One-dimensional Photonic Crystal Research Articles

Solution-Processed One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Based on Hollow Silica Exhibiting High Refractive Index Contrast.

Poor interfacial quality and low refractive index contrast (Δn) are critical challenges for the development of high-performance one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPhCs) via solution methods that impede their optical efficiency. Herein, we introduce an innovative approach by hybridizing hollow SiO2 with poly(vinyl alcohol), referred to as PHS, followed by alternate assembly with TiO2 via spin-coating, achieving a 1DPhC with Δn = 0.76 at the wavelength of 550 nm. This method circumvents the need for high-temperature treatment and complex curing conditions, resulting in a 1DPhC with superior interfacial and optical characteristics. By adjusting the thickness of the PHS layers, we can finely tune the reflectance spectrum, attaining over 99% reflectance at the photonic band gap. Furthermore, 1DPhC demonstrates excellent adhesion to polycarbonate substrates and retains its optimal optical performance even after rigorous environmental testing, including hygrothermal cycles, exposure to hot water, friction, and solvent sonication. This research paves the way for the facile fabrication of high-performance 1DPhCs under mild conditions, offering new perspectives for photonic material processing.

One-dimensional photonic crystals based on porous anodic alumina: Optical and morphology changes under thermal and chemical treatments

One-dimensional photonic crystals (1D PCs) based on porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) are promising for light manipulation and sensing. As-prepared AAO, being amorphous material, suffers degradation in acidic and alkaline media. It is commonly known that the chemical stability of AAO increases drastically after thermal treatment. Here, the effect of annealing up to 1200 °C on the morphology and the optical properties of AAO PCs is studied. The two-step crystallization of as-prepared AAO at 860 and 1190 °C leads to a two-step blue shift of the central wavelength of photonic band gap (PBG) and the decrease in PBG depth, whereas the Q-factor of the PBG enhances. The observed changes in optical transmittance spectra of PCs are mainly attributed to the increase in pore diameter, the formation of crystalline particles of alumina polymorphs, and the removal of impurities. Annealed AAO PCs demonstrate much higher stability of optical parameters during exposure in acidic media compared to the as-prepared ones. Thermal treatment at 600 °C results in 30% decrease in the rate of the PBG shift during chemical etching. Furthermore, AAO crystallization into a mixture of low-temperature alumina polymorphs at 860 °C leads in a negligible change in transmittance spectra even after chemical etching in 1 M HCl for 75 h. The excellent stability achieved for the annealed AAO PCs in aggressive media proves the perspectives of their application as the optical sensors with long-term stability.

Biomimetic Photonic Elastomer Exhibiting Stress/Moisture Reconfigurable Wrinkle-Lattice for Reversible Deformation Information Storage.

Photonic elastomers, capable of converting imperceptible deformations into visible colors, show significant potential in smart materials. However, instantaneous deformation is arduous to record accurately due to the disappearance of optical information after deformation recovery. Herein, inspired by the folding structures of iridocytes in cephalopods, a stress- and moisture-triggered wrinkling and erasure effect is proposed to be introduced in the construction of a photonic elastomer. Implemented in a dual-network polymer framework with modulatable locking, it allows for reversible deformation storage. The photonic elastomer comprises a surface one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC) and a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrate. The deformed 1DPC lattice transforms into a wrinkled state due to a substrate deformation mismatch, preserving strain-induced structural color information through interchain hydrogen bonding and crystalline shape-locking in dual-network polymers. Reading the color provides multidimensional information about the instantaneous deformation degree and distribution. Moreover, the moisture-induced shape-memory feature of the 1DPC can be triggered with a minute amount of water, like fingertip perspiration or humidity change (35% to 80%), to restore the original color. This stress/moisture-responsive photonic elastomer, with its dynamically reconfigurable wrinkle-lattice, holds great promise for applications in mechanical sensing, inkless writing, and anticounterfeiting, significantly enhancing the versatility of photonic materials.

Yellow light privacy protection with anti-reflection structure based on photonic band gap principle

Abstract This paper delves into the one-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) privacy protection structure (PPS), emphasizing a layered structure with polarization-independent angular response characteristics tailored to meet the need for PPS in various situations. Introducing a specialized design for photonic band gap (PBG), the PPS adheres to the principles of PBG. This design comprises a host structure and an anti-reflection structure carefully selected within the yellow light band (frequency range spans from 530 THz to 510 THz). The given PPS creates an angle selection (AS) window exhibiting transmittance consistently above 0.9 within -30 ° to 30 ° while ensuring transmittance drops to 0 within the -90° to -44 ° and 44° to 90 ° range. This arrangement effectively achieves the desired PPS. The effects of the host structure on the four key parameters of refractive index and thickness of the two media on PPS properties were studied in detail. The influence of these parameters mainly involves the transmittance of the visible area, theAS, and the transmittance of the protected area. Keyword: Photonic crystals; Photonic band gap; Angle selection; Privacy protection; Yellow light

Dual-band high quality-factor perfect absorber based on uniaxial/biaxial anisotropic van der Waals polar crystals

Phonon polaritons (PhPs) in two-dimensional van der Waals crystals, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and α-phase molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3), exhibit remarkable spatial confinement and extremely low optical losses, offering possibilities for the development of novel micro and nanophotonic devices at mid-infrared wavelengths. Here, we demonstrate the potential of the proposed Tamm structure to achieve dual-band high quality-factor perfect absorption within the mid-infrared range. This structure utilizes upper and lower spacer layers to isolate the anisotropic materials hBN and α-MoO3 from one-dimensional photonic crystals, where the Tamm phonon polaritons (TPhPs) are respectively excited at the interfaces, facilitating strong coupling with incident light and leading to significant dual-band perfect absorption phenomena. The results demonstrate that due to polariton resonances, the absorption peaks exhibit extremely narrow absorption bandwidths, with the maximum quality-factor reaching up to 297. In addition, tunable resonant wavelengths and polarization-dependent absorption properties are also demonstrated in the proposed Tamm structure. This study provides an alternative and straightforward approach for constructing dynamic and multifunctional optical devices such as optical modulators, tunable multi-band filters and biosensors.

Photonic crystal-coupled enhanced steering emission: A prism-free, objective-free, and metal-free loss-less approach for biosensing

Diagnostic assays utilizing fluorescent reporters in the context of low abundance biomarkers for cancer and infectious disease can reach lower limits of detection through efficient collection of emitted photons into an optical sensor. In this work, we present the rational design, fabrication, and application of one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) grating interfaces to accomplish a cost-effective prism-free, metal-free, and objective-free platform for augmentation of fluorescence emission collection efficiency. Guided mode resonance (GMR) of the PC is engineered to match the laser excitation (532 nm) and emission maximum (580 nm) of the radiating dipoles to arrive at optimized conditions. The photo-plasmonic hybrid nano-engineering using silver nanoparticles presented >110-fold steering fluorescence enhancement enabling placement of the sample between the excitation source and detector that are in a straight line. From the experimental and simulation inferences, we propose a radiating GMR model by scrutinizing the polarized emission properties of the hybrid substrate, in accordance with the radiating plasmon model. The augmented fluorescence intensity realized here with a simple detection instrument provides sub-nanomolar sensitivity to provide a path toward point-of-care scenarios.

Ultrathin photonic crystal based on photo-crosslinked polymer and metal–organic framework for highly sensitive detection and discrimination of benzene series vapors

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have always been a major concern as a global environmental problem. As a low-cost, high-efficiency and visual sensor, photonic crystals (PCs) have been actively studied in VOCs detection. Herein, a one-dimensional PC sensor for visual sensing of highly toxic benzene series VOC vapors is prepared for the first time by integrating a new photo-crosslinked polymer-poly(styrene-benzoylphenyl acrylate) P(St-BPA) and a high specific surface area metal–organic framework (MOF) MIL-101(Cr). The PC can detect VOCs quantitatively and visually, and clearly distinguish 7 benzene series vapors. The detection limit of the benzene series VOCs is as low as 0.06–3.45 g/m3. Meanwhile, owing to the ultra-thin layer and porous structure, the PC can reach a response equilibrium to the VOCs within 1–2.6 s. Moreover, the PC has a good organic vapor tolerance and can maintain stable optical performance after 1000 times of reuse in VOCs. Besides, 4 other PCs assembled with different aryl polymers and MOFs are first fabricated and their sensing performance to benzene series VOCs are studied and compared, which provides a valuable reference for the selection of materials for the preparation of such PC sensors.

Topological Photonic Crystal in Microwave Region Based on Coupled Superconducting Resonators

Topological photonics has been widely investigated due to its profound physical significance and great number of potential applications. Microwaves have long wavelengths, so it is relatively easy to manufacture large-sized microwave photonic crystals, enabling researchers to observe and measure phenomena such as topological boundary states. Nevertheless, the quality factors (QFs) of most resonators composed of traditional materials in the microwave region are relatively low, leading to topological edge states with high decay rates. In this study, we present a one-dimensional topological photonic crystal in the microwave region based on coupled superconducting resonators. A topological state with a QF as high as 6000 is observed, which proves this to be a new platform for the investigation of topological photonics with low decay rates in the microwave regime.

Magnetic Field and Temperature Dependence of the Transmission Defect Mode in One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Containing CoSb3 and Mg2Si Layers

Magnetic Field and Temperature Dependence of the Transmission Defect Mode in One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Containing CoSb3 and Mg2Si Layers

Temporal and spectral signatures of the interaction between ultrashort laser pulses and Bloch surface waves

The resonant excitation of Bloch Surface Waves (BSWs) in dielectric one-dimensional photonic crystals is becoming a realistic photonic solution for surface integration in many domains, from spectroscopy to local field management. Bringing BSWs to ultrafast and nonlinear regimes requires a deep knowledge of the effects that the photonic crystal dispersion and the resonant surface wave excitation have on the ultrashort laser pulses. We report on the experimental evidence of spectral and temporal modifications of the radiation leaving a planar one-dimensional photonic crystal after coupling to BSWs. In such a resonant condition, a characteristic long temporal tail is observed in the outgoing pulses. Observations are performed by employing both frequency-resolved optical gating and field cross-correlation techniques.

Azimuthal modulation of light propagation through 1DPCs via efficient nonlinear frequency mixing

The present study aims to investigate the transmitted and reflected light beams from a one-dimensional defect photonic crystal (1DPC) composed of a three-level ladder-type quantum system. The lower leg of the ladder scheme is driven by a weaker probe beam, while the upper leg is driven by a stronger control beam. Unlike natural atoms, this type of model with broken symmetry permits the generation of a sum-frequency signal beam between the majority of higher and lower quantum states, resulting in the formation of a cyclic closed-loop arrangement for the interaction between light and matter. The Laguerre Gaussian (LG) field with strong coupling and a weak probe light interact with the quantum system. A new weak signal light is produced as a result of the system’s symmetric breakdown, and the medium becomes azimuthal dependent. We investigate the spatial dependence of the transmitted and reflected light from a defect 1DPC by using azimuthal modulation of the LG light. Additionally, we will discuss how the absorption spectrum’s spatial modulation varies with winding numbers. We discover that in certain regions, the gain can be realized without population inversion under certain specified parametric parameters.

Tunable Fano resonance in a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing a Weyl semimetal

Fano resonances are widely utilized in the design of low-power all-optical switches, optical sensors and nonlinear optical devices. Although various nanostructures support Fano resonances, the lack of mechanisms for linear tuning of Fano resonance has become a limitation. In this paper, we propose a heterostructure consisting of a single layer of Weyl semimetal (WSM) and a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC). Owing to the interference between the discrete state supported by the single layer of WSM and the continuous states supported by the 1DPC, a Fano resonance occurs. Besides, both the position and the line shape of the Fano resonance can be tuned by the Fermi energy, the distance between two Wely cones, and the tilt parameter of the WSM, the number of periods of the 1DPC, and the incident angle. With the assistance of the Fano resonance, a large Goos-Hänchen shift can be achieved. This work may offer greater possibilities to explore the applications of Fano resonances, including high-performance sensors and narrowband filters.

Sensing of volatile organic compounds using one-dimensional photonic crystal Bloch surface waves and internal optical modes

Bloch surface wave (BSW) and internal optical modes (IOMs) of one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPhCs) have been explored for sensing purposes in the photonic crystal coupled reflectance (PCCR) geometry using the Kretschmann-Raether (KR) prism-coupling configuration. 1DPhCs coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin films of two distinct thicknesses: 18 nm (referred to as PhC18) and 24 nm (referred to as PhC24) were fabricated. The response of the PCCR to the changes occurring in the PVA coated 1DPhC structures were studied by spraying volatile organic compounds, 1-propanol and 2-propanol onto the surface of the 1DPhCs. The BSWs excited under TE polarization are found to be very sensitive to perturbations at the 1DPhC interface. 1-propanol displays larger wavelength shifts and longer recovery times of the 1DPhC modes than 2-propanol because of its lower vapor pressure and higher reactivity to PVA.

Optical properties of a tunable microcavity/microsphere polymeric composite

The combination of a microcavity and a microsphere has been proposed in this work to manipulate light in terms of emission wavelength and propagation direction. A microcavity with a layer of molecular photoswitch between two one-dimensional photonic crystals of polyvinyl carbazole and cellulose acetate has been designed. To tune the microcavity, the molecular photoswitch has been excited taking into account its cyclization upon irradiation at 313[Formula: see text]nm and its cycloreversion at 450[Formula: see text]nm. In this way, the emission peak of the microcavity switches from 508.5[Formula: see text]nm to 525[Formula: see text]nm. A polystyrene microsphere with a radius of 1[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m is placed near the microcavity. With the detector at an angle of 8°, the emission at 525[Formula: see text]nm is 1.73 times higher with respect to the emission at 508.5[Formula: see text]nm, while at 10.8°, the emission at 508.5[Formula: see text]nm is 1.45 times higher with respect to the emission at 525[Formula: see text]nm. The value of these findings is that they offer the experimentalists a ready means to compare the optical data of these types of composites with theory.

Enhanced absorption in a dielectric/silver one-dimensional photonic crystal in the UV band

Enhanced absorption in a dielectric/silver one-dimensional photonic crystal in the UV band

Unit cell independent optical filter using one-dimensional photonic crystal

Unit cell independent optical filter using one-dimensional photonic crystal

Effect of thickness and applied pressure on quality factor in defective photonic crystals composed of polymer materials

In this work, we employed the transfer-matrix method to obtain the transmittance spectrum of a defective one-dimensional photonic crystal composed of polymer materials. We consider that the dielectric constant of the polymers is a function of the applied pressure, and the cavity is infiltrated by plasma cells. When blood plasma concentration and cavity thickness are increased, we observe a defective mode tuned to long wavelengths within the photonic band gap. By calculating the energy stored in the cavity, a maximization of the quality factor to [Formula: see text] for a 2350[Formula: see text]nm cavity was observed. In addition, we report that as the applied pressure increases, the defective mode shifts to shorter wavelengths, accompanied by a decrease in the quality factor to [Formula: see text] for a pressure of 100[Formula: see text]MPa.

Enhanced terahertz frequency mixing in all-dielectric metamaterial with multiple surface plasmon polaritons resonances

Nonlinear metamaterials hold a promising platform for generating terahertz (THz) waves. In this paper, we present an all-dielectric metamaterial with multiple surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonances for enhanced THz frequency mixing. The metamaterial is composed of graphene ribbons, a dielectric layer, and a one-dimensional photonic crystal, displaying the multiple absorptions with simultaneous excitation of three SPP resonances. Taking advantage of SPP resonances with high Q factor and strong localized field at the input frequency, the third-order nonlinear processes are remarkably enhanced, including third-harmonic generation and four-wave mixing, producing a variety of frequencies in the THz range. The proposed efficient nonlinear metamaterials offer promising applications for THz frequency synthesis.

One-Dimensional Defect Layer Photonic Crystal Sensor for Purity Assessment of Organic Solvents.

This paper presents the design and analysis of a one-dimensional defect layer photonic crystal (1D-DLPC) sensor for the assessment of the purity of chemical solvents with enhanced accuracy. Chemical solvents are frequently used in chemical processes as reaction mediums. It is essential to ascertain its purity since impurities can significantly affect the outcome of the reaction. The structure of the proposed one-dimensional defect layer photonic crystal sensor consists of a defect layer sandwiched between alternate layers of ZnO and SiO2 organized with a certain periodicity. It has been shown that the localized defect modes inside the structure can detect minute refractive index changes based on the degree of impurity of chemical solvents. Simulation studies have been performed through the transfer matrix method (TMM) and the performance of the design is evaluated using several metrics such as sensitivity, full width at half-maximum, figure of merit, quality factor, and dynamic range. Results indicate that the designed one-dimensional defect layer photonic crystal sensor has a significantly high efficiency and is suitable for detecting impure solvents.

Omnidirectional near-infrared narrowband filters based on defective mirror-symmetry one-dimensional photonic crystals containing hyperbolic metamaterials

The photonic band gap (PBG) of conventional all-dielectric one-dimension (1D) photonic crystal (PC) shifts towards the shorter wavelength (blueshift) as the incident angle increases, thus the defect mode in conventional defective all-dielectric 1DPC is also blueshifted. This leads to many limitations on the performance of the narrowband filtering. Recently, the emergence of the redshift PBG in 1DPC containing hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) for transverse magnetic (TM) polarization provides a possibility to achieve angle-insensitive defect mode in defective 1DPC containing HMMs. In this paper, we designed a mirror-symmetry 1DPC filter containing HMMs, and the HMM layers consist of subwavelength molybdenum disulfide/indium tin oxide (MoS2/ITO) multilayers, an omnidirectional defect mode at 1805.6 nm was achieved by phase compensation in mirror-symmetry 1DPC containing HMMs for the incident angle of 0˚-60˚, with a transmittance efficiency of 100 % at the vertical incidence. The position of the omnidirectional defect mode can be adjusted flexibly. This omnidirectional narrowband defect mode has important implications in the fields of sensors, detectors, and filters.