Low loss high mesa optical waveguides based on InGaAsP/InP heterostructures

Low loss high mesa optical waveguides were fabricated on InGaAsP/InP heterostructures by utilizing inductively-coupled-plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) and electron beam lithography technique. The fabrication process was optimized by measuring sidewall roughness of deep-etched waveguides. Atomic force microscope loaded with carbon nanotude was used to obtain three-dimensional image of the etched sidewall of waveguides. The obtained statistical information such as rms roughness and correlation length was used to theoretically calculate scattering loss of waveguides. Several waveguides with different number of sharp bends and the length were fabricated and their propagation losses were measured by modified Fabry-Perot method. The measured propagation losses were compared with theoretically calculated losses.     

Long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides containing very thin spin-coated silver films

We fabricated very thin solid silver films with thicknesses below 50 nm using a spin coating method. An aqueous silver ionic complex solution was spin-coated and then thermally cured for a few minutes at a low temperature. The properties of the spin-coated silver films were compared to the properties of silver films deposited by thermal evaporation. The spin-coated thin silver films possessed silver crystallinity and a surface roughness of ~ 2.83 nm, while the thermally evaporated thin silver films also possessed silver crystallinity with a surface roughness of ~ 2.44 nm. Long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) waveguides fabricated by both spin coating and thermal evaporation were also characterized and compared. The propagation losses of the 23 nm thick spin-coated and the 19 nm thick evaporated LR-SPP waveguides with strip widths of 7 μm were 3.6 and 4.2 dB/cm, respectively, and their coupling losses were 1.4 and 1.0 dB/2facets, respectively. The use of the spin coating method is a very cost effective solution because the films can be formed at low temperature in a short period of time without requiring a vacuum system. In addition, there are many potential applications of using spin-coated very thin solid silver films in LR-SPP waveguides and nano electrical circuit patterns.     

Simultaneous fabrication of optical channel waveguides and out-of-plane branching mirrors from a polymeric slab structure

Recently, polymeric multimode optical waveguides have been widely studied for low-cost interconnection use. We describe fabrication processes for a low-loss poly(methyl methacrylate) (less than 0.1 dB/cm at 675 nm) waveguide based on the reactive-ion-etching technique and for a slope (45 degrees mirror face) formed on the waveguide. To obtain a ridge core with a crack-free and extremely smooth surface, we applied a heating process at a temperature greater than the glass transition point and a smoothening process by solvent. Furthermore, to fabricate simultaneously both vertical and sloped sidewalls, we applied a unique phenomenon in the process that decreases the etching rate directly under a narrow opening of etching mask. By using the above fabrication techniques, we demonstrated an out-of-plane branching mirror.     

MEMS中硅湿法深槽刻蚀工艺的研究

针对硅基MEMS湿法深槽刻蚀技术的难点,在硅材料各向异性腐蚀特性的基础上探索了湿法工艺。对腐蚀液含量、温度、添加剂含量对刻蚀速率及表面粗糙度的影响,掩膜技术等进行了实验研究,优化得到了最佳刻蚀条件。应用该技术成功地刻蚀出深度高达330μm的深槽,为MEMS元器件的加工提供了一种参考方法。     

表面和亚表面特性对多层膜光栅成像对比度的影响

基于Si/SiO2材料对制备出名义节距为50 nm的多层膜光栅,重点分析了多层膜光栅研磨抛光过程中的亚表面损伤和湿法刻蚀均匀性问题。并利用原子力显微镜（AFM）和透射电子显微镜（TEM）对多层膜的截面粗糙度和刻蚀光栅结果进行了测量和分析。测量结果显示:多层膜光栅制备过程中的截面粗糙度降低和刻蚀均匀性的提高,有助于TEM测量获得均一的高成像对比度多层膜光栅图像。     

Nitride-based Schottky diodes and HFETs fabricated by photo-enhanced chemical wet etching

Photo-enhanced chemical (PEC) wet etching technology was used to etch GaN and AlGaN epitaxial layers. It was found that the maximum etch rates were 510, 1960, 300, and 0 nm/mm for GaN, Al_0.175Ga_0.825N, Al_0.23Ga_0.77N, and Al_0.4Ga_0.6N, respectively. It was also found that we could achieve a high Al_0.175Ga_0.825N to GaN etch rate ratio of 12.6. Nitride-based Schottky diodes and heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) were also fabricated by PEC wet etching. It was found that we could achieve a saturated I_D larger than 850 mA/mm and a maximum g_m about 163 mS/mm from PEC wet etched HFET with a 0.5 μm gate length. Compared with dry etched devices, the leakage currents observed from the PEC wet etched devices were also found to be smaller.     

Optical rib waveguides based on sol-gel derived silica-titania films

Rib channel waveguides were produced with the application of chemical wet etching of the sol-gel derived silica-titania (SiO₂-TiO₂) waveguide films. The silica-titania films were etched in water solutions of ammonia fluoride. In the etching process, the waveguide films were selectively masked with a photoresist. This paper presents the theoretical analysis of rib channel waveguides as well as the results of experimental research on slab and rib channel waveguides. For slab waveguides the attenuation of 0.15 dB/cm was obtained, and for the produced single mode rib channel waveguides, the attenuation of 1.7 dB/cm was obtained.     

Deposition and characterization of silica-based films by helicon-activated reactive evaporation applied to optical waveguide fabrication

Planar silicon dioxide optical waveguides were deposited by use of a plasma-activated reactive evaporation system, at a low deposition temperature and with reduced hydrogen contamination, on thermally oxidized silicon wafers. The deposited films show a refractive-index inhomogeneity of less than 0.1%, a thickness nonuniformity of less than 5%, and a material birefringence of approximately 5 x 10(-4). Rib-type channel waveguides were formed on the deposited films by means of hydrofluoric acid etching. The transmission loss of the rib waveguides is determined to be as low as 0.3 dB/cm at a wavelength of 1310 nm for TE polarization, after subtraction of the calculated leakage and scattering losses. Owing to the presence of the OH vibrational overtone band, an additional loss peak of 1 dB/cm is found near the 1385-nm wavelength. The experimental results of transmission loss at wavelengths of 1310 and 1550 nm are compared with analytic expressions for interface scattering and leakage loss.     

Advances on the fabrication process of Er3+/Yb3+:GeO2–PbO pedestal waveguides for integrated photonics

The present work reports the fabrication, passive and active characterization of Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ codoped GeO₂–PbO pedestal waveguides. We show the advances obtained in pedestal fabrication by comparing waveguides obtained under different processes parameters. The thin films were deposited on previously oxidized silicon wafers in Ar plasma at 5 mTorr; pedestal waveguides, with 1–100 μm width range were defined by conventional lithography procedure, followed by reactive ion etching (RIE). A comparison between the results of propagation losses and internal gain is presented in order to show that the improvement of fabrication process contributed to enhance the performance of the pedestal waveguides. Reduction of about 50% was observed for the propagation losses at 632 and 1068 nm, whereas enhancement of approximately 50% was obtained for the internal gain at 1530 nm (4 and 6 dB/cm, for 70 μm waveguide width), under 980 nm excitation. The present results demonstrate the possibility of using Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ codoped GeO₂–PbO as pedestal waveguide amplifiers.     

The passive optical properties of a silicon nanoparticle-embedded benzocyclobutene polymer waveguide

The passive optical properties of a silicon nanoparticle-embedded benzocyclobutene (BCB) waveguide were investigated. The silicon nanoparticles, of a size varying from 6 to 25?nm, were prepared by vapor condensation. The transmission modes and losses were examined by the prism coupler and cut-back methods. A He-Ne laser beam with a wavelength of 6328?? was used to measure the effective index and thickness of the waveguide. Laser light could be efficiently coupled into the BCB waveguide when the embedded Si nanoparticles were smaller than 6?nm. The film thickness and effective index of the Si-embedded BCB waveguide were measured to be 1.825?μm and 1.565, respectively. The optical transmission losses of the pure BCB and Si-embedded ridge waveguides measured by the cut-back method were 0.85 and 1.63?dB?cm(-1), respectively. Although the optical loss was increased by the embedded Si, the disturbance of the output contour was quite small. This result demonstrates that the nanoparticle-embedded polymer waveguide may be used for optoelectronic integrated circuits.     

Comparative study on chemical stability of dielectric oxide films under HF wet and vapor etching for radiofrequency microelectromechanical system application

HF wet and vapor etching of dielectric oxide films, which were prepared by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD), are examined for radiofrequency microelectromechanical system (RF MEMS) application. The chemical stability of oxide films was increased in the order of ALD–Al₂O₃ < PEALD–ZrO₂ < PEALD–TiO₂ ≈ ALD–Ta₂O₅ under wet etching in 6:1 buffered HF aqueous solution, but in a different order of Ta₂O₅ < ZrO₂ < TiO₂ ≈ Al₂O₃ under anhydrous HF/CH₃OH vapor etching at 4 kPa. The unstable films were uniformly and completely etched under the wet etching, while transformed to have increased thickness or non-uniformly etched with thicker residue under the vapor etching. Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ (Ta₂O₅ and TiO₂) can be used for RF MEMS capacitive switch fabricated by using HF vapor (wet) etching of sacrificial SiO₂.     

UV/Vis visible optical waveguides fabricated using organic-inorganic nanocomposite layers

Nanocomposite layers based on silica nanoparticles and a methacrylate matrix are synthesized by a solvent-free process and characterized in order to realize UV/Vis transparent optical waveguides. Chemical functionalization of the silica nanoparticles permits to interface the polymers and the silica. The refractive index, roughness and wettability and the machinability of the layers can be tuned changing the silica nanoparticle concentration and chemical modification of the surface of the nanoparticles. The optical transparency of the layers is affected by the nanoparticles organization between the organic chains, while it increased proportionally with respect to silica concentration. Nanocomposite layers with a concentration of 40 wt% in silica reached UV transparency for a wavelength of 250 nm. UV/Vis transparent waveguides were micromilled through nanocomposite layers and characterized. Propagation losses were measured to be around 1 dB cm(-1) at a wavelength of 350 nm.     

Surfactant‐Free Sub‐2 nm Ultrathin Triangular Gold Nanoframes

Ultrathin triangular gold nanoframes are synthesized in high yield through selective gold deposition on the edges of triangular silver nanoprisms and subsequent silver etching with mild wet etchants. These ultrathin gold nanoframes are surfactant‐free with tailorable ridge thickness from 1.8 to 6 nm and exhibit adjustable and distinct surface plasmon resonance bands in the visible and near‐IR region. In comparison, etching of the nanoprism template by galvanic replacement can only create frame structures with much thicker ridges, which have much lower catalytic activity for 4‐nitrophenol reduction than the ultrathin gold nanoframes.     

软膜紫外光固化纳米压印中Amonil光刻胶的刻蚀参数优化(英文)

报道了反应离子刻蚀转移图形过程中对Amonil光刻胶的刻蚀参数优化的结果.利用软膜紫外光固化纳米压印技术,首先制备了线宽/间距均为200 nm的纳米光栅结构.然后采用反应离子刻蚀的方法去除残留的Amonil光刻胶.研究了不同的气体组成、射频功率、压强和气体流量对刻蚀形貌、表面粗糙度以及刻蚀速度的影响.在优化的工艺条件下,获得了理想的具有垂直侧壁形貌和较小表面粗糙度的纳米光栅阵列.结果表明,选择优化的刻蚀工艺参数,既能有效地改善图形转移的性能,同时也能提高所制备结构的光学应用特性.     

单晶铌酸锂薄膜光波导的制备研究

为了优化单晶铌酸锂薄膜光波导的性能,研究了基于单晶铌酸锂薄膜材料的光波导刻蚀工艺。虽然Ar⁺物理刻蚀能够达到最高95 nm/min的刻蚀速率,但难以获得光滑的波导侧壁,且以Cr作为掩膜的刻蚀选择比为1∶1,这意味着较差的选择性使其难以实现铌酸锂的深刻蚀。而采用反应离子刻蚀(RIE)得到的刻蚀速率较低,但是以Cr作为掩膜的刻蚀选择比能够达到6∶1以上,同时能够获得光滑、陡直的侧壁形貌。最终在450 nm厚度的单晶铌酸锂薄膜上,采用RIE制备了宽度为4μm、高度为370 nm的脊型光波导,并以端面耦合的方法进行测试,得到该波导的传输损耗约为5.2 dB/cm。     

Low loss, low refractive index fluorinated self-crosslinking polymer waveguides for optical applications

Synthesis and optical applications of low loss methacrylate-based fluorinated polymers are described. The synthesis of well defined self-crosslinking fluorinated polymers has been carried out in order to tune refractive index in the range of 1.390 < n < 1.450. After thermal crosslinking, one single lithographic step followed by reactive ion etching is necessary to monomode optical waveguide fabrication on silicon substrates. Optical losses lower than 1 dB/cm at 1300 nm and 2 dB/cm at 1550 nm were measured for highly confined modes. Efficient chip coupling to lensed optical fibers was obtained. Using waveguides with an effective index close to that of bulk silica, a significant coupling interaction between the guided modes and the whispering gallery modes of a silica microsphere was evidenced thus opening the way for new device applications.     

Channel waveguides of insoluble conjugated polymers

We demonstrate a fast and simple technique of patterning insoluble, nonbleachable, conjugated polymer films into channel waveguides by striploading with photoresist. Two types of coupling gratings were tested for this new system. The coupling parameters, the linear losses and the beam confinement are discussed. This technique makes it possible to explore this class of materials in the field of integrated optics. A new data evaluation method for a more precise measurement of losses in slab waveguides is introduced.     

Local anodic oxidation by atomic force microscopy for nano-Raman strain measurements on silicon-germanium thin films

Nanolithography based on local anodic oxidation (LAO) by atomic force microscopy is a promising technique for patterning strained film nanostructures on the silicon substrates. Due to its versatility and precise control, LAO is suited for preparing well defined calibration structures for local strain measurements. We investigated silicon-germanium patterns prepared by LAO and subsequent selective anisotropic wet etching. By combining the nanolithography and etching, dedicated strain test structures with a line width of 65 nm were achieved and utilized for calibration of tip-enhanced Raman measurements.     

Thinning of CIGS solar cells: Part I: Chemical processing in acidic bromine solutions

CIGSe absorber was etched in HBr/Br₂/H₂O to prepare defined thicknesses of CIGSe between 2.7 and 0.5 μm. We established a reproducible method of reducing the absorber thickness via chemical etching. We determine the dissolution kinetics rate of CIGSe using trace analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry of Ga and Cu. The roughness of the etching surface decreases during the first 500 nm of the etching to a steady state value of the root-mean-square roughness near 50 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses demonstrate an etching process occurring with a constant chemical composition of the treated surface acidic bromine solutions provide a controlled chemical thinning process resulting in an almost flat surface and a very low superficial Se⁰ enrichment.     

Highly ordered hexagonally arranged nanostructures on silicon through a self-assembled silicon-integrated porous anodic alumina masking layer

A combined process of electrochemical formation of self-assembled porous anodic alumina thin films on a Si substrate and Si etching through the pores was used to fabricate ideally ordered nanostructures on the silicon surface with a long-range, two-dimensional arrangement in a hexagonal close-packed lattice. Pore arrangement in the alumina film was achieved without any pre-patterning of the film surface before anodization. Perfect pattern transfer was achieved by an initial dry etching step, followed by wet or electrochemical etching of Si at the pore bottoms. Anisotropic wet etching using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution resulted in pits in the form of inverted pyramids, while electrochemical etching using a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution resulted in concave nanopits in the form of semi-spheres. Nanopatterns with lateral size in the range 12-200?nm, depth in the range 50-300?nm and periodicity in the range 30-200?nm were achieved either on large Si areas or on pre-selected confined areas on the Si substrate. The pore size and periodicity were tuned by changing the electrolyte for porous anodic alumina formation and the alumina pore widening time. This parallel large-area nanopatterning technique shows significant potential for use in Si technology and devices.