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AssigneeThe University Court of the University of Glasgow
InventorsCraig James Hamilton, Olek Peter Kowalski, John Haig Marsh, Stewart Duncan McDougall
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There is disclosed a method of manufacturing of optical devices, for example, semiconductor optoelectronic devices such as laser diodes, optical modulators, optical amplifiers, optical switches, and the like. There is further disclosed Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits (OEICs) and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) including such devices. According to the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing an optical device (40), a device body portion (15) from which the device (40) is to be made including a Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) structure (30), the method including the step of plasma etching at least part of a surface of the device body portion (5) prior to depositing a dielectric layer (51) thereon so as to introduce structural defects at least into a portion (53) of the device body portion (5) adjacent the dielectric layer (51). The structural defects substantially comprise “point” defects.
A method of manufacturing an optical device, a device body portion from which the device is to be made including a Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) structure, the method including the steps of:
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the dielectric layer is deposited by sputtering.
The method of any preceding claim further including the step of annealing the device after said plasma etching and capping steps.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the dielectric layer is selected from silica (SiO2) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
The method of any preceding claim in which the steps of plasma etching and depositing the dielectric layer comprises part of a Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) process used in manufacture of the device.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the method of manufacture also includes the preceding steps of:
The method of any preceding claim further including the step of defining a pattern in photoresist on a surface of the device body portion, etching the uncoated device body portion prior to depositing the dielectric layer and lifting off the photoresist so as to provide the dielectric layer on the said at least part of the surface of the device body portion.
The method of any preceding claim in which the capping layer acts as an intermixing cap and further including the step of depositing a further dielectric layer in areas of the device other than the etched and capped layer to act as an intermixing suppressing cap.
The method of any preceding claim in which the duration of the plasma etch stage is between 0.5 and 20 minutes.
The method of any preceding claim wherein the thickness of the dielectric layer is around 10 to a few hundred nm.
A method of manufacturing an optical device, a device body portion from which the device is to be made including a Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) Well structure, the method including the steps of:
An optical device fabricated from a method according to any of the preceding claims.
A method of manufacturing an optical device, a device body portion from which the device is to be made including a Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) structure, the method including the steps of:
A method of manufacturing an optical device as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
An optical device as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.