Electrode fabrication for high-speed polarization mode converter

Abstract

As part of the development of a traveling wave polarization converter (TWPC), a technique for producing “T-electrodes” adjacent to the ridge sidewalls and air bridges has been developed. To maximize the conversion efficiency, the rf electrodes on the etched floor are required to be very close to the ridge sidewalls. In the fabrication of the electrode, patterned seed layer stripes were first put on the etched floor on both sides of the waveguide by a metal lift-off process. Onto this seed layer, the T-electrode was electroplated through a patterned thick photoresist. After resist removal, the unwanted seed layer was stripped off by chemical etch back. Through this multistep process, the electrodes were constructed successfully with the desired proximity to the ridge waveguide. For easy chip assembly, the bond pads were designed to be on the same side of the device. Two long and wide metal air bridges over the ridge waveguide were made to connect the electrode on one side to the bond pads on the other side of the ridge. It was found that the air bridges were easily damaged in the bonding process prior to lap and polish because of the particular device structure, i.e., air bridges being the highest point of the wafer and only a small number of air bridges on the wafer. To protect the air bridge a patterned photoresist layer was applied before the wafer was bonded to a carrier.