Low-threshold lasing in active opal photonic crystals

We theoretically study a low-threshold band-edge lasing in three-dimensional photonic crystals (PhCs) with a face-centered cubic lattice structure, using a complex-valued permittivity approach combined with the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method. We show that the lasing threshold at the low-frequency band edge is smaller than that at the high-frequency band edge for the first-order stop band of the PhC. We also analyze the impact of the number of the PhC's layers on the frequency of band-edge lasing and the lasing threshold near the first-order stop band in the GL direction, and demonstrate a broad tunability of the lasing frequency with change in the emission collection angle. The obtained results are beneficial for the performance enhancement of tunable, PhC-based chip lasers. (C) 2013 Optical Society of Americ