Ion Implanted Gaas Integrated Optics Fabrication Technology

M. A. Mentzer; R. G. Hunsperger; J. Bartko; J. M. Zavada; H. A. Jenkinson

doi:10.1117/12.945134

29 January 1985 Ion Implanted Gaas Integrated Optics Fabrication Technology

M. A. Mentzer, R. G. Hunsperger, J. Bartko, J. M. Zavada, H. A. Jenkinson

Proceedings Volume 0517, Integrated Optical Circuit Engineering I; (1985) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.945134
Event: 1984 Cambridge Symposium, 1984, Cambridge, United States

Abstract

Ion implantation of semiconductor materials is a fabrication technique that offers a number of distinct advantages for the formation of guided-wave components and microelectronic devices. Implanted damage and dopants produce optical and electronic changes that can be utilized for sensing and signal processing applications. GaAs is a very attractive material for optical fabrication since it is transparent out to the far infrared. It can be used to fabricate optical waveguides, directional couplers, EO modulators, and detectors, as well as other guided wave structures. The presence of free carriers in GaAs lowers the refractive index from that of the pure semiconductor material. This depression of the refractive index is primarily due to the negative contribution of the free carrier plasma to the dielectric constant of the semiconductor. Bombardment of n-type GaAs by protons creates damage sites near the surface of the crystal structure where free carriers are trapped. This "free carrier compensated" region in the GaAs has a higher refractive index than the bulk region. If the compensated region is sufficiently thick and has a refractive index which is sufficiently larger than that of the bulk n-type region, an optical waveguide is formed. In this paper, a description of ion implantation techniques for the fabrication of both planar and channel integrated optical structures in GaAs is presented, and is related to the selection of ion species, implant energy and fluence, and to the physical processes involved. Lithographic technology and masking techniques are discussed for achieving a particular desired implant profile. Finally, the results of a set of ion implantation experiments are presented.

Citation Download Citation

M. A. Mentzer, R. G. Hunsperger, J. Bartko, J. M. Zavada, and H. A. Jenkinson "Ion Implanted Gaas Integrated Optics Fabrication Technology", Proc. SPIE 0517, Integrated Optical Circuit Engineering I, (29 January 1985); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.945134

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