A novel method for designing one dimensional photonic crystals with given bandgap characteristics

A novel method is presented for determining the dimensional parameters of one-dimensional (1-D) photonic crystals (PCs) with specified bandgap characteristics. Conventionally, the bandgaps are determined by solving an eigenvalue equation on a fine frequency mesh. This approach requires considerable computation time and is therefore not suited for use in the optimization cycles needed in dimensional design. In this paper we present a much faster alternative method for determining the spectral characteristics of photonic crystals which eliminates the need of solving an eigenvalue equation. Examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed method for determining the dimensional parameters of 1-D PCs with given design specifications.