Three-dimensional photonic band gaps in modified simple cubic lattices

Complete three-dimensional photonic band gaps are found in simple cubic dielectric structures consisting of spheres or cubes on the lattice sites, interconnected with thin rods. The full higher gap, between bands 5 and 6, has a maximum value of 12% for a refractive index contrast of n=3.6, and is considerably larger than in the skeletal structure of simple cubic rods. This gap is about 70% of that in the widely fabricated layer-by-layer structure. In addition, there are large stop bands along the cubic axes. Such structures are candidates for recently emerging advanced semiconductor-processing methods.