Silicon Nitride and Carbonitride Films for Waveguide Structures Based on Strained Silicon

Abstract

Waveguide microstructures based on strained silicon with the use of silicon carbonitride and silicon nitride films as cladding layers are created. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique is developed, which allows obtaining high values of intrinsic mechanical stresses in films (about 700 MPa). The strained waveguide structures are characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy during a scanning procedure. It is demonstrated that deposition of silicon carbonitride and silicon nitride films induces compressive stresses in the silicon waveguide, which is proved by the shift of the maximum of the main peak of scattering on LO-phonons of silicon toward higher wave numbers. The compressive stresses in the silicon waveguide clad with silicon nitride and carbonitride layers are estimated as 350 and 250 MPa, respectively, which is sufficient for the emergence of nonlinear optical properties of silicon (Pockels effect).