HDP-CVD film for uppercladding application in optical waveguides
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc., a Delaware corporation
InventorHichem M'Saad
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical waveguide is formed on a substrate by first depositing an undercladding layer over the substrate. At least one core is formed over the undercladding layer. An uppercladding layer is then formed over the cores with a high-density plasma process. Deposition of the uppercladding layer may proceed by flowing an oxygen-containing gas, such as O2, a silicon-containing gas, such as SiH4, and a fluorine-containing gas, such as SiF4, into a process chamber to produce a gaseous mixture. A high-density plasma, i.e. having a density of at least 1011 ions/cm3, is generated from the gaseous mixture and then used to deposit a fluorinated silicate glass layer.
Claims28
A method for forming an optical waveguide on a substrate in a process chamber, the method comprising:
- depositing an undercladding layer over the substrate;
- forming at least one core over the undercladding layer;
- and
- depositing an uppercladding layer over the at least one core with a high-density plasma process.
A method for forming an optical waveguide on a substrate in a process chamber, the method comprising:
- depositing an undercladding layer over the substrate;
- forming at least one core over the undercladding layer;
- depositing an uppercladding layer over the at least one core using a high-density plasma CVD process;
- and
- thereafter, completing formation of the optical waveguide without thermally annealing the uppecladding layer.
A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of a substrate processing system including a process chamber;
- a plasma generation system;
- a substrate holder;
- and a gas delivery system configured to introduce gases into the process chamber, the computer-readable program including instructions for operating the substrate processing system to form an optical waveguide on a substrate disposed in the processing chamber in accordance with the following:
- depositing an undercladding layer over the substrate;
- forming at least one core over the undercladding layer;
- flowing an oxygen-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, and a fluorine-containing gas into the process chamber to produce a gaseous mixture;
- generating a high-density plasma from the gaseous mixture;
- and
- depositing a fluorinated silicate glass uppercladding layer over the at least one core.
A substrate processing system comprising:
- a housing defining a process chamber;
- a high-density plasma generating system operatively coupled to the process chamber;
- a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate during substrate processing;
- a gas-delivery system configured to introduce gases into the process chamber, including sources for a silicon-containing gas, a fluorine-containing gas, and an oxygen-containing gas;
- a pressure-control system for maintaining a selected pressure within the process chamber;
- a controller for controlling the high-density plasma generating system, the gas-delivery system, and the pressure-control system;
- and
- a memory coupled to the controller, the memory comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of the substrate processing system to form an optical waveguide on a substrate, the computer-readable program including
- instructions to deposit an undercladding layer over the substrate;
- instructions to form at least one core over the undercladding layer;
- instructions to flow a gaseous mixture containing flows of the silicon-containing gas, the fluorine-containing gas, the nitrogen-containing gas, and the oxygen-containing gas;
- instructions to generate a high-density plasma from the gaseous mixture and to apply a bias to the substrate;
- and
- instructions to deposit a fluorinated silicate glass layer onto the substrate using the high-density plasma.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.