A Micromachined, Shadow-Mask Technology for the OMVPE Fabrication of Integrated Optical Structures

摘要

A micromachined, silicon shadow-mask technology is described which extends the capabilities of shadow-masked OMVPE for the fabrication of nonplanar micro-optical elements. The deep reactive ion etched (DRIE) shadow mask is inexpensive, reusable and produces smooth, nonplanar structures with precise control of position, shape and size. Direct fusion bonding of the mask to the substrate was found to be a reliable and reproducible method for attaching the mask to the substrate during growth. The DRIE shadow mask technology allows the deposition of microlenses with focal lengths out to 3 mm without the central flattening that was previously observed in shadow masked lenses grown under the epitaxial mask. We also describe novel applications of this technology in the fabrication of micromirrors and concentrically-variable Bragg reflectors, which should improve mode discrimination in large aperture VCSELs.