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Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Low-loss polysilicon waveguides fabricated in an emulated high-volume electronics process
Jason S Orcutt1, Sanh D Tang, Steve Kramer
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. jsorcutt@mit.edu
Optics Express
|March 29, 2012
Summary
We measured polysilicon waveguide propagation losses between 6-15 dB/cm across key telecommunication bands. Thermal cycling increased material loss by 32%, highlighting challenges for integrated photonics.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and optoelectronics
- Materials science
- Semiconductor device physics
Background:
- Polysilicon waveguides are crucial for integrated photonics.
- High propagation losses limit their application in telecommunication bands.
- CMOS processing introduces thermal stress affecting material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify end-of-line polysilicon waveguide propagation losses.
- To investigate the impact of CMOS thermal cycling on waveguide loss.
- To identify dominant loss mechanisms in polysilicon waveguides.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of propagation loss across O-, E-, S-, C-, and L-telecommunication bands.
- Characterization of waveguides after full CMOS process thermal cycling.
- Fitting loss spectra to an absorption model using defect state parameters.
Main Results:
- Propagation losses ranged from approximately 6-15 dB/cm.
- Lowest loss of 6.2 dB/cm achieved at 1550 nm for a 120 nm x 350 nm core.
- Thermal cycling increased extracted material loss by 32% compared to as-crystallized samples.
Conclusions:
- End-of-line polysilicon waveguides exhibit significant propagation losses.
- CMOS thermal cycling exacerbates material loss in polysilicon waveguides.
- Understanding loss mechanisms is critical for optimizing polysilicon waveguides for integrated photonics.
