Reconfigurable(4, 6^(2)) and(4, 8^(2)) Archimedean plasma photonic crystals in dielectric barrier discharge

Archimedean photonic crystal has become a research area of great interest due to its various unique properties. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the realization of reconfigurable(4, 6^(2))and(4, 8^(2)) Archimedean plasma photonic crystals(APPCs) by use of dielectric barrier discharges in air. Dynamical control on both the macrostructures including the lattice symmetry and the crystal orientation, and the microstructures including the fine structures of scattering elements has been achieved. The formation mechanisms of APPCs are studied by time-resolved measurements together with numerical simulations. Large omnidirectional band gaps of APPCs have been obtained. The tunable topology of APPCs may offer new opportunities for fabricating multi-functional and highly-integrated microwave devices.

The effect of array periodicity on the filtering characteristics of metal/dielectric photonic crystals

We present a both theoretical and experimental investigation into the effect of array periodicity on the filtering characteristics of metal/dielectric photonic crystals（MDPhCs） with hexagonal arrays of subwavelength holes in gold/silicon dioxide films,varying the array periodicity from 6 to 8μm every 1μm while the ratio of hole radius to array periodicity is kept constant（1/4）.The results indicate that the reflectance spectrum is highly dependent on the array periodicity.When the array periodicity increases,the reflectance spectrum exhibits a large redshift regularly.The finite difference time domain（FDTD） simulations agree well with the experimental results. By analyzing the relationship between the position of the reflectance minimum and the array periodicity,we find that the filtering characteristics of MDPhCs have an almost linear relationship with the array periodicity under the conditions of keeping the same ratio of hole radius to array periodicity（1/4）.This finding provides an effective way to control the filtering characteristics of MDPhCs,which have potential applications in optical filters,plasmonic thermal emitters and so on.

Controllable and tunable plasma photonic crystals through a combination of photonic crystal and dielectric barrier discharge patterns

We report five types of patterns with square symmetry,including three novel types obtained by inserting a specially designed grid photonic crystal(PC)into a dielectric barrier discharge system.They are studied using an intensified charge-coupled device camera and photomultiplier tubes.The three novel types of patterns are a square pattern with one structure,a square superlattice pattern with four sublattices and a(1/4)K_(grid)(K_(grid)is the basic wave vector of the grid),and another square pattern with a complex inversion discharge sequence.From the application viewpoint,the five types of patterns can be used as plasma photonic crystals(PPCs).Their band diagrams under a transverse-magnetic wave simulated by the finite element method show that there are a large number of band gaps.Compared with the original PC with only a unidirectional band gap,the five types of PPCs have tunable and omnidirectional band gaps,which is very important in controlling the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the mm-wave region.The experimental results enrich the pattern types in the dielectric barrier discharge system and provide a method for obtaining PPCs with symmetry controllability and bandgap tunability.

Comparative Study of the One Dimensional Dielectric and Metallic Photonic Crystals

The optical transmission properties of two types of photonic crystals have been analyzed by using the transfer matrix method. The first one is the dielectric photonic crystal (DPC), and the second is the metallic photonic crystal (MPC). We found the dielectric and metallic photonic crystals have different transmission spectra. The effect of the most prameters on the transmission spectra of the dielectric and metallic photonic crystals has been studied.

Existing conditions of full bandgaps and absolute negative refraction in metallic-dielectric photonic crystal

This paper has theoretically studied the characteristic frequencies of band structures in two-dimensional metallic- dielectric photonic crystals. It is demonstrated that a large filling fraction benefits the existence of absolute photonic band gap, while a smaller filling fraction benefits an absolute negative refraction band. In addition, it also finds that the relation between the cut-off frequency of E-polarized wave and the filling fraction exceeding 10% is content with a linear increasing function, whose coefficients are exponential to the normalized lattice constant. These investigations have significant implications for tuning the operational frequencies to desired applications and manufacturing photonic crystals.

Spontaneous transition of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal's orientation in a dielectric barrier discharge

A novel one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal whose crystal orientation can change spontaneously is demonstrated using a dielectric barrier discharge with two liquid electrodes. The orientation of the plasma photonic crystal will vary from transverse to longitudinal or vary from longitudinal to transverse and then revert to longitudinal by self-adjustment, while the experimental conditions are kept fixed. The dispersion relation of these plasma photonic crystals are calculated, and the changes of the photonic band diagrams during the orientation transition are studied.

Photonic Band Modulation in a Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal with a One-Dimensional Periodic Dielectric Background

A two-dimensional photonic crystal with a one-dimensional periodic dielectric background is proposed. The photonic band modulation effects due to the periodic background are investigated based on the plane wave expansion method. We find that periodic modulation of the dielectric background greatly alters photonic band structures, especially for the E-polarization modes. The number, width and position of the photonic band gaps （PBGs） sensitively depend on the structure parameters （the layer thicknesses and dielectric constants） of the one-dimensional periodic background,

Transmission spectra characteristics of 1D photonic crystals with complex dielectric constant

The characteristics of photonic forbidden bands, transmission gain and absorption of one-dimensional （ID） dual-periodical photonic crystals （PC） with a complex dielectric layer were studied by using the optical transfer matrix （TM） method. The results show that the photonic band gap （PBG） of this structure is enlarged and many transmission resonance peaks appear in PBG. Large transmission gain for transmission peaks is obtained if the imaginary part of dielectric constant is negative. With the increase of the absolute value of the imaginary part, the transmission gain increases firstly and the transmittance gain gets to an apex. The imaginary parts of dielectric constant corresponding to transmission gain apex are different according to wavelength. However, the transmission ratio of resonance peaks is less than 1 if the imagi- nary part of dielectric constant is positive. The properties might be used to design multi-narrow-channel band filters and optical amplification devices synchronously.

The features of band structures for woodpile three-dimensional photonic crystals with plasma and function dielectric constituents

The features of the band structures of woodpile three-dimensional （3D） photonic crystals composed of plasma and function dielectric constituents, referred to as function plasma photonic crystals （FPPCs）, are theoretically studied by a modified plane wave expansion method, and the formulas for computing the band structures are derived. The arrangement for the proposed FPPCs is that the function dielectric columns are surrounded by plasma, and the embedded dielectric columns are stacked according to the woodpile lattices, which are arrayed with facecentered-tetragonal symmetry. The relative permittivity of function dielectric rods depends on the function coefficient and space coordinates. The relationships between the parameters for inserted function dielectric rods and plasma and the band structures are also investigated. The computed results illustrate that the obtained PBG can be tuned by those parameters as mentioned above. Compared to dielectric-air PCs, function dielectric PCs and plasma dielectric PCs with the same topology, a wider bandwidth of the photonic band gap can be observed in the proposed FPPCs. The calculated results also show us another alternative way to realize reconfigurable applications with 3D FPPCs.

Low Frequency Dispersion Law for Two-Dimensional Metallic Photonic Crystals

Using the rigorous multiple-scattering theory, we study the dispersion relation of electromagnetic （EM） waves in two dimensional dielectric photonic crystals （PCs） and metallic photonic crystals （MPCs） in the low-frequency limit. Analytic formula for the effective velocity of EM waves in PCs and MPCs is obtained. Accuracy of our formula is checked by comparing the results with rigorous calculations. For PCs, our result is exactly the same as the coherent potential approximation （CPA）, which is accurate even when the filling fraction is high. But for MPCs, our approach demonstrates special advantages, while the CPA theory fails, in predicting the effective velocity of EM waves in MPCs at low frequency.

Study on the Reflection Spectra of One Dimensional Plasma Photonic Crystals Having Exponentially Graded Materials

The transfer matrix method is used to study the effect of the permittivity profile on the reflectivity of a one dimensional plasma photonic crystal having exponentially graded material. The analysis shows that the proposed structure works as a perfect mirror within a certain frequency range. These frequency ranges can be completely controlled by the permittivity profile of a graded dielectric layer. As expected we observed that these frequency ranges are also controlled by plasma parameters.

Band gaps structure and semi-Dirac point of two-dimensional function photonic crystals

Two-dimensional function photonic crystals, in which the dielectric constants of medium columns are the functions of space coordinates , are proposed and studied numerically. The band gaps structures of the photonic crystals for TE and TM waves are different from the two-dimensional conventional photonic crystals. Some absolute band gaps and semiDirac points are found. When the medium column radius and the function form of the dielectric constant are modulated, the numbers, width, and position of band gaps are changed, and the semi-Dirac point can either occur or disappear. Therefore,the special band gaps structures and semi-Dirac points can be achieved through the modulation on the two-dimensional function photonic crystals. The results will provide a new design method of optical devices based on the two-dimensional function photonic crystals.

Fabrication of high-quality colloidal photonic crystals with sharp band edges for ultrafast all-optical switching

Application of the pressure controlled isothermal heating vertical deposition method to the fabrication of colloidal photonic crystals is systematically investigated in this paper. The fabricated samples are characterized by scanning electron microscope and transmission spectrum. High-quality samples with large transmissions in the pass bands and the sharp band edges are obtained and the optimum growth condition is determined. For the best sample, the transmission in the pass bands approaches 0.9 while that in the band gap reaches 0.1. More importantly, the maximum differential transmission as high as 0.1/nm is achieved. In addition, it is found that the number of stacking layers does not increase linearly with concentration of PS spheres in a solution, and a gradual saturation occurs when the concentration of PS spheres exceeds 1.5 wt.%. The uniformity of the fabricated samples is examined by transmission measurements on areas with different sizes. Finally, the tolerance of the fabricated samples to baking was studied.

Controlling the Bandgaps of One-Dimensional TiO2/SiO2, TiO2/SnO2, and SiO2/SnO2 Photonic Crystals Using the Transfer Matrix Method

One-dimensional photonic crystals (1D PhCs) have a unique ability to control the propagation of light waves, however certain classes of 1D oxides remain relatively unexplored for use as PhCs. Specifically, there has not been a comparative study of the three different 1D PhC structures to compare the influence of layer thickness, number, and refractive index on the ability of the PhCs to control light transmission. Herein, we use the transfer matrix method (TMM) to theoretically examine the transmission of 1D PhCs composed of layers of TiO2/SiO2, TiO2/SnO2, SiO2/SnO2, and combinations of the three with various top and bottom layer thicknesses to cover a substantial region of the electromagnetic spectrum (UV to NIR). With increasing layer numbers for TiO2/SiO2 and SiO2/SnO2, the edges became sharper and wider and the photonic bandgap width increased. Moreover, we demonstrated that PhCs with significantly thick TiO2/SiO2 layers had a high transmittance for a wide bandgap, allowing for wide-band optical filter applications. These different PhC architectures could enable a variety of applications, depending on the properties needed.

Tunable triangular and honeycomb plasma structures in dielectric barrier discharge with mesh-liquid electrodes

We demonstrate a method to generate tunable triangular and honeycomb plasma structures via dielectric barrier discharge with uniquely designed mesh-liquid electrodes.A rapid reconfiguration between the triangular lattice and honeycomb lattice has been realized.Novel structures comprised of triangular plasma elements have been observed and a robust angular reorientation of the triangular plasma elements withθ=π/3 is suggested.An active control on the geometrical shape,size and angular orientation of the plasma elements has been achieved.Moreover,the formation mechanism of different plasma structures is studied by spatial-temporal resolved measurements using a high-speed camera.The photonic band diagrams of the plasma structures are calculated by use of finite element method and two large omnidirectional band gaps have been obtained for honeycomb lattices,demonstrating that such plasma structures can be potentially used as plasma photonic crystals to manipulate the propagation of microwaves.The results may offer new strategies for engineering the band gaps and provide enlightenments on designing new types of 2D and possibly 3D metamaterials in other fields.

A Generalized Polymer Precursor Ink Design for 3D Printing of Functional Metal Oxides

Three-dimensional-structured metal oxides have myriad applications for optoelectronic devices.Comparing to conventional lithography-based manufacturing methods which face significant challenges for 3D device architectures,additive manufacturing approaches such as direct ink writing offer convenient,on-demand manufacturing of 3D oxides with high resolutions down to sub-micrometer scales.However,the lack of a universal ink design strategy greatly limits the choices of printable oxides.Here,a universal,facile synthetic strategy is developed for direct ink writable polymer precursor inks based on metal-polymer coordination effect.Specifically,polyethyleneimine functionalized by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid is employed as the polymer matrix for adsorbing targeted metal ions.Next,glucose is introduced as a crosslinker for endowing the polymer precursor inks with a thermosetting property required for 3D printing via the Maillard reaction.For demonstrations,binary(i.e.,ZnO,CuO,In_(2)O_(3),Ga_(2)O_(3),TiO_(2),and Y_(2)O_(3)) and ternary metal oxides(i.e.,BaTiO_(3) and SrTiO_(3)) are printed into 3D architectures with sub-micrometer resolution by extruding the inks through ultrafine nozzles.Upon thermal crosslinking and pyrolysis,the 3D microarchitectures with woodpile geometries exhibit strong light-matter coupling in the mid-infrared region.The design strategy for printable inks opens a new pathway toward 3D-printed optoelectronic devices based on functional oxides.

A Low-dimensional Molecular Magnet with Low Dielectric Constant

A low-dimensional ion-pair compound[4-CN-Bz-4-Ph-Py][Ni(mnt)2](1,4-CN-Bz-4-Ph-Py=(4’-cyanobenzyl)-4-phenylpridinium)and mnt^2-=maleonitriledithiolate)was designed and synthesized.The cations and anions of 1 formed irregular segregated stacks along the a axis.1 exhibits weak paramagnetism over the temperature range of 2~300 K.The dielectric constant of compound 1 is between 2.75 and 5.55 from 30 to 140℃.1 is a very rare metal-bis-dithiolene complex with very low dielectric constant in high temperature.Our results will shed light on the design and preparation of new multi-functional molecular materials combining magnetic and dielectric properties.

Realization of absolute negative refraction index by a photonic crystal using anisotropic dielectric material

A method to realize absolute negative refraction index -1 with a two-dimensional （2D） photonic crystal is presented by introducing dielectric anisotropy in the photonic crystal material. The band structures of E-polarization mode and H-polarization mode can be adjusted by changing the parameters of materials. Thus the two modes with different polarizations have the same negative refraction index -1 for the same frequency. The results are demonstrated by numerical simulation based on the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method.

Optical properties of mesoporous photonic crystals,filled with dielectrics,ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics

At present,it is very important to create new types of mirrors,nonlinear light frequency transformers and optical filters with controlled optical properties.In this connection,it is of great interest to study photonic crystals.Their dielectric permittivity varies periodically in space with a period permitting Bragg diffraction of light.In this paper,we have investigated the optical properties of mesoporous three-dimensional(3D)opal-type and one-dimensional(1D)anodic alumina photonic crystals,filled with different dielectrics,ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics.We have compared the optical properties of initial mesoporous photonic crystals and filled with different substances.The possibility of mesoporous photonic crystals using selective narrow-band light filters in Raman scattering experiments and nonlinear mirrors has been analyzed.The electromagnetic field enhancing in the case of exciting light frequency close to the stop band edges has been established.The optical harmonics and subharmonics generation in mesoporous crystals,filled with ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics was proposed.

用于材料毫米波介电特性测试的光子晶体谐振器研究

在微波能应用研究中,材料的介电特性是其重要特性,决定了材料被微波的处理能力。为开展毫米波频域的微波能应用研究,本文研究了一种用于材料毫米波介电特性测试的光子晶体谐振器。该谐振器基于三角晶格分布的光子晶体结构,所设计介质光子晶体的带隙为87~107 GHz。在其基础上,通过增加线缺陷和两个锥形结构形成直接与WR-10波导相连接的介质光子晶体波导,通带范围为88~99 GHz。在此介质光子晶体波导的中心增加直径为d=0.51 mm的通孔,构成光子晶体谐振器。向谐振器中心通孔放入待测量的介质材料,待测材料的介电常数将对谐振腔的谐振频率产生影响,通过测量谐振频率的变化,则可得到待测材料在88~99 GHz频段的介电常数。通过CST仿真研究,所设计的结构可以对高介电常数材料的介电特性进行测试,可测量材料的介电常数测量范围在67~94.5 GHz之间。