Modelling of 3D photonic crystals based on opals

The construction of 3D photonic crystals with gaps in the visible or the near-infrared frequency range requires engineering of complex microstructures which are very difficult lo realize by etching and micro-fabrication. Consequently, self-ordered systems such as synthetic opals are very promising. Synthetic bare opals are constituted by SiO2 spheres that organize themselves by a sedimentation process in a face centered cubic (fcc) arrangement. Using the plane wave method, we examine the photonic band structures of close-packed opal-based photonic crystals with an SiO2 (n = 1.5) matrix. The incomplete photonic band gaps at the X- and L-points have been studied which correspond to normally incident plane waves onto the (100) and (111) crystal planes. With the transfer matrix method, we model the transmission properties. We find that the incomplete gap at the L-point fully inhibits the transmission of waves propagating in the [111] direction for opal sample thicknesses that art: easily obtainable. This property shows that bare opals could be good candidates for complete inhibition of transmission in the near-infrared and visible frequency range for given orientations.