Isotropic band gaps, optical cavities, and freeform waveguides in hyperuniform disordered photonic solids

Abstract

© 2014 SPIE. Hyperuniform disordered solids are a new class of designer photonic materials with large isotropic band gaps comparable to those found in photonic crystals. The hyperuniform disordered materials are statistically isotropic and possess a controllable constrained randomness. We have employed their unique properties to introduce novel architectures for optical cavities that achieve an ultimate isotropic confinement of radiation, and waveguides with arbitrary bending angles. Our experiments demonstrate low-loss waveguiding in submicron scale Si-based hyperuniform structures operating at infrared wavelengths and open the way for the realization of highly flexible, disorder-insensitive optical micro-circuit platforms.