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-VO 2 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-VO 2 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 VO 2 .