Fabrication and characterisation of CdSe photonic structures from self-assembled templates

We demonstrate here a method to fabricate CdSe photonic crystal from a very cheap fabrication route of templated self-assembly. The hexagonal close-packed photonic crystals are formed by the electrochemical growth of CdSe through the interstitial spaces between polymer nano/micro sphere templates. The confocal voids containing photonic crystals can be made either interconnected or well separated, with high uniformity. Structural and optical characterisation confirms the good quality of electrochemically grown CdSe. These cheaply fabricated 2D photonic crystals provide a wide range of opportunities for optoelectronic devices.