Effective modulation of the photonic band gap based on Ge/ZnS one-dimensional photonic crystal at the infrared band

This study investigated both numerically and experimentally one-dimensional photonic crystals with periodic structures composed of Ge and ZnS. Numerical simulations indicated that the refractive index, physical thickness, reference wavelength, and periodicity have a great effect on the position and width of the photonic band gap. We fabricated three different thicknesses of structures within the range of 3-5 μm, with average reflectance values of 89.1%, 94.9%, and 87.9%; the corresponding emissivity values were 0.096, 0.079, and 0.143, respectively. The results indicated that the high reflectance or transmittance at any required wave band could be achieved by selecting suitable materials and structures.