Photonic band structure of guided bloch modes in high index films fully etched through with periodic microstructure

Abstract By adapting the well-known ‘zigzag’ ray model for use with a periodic waveguide (i.e. replacing the plane wave rays with Bloch wave rays), we show that thin films of high refractive index, supported by a low index substrate and fully etched through with a periodic pattern, can support guided modes. From the dispersion relation of these guided Bloch modes, it is shown that the in-plane modal group velocity can be zero, suggesting applications in enhanced dipole-field interactions and control of spontaneous emission in waveguide lasers.