Tuning of the photonic band gaps and the reflection spectra of a one-dimensional photonic crystal based on silicon and a liquid crystal

The reflection spectra and the photonic band gaps of a one-dimensional composite photonic crystal are calculated for different filling factors (the ratio of the thickness of a silicon layer to the lattice constant A). A change in the refractive index of the filler in a photonic crystal leads to the shift of both edges for certain side photonic bands. It is shown that, with a change in the refractive index from 1.49 to 1.69, the shift of the edges (the tuning effect) can reach the value A/λ = 0.04 for the main photonic band and 0.08 for a side band. An additional criterion for designing a photonic crystal is the estimation of the sharpness of the edges of photonic bands in the reflection spectra.