Fabrication of Monolithically Integrated, High Index Contrast (HIC) Glass Optical Structures Using Si-CMOS Compatible Processes

Recent efforts by our group [1-7] and others have focused on the fabrication of high index contrast (HIC), low loss waveguides and optical strucutres "on chip". Such efforts require development of Si-CMOS compatible processing procedures but also demonstration of viability of manufacturing uniformity to large areas (> 6" diameter wafers) to allow evaluation of scalability and economics in fabricating and integrating optical structures and devices for use in chip-based chemical and/or biological sensors. We report the use of a Si-CMOS-compatible lift-off fabrication technique for the production of chalcogenide glass waveguides monolithically integrated on a silicon platform. As a novel route of glass film patterning, lift-off allows several benefits that suggest viability for future transition to manufacturing platforms. Use of the technique leverages accepted manufacturing know-how and process compatibility to traditional Si-CMOS fabrication. High-index-contrast single-mode strip waveguides have been fabricated from several chalcogenide glass (ChG) target compositions including Ge23Sb7S70, As2S3, As36Ge6S58, As36Sb6S58 and TeO2 materials. We have demonstrated the ability to fabricate single-mode waveguides with core sizes down to the submicron range, reduced sidewall roughness, and broad applicability to a diverse range of non-silica glass compositions. Future directions to address engineering of materials for sensor platforms for biological and chemical specificity related to a variety of defense and civilian applications, will be discussed.

Biography:
Dr. Kathleen Richardson is currently Professor and Director, of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Clemson University, Clemson, SC. She joined the Clemson team in January 2005, following her previous post as Associate Professor of Optics, Chemistry, and Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering [MMAE] at the University of Central Florida, where she was for 13 years. All of her academic degrees are in Ceramics, Glass Science and Ceramic Engineering, from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

Professor Richardson is past-Chair of the Glass and Optical Materials Division (GOMD) of the American Ceramic Society, is currently President of the National Institute of Ceramic Engineers (NICE) and in October 2008 was elected to the American Ceramic Societies Board of Directors. She currently serves on advisory boards of numerous organizations, including Virginia Tech's Materials Science and Engineering Department, the NSF-ERC on Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) at Princeton University and as part of the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Ultrahigh-bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS), in Sydney Australia. She is a recognized world leader in infrared glass science research and education, is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), the Society of Glass Technology (UK), and most recently, the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Since 2006, she has served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Alfred University.