Three-dimensional complete photonic-band-gap structures in the visible

It is shown that for a simple face-centered-cubic lattice of spherical scatterers more than one complete photonic band gap (CPBG) can open and the relative gap width can be as large as 10% even if the host dielectric constant epsilon(h) = 1. The key is to use the spheres mode out of material having a Drude-like behavior of the dielectric function, and, to tune lattice spacing appropriately to a characteristic plasma wavelength. We argue that such structures can provide CPBG structures with tunable band gaps down to ultraviolet wavelengths.