System and method for wafer-scale fabrication of free standing mechanical and photonic structures by ion beam etching
AssigneePresident and Fellows of Harvard College
InventorsHaig Avedis Atikian, Marko Loncar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for fabrication of free standing mechanical and photonic structures is presented. A resist mask is applied to a bulk substrate. The bulk substrate is attached to a movable platform. The bulk substrate is exposed to an ion stream produced by a reactive ion beam etching source. The platform is moved relative to the ion stream to facilitate undercutting a portion of the bulk substrate otherwise shielded by the mask.
Claims14
A method for simultaneous fabrication of multiple free standing mechanical and photonic structures, comprising the steps of:
- applying a resist mask to a bulk substrate;
- attaching the bulk substrate to a movable platform;
- forming with a collimated reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) source a RIBE ion stream comprising ions that chemically react with the bulk substrate material;
- collimating the RIBE ion stream via ion optics;
- exposing the bulk substrate to the RIBE ion stream directed at the movable platform;
- and
- moving the platform relative to the ion stream to facilitate undercutting a portion of the bulk substrate otherwise shielded by the mask to simultaneously mill multiple nanostructures with the RIBE ion stream.
A method for simultaneous fabrication of multiple free standing mechanical and photonic structures, comprising the steps of:
- applying a resist mask to a bulk substrate;
- attaching the bulk substrate to a movable platform;
- forming with a collimated reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) source a RIBE ion stream comprising ions that chemically react with the bulk substrate material;
- collimating the RIBE ion stream via ion optics;
- exposing the bulk substrate to the RIBE ion stream directed at the movable platform;
- top down etching the substrate, wherein the ion beam is perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate;
- and
- moving the platform relative to the ion stream to facilitate undercutting a portion of the bulk substrate otherwise shielded by the mask to simultaneously mill multiple nanostructures with the RIBE ion stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.