Effect of planar defects on optical properties in three-dimensional colloid crystals

Abstract

A single layer of silica beads was embedded into polystyrene by combining a self-assembly method with spin-coating technique, a photonic colloid structure with a planar defect was got in the research. After the infiltration of silica and removal of polystyrene and calcination, an inversed structure with planar defect was obtained. The optical transmission spectra both in the opal and inverse opal structures indicates that the position of the defect state has red shift when the diameter of beads becomes larger whenever there is a defect layer or not, otherwise the smaller diameter has blue shift. But when there is a defect layer and the diameter of beads is changeless, the position of the defect states has blue shift in a reduced-index defect, and the position of the defect states has red shift in an increased-index defect. The transmission spectra structures can also be adjusted by other factors, such as the thickness of defect.