Engineering disorder in three-dimensional photonic crystals

TL;DR

This paper investigates how controlled disorder introduced during self-assembly affects the optical properties of three-dimensional photonic crystals, leading to a transition from ordered to fully random nanostructures with unique scattering features.

Contribution

It demonstrates a method to systematically induce and characterize disorder in 3D photonic crystals, revealing the transition to a fully random structure with uniform scatterers.

Findings

Disorder increases with electrolyte concentration.

Photonic stop gap vanishes as disorder increases.

Diffuse scattering reaches 100% in the fully random structure.

Abstract

We demonstrate the effect of introducing controlled disorder in self-assembled three-dimensional photonic crystals. Disorders are induced through controlling the self-assembling process using an electrolyte of specific concentrations. Structural characterization reveals increase in disorder with increase in concentrations of the electrolyte. Reflectivity and transmittance spectra are measured to probe the photonic stop gap at different levels of disorder. With increase in disorder the stop gap is vanished and that results in a fully random photonic nanostructure where the diffuse scattered intensity reaches up to 100%. Our random photonic nanostructure is unique in which all scatters have the same size and shape. We also observe the resonant characteristics in the multiple scattering of light.