Fabrication of smooth silicon optical devices using proton beam writing

Abstract

This work gives a brief review of proton beam writing and electrochemical etching process for the fabrication of smooth optical devices in bulk silicon. Various types of structures such as silicon-on-oxidized porous silicon waveguides, waveguide grating and disk resonators have been produced. Optical characterization has been carried out on the waveguides for both TE and TM polarization using free space coupling at 1.55 μm. Various fabrication and processing parameters have been optimized in order to reduce the propagation loss to approximately 1 dB/cm. A surface smoothening technique based on controlled oxidation has also been used to achieve an RMS roughness better than 3 nm.