Observations of defect propagation in [100]-oriented opal-type photonic crystals
Jin Chong-Jun(金崇君)a)b), Richard M. De La Ruea), and Nigel P. Johnsona)
a Department of Electronics & Electrical Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8LT, UK; b School of Physics and Engineering, Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Abstract Charged colloidal suspensions have been used as experimental models for the study of crystal nucleation. Here we propose that the technique of template-assisted colloidal self-assembly can be used to visualize the effects of defect propagation in atomic crystal films produced using epitaxial growth. Templates with periodic line defects were used to grow [100]-oriented three-dimensional photonic crystals by means of the template-assisted colloidal self-assembly method, aided by capillary and gravitational forces. The defect propagation in the [100]-oriented photonic crystal was observed using scanning electron microscopy, both at the surface of the crystal and on cleaved facets. This method is useful in the understanding of defect propagation in the growth of colloidal films on templates - and the same approach may also prove useful for the understanding of atomic crystal growth on substrates with defects. Additionally, the deliberate incorporation of line defects may prove valuable as a way of introducing waveguide channels into three-dimensional photonic crystals.
Received: 06 February 2007
Revised: 29 October 2007
Accepted manuscript online:
Jin Chong-Jun(金崇君), Richard M. De La Rue, and Nigel P. Johnson Observations of defect propagation in [100]-oriented opal-type photonic crystals 2008 Chin. Phys. B 17 1298
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