High Efficiency, Room Temperature Mid-Infrared Semiconductor Laser Development for IR Countermeasures

Abstract

This purpose of this grant focused on the optical and electronic characterization and fabrication of antimonide-based semiconductor lasers for infrared applications. Recent results with Optical Pumping Injection Cavity (OPIC) lasers includes >4 micrometer emission from a broadband laser and the measurement of spatial and temporal beam profiles. From August 2006 through December of 2007, the work was expanded to include the development of plasma etch processes in an Oxford Instruments 100 ICP 180 System for ZnO layers and the definition of antimonide laser structures. The laser structures were etched in a 25% BC13 / 75% Ar chemistry (5 seem BC13 and 15 seem argon) at 15 mTorr, 400W ICP, and 70W RIE power, with an etch rate of 300 nm/min. Epitaxial ZnO layers were plasma etched using BC13/SF(6) gas mixtures. Etch rates were studied as a function of gas composition, ICP coil power and RF power. The ZnO etch rate in pure BC1(3) at a pressure of 10 mTorr, RF power of 350W, and ICP power of 1000W was approx. 1175 A/min (-1000V bias). The etch rate increased with increasing SF(6) percentage in the flow, and for the same conditions in pure SF(6) the etch rate was approx. 1350 A/min (-820V bias).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA501427

Entities

People

  • Karen J. Nordheden
  • Linda J. Olafsen

Organizations

  • University of Kansas

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antimonides
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemical Vapor Deposition
  • Chemistry
  • Emission
  • Fabrication
  • Films
  • Lasers
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Optical Pumping
  • Radio Frequency Power
  • Refractive Index
  • Semiconductor Lasers
  • Semiconductors
  • Students
  • Thin Films

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics
  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers
  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene