Spontaneous emission from fluorescent molecules embedded in photonic crystals consisting of polystyrene microspheres

Abstract

Spontaneous emission from dye molecules embedded in periodic dielectric structures was investigated. The structures consist of close-packed arrays of dye-doped polystyrene microspheres. Periodic arrays of polystyrene spheres with a submicrometer diameter were shown to provide a nonoverlapping gap or pseudogap in the visible spectral region. The modification of the spontaneous emission from inside the pseudogap structure was observed as a deep dip in the photoluminescence spectra. The alteration in the emission spectra is explained in terms of the partial suppression of radiation modes due to the periodic dielectric structures.