Dynamic control of plasma photonic crystals in the mm-wave region

Photonic crystals (PCs) manipulate electromagnetic waves by comprising a periodic modulation of refractive index. However, once fabricated from solid dielectrics, their electromagnetic properties remain fixed. Plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) address this limitation by incorporating tunable plasma layers whose permittivity varies with electron density, allowing dynamic reconfiguration. With advanced microfabrication, microplasma columns can now be embedded directly within the crystal, reducing the period to sub-millimeter dimensions and pushing the operating band into the hundreds-of-GHz range. Consequently, such PPCs hold great promise as adaptable millimeter-wave components for future communication and spectroscopy systems. This thesis introduces the underlying theory of conventional PCs and microplasma, then experimentally investigates transmission measurements and optical emission spectroscopy.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Wu, Zhenglun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Eden, James Gary

• Plasma
• Photonic Crystals

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Zhenglun Wu

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130223

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130223