Enhanced light trapping for the silver nanoparticles embedded in the silica layer atop the silicon substrate

The optical properties of the structures with silver nanoparticles embedded in the silica layer atop the silicon substrate are simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The effects of nanoparticle size, period, silica layer thickness, and the angle of incidence of the illuminated light on optical transmissions are studied. It is found that there is the red-shift for the maximum of the total light transmitting into the silicon substrate as the silica layer thickness increases. The electric field intensity distributions and the average power densities for the structure with largest optical transmission is studied, and the strong electric field intensities are found in the silica regions surrounding to the silver nanoparticles, which can help the light energy going into the silicon substrate. By controlling the structure parameters, the optical transmissions of the structures with the silica layer can have higher optical transmissions than the cases without the silica layer. The silica layer plays the role as the graded refractive index layer between the air and the silicon substrate, and the light power from the incident wave can transmit into the silicon substrate with less optical reflections for choosing a suitable silica layer thickness. A guideline to design the structures with high optical transmissions for the solar spectra is given. This study cannot only be useful for the solar cells applications, but also other antireflection applications.     

Electrophysical properties of dielectric films in MDM-structures

Using the methods of reactive cathode sputtering in a low-voltage, penning-discharge installation, dielectric films from silica, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, etc. are obtained. Parameters of the films in MDM structures, their optical properties and porosity are investigated as a function of the deposition rate, substrate temperature and reaction gas pressure. It is found out that the films from silicon nitride exhibit the highest dielectric strength and those from silicon dioxide show the least dielectric loss.     

Formation of hook-shaped and straight silica wires by a thermal vapor method

Hook-shaped and straight silica wires have been successfully synthesized on silicon wafer through a simple thermal vapor method with or without assistance of Al, respectively. The hook-shaped silica wires have amorphous structures with nearly 100 μm long and about 4 μm in average diameters, while the straight silica wires are hundreds of micrometers long and approximately 50–300 nm in diameters. The composition analysis revealed that larger Al/SiO_x islands can form on the silicon substrate with Al catalysts, whereas tiny silica clusters form without Al catalysts. They could act as the nucleation centers for the growth of silica wires with different shapes. The formation process of hook-shaped silica microwire results from a thermal gradient on the silicon substrate. The thermal gradient may be caused by the cold gas flowing during the process or other factors that lead to uneven temperature. On the contrary, straight growth of silica submicrowire is unacted on the thermal gradient factor due to the tiny silica clusters as nucleation centers. The present simple and low-cost process of producing hook-shaped and straight silica wires in bulk may lead to potential applications in catalysts, electrode materials, biosensing, etc.     

Infrared photosensitivity in silica glasses exposed to femtosecond laser pulses

We investigate the use of infrared femtosecond laser pulses to induce highly localized refractive-index changes in fused-silica glasses. We characterize the magnitude of the change as a function of exposure and measure index changes as large as 3x10(-3) and 5x10(-3) in pure fused silica and boron-doped silica, respectively. The potential of this technique for writing three-dimensional photonic structures in bulk glasses is demonstrated by the fabrication of a Y coupler within a sample of pure fused silica.     

High-intensity near-field generation for silicon nanoparticle arrays with oblique irradiation for large-area high-throughput nanopatterning

We present near-field distributions around an isolated 800-nm silica or silicon nanoparticle, and nanoparticle arrays of 800-nm silica or silicon nanoparticles, on a silicon substrate by the finite-difference time-domain method when 800-nm light is irradiated obliquely to the substrate. Nanopatterning mediated with the nanoparticle system is promising for large-area, high-throughput patterning by using an enhanced localized near-field ablation by the nanoscattered light lens effect. The irradiation area cannot be extended for silica nanoparticles, because the optical field enhancement factor is low. Gold nanoparticles can generate highly enhanced near fields, although at present there are no useful ways to arrange the gold nanoparticles on the substrate at a high throughput. Silicon nanoparticles with high dielectric permittivity have optical characteristics of both silica and gold nanoparticles. The particle arrangement on the Si substrate is technically easy using a wet pulling process. From the calculation, high optical field intensity is acquired with oblique s-polarized irradiation to the substrate under silicon nanoparticle arrays, and the intensity is almost the same as that under gold nanoparticle arrays under the same condition. With this method, high-throughput nanopatterning for a large area would be achievable.     

Preparation and atomic oxygen erosion resistance of silica film formed on silicon rubber by sol-gel method

Based on the characteristic that silicon coupling agents have the capability to develop ‘molecular bridge’ in the interface of organic materials and inorganic materials, silica films were prepared on the surface of flexible silicon rubber by sol-gel method and the optical transmittance of the sample before and after atomic oxygen irradiation was tested. The surface morphology and structure of silica films were investigated by scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated that the silica sol could easily form a uniform thin film on the surface of silicon rubber pretreated by high concentration silicon coupling agents, and the inorganic silica films could combine with organic silicon rubber without obvious delamination on the interface.     

Acoustic analysis of bound rubber formed in silica/SBR compounds

The compressibility of the bound rubber around the silica particle was evaluated by an acoustic technique. The density and the longitudinal wave velocity of a silica/SBR compound were measured as a function of the silica content. The density increased linearly with the filler content. The longitudinal wave velocity was almost constant within the experimental error. The mass ratio of the bound rubber to the silica in the silica/SBR compounds was 1.08+/-0.03 kg kg(-1) which was measured by a thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The partial specific adiabatic compressibility of the silica was estimated as (0.1+/-0.5) x 10(-10) Pa(-1) on the basis of a three states model. The adiabatic compressibility of the bound rubbers in the silica/SBR compounds was (4.6+/-0.5) x 10(-10) Pa(-1). The compressibility was almost the same as that of the SBR, and the value was twice larger than the compressibility of the bound rubber formed in a CB/SBR composite.     

Design and numerical analysis for low birefringence silica on silicon waveguides

A new fabrication technology for three-dimensionally buried silica on silicon optical waveguide based on deep etching and thermal oxidation is presented.Using this method,a silicon layer is left at the side of waveguide.The stress distribution and effective refractive index are calculated by using finite element method and finite different beam propagation method,respectively.The results indicate that the stress of silica on silicon optical waveguide fabricated by this method can be matched in parallel and vertical directions and stress birefringence can be effectively reduced due to the side-silicon layer.     

A Method for Preparation of Ordered Porous Silicon Based on a 2D SiO_2 Template

A new method for fabricating ordered porous silicon is reported.A two-dimensional silica nanosphere array is used as a template with a hydrofluoric acid-hydrogen peroxide solution for etching the nanospheres.The initial diameter and distribution of the holes in the resulting porous silicon layer are determined by the size and distribution of the silica nanospheres.The corrosion time can be used to control the depths of the holes.It is found that the presence of a SiO_2 layer,formed by the oxidation of the rough internal surface of the hole,is the primary reason allowing the corrosion to proceed.Ultraviolet reflection and thermal conductivity measurements show that the diameter and distribution of the holes have a great influence on properties of the porous silicon.     

Development of novel flexible black silicon

We report a new type of black silicon: flexible black silicon. A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer is irradiated by automatically scanning a femtosecond laser and then split by etching out the SOI silica middle layer. Large-area, uniform micro spikes on the surface of a very thin flexible silicon layer are obtained. The black silicon shows good flexibility and optical properties. The absorption spectrum of the flexible black silicon is as high as 97% in the visible and insensitive to the change of the incident angle of the light, which makes it a potential good candidate as an absorber for the solar-thermo generator.     

在硅片上沉积厚二氧化硅的火焰水解法研究

用火焰水解和高温烧结的方法在单晶硅基片上制备了厚SiO2和B2O2-P2O2-SiO2光波导包层材料。并用扫描电镜(SEM)和X射线粉末衍射(XRD)方法对其微观形貌和物相结构进行了观察和检测。重点对硅基片上沉积厚SiO2时的龟裂和析晶问题进行了深入研究。从扫描电镜照片可以看出．火焰水解法形成的SiO2粉末呈多孔的蜂窝状结构。这种粉末具有很高的比表面积,因而很容易烧结成玻璃。X射线衍射图谱表明．这种粉末是完全非晶态的。经过烧结以后,从扫描电镜照片可以明显看出硅基片上的SiO2薄膜出现龟裂。同时,X射线衍射测试结果表明有少量SiO2析晶。而通过在SiO2中掺入B2O3、P2O5,上述龟裂和析晶完全消失。用这种工艺制备的SiO2波导包层材料厚度达到20μm以上,表面光滑、没有龟裂,而且是完全玻璃态的,可以用于制备性能优良的各种硅基二氧化硅波导器件。     

Crystalline post-quartz phase in silica at high pressure

alpha-quartz, which has been reported to undergo pressure-induced amorphization, was found to transform to a monoclinic, crystalline phase when compressed to 45 GPa at room temperature in a close to hydrostatic, helium pressure medium. The x-ray powder diffraction data obtained could be indexed based on a monoclinic cell, and the intensities are in agreement with a P2(1)/c model structure built up of 3x2 zigzag chains of SiO6 octahedra. This new polymorph of silica, which is metastable under ambient conditions, has been isolated for the first time and is one of several possible competing dense forms containing octahedrally coordinated silicon.     

Surface activity studies on carbon-silica dual phase fillers using flow microcalorimetry and multiple probe temperature programmed inverse gas chromatography

Carbon–silica hybrid particles (or carbon silica dual phase fillers (CSDPF)) are used as high performance fillers for elastomers and were originally developed to combine the best aspects of carbon black and silica in one package. In this work a range of such fillers with differing silicon content have been analysed, together with a range of carbon black and silica samples, using flow micro-calorimetry (FMC) and multiple probe temperature programmed inverse gas chromatography (MPTPIGC). The probe set for FMC comprised: ethyl acetate, pyridine, tributylamine; and propan1-ol. The linear increase in both heat and level of adsorption (from dry heptane) of all the probes within the CSDPF silicon content range investigated indicated that the interactions in the FMC were with the silica phase of the CSDPFs. FMC data for a variety of silica reference samples clearly indicates that the linear increase in adsorption activity does not continue beyond ca. 15% w/w silicon. MPTPIGC data obtained using a range of saturated and unsaturated linear and cyclic hydrocarbons together with benzene and pinacolone showed no clear relationship to silicon content. In fact the retention characteristics of CSDPF resembled those of carbon black more than silica. Differences in the carbon phase of the CSDFS and carbon blacks could be resolved using MPTPIGC. This study therefore highlights the complimentary nature of FMC and MPTPIGC in surface analytical studies of fillers.     

Ge nanoclusters in PECVD-deposited glass after heat treatment and electron-beam irradiation

This paper reports the formation of Ge nanoclusters in silica glass thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). We studied the samples by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy after annealing. TEM investigation shows that the Ge nanoclusters at two areas were formed by different mechanisms. The Ge nanoclusters formed in a single row along the interface of a silicon substrate and the silica glass film by annealing during high-temperature heat treatment. Ge nanoclusters did not initially form in the bulk of the film but could be subsequently formed by the electron-beam irradiation. The interface between the silicon substrate and the silica glass film was investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The shift of the Raman peaks around 286.8 cm^-1 and 495 cm^-1 suggests that the interface is a Si_1-xGe_x alloy film and that the composition x varies along the film growth direction. PACS 81.07.Bc; 78.66.Jg; 42.65.Wi     

The effect of hydrogen peroxide on polishing removal rate in CMP with various abrasives

The effect of hydrogen peroxide in chemical mechanical planarization slurries for shallow trench isolation was investigated. The various abrasives used in this study were ceria, silica, alumina, zirconia, titania, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride. Hydrogen peroxide suppresses the polishing of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride surfaces by ceria abrasives. The polishing performances of other abrasives were either unaffected or enhanced slightly with the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The ceria abrasives were treated with hydrogen peroxide, and the polishing of the work surfaces with the treated abrasive shows that the inhibiting action of hydrogen peroxide is reversible. It was found that the effect of hydrogen peroxide as an additive is a strong function of the nature of the abrasive particle.     

Propagation characteristics of the silica and silicon subwavelength-diameter hollow wire waveguides

The basic propagation properties of the silica and silicon subwavelength-diameter hollow wire waveguides have been investigated by comparison. It shows that the silica and silicon subwavelength-diameter hollow wire waveguides have some interesting properties, such as enhanced evanescent field in the cladding, enhanced intensity in the hollow core, and large waveguide dispersion. For the different confinement ability, the enhanced field in the hollow core and cladding of the silica subwavelength-diameter hollow wire is much stronger than that of the silicon one for the same size.     

Silica waveguides on silicon and their application to integrated-optic components

A marriage of optical fibre fabrication technology and LSI microfabrication technology gave birth to fibre-matched silica waveguides on silicon: thick glass layers of high-silica-content glass are deposited on silicon by flame hydrolysis, a method originally developed for fibre preform fabrication. Silica channel waveguides are then formed by photolithographic pattern definition processes followed by reactive ion etching. This high silica (HiS) technology offers the possibility of integrating a number of passive functions on a single silicon chip, as well as the possibility of the hybrid integration of both active and passive devices on silicon. This paper reviews the NTT HiS technology and its application to integrated-optic components such as optical beam splitters, optical switches, wavelength-division multi/demultiplexers and optical frequency-division multi/demultiplexers. The clear and simple waveguide structures produced by the HiS technology make it possible to design and fabricate these components with high precision and excellent reproducibility.     

Suspended bridge-like silica 2×2 beam splitter on silicon

We report a successful experimental realization of a 2×2 suspended silica splitter integrated on a silicon substrate. The silica splitter was photo-lithographically patterned, etched, and reflowed to form the suspended and rounded silica waveguide channels. The silica splitter showed a flat splitting ratio and excess loss over a wide wavelength range from 1520 to 1630 nm with a low crosstalk. Additionally, as a result of the very low nonlinear coefficients of silica, the splitting ratio is independent of input power.     

Photoluminescence of Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript> ions in layers of quasi-ordered silicon nanocrystals in a silicon dioxide matrix

The spectra and kinetics of photoluminescence from multilayered structures of quasi-ordered silicon nanocrystals in a silica matrix were studied for undoped samples and samples doped with erbium. It was shown that the optical excitation energy of silicon nanocrystals could be effectively transferred to Er³⁺ ions, which was followed by luminescence at a wavelength of 1.5 µm. The effectiveness of energy transfer increased as the size of silicon nanocrystals decreased and the energy of exciting light quanta increased. The excitation of erbium luminescence in the structures was explained based on dipole-dipole interaction (the Förster mechanism) between excitons in silicon nanocrystals and Er³⁺ ions in silica surrounding them.     

Fabrication of SiO2 microdisk optical resonator

The silica microdisk optical resonator which exhibits whispering-gallery-type modes with quality factors of 9.67 × 104 is fabricated with photolithographic techniques. Reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) is used to get the silica disks with photoresist masks on SiO2/Si made by standard ultraviolet (UV) photolithography,and spontaneous silicon etching by XeF2 is used to fabricate the silicon micropillars. This fabrication process can control the microcavity geometry, leading to high experiment repeatability and controllable cavity modes. These characteristics are important for many applications in which the microcavity is necessary, such as the quantum gate.