Tunable zero-phase delay of one-dimensional photonic crystals containing InSb material

Abstract

In this paper, by introducing a variety of the new semiconductor material InSb, the broadband zero-phase delay has been realized, which is based on one-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs). It has been found that the tunable effects of the zero-phase delay can be obtained in the zero-effective-phase gap (denoted as zero- φ e f f gap). Under these circumstances, the phases of the TE and TM waves switch smoothly across the stop band in the PCs and the difference between the phase shift of both polarized waves could remain constant inside the band. The results reveal that when satisfying the condition of zero-averaged (volume) refractive index (zero- n ¯ ), zero- φ e f f delay within the gap 10.06–11.85 THz can be switched precisely by the magnetic influx density 2–4 T. Meanwhile, the temperature of 220–290 K and the incident angle of 0° to 90° can manipulate the bandwidth of zero- φ e f f delay about 180° precisely in the 10.02–11.9 THz regime. In addition, we think the zero- φ e f f gap can be applied in manufacturing tailored broadband phase retarders or wave plates.