Hot-wire deposition of photonic-grade amorphous silicon

A new amorphous silicon application related to the patterning of refractive index for the purpose of defining and integrating photonic-device elements is emerging. Photonic device elements include waveguides, splitters, mirro rs, optical memories, etc. Hot-wire-deposited amorphous silicon has several attributes that make it an exceedingly attractive matrix for photonic devi ce patterning, including: high hydrogen solubility limits; relatively littl e sub-gap absorption; low stress; non-peeling films; and fast, economical d eposition of thick (greater than or equal to5 mum) films, as well as optica lly smooth as-deposited surfaces, even on thick films. The growing catalog of proposed and/or demonstrated amorphous silicon-based optical devices is rapidly expanding. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.