Air-bridge contact fabrication for in-plane active photonic crystal devices

The fabrication of air-bridge contacts for in-plane active photonic crystal devices is presented. The technology allows to access waveguides as narrow as 200 nm. The main fabrication challenges described in detail are surface planarization and formation of isolation layers for contact pads. The issue of surface damage effects on dry-etched sidewalls is addressed and current measurements on narrow contacts were performed.