In this letter, we show that photonic crystals with geometries of lower symmetry, such as the rectangular geometry, are uniquely suited for applications involving the superprism effect. The extra degree of freedom provided by the anisotropy of the unit cell allows more freedom in searching for suitable iso-frequency curves. Also, the appearance of multiple orders of diffraction allows more than one incident plane wave to couple to the same Bloch mode. This extra degree of freedom is decisive when trying to optimize the transmission. We illustrate these ideas on a particular rectangular configuration which ensures a strong angular superprism effect, a well collimated transmitted beam, and power transmissions of up to 80%.

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© 2004 American Institute of Physics.
2004
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