title: Hollow Bragg waveguides fabricated by controlled buckling of Si/SiO2 multilayers.
abstract: We describe integrated air-core waveguides with Bragg reflector claddings, fabricated by controlled delamination and buckling of sputtered Si/SiO2 multilayers. Thin film deposition parameters were tailored to produce a desired amount of compressive stress, and a patterned, embedded fluorocarbon layer was used to define regions of reduced adhesion. Self-assembled air channels formed either spontaneously or upon heating-induced decomposition of the patterned film. Preliminary optical experiments confirmed that light is confined to the air channels by a photonic band-gap guidance mechanism, with loss ~5 dB/cm in the 1550 nm wavelength region. The waveguides employ standard silicon processes and have potential applications in MEMS and lab-on-chip systems.
authors.affiliation: ECE Department, University of Alberta, 2nd Floor, 9107-116 St. NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2V4, Canada.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Epp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ponnampalam
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drobot
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: McMullin
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: DeCorby