Using metallic photonic crystals as visible light sources

Abstract

In this paper we study numerically and experimentally the possibility of using metallic photonic crystals (PCs) of different geometries (log-piles, direct and inverse opals) as visible light sources. It is found that by tuning geometrical parameters of a direct opal PC one can achieve substantial reduction of the emissivity in the infrared along with its increase in the visible. We take into account disorder of the PC elements in their sizes and positions, and get quantitative agreement between the numerical and experimental results. We analyze the influence of known temperature-resistant refractory host materials necessary for fixing the PC elements, and find that PC effects become completely destroyed at high temperatures due to the host absorption. Therefore, creating PCbased visible light sources requires that low-absorbing refractory materials for embedding medium be found.

Fabrication methods of 3D periodic metallic nano/microstructures for photonics applications

“…Majority of the 3D opal and inverse opal metallic nanostructures realised by the above fabrication methods are of high quality in terms of the strict periodicity and uniformity of the metallic elements. These methods are also capable of producing large scale 3D metallic nanostructures with a cheap and simple fabrication/synthesis set up which can be very useful for some specific photonics applications, such as efficient visible light sources . However, the major drawback of these methods is the inability of realising nano/microstructures with arbitrary geometries.…”

“…forbidden frequency modes and enhanced absorption at the photonic band edge . These remarkable optical properties of MPCs can lead to tailored thermal radiation which has potential applications in thermal photovoltaics and efficient light sources . Metamaterials are also periodic structures of metals and dielectrics; however, unlike MPCs, they operate at wavelengths much larger than the periodicity of the structure (periodicity « λ) where the periodic medium can behave like a homogeneous medium to the incident EM radiation.…”

Transfer-matrix approach for finite-difference time-domain simulation of periodic structures

“…In the FDTD framework, the temporal Maxwell's equations are solved on the space-time grid, which makes this method particularly suitable for modeling the structures with an arbitrary geometrical features. The FDTD can be used for calculation of transmittance, reflectance and absorption of finite PC slabs [19], light extraction from OLEDs [20], as well as for spontaneous emission modification modeling [21].…”

Broadband Absorbing Exciton–Plasmon Metafluids with Narrow Transparency Windows

“…Tuning of the absorptive and emissive properties of materials enables a number of emergent technologies in diverse fields, including optics, sensing, lighting, , and renewable energy generation. − A relatively established approach to tailoring the optical properties of materials utilizes photonic crystals, which are highly ordered, periodic nanostructures with different refractive indices and a periodicity on the order of the light wavelength. − Such crystals can form photonic band gaps, that is, ranges of photon energies that are not transmitted by the crystal. A second approach utilizes the resonantly enhanced properties of plasmonic nanoparticles, whose surface-localized collective oscillations of the conduction electrons can be tuned over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum via control over particle size and shape. − Well-designed assemblies of such plasmonic nanoparticles can exhibit narrow transparency windows due to plasmonic Fano resonances, − which result from the destructive interference between broad superradiant bright and the narrow subradiant dark plasmonics modes.…”

“…T uning of the absorptive and emissive properties of materials enables a number of emergent technologies in diverse fields, including optics, 1 sensing, 2 lighting, 3,4 and renewable energy generation. 5−7 A relatively established approach to tailoring the optical properties of materials utilizes photonic crystals, which are highly ordered, periodic nanostructures with different refractive indices and a periodicity on the order of the light wavelength.…”