Direct laser and ultraviolet lithography of porous silicon photonic crystal devices
First Claim
1. A method, comprisingexposing a first portion of a porous silicon surface to actinic radiation to promote oxidation on the first portion of the porous silicon surface;
- andexposing the porous silicon surface to an alcohol solvent to change the optical properties of a second portion of the porous silicon surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
We have developed a simple method to locally change the optical properties of porous silicon multilayers and photonic crystal architectures. This technique allows for the direct photolithography of porous silicon multilayers, heterostructures, and photonic crystals. The procedure controls the local oxidation within the porous silicon layers via ultraviolet radiation or via high intensity laser beam (λ=532.8 nm) exposure. Subsequently, immersion of the non-irradiated and irradiated regions of the porous silicon heterostructures within an alcohol solvent (for example, methanol and ethanol) induces either a marked degradation or no degradation, respectively, in the optical properties of the material. This direct, optical lithographic technique may have significant use in the production of silicon-based optical and opto-electronic devices for laser, optical computation, telecommunications, and other applications. Potential devices include patternable porous silicon waveguides, optical filter, optical switches, and photonic band-gap structures.
8 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method, comprising
exposing a first portion of a porous silicon surface to actinic radiation to promote oxidation on the first portion of the porous silicon surface; - and
exposing the porous silicon surface to an alcohol solvent to change the optical properties of a second portion of the porous silicon surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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12. A composition, comprising a porous silicon surface including
a first portion of the porous silicon surface; - and
a second portion of the silicon surface, characterized by a second portion photonic stop-band that is narrowed, reduced in magnitude and shifted to shorter wavelengths compared to a spectral position of a first portion photonic stop-band. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification