A novel three-dimensional photonic laser and fabrication of three-dimensional photonic crystals

We have proposed a novel three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal laser. The electromagnetic field, radiation power density, and lifetime of spontaneous emission of the laser were calculated by a plane-wave method. When a defect layer is introduced into the crystal, spontaneous emission radiates only in the lasing direction. The radiation angle is as sharp as that of a conventional surface-emitting laser. To realize the proposed laser, we have proposed a new fabrication method of 3D photonic crystal. Crystals were formed by stacking two-dimensional (2D) photonic plates by micromanipulation. Exact stacking was achieved using polystyrene microspheres as stoppers.