Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 27 November 1998:
Vol. 282. no. 5394, pp. 1679 - 1682
DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5394.1679
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

A Dielectric Omnidirectional Reflector

Yoel Fink, Joshua N. Winn, Shanhui Fan, Chiping Chen, Jurgen Michel, John D. Joannopoulos, Edwin L. Thomas *

A design criterion that permits truly omnidirectional reflectivity for all polarizations of incident light over a wide selectable range of frequencies was used in fabricating an all-dielectric omnidirectional reflector consisting of multilayer films. The reflector was simply constructed as a stack of nine alternating micrometer-thick layers of polystyrene and tellurium and demonstrates omnidirectional reflection over the wavelength range from 10 to 15 micrometers. Because the omnidirectionality criterion is general, it can be used to design omnidirectional reflectors in many frequency ranges of interest. Potential uses depend on the geometry of the system. For example, coating of an enclosure will result in an optical cavity. A hollow tube will produce a low-loss, broadband waveguide, whereas a planar film could be used as an efficient radiative heat barrier or collector in thermoelectric devices.

Y. Fink, Department of Material Science and Engineering and Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. J. N. Winn, S. Fan, J. D. Joannopoulos, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. C. Chen, Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. J. Michel and E. L. Thomas, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
External Reflection from Omnidirectional Dielectric Mirror Fibers.
S. D. Hart, G. R. Maskaly, B. Temelkuran, P. H. Prideaux, J. D. Joannopoulos, and Y. Fink (2002)
Science 296, 510-513
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
An All-Dielectric Coaxial Waveguide.
M. Ibanescu, Y. Fink, S. Fan, E. L. Thomas, and J. D. Joannopoulos (2000)
Science 289, 415-419
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Giant Birefringent Optics in Multilayer Polymer Mirrors.
M. F. Weber, C. A. Stover, L. R. Gilbert, T. J. Nevitt, and A. J. Ouderkirk (2000)
Science 287, 2451-2456
   Abstract »    Full Text »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)