Photonic crystals are periodically structured dielectric or metallo-dielectric media that can be used for controlling the propagation and emission of light due to a photonic band gap. Such media can be used to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of biosensors. However, producing such media is expensive, making the search for a low cost solution desirable. Two low cost media with such properties have been identified but need to be characterized before further work can be done. The objective of this research is to determine if these low cost media are suitable for use as disposable photonic crystals in biosensor applications.
