title: Fabrication of silicon nitride waveguides for visible-light using PECVD: a study of the effect of plasma frequency on optical properties.
abstract: This paper presents work aimed at optimizing the fabrication of silicon nitride Si(x)N(y) thin-film visible-light planar waveguides using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The effects of plasma frequency, precursor gas ratio, and thermal annealing in relation to waveguide optical properties (refractive index, propagation losses) are studied. Experimental results over a wide range of precursor gas ratios show convincingly that waveguides fabricated using low-frequency PECVD have lower propagation losses in the visible range compared to waveguides of equal refractive index fabricated with high-frequency PECVD.
authors.affiliation: Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaouad
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grondin
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aimez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Charette
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D017655:Silicon Compounds; C032734:silicon nitride