Hybrid bulk micro-machining process suitable for roughness reduction in optical MEMS devices
by Arvind Chandrasekaran, Muthukumaran Packirisamy, Ion Stiharu, Andre Delage
International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management (IJMTM), Vol. 9, No. 1/2, 2006

Abstract: A hybrid micro-machining technique suitable for reducing surface roughness in different optical micro-systems environment is presented. In general, the Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) consist of waveguide-based devices and non-waveguide-based micro-systems. The proposed technique is suitable for both kinds of applications. This paper also presents two types of micro-machining, namely, isotropic gas phase Xenon difluoride (XeF₂) pulse etching and wet anisotropic etching with Tetra Methyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH), along with the mechanism of hybrid micro-machining. The influence of surface roughness on scattering loss in the two kinds of optical micro-systems has been analysed and the results are presented. The improvement in surface roughness due to the proposed technique is demonstrated by experimental characterisation of the roughness parameters using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The results indicate a clear improvement in surface roughness and the induced scattering loss due to the proposed hybrid micro-machining technique.

Online publication date: Tue, 06-Jun-2006

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