Submicrometer scale growth morphology control: a new route for the making of photonic crystal structures?

Abstract

The feasibility of micrometer scale morphologically controlled 1D stripe arrays by selective hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE) single step was assessed. HVPE is a near-equilibrium growth process which offers perfect selectivity whatever the pattern design thus giving rise to a great flexibility. The HVPE growth being mainly governed by the surface kinetics intrinsic anisotropy of the crystal, we have demonstrated that various growth morphologies could be stabilised at a mesoscopic scale by controlling the hierarchy of the growth rates of the low index faces of III-V crystals via the growth temperature and the composition of the vapour phase. Micrometer scale dielectric periodic structures constituted of 1μm wide GaAs beams alternately stacked with air were then grown by selective HVPE on GaAs substrates. Potential of the HVPE growth technic for the making of submicrometer scale structures is finally discussed.