Design and realization of ald grown AL2O3 waveguides for applications in silicon based photonics

In this thesis, design and realization of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) grown Al2O3 waveguides application in silicon based photonics has been considered. Al2O3 was grown using ALD technique. Different samples were grown using different growth recipes and optimal growth parameters were determined for active and passive optical waveguides. Ellipsometer was used to determine of sample thicknesses and refractive index. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was used in order to confirm the amorphous structure of the grown samples. Moreover, complementary approach to determine the bond structures in the layers was implemented using both Micro-Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the percentages of constituting elements in the Al2O3 layers. After the characterization process, ridge type single mode polarization independent optical waveguides were designed using beam propagation method. Finally, Al2O3-based planar waveguide was realized and optical propagation had been demonstrated.