Low optical loss germanosilicate planar waveguides by low-pressure inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

This Letter reports on the preparation and properties of germanium-doped silica thin films by a new technique namely inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD). 13.56 MHz ICP was generated inside the chamber upon the supplying of 1 KW r.f. power at 2.5 Pa. The Films have been deposited on Si-wafers from the tetraethoxysilane, tetramethoxygermane and oxygen system at 400 °C. The behaviors of ∼200 and ∼240 nm UV absorptions under different treatment conditions comprising annealing temperatures and excimer laser exposure have been systematically investigated. A low propagation loss of ∼0.1 dB/cm at 1550 nm has been achieved.