Ion Beam Machining Of Optoelectronic Components

Abstract

We produce very smooth vertical sidewalls with high anisotropy in III-V semiconductors by ion beam etching. These qualities are used to fabricate mirrors and deflect light in InGaAs and GaAs waveguide structures. Either a maskless technique, using a focussed ion beam (FIB), or a lithographically deposited mask followed by broad-beam etching (CAIBE) are employed to produce such facets. Here, we describe the two examples of application of high-resolution ion beam etching techniques towards miniaturizing optoelectronic devices. We show the conversion of an edge-emitting laser structure into a surface-emitting structure, by cutting 45° reflection mirrors, and the fabrication of a monolithic InP-based wavelength demultiplexer by etching a diffraction grating.

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