Fabrication and Optical Properties of Two-Dimensional Ordered Arrays of Silica Microspheres

Abstract

Two-dimensional ordered arrays of SiO 2 (silica) microspheres, as a semi-two-dimensional photonic crystal, with large surface area were fabricated by using a newly developed self-organization method. We observed strong light scattering and hexagonal diffraction patterns for the hexagonally close-packed array of spheres with submicrometer size. Dips in the transmission spectra due to coupling between incident light and electromagnetic bound states of the photonic bands within the array were observed. From the transmission spectra, we determined the photonic band structure of the two-dimensional arrays of microspheres.