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Optical Waveguides in Photonic Crystals

Posted by michael on from the wave-of-the-future dept.

KeelSpawn sent in a short article talking about creating the equivalent of etched silicon for light, using a method intended to be cheap enough for commercial applications.

2 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Entertainment applications? by ipmcc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Although this is obviously aimed at more "business-productive" markets, I'd be interested to see how (or if) this technology affects the entertainment industry. Just yesterday, on the star wars topic, we saw lots of good banter about DLP, which is made up of millions of minature mirrors. I wonder if technology like this could take the mechanics out of something like DLP. Or perhaps, on a further refinement, this technology could supercede the entire concept of things like galvanometers in things like laser shows.

    The major obstacle here seems to be cost, but what if making the waveguides so small wasnt the challenge?

    --
    This too shall pass.
  2. I have a DLP projector. by CrystalFalcon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sad I missed that on the Star Wars thread, as I have a DLP projector for my home theater system and therefore some hands-on experience from them. Anyway, what can be said about them is;

    - less color saturation than LCD projection (colors are not as vivid)
    - no burn-in (as opposed to LCD)
    - better longevity of colors (no fade over time)
    - MUCH better brightness, in fact, black becomes dark-grayish (this is a problem)
    - bulbs cost you an arm and a leg
    - less need for cooling => less noise
    - crispness is so good you have to deliberately DE-focus to get a good movie viewing experience

    Everything of course from my own personal experience with them. I could recommend a DLP projector to anyone who wants to set up a home system.