Microscopy and spectroscopy on deep two dimensional photonic crystals with defects

Summary form only given. Photonic crystals have been subject of intensive studies in the past few years. A point defect in a photonic crystal results in a resonance in the band gap and confinement of light to a region much smaller than a wavelength. A linear array of such point defects creates a photonic band gap waveguide and the combination of such waveguides will in turn produce a wealth of optical elements such as beam splitters and interferometers. In this work we have examined deep two dimensional photonic crystals made of macroporous silicon containing defects. Our experiments combine direct laser spectroscopy with scanning near-field optical microscopy in the middle infrared.