Tunable properties of the defect mode of a ternary photonic crystal with a high TC superconductor and semiconductor layers.

The tuning of a defect mode in a photonic crystal (PC) is of high significance for filter and sensor applications. We here investigate the tuning of the defect mode of a defective ternary PC with a semiconductor and high critical-temperature superconductor layers. A ternary photonic crystal with the heterostructure (semiconductor/superconductor/dielectric) is assumed. The transfer matrix method is employed to investigate the transmission of transverse electric waves. The refractive indices of the semiconductor and superconductor layers can be tuned by changing the operating temperature and the hydrostatic pressure. The defect mode and transmission properties can be controlled by using the hydrostatic pressure, operating temperature, frequency and thicknesses of the heterostructure layers. The analysis is performed in the frequency range of 20–65 THz. The proposed structure can be utilized as a biosensor and a narrowband transmission peaks filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]