The linear and non-linear optical properties of 1-dimensional photonic crystals containing ZnO defects were studied by linear absorption spectroscopy and the femtosecond Z-scan technique. Photonic crystals containing ZnO defects, (Ta2O5/SiO2)5/ZnO/(SiO2/Ta2O5)5, were prepared using electron-beam deposition and magnetron sputtering. The transmission spectra of these photonic crystals revealed a defect mode resonance and a broad photonic band gap. The observed transmission spectra could be described by applying the optical transfer matrix formalism to the multilayer structure. When compared with the Z-scan curve of the ZnO film, that of the resonant photonic crystal exhibited a larger transmittance dip. The enhancement of the non-linear absorption in the resonant photonic crystal was due to the strong confinement of the optical field.

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Containing ZnO Defects. G.J.Lee, Y.P.Lee, S.G.Jung, C.K.Hwangbo, S.Kim, I.Park: Journal of Applied Physics, 2007, 102[7], 073528