Keywords
Fabrication, micromachining, photonic crystals, waveguides
Abstract
We have developed a process to fabricate dielectric waveguide structures with long hollow cores formed by etching a sacrificial core material. The process is compatible with other planar silicon fabrication techniques. Using aluminum as the sacrificial material, we have investigated fabrication limits and design parameters that determine mechanical integrity of the waveguides. Internal pressure due to the production of gaseous compounds during the core removal process was identified as the yield-limiting factor. A mechanical model based on finite element analysis and confirmed by experiment, predicts ultimate pressures sustainable by these structures. Waveguides less than 10 m wide with 2- m-thick coatings should sustain 50 MPa of internal pressure. Low-loss guided-mode propagation in optical waveguides based on these hollow cores is demonstrated.
Original Publication Citation
Barber, J.P., Conkey, D.B., Lee, J.R., Hubbard, N.B., Howell, L.L., Yin, D., Schmidt, H., and Hawkins, A.R., “Fabrication of Hollow Waveguides with Sacrificial Aluminum Cores,†IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 363-365, 25.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Barber, John P.; Conkey, Donald B.; Lee, Jeffrey Ryan; Hubbard, Neal B.; Howell, Larry L.; Hawkins, Aaron R.; Yin, Gongliang; and Schmidt, Holger, "Fabrication of Hollow Waveguides with Sacrificial Aluminum Cores" (2005). Faculty Publications. 394.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/394
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2005-02-01
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/1151
Publisher
IEEE
Language
English
College
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Copyright Status
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