Towards realization of high quality 2D-photonic crystals in InP/(Ga,In)(As,P)/InP

Summary form only given. We report on recent advances in the fabrication of two dimensional photonic crystals (2D-PhCs) in the low-index contrast system, InP/InGaAsP/InP. Relevant state-of-the-art dry etching technologies for high aspect ratio etching of 2D-PhCs in this material(s) are introduced with specific attention to Ar/Cl/sub 2/ based chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAME). We demonstrate that this method is very promising to realize low-loss 2D PhCs. Etching mechanisms and process parameters crucial for high quality PhC definition are discussed. The optical properties of the fabricated PhCs investigated by internal light source technique by measuring transmission through simple PhC slabs and 1D-cavities are presented. We show that these measurements also provide important insights on the fabrication process, thus making it possible to further optimize the etching parameters so as to obtain high quality PhCs.