Completely random nanoporous Cu₄O₃–CuO–C composite thin films for potential application as multiple channel photonic band gap based filter in the telecommunication wavelengths

Abstract

In 2003, Babin et al. theoretically predicted (J. Appl. Phys. 94:4244, 2003) that fabrication of organic–inorganic hybrid materials would probably be required to implement structures with multiple photonic band gaps. In tune with their prediction, we report synthesis of such an inorganic–organic nanocomposite, comprising Cu₄O₃–CuO–C thin films that experimentally exhibit the highest (of any known material) number (as many as eleven) of photonic band gaps in the near infrared. On contrary to the report by Wang et al. (Appl. Phys. Lett. 84:1629, 2004) that photonic crystals with multiple stop gaps require highly correlated structural arrangement such as multilayers of variable thicknesses, we demonstrate experimental realization of multiple stop gaps in completely randomized structures comprising inorganic oxide nanocrystals (Cu₄O₃ and CuO) randomly embedded in a randomly porous carbonaceous matrix. We report one step synthesis of such nanostructured films through the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technique using a single source metalorganic precursor, Cu₄(deaH)(dea)(oAc)₅ ⋅ (CH₃)₂CO. The films displaying multiple (4/9/11) photonic band gaps with equal transmission losses in the infrared are promising materials to find applications as multiple channel photonic band gap based filter for WDM technology.