Alvaro Blanco

Large-scale synthesis of a silicon photonic crystal with a complete three-dimensional bandgap near 1.5 micrometres

Photonic technology, using light instead of electrons as the information carrier, is increasingly replacing electronics in communication and information management systems. Microscopic light manipulation, for this purpose, is achievable through photonic bandgap materials, a special class of photonic crystals in which three-dimensional, periodic dielectric constant variations controllably prohibit electromagnetic propagation throughout a specified frequency band. This can result in the localization of photons, thus providing a mechanism for controlling and inhibiting spontaneous light emission that can be exploited for photonic device fabrication. In fact, carefully engineered line defects could act as waveguides connecting photonic devices in all-optical microchips, and infiltration of the photonic material with suitable liquid crystals might produce photonic bandgap structures (and hence light-flow patterns) fully tunable by an externally applied voltage. However, the realization of this technology requires a strategy for the efficient synthesis of high-quality, large-scale photonic crystals with photonic bandgaps at micrometre and sub-micrometre wavelengths, and with rationally designed line and point defects for optical circuitry. Here we describe single crystals of silicon inverse opal with a complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap centred on 1.46 µm, produced by growing silicon inside the voids of an opal template of close-packed silica spheres that are connected by small ‘necks’ formed during sintering, followed by removal of the silica template. The synthesis method is simple and inexpensive, yielding photonic crystals of pure silicon that are easily integrated with existing silicon-based microelectronics.

Control of the Photonic Crystal Properties of fcc-Packed Submicrometer SiO2 Spheres by Sintering

We acknowledge M. Planes for his help during SEM characterization. This work was partially financed by the Spanish CICyT project No. MAT97-0698-C04 and the Fundacion Ramon Areces

Photonic crystal properties of packed submicrometric SiO2 spheres

In this letter, we investigate the optical properties of packed monodisperse silica submicron spheres by means of optical transmission measurements. The results are compatible with a three dimensional face centered cubic order in these solid structures. The lattice parameter of these structures, and therefore their optical properties, can be easily tuned through the sphere size (between 200 and 700 nm) thus covering the whole visible and near infrared spectrum.

CdS photoluminescence inhibition by a photonic structure

Here we present experimental evidence of the strong modification of the CdS photoluminescence when it is embedded in a SiO2 colloidal photonic crystal. When the emitted light matches a forbidden photonic band in the matrix, inhibition of the semiconductor photoluminescence is achieved. In this work we prove the effective control of this effect by means of the photonic lattice parameter of the host. CdS was grown by chemical bath deposition and its quality has been checked employing Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. Scanning electron microscopy is used to study the morphology of the composite.

Silica-coated metals and semiconductors. Stabilization and nanostructuring

We present in this paper the use of silica-coating for nanostructuring metal and semiconductor nanoparticles. The basic concept is the strict tailoring of the interparticle spacing through the thickness of the silica shell. Three different experiments are presented that exemplify this concept. The first example consists of the preparation of thin films using the layer-by-layer self-assembly of gold nanoparticles, either uncoated or coated with thin silica shells. The observed optical effects are interpreted using effective medium theory. The second and third experiments are related to the preparation of three-dimensional nanostructures, either as concentrated dispersions of thickly coated Au or CdS nanoparticles, or as opals prepared from such core-shell nanoparticles. Within these crystalline solids, intercore distance is again dictated by the thickness of the silica shells.

Optical study of the full photonic band gap in silicon inverse opals

An optical study of the band structure of both silicon–silica composite and silicon inverse opals is presented. The study is aimed at demonstrating the development of a full photonic band gap for a system already revealed as paradigmatic. The characterization is based on the comparison between the band structure calculations and optical reflectance spectroscopy experiments. This study is carried out for various symmetry points in the Brillouin zone, some never explored before as K, (110) and W, (210). The results show that, in accordance with the band structure, there is a certain frequency range that produces a reflectance peak regardless of orientation and can be assigned to the band gap. Similarly all other reflectance peaks can be accounted for by other band structure features.

Photonic band gap properties of CdS-in-opal systems

Silica opals are used as templates where CdS is infiltrated with the aim to build inverse structures with enhanced photonic band gap properties. A control on the degree of infiltration, from 0% to 100%, is attained. The band gap at L is studied finding that the width decreases and then recovers as a function of CdS infilling (from bare opal to fully loaded structure). This is well accounted for by theory based on two different modes for the growth of CdS inside the opal pores. A shell mode seems to govern the growth at low infiltration (less than 10%). High quality opal templates, appropriate sintering, and a high and uniform infiltration are required to ensure further optical characterization of the inverse systems. Only heavily loaded structures are apt to be inverted. The gap in the fully loaded and the inverse opal are, respectively, two and three times broader than in the starting opal.

Stacking patterns in self-assembly opal photonic crystals

In this letter the authors present both experimental and numerical studies of the optical properties of four-layer artificial opals. The stacking of four layers of spheres may arise according to three different arrangements: face-centered cubic, hexagonal close packed, or double hexagonal close packed. The study shows that the transmission spectra features are characteristic of the type of stacking, and thus, each color region observed under the optical microscope can be unambiguously associated with one of the stacking types.

Water-Dependent Photonic Bandgap in Silica Artificial Opals

Some characteristics of silica--based structures-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheres--can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is particularly surprising, because water desorption increases the refractive index contrast, which should lead instead to bandgap broadening. A quantitative explanation of this experiment is provided using a simple model for water distribution in the opal that assumes a nonclose-packed fcc structure. This model further predicts that, at room temperature, about 50% of the interstitial water forms necks between nearest-neighbor spheres, which are separated by 5% of their diameter. Upon heating, dehydration predominantly occurs at the sphere surfaces (in the opal voids), so that above 65 °C the remaining water resides exclusively in the necks. A near-close-packed fcc arrangement is only achieved above 200 °C. The high sensitivity to water changes exhibited by silica opals, even under gentle heating of few degrees, must be taken into account for practical applications. Remarkably, accurate control of the distance between spheres--from 16 to 1 nm--is obtained with temperature. In this study, novel use of the optical properties of the opal is made to infer quantitative information about water distribution within silica beads and dehydration phenomena from simple reflection spectra. Taking advantage of the well-defined opal morphology, this approach offers a simple tool for the straightforward investigation of generic adsorption-desorption phenomena, which might be extrapolated to many other fields involving capillary condensation.

Effect of Pre-Harvest Calcium Sprays on Calcium Concentrations in the Skin and Flesh of Apples

ABSTRACT During 2004 and 2006, experiments were conducted that measured the absorption of calcium (Ca) by the fruit and assessed the effects of Ca sprays on the skin and flesh of apples. Frequent (1 spray/month for 2 or 4 months) Ca treatments increased the concentration of Ca in the skin, but not in the flesh of fruit, and several sprays were needed to promote a prolonged increase in the concentration of Ca in the skin. Calcium sprays did not influence the concentrations of magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K). Foliar analyses confirmed the absorption of topical Ca by the apple tree following the Ca sprays as the concentration of Ca in leaves increased.