However, gallium arsenide has to be applied in this case in complex three
dimensional structures, through an epitaxial approach which eliminates many of
the defects introduced by traditional manufacturing methods, opening a promising
way for the creation of photonic structures mass 3-D.
Another advantage of this new system is the ease of creating on the through
different layers. With sudden changes may be possible to vary the materials
introduced in the photonic crystal, enabling new applications and uses for
these devices.
To test their technique, the research group at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign built a 3D photonic crystal LED, the first device of this
type for this class of applications. Now, engineers and researchers work to
optimize the structure specific applications in mind.