Patent ID: 8606060

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a photonic crystal having a layer where light is guided or is confined through a channel, wherein said photonic crystal is a two-dimensional structure comprising: a substrate; a plurality of apertures formed through said substrate; and a waveguide for guiding said light, wherein said waveguide is formed in said layer where said light is guided or confined and is positioned to form said channel through said plurality of apertures, said channel having a length that extends from a first end to a second end and that is substantially parallel to a direction in which said light propagates through said channel; and a plurality of electrical contact pairs positioned in said layer where said light is guided or confined, said plurality of electrical contact pairs being distributed in a spaced apart manner along a transverse dimension of said length of said channel between said first end and said second end, where said channel is positioned an equal lateral distance from all contacts in said plurality of electrical contact pairs, and where at least two of said plurality of contact pairs are positioned in a coplanar orientation to create an optical cavity in a region therebetween.