Photoinduced split of the cavity mode in photonic crystals based on porous silicon filled with photochromic azobenzene-containing substances

TL;DR

This paper reports on the development of photochromic silicon-based photonic structures that exhibit reversible spectral splitting of the cavity mode upon blue light irradiation, with potential applications in photonics.

Contribution

It introduces novel phototunable photonic structures using azobenzene compounds in silicon, demonstrating reversible spectral splitting controlled by light and temperature.

Findings

Spectral splitting occurs upon polarized blue light irradiation.

The split is fully reversible with heating above certain transition temperatures.

Spectral shape remains stable over time at room temperature for specific composites.

Abstract

The novel phototunable photonic structures based on electrochemically etched silicon filled with four photochromic azobenzene-containing compounds, bent-shaped low molar mass substance and side-chain polymethacrylates and copolyacrylate, were prepared and their photooptical properties were studied. It was found that irradiation of these composites with polarized blue light results in spectral changes in photonic band gap (split of the cavity mode) associated with cooperative photoorientation of azobenzene moieties inside silicon pores in direction perpendicular to the polarization plane of the incident light. Kinetics of the photoinduced split is studied. The observed phototoinduced split is completely reversible and heating of the composites to temperatures above isotropization or glass transitions fully recovers the initial spectral shape of photonic band gap. Thermal and temporal stability of the obtained photoinduced split were comparatively studied, and it was found that for composites with bent-shaped substance and polymethacrylate shape of the reflectance spectra does not change over time at room temperature. The prepared composites have high potential for the different applications in photonics.