Chemical Synthesis and Directed Growth of Photonic Bandgap Crystals

摘要

Research is underway to make microscopically ordered, three-dimensional structures with large refractive index contrast at sub-micron length scales. These materials, known as photonic crystals, can localize electromagnetic waves within a narrow range of wavelengths, then direct them to propagate through a crystal along discrete channels. Such materials could have important applications in the field of optoelectronics. Primarily, this chapter focuses on aqueous solution methods for preparing colloidal particles of a diameter near that of infra-red or visible light and directing the self-assembly of those particles into 3-D matricies in a variety of packing arrangements.