Title :
Reflow and burial of channel waveguides formed in sol-gel glass on Si substrates
Author :
Syms, R.R.A. ; Holmes, A.S.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Imperial Coll. of Sci., Technol. & Med., London, UK
Abstract :
A reflow step and an improved burial procedure are demonstrated for channel waveguides formed in sol-gel glass on silicon substrates. Thick sol-gel films are deposited by repetitive spin coating and rapid thermal annealing, and etched to form ridge waveguides. Furnace heating is then used to melt both core and buffer layers simultaneously, providing a smooth surface for burial by further spin-coat deposition. Results are presented for typical core shapes, surface profiles after planarization, and optical insertion losses.<>
Keywords :
annealing; integrated optics; optical films; optical glass; optical waveguides; optical workshop techniques; rectangular waveguides; sol-gel processing; Si; Si substrates; buffer layer melting; channel waveguides; core layer melting; core shapes,; furnace heating; improved burial procedure; optical insertion losses; planarization; rapid thermal annealing; reflow step; repetitive spin coating; smooth surface; sol-gel films; sol-gel glass; spin-coat deposition; surface profiles; Buffer layers; Coatings; Etching; Furnaces; Glass; Heating; Optical surface waves; Optical waveguides; Rapid thermal annealing; Silicon;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
