarized beam into four side beams that are linearly polarized with electric fields normal to the incident plane, and reduce their laser intensities. Photonic crystal templates are holographically fabricated in a photosensitive polymer through this silicon-on-PDMS based single optical element and single beam based configuration. © 2012 Optical Society of America.