Submicrometer scale growth morphology control for the making of photonic crystal structures

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe feasibility of micrometer scale dielectric periodic structures by using a single selective hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE) 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 is also mainly governed by the intrinsic anisotropy of the surface kinetics of the crystal. We demonstrate here that micrometer scale dielectric periodic structures, constituted of perfectly defined 1μm wide GaAs beams alternately stacked with air, can be grown by selective HVPE by controlling the hierarchy of the growth rates of the low index faces of the III-V crystal via the growth temperature and the composition of the vapour phase. Potential of the HVPE growth technic for the making of submicrometer scale structures is finally discussed.