Accurate nanofabrication techniques for high-index-contrast microphotonic devices

High-refractive-index-contrast microphotonic devices provide strong light confinement allowing for sharp waveguide bends and small dielectric optical resonators. They allow dense optical integration and unique applications to optical filters and sensors but present exceptional complications in design and fabrication. In this work, nanofabrication techniques are developed to address the two main challenges in fabrication of high-index contrast microphotonic devices: sidewall roughness and dimensional accuracy. The work focuses on fabrication of optical add-drop filters based on high-index contrast microring-resonators. The fabrication is based on direct-write scanning-electronbeam lithography. A sidewall-roughness characterization and optimization scheme is developed as is the first three-dimensional analysis of scattering losses due to sidewall roughness. Writing strategy in scanning-electron-beam lithography and absolute and relative dimensional control are addressed. The nanofabrication techniques developed allowed fabrication of the most advanced microring add-drop-filters reported in the literature. The sidewall-roughness standard deviation was reduced to 1.6 nm.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Barwicz, Tymon

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Henry I. Smith and Harry L. Tuller.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33169

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/33169