Optical properties of multilayered Period-Doubling and Rudin-Shapiro porous silicon dielectric heterostructures

To investigate the optical properties in quasi-regular porous-silicon-based dielectric Period-Doubling and Rudin-Shapiro multilayer systems, we study here the reflection of light from these structures. The Period-Doubling and Rudin-Shapiro structures are fabricated in such a way that the optical thickness of each layer is one quarter of 600 and 640 nm respectively. We find that porous silicon Period-Doubling dielectric multilayers could demonstrate the optical properties similar to the classical periodic Febry–Perot interference filters with one or multiple resonant peaks, but with an advantage of having total optical thickness much lesser than the periodic structures. Additionally, light propagation in porous silicon Rudin-Shapiro structures is investigated for the first time, both theoretically and experimentally. The reflectance spectra of the structures exhibit photonic band gaps centered at predetermined wavelengths. In both cases, numerical simulation of light transmission is performed using transfer matrix method.