Photonic Crystals: Fundamentals & Applications

The course offers a comprehensive introduction to photonic crystal technology, covering its fundamental concepts along with an overview of recent advancements supported by examples. It thoroughly explains the behavior of light propagation in photonic crystals ranging from simple to complex structures, using suitable theoretical tools to help undergraduate students as well as postgraduate and industry researchers develop a clear intuition for designing photonic crystals for specific applications. The course starts with the fundamentals of electromagnetic theory in periodic dielectric media and then explores 1D, 2D, and 3D photonic crystals and slabs in detail. In the later part, it focuses on the design of photonic crystals for practical applications such as mirrors, waveguides, cavities, filters, splitters, and sensors, which are essential for modern high-speed communication systems. With a basic prerequisite of familiarity with macroscopic Maxwell’s equations and eigenmodes, the course provides a strong foundation along with the necessary numerical and physical tools for designing photonic crystal devices for various applications.

Source: Nptel IIT Guwahati [Youtube Channel]