Switching of the photonic band gap in three-dimensional film photonic crystals based on opal--V[O.sub.2] composites in the 1.3-1.6 µm spectral range

The parameters of three-dimensional photonic crystals based on opal--V[O.sub.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--V[O.sub.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 V[O.sub.2]. DOI: 10.1134/S1063782610120018