Surface roughness of Ti:LiNbO3 etched by Ar∕C3F8 plasma and annealing effect

Abstract

Effect of mask thickness on the nanoscale sidewall roughness and optical scattering losses of deep-etched In P ∕ In Ga As P high mesa waveguidesWe describe the reactive ion etching of Ti: LiNbO 3 single crystal in gas mixtures containing C 3 F 8 and Ar using neutral loop discharge plasma. The surface roughness of etched Ti: LiNbO 3 surface under various gas mixture conditions was analyzed by using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The annealing effect of an etched ridge structure waveguides was also observed.