Analysis of enlargement of the omnidirectional total reflection band in a special kind of photonic crystal based on the incident angle domain

A special kind of one-dimensional (1D) magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) is investigated. The refractive indices of the alternating layers in such a MPC are equal. As a result, the stop-band edges of TE mode coincide with those of TM mode, and the stop-bands for both modes expand as the incident angle increases. Based on the incident angle domain method, the omnidirectional total reflection (ODTR) band determined by the wave impedance ratio between the composites can be enlarged substantially using a heterostructure in which the stop-band edges of the sub-PCs can be completely adjacent at any incident angle. Moreover, the requirement of ODTR of each sub-PC is unnecessary, which extends the range of materials; that is, the wave impedance ratio between the composites and the refractive index ratio between the composites and the incident media can be much lower than that required in a single periodic structure.