Process Modeling, Optimization and Characterization of Silicon <100> Optical Waveguides by Anisotropic Wet Etching

Abstract:

We present a detailed fabrication process of silicon optical waveguide with a depth of 4μm via simulation and experiment. An anisotropic wet etching using Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) solutions was selected to study the influence of major fabrication parameters such as etch rate, oxidation time and development time to the fabrication performance. The fabrication of the silicon waveguide with the orientation of was modeled using ATHENA from 2D Silvaco software and was later compared with the actual fabricated device. Etching time of 4 minutes was required to etch the Si to the depth of 4μm to obtain a perfectly trapeizoidal optical waveguide structure. Our results show that the simulation model is trustworthy to predict the performance of the practical anisotropic wet etching fabrication process. The silicon-based waveguide components are targeted to be employed in realizing future photonic devices such as optical modulators.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 403-408)
• Pages: 4295-4299
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.403-408.4295
• Online since: November 2011
• Authors: H. Hazura, A.R. Hanim, B. Mardiana, Sahbudin Shaari, P.S. Menon
• Keywords: Anisotropic Chemical Etching, Optical Waveguide Fabrication, Silicon Photonics

References

[1] M. Paniccia: The silicon photonics/data connection. (SPIE Professional, July 2011, pp.10-12.

[2] Mardiana B., Hanim A. R., Hazura H., P. Susthitha Menon, Huda Abdullah: Proceedings of 2010 International Conference on Enabling Science and Nanotechnology, Kuala Lumpur (2010).

DOI: 10.1109/escinano.2010.5701001

[3] Hazura H., Hanim A. R., Mardiana B., P. Susthitha Menon: Proceedings of 2010 International Conference on Enabling Science and Nanotechnology, Kuala Lumpur (2010).

DOI: 10.1109/escinano.2010.5701001

[4] S. Shaari, A. R. Hanim, B. Mardiana, H. Hazura, and P. S. Menon: The 4th Asian Physics Symposium- an International Symposium, AIP Conference Proceedings Vol. 1325 (2010).

[5] Hazura H., Hanim A. R, Mardiana B. and Menon, P. S: Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Semiconductor Electronics (ICSE2010), pp.348-350, Melaka (2010).

DOI: 10.1109/smelec.2010.5549519

[6] Hanim A.R., Hazura H., Mardiana B. and Menon, P. S: Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Semiconductor Electronics (ICSE2010), pp.351-354, Melaka (2010).

DOI: 10.1109/smelec.2010.5549519

[7] G.S. Chung, in: Metals and Materials International, Vol. 7( 2001), pp.643-649.

[8] F. Hamaoka, T. Tagisawa, and T. Makabe, in: IEEE T. Plasma Sci., vol. 35 (2007), p.1350. a) Information on http: / www. silvaco. com.

[9] Norhayati Soin, and B.Y. Majlis, in: Microelectronic Engineering, vol. 83 (2006), p.1438- a) 1441.

[10] B. E. Deal and A. S. Grove, in: J. Appl. Phys., vol. 36, no. 12 (1965), pp.3770-3778.

[11] S.J. Choi, K. Djordjev, S. J Choi, P. D Dapkus, W. Lin, G. Griffel, R. Menna, and J.

[12] Connoly, in: IEEE Photonic Tech. Letters., vol. 16 (2004), p.828.