Abstract
High refractive index glasses are preferred in integrated photonics applications to realize higher integration scale of passive devices. With a refractive index that can be tuned between SiO 2 (1.45) and a-SiC (3.2), silicon oxycarbide SiOC offers this flexibility. In the present work, silicon oxycarbide thin films from 0.1 – 2.0 μm thickness are synthesized by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering a silicon carbide SiC target in a controlled argon and oxygen environment. The refractive index n and material extinction coefficient k of the silicon oxycarbide films are acquired with variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry over the UV-Vis-NIR wavelength range. Keeping argon and oxygen gases in the constant ratio, the refractive index n is found in the range from 1.41 to 1.93 at 600 nm which is almost linearly dependent on RF power of sputtering. The material extinction coefficient k has been estimated to be less than 10 -4 for the deposited silicon oxycarbide films in the visible and near-infrared wavelength regions. Morphological and structural characterizations with SEM and XRD confirms the amorphous phase of the SiOC films.
Highlights
High performance optical waveguide materials must combine low loss with the flexibility to fabricate a variety of passive devices on a single material platform
The optical properties of the silicon oxycarbide films grown on Si subtstrate as a function of RF power have been characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry
The surface roughness SR layer based on Bruggemann and Mawxell-Garnett effective medium approximation (EMA) [16] composed of 50 % material and 50 % voids is used to simulate the surface roughness of SiOC films
Summary
High performance optical waveguide materials must combine low loss with the flexibility to fabricate a variety of passive devices on a single material platform. Nakai et al [11], low refractive-index SiOC films were developed with rf sputtering and exploited for HD DVD rewritable media. Optical properties (n and k) of the SiOC films over a wide wavelength spectrum ranging from UV to near-infrared are not reported. The SiOC thin films are characterized by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry over the broad UV-VIS-NIR wavelength range to obtain optical constants (refractive index and absorption spectra). The refractive index n of the deposited SiOC films ranges from 1.41 to 1.93 at 600 nm as a function of RF power level. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to report optical properties mainly the refractive index n and extinction coefficient k spectra in a broad wavelength range extending from UV (300 nm) to Near IR (1200 nm). The phase of the films was examined with X-ray diffraction (XRD)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
