Photonic band gaps in two-dimensional photonic crystals of core-shell-type dielectric nanorod heterostructures

A new type of two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) called core-shell-type PC composed of a nanorod heterostructure array in a square or triangular lattice such that a dielectric nanorod is covered by a thin interfacial layer is studied. Using the plane-wave numerical expansion method, we study the modification of the band gap spectrum when the nanorods are covered by other material, and reveal that the photonic band gap is considerably enhanced in size for both square and triangular lattice. The effects of structural parameters on the band gaps are also studied. The results show that there exist optimal parameters to open large gaps, and TE (Transverse-electric) band gaps are favored in a triangular lattice.