CHALCOGENIDE INVERTED OPAL PHOTONIC CRYSTAL AS INFRARED PIGMENTS

Large surface infrared photonic crystals with reflectance higher than 90% have successfully been synthesized by self-assembling large size SiO 2 spheres, of 0.8-4.5 μm diameters, followed by melt infiltration with the chalcogenide glass Ge 33 As 12 Se 55 and the removal of the SiO 2 spheres by chemical etching. The sphere size and the periodicity of the templates were chosen to guarantee the formation of photonic band gaps of the inverted opals in the targeted IR regions of 3-5 μm and 8-12 μm. Fabrication, structural features and spectral behavior of the reflectance peaks of these chalcogenide glass inverse opals are presented.