Jean-Yves Rauch

Structure and composition of TixAl1−xN thin films sputter deposited using a composite metallic target

An original composite target configuration with various STi/(STi+SAl) area ratios was used to prepare hard TixAl1−xN thin films by r.f. reactive magnetron sputtering. The crystallographic structure of the films deposited on high-speed steel and glass substrates was determined by X-ray diffraction. Homogeneity was investigated from compositions and depth profile measurements carried out by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, electron probe microanalysis and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy. The modulation of the Ti and Al area ratios of the target produced changes of the structure from the fcc TiN to the hexagonal AlN phase and simultaneously, a gradual modification of the TixAl1−xN metal concentration from x=0 to 1. The mechanical behaviours such as hardness and scratch tests were also determined and correlated with the evolution of the structural and compositional properties.

The effect of bias power on some properties of titanium and titanium oxide films prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering

Titanium and titanium oxide thin films have been deposited on (100) silicon wafers and glass substrates by r.f. reactive sputtering magnetron. Substrates have been r.f. biased during the growth of the film and the influence of the bias power on some properties of the coatings has been investigated. The results of the deposition rate measurements show that this is weakly affected when bias power is low. As the r.f. bias power increases, the deposition rate decreases strongly due to an increase of the layer density and resputtering phenomena. Atomic force microscopy showed that the surface morphology of metallic and oxide films can be modified using bias treatment. Roughness analyses exhibited a similar evolution as the deposition rate and surface topography when bias power changes. Optical properties like refractive index followed the same variations as previous results. So, when r.f. bias power increases, various phenomena take place and different zones can be defined from these investigations. Argon ion to atom arrival rate ratio and average energy per deposited atom have been calculated from experimental values of current density applied to the substrate and energy of argon ions impinging on the growing film. Their evaluations have been discussed for metallic and oxide materials.

High aspect ratio lithium niobate ridge waveguides fabricated by optical grade dicing

We report the development of a quick process for fabricating lithium niobate ridge waveguides with smooth walls, aspect ratios larger than 500 and side-wall verticality of 88?. The method is based on optical grade dicing, and allows the fabrication of ridges with a top width of 1??m and a depth of more than 500??m. Smart-cut ridge waveguides and strongly confined proton exchanged ridge waveguides are demonstrated. We show that the method enables the fabrication of ridge waveguides with propagation losses as low as 0.5?dB?cm?1. A new fabrication process is thus proposed for the fabrication of optical components with enhanced acousto-optic, electro-optic or nonlinear interactions. The high aspect ratios open opportunities towards the development of 3D photonic components in thin films of LiNbO3, and towards hybrid integration of LiNbO3 components.

Highly selective electroplated nickel mask for lithium niobate dry etching

A sulfur hexafluoride based reactive ion etching process allowing to etch several micron deep holes with diameters of the order of a few microns in lithium niobate is reported. Etching of deep structures with aspect ratios up to 1.5 was made possible through the use of an electroplated nickel mask exhibiting a selectivity as high as 20 with respect to lithium niobate. Several crystallograpic orientations were investigated, although particular interest was paid to Y-axis oriented substrates. Photoresist as well as metal masks were also tested and their selectivity was compared. The influence of process parameters such as applied rf power or operating pressure on the sidewall slope angle of the etched patterns was investigated. The technique has been successfully applied to the fabrication of phononic crystals consisting of periodical arrays of 9 μm diameter, 10 μm deep holes, with a 10 μm period, and presenting sidewall angles as high as 73° etched in Y-axis oriented lithium niobate.

Bowtie nano-aperture as interface between near-fields and a single-mode fiber

We present the development and study of a single bowtie nano-aperture (BNA) at the end of a monomode optical fiber as an interface between near-fields/nano-optical objects and the fiber mode. To optimize energy conversion between BNA and the single fiber mode, the BNA is opened at the apex of a specially designed polymer fiber tip which acts as an efficient mediator (like a horn optical antenna) between the two systems. As a first application, we propose to use our device as polarizing electric-field nanocollector for scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). However, this BNA-on-fiber probe may also find applications in nanolithography, addressing and telecommunications as well as in situ biological and chemical probing and trapping.

Electro-optic fringe locking and photometric tuning using a two-stage Mach–Zehnder lithium niobate waveguide for high-contrast mid-infrared interferometry

Abstract. We present an optimization process to improve the rejection ratio in integrated beam combiners by locking the dark fringe and then monitoring its intensity. The method proposed here uses the electro-optic effect of lithium niobate in order to lock the dark fringe and to real-time balance the photometric flux by means of a two-stage Mach–Zehnder interferometer waveguide. By applying a control voltage on the output Y-junction, we are able to lock the phase and stay in the dark fringe, while an independent second voltage is applied on the first-stage intensity modulator, to finely balance the photometries. We have obtained a rejection ratio of 4600 (36.6 dB) at 3.39 μm in transverse electric polarization, corresponding to 99.98% fringe contrast, and shown that the system can compensate external phase perturbations (a piston variation of 100 nm) up to around 1 kHz. We also show the preliminary results of this process on wide-band modulation, where a contrast of 38% in 3.25- to 3.65-μm spectral range is obtained. These preliminary results on wide-band need to be optimized, in particular, for reducing scattered light of the device at the Y-junction. We expect this active method to be useful in high-contrast interferometry, in particular, for astronomical spatial projects actually under study.

Elastic band gaps for surface modes in an ultrasonic lithium niobate phononic crystal

If a number of experiments aiming at demonstrating fundamental properties of phononic crystals have been successfully implemented, a need for enlarging both the research and the application fields of these structures has more recently risen. Surface acoustic waves appear as appealing candidates to set a new ground for illustrative experiments involving some different physical concepts from those usually observed when dealing with bulk waves. The possibility of a direct excitation of these surface waves on a piezoelectric material, and their already extensive use in ultrasonics also make them an interesting basis for phononic crystal based, acoustic signal processing devices. In this work, wave propagation in a square lattice, piezoelectric phononic crystal consisting of air holes etched in a lithium niobate matrix is both theoretically and experimentally investigated. The crystal was fabricated by reactive ion etching of a bulk lithium niobate substrate. Standard interdigital transducers were used to characterize the phononic structure by direct electrical generation and detection of surface waves. A full band gap around 200 MHz was experimentally demonstrated, and close agreement is found with theoretical predictions.

Light funneling from a photonic crystal laser cavity to a nano-antenna: overcoming the diffraction limit in optical energy transfer down to the nanoscale

We show that the near-field coupling between a photonic crystal microlaser and a nano-antenna can enable hybrid photonic systems that are both physically compact (free from bulky optics) and efficient at transferring optical energy into the nano-antenna. Up to 19% of the laser power from a micron-scale photonic crystal laser cavity is experimentally transferred to a bowtie aperture nano-antenna (BNA) whose area is 400-fold smaller than the overall emission area of the microlaser. Instead of a direct deposition of the nano-antenna onto the photonic crystal, it is fabricated at the apex of a fiber tip to be accurately placed in the microlaser near-field. Such light funneling within a hybrid structure provides a path for overcoming the diffraction limit in optical energy transfer to the nanoscale and should thus open promising avenues in the nanoscale enhancement and confinement of light in compact architectures, impacting applications such as biosensing, optical trapping, local heating, spectroscopy, and nanoimaging.

Metal-to-Dielectric transition induced by annealing of oriented titanium thin films

Titanium thin films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) method was implemented to prepare two series of titanium films: perpendicular and oriented columnar structures. The first series was obtained with a conventional incident angle α of the sputtered particles (α = 0°), whereas the second one used a grazing incident angle α = 85°. Afterwards, the films were annealed in air using six cycles of temperature ranging from 293 K to 773 K. DC electrical conductivity was measured during the annealing treatment. Films deposited by conventional sputtering (α = 0°) kept a typical metallic-like behavior versus temperature (σ300 K = 2.0 × 106 S m-1 and TCR293 K = 1.52 × 10-3 K-1), whereas those sputtered with α = 85° showed a gradual transition from metal to dielectric. Such a transition was mainly attributed to the high porous structure, which favors the oxidation of titanium films to tend to the TiO2 compound.

P1H-1 LiNbO3-LiNbO3 High Overtone Bulk Acoustic Resonator Exhibiting High Q.f Product

Bulk acoustic waves excited in thin piezoelectric films have revealed their capabilities for addressing the problem of high frequency RF filters and frequency sources (above 1 GHz). In this paper, we propose an alternative to thin film deposition consisting in single crystal wafers bonded on substrate (high quality) and thinned down, allowing for plate thickness close to 30mum. This has been achieved on 3 inches wafers and allows for an accurate selection of the wave characteristics. Harmonic bulk acoustic resonators have been built using this techniques, combining a thinned Y+36 LiNbO3 plate and a Y+36 LiNbO3 wafer. High quality resonances have been measured on an extended frequency range, allowing for QF products in excess of 8times1013 without any ambiguity.