Laser projection-patterned etching of (100) GaAs by gaseous HCl and CH3Cl

Laser projection-patterned etching of GaAs in a HCl and CH₃Cl atmosphere performed using a pulsed KrF-excimer laser (=248 nm, =15 ns) and deep-UV projection optics (resolution 2 m) is reported. The etching process carried out in a vacuum system having a base pressure of 10^–6 mbar is shown to result from a purely thermochemical reaction. Etching takes place in two steps: (i) between the laser pulses, the etchant gas reacts with the GaAs surface-atomic layer to form chlorination products (mainly As and Ga monochlorides), (ii) local laser surface heating results in the desorption of these products allowing further reaction of the gas with the surface. The influence of the etching parameters (laser energy density, gas pressure and pulse repetition rate) on the etch rate and the morphology of the etched features was studied. Etch rates up to 0.15 nm per pulse, corresponding to the removal of 0.5 GaAs molecular layer, are achieved. The spatial resolution of the etching process is shown to be controlled by the heat spread in the semiconductor and by the nonlinear dependence of the etch rate on the surface temperature. As a result, etched features smaller or larger than the projected features of the photomask are achieved depending on the laser energy density. Etched lines having a width of 1.3 m were obtained at low fluences by the projection of 2 m wide lines onto the GaAs surface.     

Ar ion laser assisted chemical etching of via holes in tungsten sheets in air

Ar ion laser assisted chemical etching of 150 m thick annealed tungsten sheets in air is reported. The material removal mechanism involves local heating by the laser to temperatures in the range of 1000–1500 °C that causes rapid oxidation of the W to WO₃ which volatilizes readily. Holes with straight walls and slightly enlarged entrances near the surface were drilled with etch rates as high as 11.5 m/s at 13.8 W, and a minimum hole diameter of 21 m at 8.1 W. The diameters of the holes and the etch rates were measured and found to increase as a function of the laser power. It was found that by increasing the laser power above 11–12 W, no change was observed in the hole diameters which remained constant at about 31 m, whereas the etch rates continued to increase even faster than at low powers. Distinct adjacent holes of 25 m diameter could be drilled with their centers separated by as little as 60 m. This is therefore also the etching resolution in the present study.     

Maskless photoassisted etching of N-type Ga0.47In0.53As in basic solutions

The maskless photoassisted etching of n-type Ga_0.47In_0.53As is examined for basic KOH solutions in comparison with GaAs and InP material. The etch rate increases with laser intensity and with carrier concentration up to a saturation value. The best etch rate is obtained with molar KOH in ethyl alcohol (7 ms^–1 for laser intensity 10⁴ W cm^–2). Selective etching have been realized on heterojunction in order to isolate p-n junctions without the help of masks.     

Investigation of output parameters of a 4.3-μm longitudinal-discharge CO2 laser

A simple hot-cell-free 4.3-m CO₂ laser with longitudinal d.c. discharge is described and the results of its parametrization are presented. It is shown that for effective operation of the 4.3-m (10° 1-10°0 band) CO₂ laser, use of active mixtures containing 4 to 5% of carbon dioxide with 20% nitrogen is needed. The laser is mechanically Q-switched producing peak powers in excess of 60 W with a pulse duration of 300 ns FWHM. The 4.3-m laser is easily tunable and operates on the P and R branches of the 10°1-10°0 band of CO₂. The peculiarities of spectral performances are discussed.     

Depolarization ofμ + muons in GaAs single crystals

ASR study has been carried out on high resistivity single crystal gallium arsenide (GaAs). Three characteristic states involving the ⁺ muon (Mu^*, Mu, ⁺ were shown to exist in a binary semiconductor, similar to the case of elemental semiconductors.     

The refractivity of CO2 gas in the region of 10 μm

The refractivity of the CO₂ gas is measured with an experimental error of 2% in the 10-m region, using 10.4-m band CO₂ laser line. The frequency of the CO₂ laser is swept through the Doppler profile of the laser line. The experiment is achieved using a 0.63-m He–Ne/10.6-m CO₂-laser interferometer with a 2-m long vacuum cell. From the result, it is found that the Koch's formula also holds for the wavelengths in the 10-m region within an accuracy of 2%.     

Dependence of propagation loss on etching depth in Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As strip-loaded type waveguides

Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As strip-loaded waveguides were fabricated using a broad-beam electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. It was found that a very smooth etching profile can be obtained by ECR ion etching and the etching rate of Al_0.3Ga_0.7As is 70 nm min^-1. The propagation losses of strip-loaded type III–V compound semiconductor waveguides with various etching depths were studied by the Fabry-Perot cavity method. It was observed that the reflectance at the cleavage increases slightly with etching depth for TE polarization. The propagation loss is measured as 1.5 dB cm^-1 for etching depth of 0.7 m, less than 1 dB cm^-1 for 0.8 m, and 3.5 dB cm^-1 for 1.1 m.     

Investigation of GaAs Schottky barrier diodes in the THz range

The properties of GaAs Schottky barrier diodes as video detectors and mixing elements were investigated in the frequency range from 0.8–2.5 THz. For the most sensitive diode, the video responsivity and system noise temperature were measured as a function of incident laser power. The highest video responsivity was 2,000 V/W at 214m and 60 V/W at 118m. For five diodes differing in doping, capacitance, series resistance and anode diameter, the system noise temperature was measured at 214m and 118m. The best single sideband (SSB) values are 12,300 K and 24,200 K at 214m and 118m, respectively. The system noise temperature versus frequency is given over the range from 0.5–3 THz for two specific diodes demonstrating that the sharpness of the I–V characteristics is only of secondary importance for mixer perfomance at such high frequencies.     

Moment evaluation for linear chain

A method has been derived to generate a structure of moments for frequency spectrum of a disordered crystal lattice with the use of digital computer. The moments are given by expressions containing mean values of powers of reciprocal masses of chain atoms or it is possible to directly carry out their evaluation. The derivation performed here for a linear chain is applicable even for more complex lattice types. Using the method described below, the structure of moments up to ₄₂ has been evaluated; numerically the moments up to ₅₀ have been evaluated. The values of ₂₂, ₂₄ and ₂₆ moments are given in appendix.     

XeCl laser controlled chemical etching of aluminum in chlorine gas

The 308 nm XeCl laser assisted etching process of thin Al metal films on Si substrate in Cl₂ gas was investigated. Etch rates were measured versus the laser fluence on the sample, the laser repetition rate, the Cl₂ pressure and the sample temperature. Irradiation experiments under vacuum of films which were previously exposed to Cl₂, and laser assisted etching in rare gases, nitrogen and air mixtures with Cl₂ were also performed to elucidate the mechanism of the etching process. The surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that a) Etch rates of up to about 1.5 m per pulse are obtained which are strongly dependent on the Cl₂ pressure and sample temperature. b) The etching mechanism is essentially a chemical chlorination of the Al in between the laser pulses which is followed by photo-ablation of the reaction products, c) AlCl₃ evaporation and redeposition processes can explain the observed results. d) The Al films can be etched fully and cleanly without damage to the smooth Si substrate. e) Etching through adjacent or imaged mask on the Al film yielded relatively smooth and well defined Al walls with structures of the order of 1 m.     

Additive pulse mode-locked Nd: YAG laser

Additive pulse mode locking applied to lamppumped Nd: YAG lasers results in an attractive source of picosecond pulses at 1.06 m or 1.32 m with average powers at the Watt level. We provide detailed information on construction and operation and give data on performance. A modified active stabilization scheme allows not only improved stability of operation but also insight into the dynamics of pulse formation.     

Q-switching of a diode cladding-pumped Erbium Fibrelaser at 2.7 μm

Reliable Q-switched operation of a cladding-pumped 2.7m ZBLAN fibre laser in the range of the power limit of self-destruction is shown for the first time. The laser is pumped by a multimode diode. Q-switching is achieved by two different techniques: a rotating mirror and an acousto-optical modulator. Pulse widths of 500ns with the rotating mirror and 300ns (FWHM) with the acousto-optical modulator and pulse energies in the J range are achieved.     

Frequencies and wavelengths from a new, efficient FIR lasing gas: CD2F2

We report for the first time wavelength, relative polarization, and frequency measurements for 47 new cw FIR laser lines in the wavelength region from 120 to 1714 m, all obtained by optically pumping CD₂F₂ with a CO₂ laser. Relative output powers were also measured. For comparison, the 189.8 m line pumped by R_I(34) is nearly five times as efficient as the 118.8 m methyl alcohol line.Contribution of the U.S. Government, not subject to copyright.     

High efficiency cw far infrared lasers at 119 μm and 127 μm

The optically pumped FIR laser lines at 119 m from CH₃OH and at 127 m from¹³CD₃OH are known to be the most powerful in the far infrared spectral region. We report on efficiency measurements for our waveguide laser system. The effect of various parameters was investigated, resulting in the highest efficiency ever reported for the 119 m line. The Stark effect and others parameters of the 127 m were measured, and a new¹³CD₃OH laser line at 175 m discovered, with the same pump transition. These measurements are helpful for completing the assignment already proposed for the 127 m line.     

Efficient vertical-cavity lasers

Recent experimental and theoretical results from strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers indicate that relatively high-power, efficient devices are possible. On 10 m square devices cw output powers of more than 3mW at room temperature and 0.4 mW at 100°C are observed. Broad-area, 100 m diameter devices gave pulsed outputs of over 0.5 W and 60 m diameter devices provided more than 12 mW cw. The device parameters have been modelled and found to be consistent with theoretical predictions. The results generally indicate that considerable device improvements are still possible by reducing internal losses, series resistance and voltage and improving heat sinking. With current internal loss levels 30 cm^–1, three InGaAs quantum-wells have been found to be optimum.     

Low-temperature mobility due to unscreened charged impurities in compensated semiconductors

It is proved that within the Fujita theory, the low-temperature values of mobility of charged carriers in compensated semiconductors due to scattering on charged unscreened impurities result temperature independent. The value of is determined by material parameters including the correlations in space among impurities but it is completely independent of the concentration of the charged impurities.     

Transient pressure induced by laser ablation of liquid toluene: toward the understanding of laser-induced backside wet etching

To clarify the initial stage of laser-induced backside wet etching, we directly measured transient pressure upon laser ablation of toluene under KrF excimer laser irradiation by using a fast-response pressure gauge. The propagation time of the pressure peak to the gauge agreed well with the time for the shock wave to reach the gauge on time-resolved images. The peak pressure P decreased slowly with increasing distance d: P=30.4 MPa for d=100 m to P=11.1 MPa for d=1000 m at a fluence F=1.0 Jcm^-2pulse^-1. The initial pressure, estimated to be of the order of 10–200 MPa, impinges on a transparent plate and contributes to the etching. PACS 79.20.Ds; 47.40.Nm; 47.55.Bx; 42.62.Cf; 81.65.Cf     

Photorefractive measurements on electron-irradiated semi-insulating GaAs

We present photorefractive measurements at 1.06 m and 1.3 m performed in electron-irradiated GaAs. Irradiation with electrons of kinetic energies 1 MeV introduces intrinsic electrically active defects which modify the Fermi-level position and allow to modify the electron-hole competition mechanism of the photorefractive effect. Furthermore, it is shown that the optical absorption in the 1.3–1.5 m spectral range can be increased, which might allow to enlarge the useful spectral range of GaAs towards optical telecommunication windows. The native and irradiation-induced defects are assessed by electron paramagnetic resonance and optical absorption spectroscopy conducted at T=300 K and 77 K. The direct influence of an irradiation-induced mid-gap defect on the photorefractive effect is experimentally and theoretically demonstrated.     

Non-linear photoconductive response of room temperature InSb to high intensity 5.3 μm radiation

The photoconductive response of an ORP10 InSb detector has been found to be dependent on the cube root of illuminating intensity for high levels of irradiation at 5.3 m. The limiting power for a linear response (1 W) is consistent with the predictions of a theory developed by Moss for a high mobility semiconductor.