Investigating the Use of Replica Morpho Butterfly Scales for Colour Displays

Abstract

Abstract—The reflective properties and bright colours of but-terfly wings are of great interest in many applications. The brilliant blue of the Morpho genus is due to multilayer inter-ference effects originating from tiny lamellae on ridges present on the butterfly’s scales. Diffraction also occurs due to the ridges themselves. The combination of these two effects leads to a high intensity reflection spectrum with a strong angular dependency. In this paper, the physics behind the structure is first discussed, followed by an introduction to and simulation of a replica structure which mimics the Morpho butterfly’s scale structure. By varying the periodicity of the replica ridge structures, many different colours can be produced, demonstrating the potential of these structures for use in applications such as high intensity colour displays. I.