Three-dimensional self-organized plasma/dielectric photonic crystals with tunable band gap

We report rapid reconfiguration of 3D plasma/dielectric photonic crystals, allowing tunability through self-organization in dielectric barrier discharge. Four types of 3D plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) can be obtained in a few seconds only by varying the applied voltage. The self-organization mechanism is studied, and the electron density is estimated for simulating the band structures. The increase of Q-factor and frequency shift at about 21.55 GHz and 33.70 GHz are detected from the photonic crystal to the plasma photonic crystal by the diagnostics of microwave transmission. Two band gaps in the photonic band diagram simulated by using the finite element method reproduce the above experimental results well. Our work presents a novel approach for generating 3D tunable PPCs, offering significant advancements in both structural design and dynamic control mechanisms of PPCs.