Morphology, band structure, and optical properties of artificial opals

Bulk polystyrene opals have been grown. Variable incidence angle reflectance spectroscopy is used to probe their photonic band structures. Several different structures are observed and accounted for by theoretical calculations of photonic bands and density of states. The results yield a clear distinction between diffraction in the direction of propagation by the (111) family planes (leading to the formation of the stop band) and diffraction in other directions by higher-order planes (corresponding to excitation of photonic modes in the crystal)