Diamond microstructures for optical micro electromechanical systems

We have used hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) to fabricate d iamond microstructure components for optical micro electromechanical system s (MEMS). In order to demonstrate the wide application range for diamond te chnology we have made components for different applications such as diffrac tive optics, laser-to-fibre alignment, and active cooling of high power dev ices. The free-standing polycrystalline diamond devices were grown on mould s of silicon and fused silica, creating replicas of the moulds. The structu red silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers as replicating moulds for diamond dep osition makes it possible to create shapes that can be very useful for lase r-to-fibre alignment. The two-step SOI diamond deposition process enables t he creation of long and precise capillaries or capillary arrays with a flat top-side here intended for cooling of high power electronic devices. Furth ermore, microstructured fused silica has been introduced as mould material, which gives new possibilities in micro-optical mould design since fused si lica technology is much more common in optical industry. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.