Method of fabricating planar optical waveguides in one chamber

Details Method of fabricating planar optical waveguides in one chamber Method of fabricating planar optical waveguides in one chamber

1998-11-02

2001-01-23

Mulpuri, Savitri (Department: 2812)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Making device or circuit emissive of nonelectrical signal

Including integrally formed optical element

C438S738000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06177290

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating planar optical waveguides in one chamber and, more particularly, to a method of fabricating planar optical waveguides in which consecutive processes are performed in one chamber while only changing reactive etch gases.
2. Related Art
In general, formation of optical waveguides of a planar waveguide device by etching is the core process for fabricating the planar waveguide device, and is accompanied by several processes.
First, after a cladding layer and a core layer are deposited on a planar substrate, an etch mask layer of predetermined material is deposited on the core layer and a photoresist PR is deposited on the etch mask layer to thus form a photoresist pattern using photolithography. Next, a mask pattern is manufactured by wet etching or dry etching the photoresist. After removing the mask layer remaining on the mask pattern, the core layer is etched according to an etch mask pattern, thereby forming an optical waveguide. An upper cladding layer is deposited on the optical waveguide.
However, this conventional etch mask pattern fabrication method requires PR ashing, etch mask pattern formation, waveguide pattern formation, and residual etched mask removal as special processes, which complicates process steps. Also, each step is performed in a different chamber to which a different reactive gas is supplied, which causes the substrate to be frequently exposed to the outside.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating a planar optical waveguide, by which the optical waveguide is fabricated through consecutive processes in a plasma etching chamber without exposing the substrate to the outside while changing the reactive etch gas necessary for each process.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, there is provided a method of fabricating a planar optical waveguide in one chamber, comprising the steps of: depositing a cladding layer and a core layer on a substrate, depositing an etch mask layer on the core layer, and forming a photoresist pattern on the etch mask layer; forming an etch mask pattern by etching the etch mask layer according to the photoresist pattern using a first gas which reacts with the material of the etch mask layer, and removing the first gas; forming an optical waveguide by etching the core layer according to the etch mask pattern using a second gas which reacts with the material of the core layer in the same chamber as the chamber where the above steps were performed, and removing the photoresist pattern and the second gas; removing the etch mask pattern using the first gas which reacts with the material of the etch mask pattern in the same chamber as the chamber where the above steps were performed, and removing the first gas; and depositing an upper cladding layer formed of the same material as the core layer on the resultant structure of the above step.


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