PRECISION CRYSTAL CORNER CUBE ARRAYS FOR OPTICAL GRATINGS FORMED BY (100)SILICON PLANES WITH SELECTIVE EPITAXIAL-GROWTH

High-quality, micrometer scale, corner cube arrays were grown on (111) silicon substrates by selective epitaxial growth (SEG) techniques. Si xteen different arrays were produced that had periodic corner The arra ys were formed by suppressing silicon SEG in a regular geometric patte rn, producing the three mutually perpendicular (100) smooth crystal pl anes. For coherent light of 633-nm wavelength a sharp diffraction patt ern of threefold symmetry was observed out to 7 maxima, as well as a r etroreflection component. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America