KR100464552B1 - Manufacturing method of planar waveguide devices by use of uv laser beam on photonic films with enhanced photosensitivity - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technique for improving the optical sensitivity of an optical waveguide material and manufacturing a flat optical device using ultraviolet laser light.

The present invention can greatly reduce the deposition and etching processes of the conventional waveguide fabrication method in the production of active devices such as optical wave splitter, optical coupler, WDM optical device, optical switch, passive optical waveguide passive device and optical amplifier. It is possible to solve problems such as foreign matter inflow and crystal phase formation, and to solve problems such as diffusion of core region and change of refractive index of core due to waveguide formation after heat treatment of the upper cladding layer.

As a result, it is possible to effectively improve the transmission efficiency and characteristics of the optical waveguide by reducing the number of optical waveguide manufacturing process and improving the reproducibility.

Description

MANUFACTURING METHOD OF PLANAR WAVEGUIDE DEVICES BY USE OF UV LASER BEAM ON PHOTONIC FILMS WITH ENHANCED PHOTOSENSITIVITY}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a flat waveguide optical device using photosensitivity, and to a technique of increasing the photosensitive sensitivity of an optical waveguide material and manufacturing a flat optical device using ultraviolet laser light.

Generally, the basic structure of an optical communication device is called an optical waveguide, and an optical waveguide manufactured on a substrate is called a planar optical waveguide.

An optical waveguide (hereinafter referred to as a waveguide) is formed in a core layer. As a method for forming a core layer, a process such as sputter deposition, flame hydrolysis deposition, sol-gel lamination, and polymer lamination and the core shape are performed. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A semiconductor channel fabrication process or a channel fabrication process by ion exchange, etc., which are completed by exposure and dry or wet etching for production, are known.

Wet and dry etching process has the disadvantage that the core surface is rough, causing loss of light transmission and forming pores or crystal phase at the interface between the core layer and the upper cladding layer during heat treatment of the upper cladding layer.

The ion coupling method has difficulty in precisely controlling the refractive index of each part of the waveguide due to the inconvenience of the process of depositing the waveguide pattern on the thin film by sputtering and the accompanying process, the introduction of foreign substances, and the diffusion of ions. As a result, it is practically difficult to fabricate a device that applies a fine pattern such as a wavelength divider and to mount and integrate other photoactive devices together.

In addition, since the sol-gel method uses a coating method by synthesizing various alkoxide materials and metals on a silica or silicon substrate, it is difficult to form a thick film of 5 μm or more in the manufacturing process. In addition to the need for a separate process for removing the organic material present, there is a problem that the light loss is greater than other methods due to the remaining organic material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to simplify the manufacturing process of the waveguide layer and reduce the introduction of foreign substances and the formation of crystal phase in the manufacturing process to improve the light transmission efficiency and characteristics. Provides optical device fabrication method using passive and active flat waveguide using photosensitive and collimated UV laser light.

1 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flat plate optical device according to the present invention,

2 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flat plate optical amplifier according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the process after hydrotreating according to the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: substrate 200: lower clad layer

300: core layer 301: optical waveguide

500: upper cladding layer 600: photomask

To this end, the present invention is a method for fabricating a flat-panel optical device using photosensitivity, the lower part of the thin film manufacturing method such as aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD) or flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD) on the upper surface of the silicon or silica substrate, alumina substrate A lower clad layer forming step of forming a clad layer, and a core layer forming step of forming a core layer by stacking a multi-component oxide thin film containing at least several mol% germanium (Ge) on the upper surface of the lower clad layer by AFD or FHD; AFD, FHD, sputter deposition, sol-gel lamination, polymer lamination to form the upper cladding layer on the upper surface of the core layer, and hydrogen to increase the photosensitivity to ultraviolet rays of the core layer Process of forming optical waveguide by irradiating laser light of UV wavelength band by using waveguide photomask on upper clad layer upper surface It consists of.

In the amplifier fabrication process, a gain flattening Bragg grating formation process is added after the core fabrication process of adding the rare earth element and the optical waveguide formation process.

In the WDM filter fabrication process, a Bragg grating formation process for wavelength division is added after the optical waveguide formation process.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of a flat waveguide optical device manufacturing method using a light sensitivity according to the present invention.

1 is a process chart showing an optical device manufacturing process using the light sensitivity according to the present invention.

As shown, the lower clad layer on the silicon or silica substrate or the alumina substrate 100 by aerosol flame deposition (AFD) or flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD). Produce 200.

When the fabrication process of the lower clad layer 200 is completed, more than several mol% of germanium (Ge) is added to the upper surface of the lower clad layer 200 by aerosol hydro-deposition (AFD) or flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD). The core layer 300 is manufactured by stacking the component oxide thin film.

When the fabrication process of the core layer 300 is completed, aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD), sputter deposition, flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD), sol-gel lamination, polymer on the upper surface of the core layer 300 The upper clad layer 500 is manufactured by lamination or the like.

When the fabrication process of the upper cladding layer 500 is completed, the pre-deposited thin film is subjected to a high temperature and high pressure hydrogen treatment process to increase the photosensitivity between germanium (Ge) and ultraviolet rays.

When the hydrotreating process is completed, the photomask 600 is positioned on the hydroclad upper clad layer 500 and then irradiated with UV laser light to form the optical waveguide 301.

2 is a process chart showing a manufacturing process of a flat plate optical amplifier using light sensitivity according to the present invention.

The lower clad layer 200 is fabricated on an upper surface of the silicon or silica substrate and the alumina substrate 100 by aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD) or flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD).

When the manufacturing process of the lower clad layer 200 is completed, germanium (Ge) and rare earth elements (Er, Nb, Pr) are formed on the upper surface of the lower clad layer 200 by aerosol hydro-deposition (AFD) or flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD). , Yb, etc.) to add a multi-component oxide thin film to produce a core layer 400.

When the core layer 400 fabrication process is completed, aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD) or sputter deposition, flame hydrolysis deposition, sol-gel lamination, polymer lamination on the upper surface of the core layer 400 Fabricate layer 500.

When the fabrication process of the upper cladding layer 500 is completed, the pre-deposited thin film is subjected to a high temperature and high pressure hydrogen treatment process to increase the photosensitivity between germanium (Ge) and ultraviolet rays.

When the hydrotreating process is completed, the photomask 600 is positioned on the hydroclad upper clad layer 500 and then irradiated with UV laser light to form the optical waveguide 301.

3 illustrates a process after formation of the optical waveguide in the manufacturing method of the optical device or the optical amplifier. When the manufacturing process of the optical waveguides 301 and 401 is completed, gain flattening of the amplifier and a WDM filter are performed. A phase mask is placed on the upper clad layer 500 for the wavelength division function of and a Bragg grating is formed on the core using the same UV laser light.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in the fabrication of an optical waveguide containing germanium and rare earth elements, the conventional method of fabricating a waveguide is a hydrolysis deposition method, an aerosol hydrolysis deposition method, an ion exchange method, a sol-gel method, and the like. It can solve problems such as foreign material introduction and crystal phase formation according to the required etching process, and problems such as diffusion of core region and change of refractive index of core due to waveguide formation after heat treatment of the upper cladding layer, mask pattern The sputtering process for forming a can be removed.

Accordingly, the optical waveguide fabrication process is greatly simplified, and the reproducibility is improved by eliminating a process having an incidental problem, so that the overall optical transmission efficiency and characteristics can be improved very effectively.

Claims (3)

In the flat waveguide optical device manufacturing method, A lower clad layer forming process of forming a lower clad layer by aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD) on an upper surface of a silicon or silica substrate or an alumina substrate, A core for forming a core layer of a multi-component oxide thin film containing a plurality of mol% germanium (Ge) or germanium and rare earth elements (Er, Yb, Nb, etc.) added to the upper surface of the lower clad layer by aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD). Layer forming process, An upper clad layer forming process of forming an upper clad layer by aerosol hydrolysis deposition (AFD) on an upper surface of the core layer; A hydrotreating process of hydrotreating the deposited thin film according to temperature and pressure to increase light sensitivity between germanium (Ge) and UV rays of the core layer; A method of fabricating a flat waveguide optical device using photo-sensitivity, comprising an optical waveguide forming process of forming an optical waveguide by irradiating a photomask and collimated UV rays on an upper surface of the hydrogenated upper clad layer. The method of claim 1, The optical waveguide forming process and the UV laser device utilized for the optical waveguide, and the photomask is replaced by a phase mask, the flat plate type optical amplifier further comprising the step of achieving a flattening gain flattening, characterized in that it further comprises a flat plate Method for manufacturing optical waveguide optical element. The method of claim 1, The optical waveguide forming process and the WDM filter fabrication process using the UV laser device utilized to implement the wavelength division function by replacing the photomask with a phase mask is further included. Optical device manufacturing method.