Characteristics of a Photonic Crystal Structure Made by Flow-controlled Vertical Deposition Method

Abstract

A photonic crystal structure was fabricated by using a flow-controlled vertical deposition (FCVD) method. We simplified the fabrication setup by replacing the peristaltic pump with just an open hole at the bottom of beaker. The optimum surface drop velocity of the polystyrene suspension for a photonic crystal structure with uniform surface and thickness was experimentally determined to be 0.35 mu m/s. The photonic band-gap behavior of the fabricated photonic crystal structure was analyzed by using the transmission spectrum. The measured transmission spectrum was compared with a theoretical calculation, and we learned that the particle size contracted during the self-assembly process.