On the optical performance of composite structures of graphene and photonic crystals at infrared wavelengths

摘要

This work reports on a study regarding the optical performance of composite structures consisting of graphene and photonic crystals at infrared wavelengths. In the composite structures, single and/or multi-layer graphene are placed in between the alternating dielectric materials of the photonic crystals. The optical properties of the composite structures, including the light transmittance and reflectance, are numerically simulated in the infrared wavelength range from 1 to 100 μm, by varying the parameters associated with the graphene. The results reveal a band-gap feature below 6 μm, and a switch-like characteristics above 6 μm. The results also demonstrate that the optical properties of the composite structures can be tuned in the infrared regime, by adjusting the graphene parameters, including the Fermi energy levels and the layer numbers. Based on the optical performance revealed in this study, we suggest that the composite structures comprised of graphene and photonic crystals be implemented in future designs of plasmonic tuning devices at infrared wavelengths.