Method of making specular infrared mirrors for use in optical devices
US6656528B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 16, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 2, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 17, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/29328
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of making highly reflective mirrors on a wafer in the manufacture of photonic devices involves preheating a wafer to remove adsorbed volatile contaminants at a temperature between about 300 and 600° C. The wafer surface is etched at a temperature between about 300 and 600° C. to remove absorbed and chemically absorbed contaminants in the presence of a plasma to prevent poisoning. The wafer surface is thoroughly cooled so as to as reduce the surface mobility of the impinging atoms during the subsequent metallic deposition. A deposition is then carried out on the cooled wafer of a gettering layer for gettering hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. A metallic reflective layer is then deposited in a deposition chamber, and finally the wafer is removed from the deposition chamber to prevent excessive bulk oxidation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.