Ultrafast Bragg switching induced by a phase transition in a 3D photonic crystal

We demonstrate ultrafast shifting of a photonic stop band driven by a photoinduced phase transition in vanadium dioxide (VO2) forming a three-dimensional photonic crystal. An ultrashort 120-fs laser pulse induces a phase transition in VO2 filling the pores of an artificial silica opal, thus changing the effective dielectric constant of the opal. Consequently, the spectral position of the photonic stop band blue-shifts producing large changes in the reflectivity. The observed switching of the photonic crystal is faster that 350 fs. The demonstrated properties of opal-VO2 composite are relevant for potential applications in all-optical switches, optical memories, low-threshold lasers, and optical computers.

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