As the use of photonics circuits expands, the optical quality and performance of integrated components in the microscale become a major concern. Aiming to improve the performance while reducing the time processing, new microfabrication approaches are being investigated. The dewetting of glassy thin films have been recently proposed as an alternative for nano and microfabrication of chalcogenide optical components. Besides being the best materials for light transmission in the infrared region, chalcogenide glasses possess a flexible molecular structure that allows using a cheap and simple molding process. Here we investigate the thermal-induced dewetting of chalcogenide As₂₀Se₈₀ thin films, by studying the influence of temperature, atmosphere, and heating rate on the formation of self-assembled microstructures. We found that thin films between 150 and 700 nm dewet via structural relaxation, similarly to liquid agglomeration, and produce solid microstructures with the same composition and molecular structure as the initial film. By controlling the glass viscosity and the kinetics of the nucleation process it was possible to adjust the distribution and size of glassy microstructures. Additionally, we combine the dewetting process with standard photolithography and by avoiding the capillary instabilities, we are capable to obtain waveguides with the smooth and symmetric surfaces required for optical applications in the microscale size.

中文翻译：

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控制用于集成光子学应用的 As ₂₀ Se ₈₀薄膜的热诱导去湿

随着光子电路使用范围的扩大，微型集成组件的光学质量和性能成为一个主要问题。为了在减少处理时间的同时提高性能，正在研究新的微加工方法。最近有人提出玻璃薄膜的去湿作为硫族化物光学元件的纳米和微细加工的替代方案。除了是红外区域光传输的最佳材料外，硫属化物玻璃还具有灵活的分子结构，允许使用廉价且简单的成型工艺。在这里，我们研究了硫属化物 As ₂₀ Se ₈₀的热诱导去润湿薄膜，通过研究温度、气氛和加热速率对自组装微结构形成的影响。我们发现 150 到 700 nm 之间的薄膜通过结构松弛去湿，类似于液体团聚，并产生与初始薄膜具有相同成分和分子结构的固体微结构。通过控制玻璃粘度和成核过程的动力学，可以调整玻璃微结构的分布和尺寸。此外，我们将去湿工艺与标准光刻相结合，通过避免毛细管不稳定性，我们能够获得具有微尺度光学应用所需的光滑和对称表面的波导。