Patent ID: 7403689

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a band-gap light guidance region having a hollow void within which light is guided by a band-gap effect; a microstructure disposed adjacent to the hollow void for enhancing light guidance; and an active gain material disposed in an interface area between the hollow void and the microstructure for providing active gain to the light guidance, wherein the microstructure comprises an active periodic two dimensional dielectric structure of a first periodicity having a plane of periodicity and comprising an active element and configured to produce a photonic band-gap having a first band-gap region; and a second periodic structure of a second periodicity adjacent in the plane to the active periodic structure for confinement of optical energy by a second band-gap, the active periodic two dimensional dielectric structure structured and arranged to be optically pumped by an excitation source to provide optical gain at the wavelength of the first band-gap region in a direction perpendicular to the plane of periodicity, the active periodic structure having a first void-filling fraction, and the second periodic structure having a second void-filling fraction, the second periodic structure being positioned adjacent to the active periodic structure.