Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T16:32:51.734Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Characterization of Alumina Optical Waveguides Grown by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition for SPARROW Biosensors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Praneetha Poloju ,
P. K. Samudrala ,
J. R. Nightingale ,
D. Korakakis  and
L. A. Hornak
Praneetha Poloju
Affiliation:
[email protected], West Virginia University, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, 1064, Vanvoorhis rd, Apt # J202, Morgantown, WV, 26505, United States, 3046850812
P. K. Samudrala
Affiliation:
[email protected], West Virginia University, Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Morgantown, WV, 26506, United States
J. R. Nightingale
Affiliation:
[email protected], West Virginia University, Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Morgantown, WV, 26506, United States
D. Korakakis
Affiliation:
[email protected], West Virginia University, Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Morgantown, WV, 26506, United States
L. A. Hornak
Affiliation:
[email protected], West Virginia University, Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Morgantown, WV, 26506, United States
Get access

Abstract

Dielectric optical films with minimal surface roughness are required for biosensing applications since the coupling characteristics often used in signal transduction are dependent on the quality of the waveguides. This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of alumina-based optical waveguides for biosensor device for biomolecular detection. Alumina (Aluminum Oxide) Al2O3 waveguides were chosen for their moisture stability and refractive index. Planar alumina optical waveguides were deposited on Borofloat substrates by a vacuum evaporation process using an ion assisted electron beam deposition technique. The deposited films showed RMS roughness of 0.3nm – 0.5nm and a range of refractive indices varying from 1.62 to 1.654 as a function of varying ion beam parameters such as oxygen flow rates and drive currents. The propagation losses for the TE0 (Transverse Electric) mode of the alumina films at 632.8nm wavelength were found to vary between 2dB/cm – 6dB/cm at a wavelength of 632.8nm for TE0 polarization as a function of ion beam parameters. It is shown that these factors influence the optical film quality and hold the potential for achieving further waveguide performance improvement for biosensing applications.

Keywords

ion-beam assisted depositionoptical propertieschemical vapor deposition (CVD) (deposition)
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 967: Symposium U – Advances in In Situ Characterization of Film Growth and Interface Processes , 2006 , 0967-U05-12
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Lloyd, D., Hornak, L. A., Pathak, S., Morton, D, and Stevenson, I., “Application of Ion Beam Assisted Thin Film Deposition Techniques to the Fabrication of a Biosensor Chip With Fieldability Potential for Important Biohazard Detection Applications” 47th Annual Technical Conference Proceedings, Soc. of Vac. Coaters, ISSN 0737–5921 (2004).Google Scholar
2. Eriksson, T. S., Hjortsberg, A., Niklasson, G.A., and Granqvist, C. G., “Infrared optical properties of evaporated alumina films” Applied Optics, 20 (15), 2742 (1981).Google Scholar
3. Li, Quan, Yu, Yuan-Hsin, Bhatia, C. Singh, Marks, L. D., Lee, S. C., Chung, Y. W., “Low-temperature magnetron sputterdeposition, hardness, and electrical resistivity of amorphous and crystalline alumina thin films,” J. Vac. Sci. Technol A, 18 (5) 2333 (2000).Google Scholar
4. Bulla, Douglas A. P., Li, Wei-Tang, Charles, Christine, Boswell, Rod, Ankiewicz, Andrian, and Love, John, “Deposition and characterization of silica based films by helicon-activated reactive evaporation applied to optical waveguide fabrication” Applied Optics, 43 (14), 2978 (2004).Google Scholar
5. Nightingale, J. R., Cornell, T., Samudrala, P., Poloju, P., Hornak, L. A., Korakakis, D., “Reactive Deposition of Dielectrics by Ion Beam Assisted E-beam Evaporation,” MRS Fall 2006 Conference Proceedings. Google Scholar
6. Samudrala, P. “Optical Characterization of Alumina Waveguides and SPARROW Biosensor Modeling,” Master's Thesis, West Virginia University (2006).Google Scholar
7. Zabeida, Q., Klemberg-Saphieha, J. E., Martinu, L., and Morton, D., “Ion Bomabardment Characteristics During the Growth of Optical Films Using a Cold Cathode Ion Source,” www.dentonvacuum.com.Google Scholar
8. Yokota, Katsuhiro, Nakamura, Kazuhiro, Sasagawa, Tomohiro, Kamatani, Toshihiko, Miyashita, Fumiyoshi, “An Oxygen Ion Dose Dependence of Dielectric Constant and Surface Roughness of Titanium Oxide Films Deposited on Silicon by an Ion Beam Assisted Deposition Technique,” IEEE Trans. 2000 High-Technology Research Center and Faculty of Engineering, Kansai University, Faculty of Informatics, Kansai Unversity.Google Scholar
9. Zhaoa, Yadun, Oian, Yitai, Yua, Weicao and Chena, Zuvao, Department of Applied Chemistry, Structure Research Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, “Surface roughness of alumina films deposited by reactive r. f. sputtering,” www.sciencedirect.comGoogle Scholar