Micromachined structures for vertical microelectrooptical devices on InP

The field of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is currently emerging as one of the most important new technologies of 1990s. The silicon and related material-based micromachining has emerged as an extension of the integrated circuit´s technology and has reached a high level of industrial development. For the III-V semiconductors, processing technology developed for microoptoelectronic devices can be transferred in the field of micromechanics with the monolithic integration of electro-optical functions. These materials offer superiority over silicon for Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) that stems from both technological aspects (great flexibility and precision in micromachining) and intrinsic properties (direct band gap, piezoelectricity, heterostructure-based physical effects). The objective is to develop novel III-V semiconductor devices which combine optical and micro-electromechancal functions including optically-biased sensors, modulators, optical switches, wavelength tunable filters or sources operating in both sensing and actuating configurations