Claims
- 1. A method for making integrated optical components, comprising:
forming a non-polymeric thin film using a vapor deposition technique on a cladding, wherein the non-polymeric thin film comprises silicon, and wherein the vapor deposition technique includes using a precursor comprising deuterium.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a non-polymeric thin film on a cladding further comprises:
forming the cladding on a substrate; and forming the non-polymeric thin film on the cladding.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises a substance selected from a group consisting of silicon, germanium, SiO2, fused silica, quartz, glass, sapphire, SiC, GaAs, and InP.
- 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the cladding has a thickness of between about 2 and 20 micrometers.
- 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cladding comprises silicon oxide.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-polymeric thin film comprises one selected from a group consisting of silicon-oxynitride, silicon nitride, and silicon-oxide.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-polymeric thin film has a width of about 3 micrometers.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-polymeric thin film has a thickness of between about 0.5 and 5 micrometers.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition technique is selected from a group consisting of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) chemical vapor deposition, atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD), jet vapor deposition (JVD), and flame hydrolysis.
- 10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a non-polymeric thin film using a vapor deposition technique on a substrate further includes:
obtaining a vapor from a deuterated liquid.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the deuterated liquid is selected from a group consisting of deuterated tetraethoxysilane, deuterated tetraethylorthosilicate, deuterated hexamethyldisiloxane, deuterated hexamethyldisilazane, deuterated tetramethoxysilane, and deuterated tetramethyldisiloxane.
- 12. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a non-polymeric thin film using a vapor deposition technique on a substrate further includes:
providing a gas containing deuterium.
- 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the precursor comprising deuterium is selected from a group consisting of SiD4, Si2D6, SiDCl3, SiCl2D2, ND3, GeD4, PD3, AsD3, CD4, and D2S.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-polymeric thin film is of chemical species SiOxNy:D.
- 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
etching the non-polymeric thin film.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein etching the non-polymeric thin film comprises:
reactive ion etching the non-polymeric thin film.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-polymeric thin film is etched to form an optical waveguide.
- 18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a cladding cover on the surface of the non-polymeric thin film.
- 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the cladding cover comprises a polymer.
- 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a preformed device.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the preformed device is selected from a group consisting of an electronic circuit, an optical circuit, an optoelectronic circuit, an electronic integrated circuit, or an electronic device.
- 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the preformed device comprises at least one compound semiconductor material.
- 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one compound semiconductor material is selected from a group consisting of indium-phosphide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, silicon-germanium, and silicon-carbide.
- 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the preformed device comprises one selected from a group consisting of a field effect transistor (FET), a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), an electronic amplifier, a preamplifier, a pn junction, a transformer, a capacitor, a diode, a laser driver, a laser, an optical amplifier, an optical detector, an optical waveguide, a modulator, and an optical switch.
- 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-polymeric thin film exhibits a low optical absorptive loss over a wavelength region of interest.
- 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the wavelength region of interest is suitable for optical communications.
- 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the wavelength region of interest is between about 1.45 and 1.65 microns.
- 28. An optical device formed using the method of claim 1.
- 29. A method for making integrated optical components, comprising:
forming a silicon oxide layer on a substrate; and forming a silicon-oxynitride thin film on the silicon oxide layer using a vapor precursor comprising deuterium.
- 30. An optical device, comprising:
a cladding; and at least one low absorptive-loss optical waveguide formed on the cladding, the waveguide being formed from a wafer using vapor deposition, and wherein the wafer comprises a non-polymeric thin film containing deuterium.
- 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the wafer comprises silicon.
- 32. The device of claim 30, wherein the atomic density of the deuterium is between about 0.1% and 30% of the atomic density of the non-polymeric thin film.
- 33. The device of claim 30 wherein the wafer is grown using a deuterated vapor.
- 34. The device of claim 30, wherein the waveguide has a waveguide refractive index, the device further comprising:
an optical clad, the optical clad having a clad refractive index, the clad refractive index being less than the waveguide refractive index.
- 35. The device of claim 34, wherein the optical clad comprises air.
- 36. The device of claim 34, wherein the optical clad comprises a polymer.
- 37. The device of claim 34, wherein the waveguide exhibits a low optical absorptive loss over a wavelength region of interest.
- 38. The device of claim 37, wherein the wavelength region of interest is suitable for optical communications.
- 39. The device of claim 37, wherein the wavelength region of interest between about 1.45 and 1.65 microns.
- 40. The device of claim 37, wherein the optical device is an integrated optical device.
- 41. The device of claim 40, wherein the integrated optical device is selected from a group consisting of an optical waveguide, a mode expander, a ring resonator, a variable attenuator, a dispersion compensator, an arrayed waveguide multiplexer; an arrayed waveguide demultiplexer, a wavelength division multiplexer, a splitter, a coupler, an optical add/drop multiplexer, a chromatic dispersion compensator, a polarization dispersion compensator, and an optical switch.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/304,811 filed Jul. 12, 2001, of Frederick G. Johnson, et al., titled “USE OF DEUTERATED GASES FOR THE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF THIN FILMS FOR LOW-LOSS OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES AND DEVICES.” The entirety of that provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60304811 |
Jul 2001 |
US |