Analysis of Piranha Etching in the Microfabrication of Hollow-Core Optical Waveguides

Authors

Jared Keeley, Brigham Young University
Dr. Aaron Hawkins, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Piranha etching, microfabrication, hollow-core optical waveguides

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

In the field of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) fabrication, photoresists are used to form 3D structures on a scale of micro- or even nanometers. This is necessary to create the microelectronics used in many devices. One structure that photoresist can be used to create is a hollow-core optical waveguide. To complete the waveguide something must be used to remove the photoresist from the core. Piranha is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that can be used to remove photoresist. One goal of my ORCA project was to analyze piranha’s effectiveness in fabricating hollow-core optical waveguides. It had been unofficially observed that piranha was faster at fabricating these waveguides than alternative methods. My project needed to confirm this observation. My project’s final goal was to find the optimal piranha mixture and conditions for fabricating hollow-core optical waveguides.

Recommended Citation

Keeley, Jared and Hawkins, Dr. Aaron (2013) "Analysis of Piranha Etching in the Microfabrication of Hollow-Core Optical Waveguides," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 1920.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/1920