Method for the formation of nano-scale on-chip optical waveguide structures

摘要

A strip of sacrificial semiconductor material is formed on top of a non-sacrificial semiconductor material substrate layer. A conformal layer of the non-sacrificial semiconductor material is epitaxially grown to cover the substrate layer and the strip of sacrificial semiconductor material. An etch is performed to selectively remove the strip of sacrificial semiconductor material and leave a hollow channel surrounded by the conformal layer and the substrate layer. Using an anneal, the conformal layer and the substrate layer are reflowed to produce an optical waveguide structure including the hollow channel.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
forming a strip of sacrificial semiconductor material on top of a substrate layer formed of a non-sacrificial semiconductor material; epitaxially growing a conformal layer of the non-sacrificial semiconductor material covering the substrate layer and the strip of sacrificial semiconductor material; selectively removing the strip of sacrificial semiconductor material to leave a hollow channel surrounded by the conformal layer and the substrate layer; and performing a reflow on the conformal layer and the substrate layer to produce an optical waveguide structure including said hollow channel.