Surface treatment method to remove contaminated and implanted waveguide surface
Embodiments of the present disclosure herein include a method of removing a contamination material from an optical device. The method may include disposing an optical device in a process chamber, the optical device having optical device structures formed in a substrate, the contamination material is disposed at least on sidewalls of the optical device structures and within trenches between the optical device structures, and exposing the optical device to a plasma generated in the process chamber, the plasma generated from oxygen gas (O 2 ), chlorine gas (Cl 2 ), Argon (Ar), or a combination thereof, the exposing the optical device to the plasma removes the contamination material.
1 . A method of removing a contamination material from a waveguide, comprising:
disposing the waveguide in a process chamber, the waveguide comprising an input coupler comprising first optical device structures and an output coupler comprising second optical device structures, and the contamination material is disposed at least on sidewalls of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures, and within trenches disposed between adjacent first optical device structures and adjacent second optical device structures; and
exposing the waveguide to a plasma generated in the process chamber, the plasma generated from oxygen gas (O 2 ), chlorine gas (Cl 2 ), Argon (Ar), or a combination thereof, the exposing the waveguide to the plasma removing the contamination material.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures are binary optical device structures or angled optical device structures.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the contaminated material comprises a hard mask material or a residual material from an etching process.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the contamination material comprises silicon carbide (SiC), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), ruthenium (Ru), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or a combination thereof.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide further comprises a substrate made from silicon carbide (SiC).
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing the waveguide to the plasma forms a silicon oxide (SiO 2 )-containing layer on the sidewalls of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures and a surface of a substrate disposed between the adjacent first and the adjacent second optical device structures.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the SiO 2 -containing layer is removed via a wet cleaning process.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a hardmask is disposed on a top surface of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the hardmask is removed after a wet cleaning process.
10 . A method of removing a contamination material from a waveguide, comprising:
disposing the waveguide in an angled etch chamber, the waveguide having an input coupler comprising first optical device structures and an output coupler comprising second optical device structures, and the contamination material is disposed at least on sidewalls of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures, and within trenches disposed between adjacent first optical device structures and adjacent second optical device structures; and
removing the contaminated material using angled etching by exposing the waveguide to a directional plasma generated from oxygen gas (O 2 ) and Argon (Ar).
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures are binary optical device structures or angled optical device structures.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the contamination material comprises a hard mask material or a residual material from an etching process.
13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the contamination material is made of silicon carbide (SiC), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), ruthenium (Ru), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or a combination thereof.
14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the waveguide further comprises a substrate made of silicon carbide (SiC).
15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the exposing the waveguide to the directional plasma forms a silicon oxide (SiO 2 )-containing layer on the sidewalls of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures and a surface of a substrate disposed between the adjacent first optical device structures and the adjacent second optical device structures.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the SiO 2 -containing layer is removed via a wet cleaning process.
17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a hardmask is disposed on a top surface of the first optical device structures and the second optical device structures.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the hardmask is removed after a wet cleaning process.