Tunable bioinspired spatially-varying random photonic crystals

The research objective is to develop a tunable spatially-varying photonic crystal (SVPC) to achieve the optical propagation properties (reflection and transmission) of the light through the designed structure for the visible and near IR-bands. The light from this SVPC will be able to focus and bend as a function of the spatial variation of the refractive index, input angle, and state of polarization of light. These optical properties will be investigated in visible and near-IR bands with high spectral resolution and for high apparent temperatures. These optical properties will be investigated under visible and near-IR bands with high spectral resolution and for high apparent temperatures. The tunable SVPC will be suited for IR hardware-in-the-loop scene projection. To achieve the requirements for such technologies, we propose a SVPC based on multilayer geometry. During Phase I, we will design and characterize at least two types (diamond and gyroid) of lattice structures for its optical properties. The fabrication process will be determined in Phase I. In Phase II, we will fabricate and demonstrate several lattices for each type, which will be tested in visible and near-IR bands.