Photonic crystals and microlasers fabricated with low refractive index material

Although the investigation on photonic band gap materials has been done more than two decades, it is still a big challenge to fabricate three-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) possessing wide band gaps in visible range. In this article, we have reviewed recent progresses on fabricating the PC with low refractive index material in visible range. In contrast to the material with large refractive index, it is cheap to use low refractive index material in fabricating the PC and will be greatly beneficial for future industrial productions. The holographic method to fabricate such a PC has been introduced, applying it to the design of the microlaser has also been discussed.