Si-CMOS-compatible lift-off fabrication of low-loss planar chalcogenide waveguides

We demonstrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, low-loss, Si-CMOS-compatible fabrication of single-mode chalcogenide strip waveguides. As a novel route of chalcogenide glass film patterning, lift-off allows several benefits: leverage with Si-CMOS process compatibility; ability to fabricate single-mode waveguides with core sizes down to submicron range; and reduced sidewall roughness. High-indexcontrast Ge23Sb7S70 strip waveguides have been fabricated using lift-off with excellent uniformity of loss propagation and the lowest loss figure of reported to date. We also show that small core Ge23Sb7S70 rib waveguides can be fabricated via lift-off as well, with loss figures lower than 0.5 dB/cm. Additionally, we find through waveguide modal analysis that although overall transmission loss is low, the predominant source of this loss comes from scattering at the sidewalls. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.