Switching of the photonic band gap in three-dimensional film photonic crystals based on opal-VO2 composites in the 1.3-1.6 μm spectral range

The parameters of three-dimensional photonic crystals based on opal-VO2 composite films in the 1.3-1.6 μm spectral range important for practical applications (Telecom standard) are numerically calculated. For opal pores, the range of filling factors is established (0.25-0.6) wherein the composite exhibits the properties of a three-dimensional insulator photonic crystal. On the basis of the opal-VO2 composites, three-dimensional photonic film crystals are synthesized with specified parameters that provide a maximum shift of the photonic band gap in the vicinity of the wavelength ∼1.5 μm (∼170 meV) at the semiconductor-metal transition in VO2.