Colloidal crystals laser applications

Photonic band gap (PBG) materials are a specific class of ordered stmctures containing a periodic variation in refractive index in two or three dimensions and are used in a variety of applications like low-loss waveguides, low threshold lasers to name a few. Colloidal self-assembly provides a very promising approach for the production of micron scale, three dimension photonic crystals with band gaps in the visible or infrared region. The limiting factor in the self-assembly process is the monodispersity of the colloids, as good quality crystals are only achieved with coUoids that have very low size polydispersity (<5 %). Braun et al. (2001, 2002) have recently employed colloidal crystallization of silica spheres to build photonic band gap crystals for different applications. 

Chapter 18 Colloidal Photonic Crystals and Laser Applications. 415... 

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