Micro- and nanophotonic structures in the visible and near infrared spectral region for optical devices

In this paper we present some research results on the micro and nano-photonic structures in the visible and near infrared spectral region for optical devices that have been done within the framework of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Program of Institute of Materials Science. In the first part, we report the design and fabrication of 1D photonic structure based on porous silicon layers fabricated by electrochemical etching method and some of their potential applications such as optical filters, microcavity and optical sensors for distinguishing the content of bio-gasoline. In addition, we demonstrate some results on preparation of the 2D and 3D nanophotonic structures based on silica opal layers prepared by sol–gel and self-assembled methods. In the second part, we demonstrate the results of lasing emissions of erbium ions in the visible and near infrared zone from microcavity. The observation of emission of single-mode green light at the wavelength of 537 nm from erbium ions in the microcavity is interesting for the study of atom–photon interaction phenomenon. In the last part, we will show some new results of design and fabrication of nanocomposite based on nanoscale TiO2 and/or ZnO and nanoparticles of semiconductors and metals, which are oriented to the fabrication of energy conversion and photo-reactor devices.