Holographic fabrication of photonic crystal templates using spatial-light-modulator-based phase mask method

In this work, we present a method of holographically fabricating photonic structures in photosensitive polymer using a phase pattern displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM) as a digitally programmable phase mask. The phase pattern can be programmed in hexagonal and square symmetries. By changing the gray level of the pixelated units in the displayed phase pattern, we can achieve a digital control of the phases of one or more of the interfering beams, thus changing the interference pattern. By using the phase pattern on the SLM as a tunable phase mask, different photonic crystal templates can be fabricated.