Substrate-blind platform speeds photonic integration

Jan. 7, 2015
By using transition metal oxides and high-index amorphous chalcogenide glasses, a team of researchers has developed a substrate-blind platform that can tolerate deposition on a host of relevant substrates without requiring epitaxial growth and can be performed at temperatures

Photonic-device designs often cannot be transferred between different platforms due to substrate-specific constraints, meaning that photonic-integration technologies on common substrates (CMOS on silicon or III-V optoelectronics on indium phosphide) are well-developed, while designs on unconventional materials like polymers, metals, or optical crystals are still in their infancy. But by using transition metal oxides and high-index amorphous chalcogenide glasses, researchers from the University of Delaware (Newark) collaborating with international researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF; Orlando), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge), the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southampton (England) have developed a substrate-blind platform that can tolerate deposition on a host of relevant substrates without requiring epitaxial growth and can be performed at temperatures <250°C.

The substrate-blind integration process was demonstrated on three emerging substrate platforms: infrared (IR) optical crystals, flexible polymer materials, and 2D materials like graphene. The glasses were deposited on these substrates using thermal evaporation or solution-based processing and then patterned as waveguides, resonators, or gratings via photolithography or direct nanoimprinting. For microdisk resonators fabricated on mid-IR transparent calcium fluoride (CaF2) crystals and flexible polymer substrates, quality (Q) factors of 4 x 105 and 5 x 105 at wavelengths of 5.2 μm and 1550 nm were achieved—world records for planar mid-IR resonators and flexible resonator devices. Complex 3D structures can also be fabricated through sequential multilayer glass deposition and patterning. Reference: Juejun Hu, SPIE Newsroom, October 2014; doi:10.1117/2.1201410.005643.

Sponsored Recommendations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) electrode manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
Learn how an industry-leading Brain Computer Interface Electrode (BCI) manufacturer used precision laser micromachining to produce high-density neural microelectrode arrays.

Electro-Optic Sensor and System Performance Verification with Motion Systems

Jan. 31, 2025
To learn how to use motion control equipment for electro-optic sensor testing, click here to read our whitepaper!

How nanopositioning helped achieve fusion ignition

Jan. 31, 2025
In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition. Learn how Aerotech nanopositioning contributed to this...

Nanometer Scale Industrial Automation for Optical Device Manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
In optical device manufacturing, choosing automation technologies at the R&D level that are also suitable for production environments is critical to bringing new devices to market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!