Fabry-Perot etalons using colloidal photonic crystal mirrors

Fabry-Perot etalons have been fabricated with 3D colloidal photonic crystal mirrors. The colloid films were optimized for high reflection and low loss to provide good finesse values in the 1200-1700 nm spectral range. A cavity quality factor of 2400 and a finesse of 8 together with sharp 0.5 nm wide resonance transmission peaks are reported that attest to the relatively good optical quality of the three-dimensionally structured films and the promise of self-assembly colloidal crystal chemistry in providing novel microporous optical interferometers for potential applications such as environmental and biological sensing.