Fabrication of inverted opal ZnO photonic crystals by atomic layer deposition

We have fabricated three-dimensional optically active ZnO photonic crystals by infiltrating polystyrene opal templates using a low-temperature atomic layer deposition process. The polystyrene is removed by firing the samples at elevated temperatures, and reactive ion etching is used to remove the top layer of ZnO and expose the (111) photonic crystal surface. The resulting structures have high filling fractions, possess photonic band gaps in the near-UV to visible spectrum, and exhibit efficient photoluminescence. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.