Photonic crystals control light by creating quantum interference in structures with dimensions comparable to the light wavelength. A simple one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal patch is used on Canadian money to prevent counterfeiting, while more complex 1D crystals are critical components in the optical communication networks of the Internet. Recent advances in theoretical description and experimental realization of 2D and 3D photonic crystals suggest that they will soon enable all-optical communication and computation. Further advances require methods for fabricating 3D structures on the nanometer-scale, something that is not possible with existing technologies, and is in fact fundamentally difficult due to the inherent granularity of matter. I will present results from recent experimental studies that demonstrate photonic crystals created by geometrical self-assembly, and show that power-law scaling in fractal structures both enables and limits what is possible in bottom-up nanotechnology.

Kevin Robbie holds a Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Materials, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Queen's University, and is a Professional Engineer.

Kevin completed a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics at the University of Alberta in 1994, receiving the APEGGA gold medal for graduating at the top of his class. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering; his research focused on discovery and investigation of a new method of growing nanostructured thin films dubbed glancing angle deposition (GLAD). During his studies he published 18 scientific papers, and was the first inventor on 5 patents. He conducted postdoctoral research at Link?ping University in Sweden in 1998, studying transition metal graphite intercalation and catalytic reactions on silicon carbide. He currently leads a research group at Queen's University, studying topic in materials physics including photonic crystals, graphite intercalation, pattern formation, and fractal nanostructures. Kevin was awarded the John Charles Polanyi Prize in 1999. He has received awards and scholarships including the Premier's Research Excellence Award 2001, the Douglas R. Colton Medal 2000, the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship 1996, and the American Vacuum Society Varian Fellowship 1996.