Abstract

Silicon nitride (SiN_x) films were deposited at low temperature (75 °C) using inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system, which yields high-quality films with controllable low total stress and a hydrogen content less than 10 at.%. As an example for demonstrating SiN_x material suitable for photonic applications in the visible to infrared wavelength range, optical transmission spectra of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) with 12-period SiN_x/silicon dioxide (SiO₂) multilayer films are studied. SiN_x-based integrated photonic devices such as Archimedean spiral waveguides, microdisks, ring resonators, and photonic crystal nanocavities have also been demonstrated.

© 2015 Optical Society of America