Applying sacrificial substrate technology to miniaturized precision optical thin-film coatings

authored by: Anna Karoline Rüsseler, Florian Carstens, Lars Jensen, Sebastian Bengsch, Detlev Ristau
Abstract: Hybrid integrated photonics open up new application perspectives due to compact size and the shift to cost-efficient components. Therefore, integration of optical and electro-optical functionalities into photonic chips has recently attracted great interest. Research has been directed towards miniaturization of demanding spectral transfer properties for individual applications.¹ However, it remains challenging to implement highly complex transmission and reflection characteristics with few additional process steps. In this contribution, we report on our advancement in the field of optical thin-film coating fabrication, which enables a manufacturing process comparable to die assembly in electronics. We have combined a sacrificial-substrate approach with the production of miniaturized optical thin-film coatings by ion-beam sputtering. The concept is applicable to high precision coatings with more than 130 individual layers and adding up to over 26µm total film thickness. Segmentation down to sizes of 25µmx25µm pieces is realized by laser cutting of the coating. By completely removing the substrate afterwards, we achieve a freestanding thin-film and thus minimized thickness. Our measurements indicate no general performance loss compared to coatings on glass substrates. Additionally, the substrates refractive index and absorption do not have to be considered in the multilayer-coating design. Therefore, the design can be optimized and matched to the refractive index of specific waveguides on the chip. Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility to releasable transfer tape. With this, we aim for enabling a high-volume feed of miniaturized thin-film filters to an automated assembly process.
Organisation(s): PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines
Institute of Quantum Optics
External Organisation(s): Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
Type: Conference contribution
Publication date: 12.09.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Computer Science Applications, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2597003 (Access: Closed)