Investigation of optical band gap in potassium acid phthalate single crystal

Optical absorption in photonic crystals of potassium acid phthalate has been measured at room temperature, from which the band gap has been determined and the optical band gap was calculated by using absorption spectrum. The analysis of absorption coefficient in the absorption region reveals a direct band gap of 3.70 eV. Further this study includes the theoretical calculations to determine the optical constant of the material and a technique for photonic band gap tuning which is minimally required to develop the optoelectronic device. It was confirmed that potassium acid phthalate crystal has maximum transparency in the entire visible region and hence it exhibits industrial application oriented properties. (C) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.