CMOS-compatible Hf0.5Zr0.5O2-based ferroelectric memory crosspoints fabricated with damascene process.

We report the fabrication of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2(HZO) based ferroelectric memory crosspoints using a CMOS-compatible damascene process. In this work, we compared 12 and 56 µm² crosspoint devices with the 0.02 mm² round devices commonly used as a benchmark. For all devices, a 9 nm thick ferroelectric thin film was deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) on planarized bottom electrodes (BE). The wake-up appeared to be longer for the crosspoint memories compared to 0.02 mm² benchmark, while all the devices reached a 2Prvalue of ~ 50 µC/cm² after 105cycles with 3 V/10 µs squared pulses. The crosspoints stand out for their superior endurance, which was increased by an order of magnitude. Nucleation limited switching (NLS) experiments were performed, revealing a switching time < 170 ns for our 12 and 56 µm² devices, while it remained in the µs range for the larger round devices. The downscaled devices demonstrate notable advantages with a rise in endurance and switching speed.

Hybrid absorption/interference wide-angle filter using PECVD Si-Rich SixNy and SiOx for LED lighting.

We propose a method to fabricate interference filters using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) to reduce blue and near-infrared wavelengths that are inherent to LED lighting, but that have a negative impact on human health and the environment respectively. We developed a Si-rich silicon nitride (Si-rich SixNy) material, with a very high refractive index, a high extinction coefficient in the blue range and a very low extinction coefficient in the rest of the spectrum. We combined this Si-rich SixNy with silicon oxide (SiOx) to realize an LED interference filter. The use of a material with a selective absorbance and high refractive index allows a simple fabrication process of the filter composed of six layers only, even for a complex spectral response. Moreover, the filter response is uniform and tolerant to incidence angle variation. With this work, we demonstrate the high potential of PECVD technique for the fabrication of low cost and reproducible interference filters that could be used in various applications.

Integrated active mixing and biosensing using surface acoustic waves (SAW) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on a common substrate.

This article presents a device incorporating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing and surface acoustic wave (SAW) actuation integrated onto a common LiNbO(3) piezoelectric substrate. The device uses Rayleigh-type SAW to provide active microfluidic mixing in the fluid above the SPR sensor. Validation experiments show that SAW-induced microfluidic mixing results in accelerated binding kinetics of an avidin-biotin assay. Results also show that, though SAW action causes a parasitic SPR response due to heat injection into the fluid, a relatively brief relaxation time following the SAW pulses allows the effect to dissipate, without affecting the overall assay response. Since both SPR sensors and SAW transducers can be fabricated simultaneously using low-cost microfabrication methods on a single substrate, the proposed design is well-suited to lab-on-chip applications.

Reprogrammable optical phase array.

A novel reprogrammable optical phase array (ROPA) device is presented as a reconfigurable electro-optic element. One specific application of the ROPA, a 1 x 6 electro-optic space switch, is fully described. Switching angles are within 2 degrees , and switching is achieved through a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) controlled, diffraction based, optical phase array in a bulk BaTiO3 crystal. The crystal is flip-chipped to the CMOS chip, creating a compact fully integrated device. The design, optical simulation, and fabrication of the device are described, and preliminary experimental results are presented.

Bulk electro-optic deflector-based switches.

We propose two novel electro-optic (EO) deflectors based on two new nonrectangular geometries: the parabolic and the half-horn configurations. These devices not only provide excellent deflection angles, but also have the potential to build nonblocking 2 x 2 optical switches. A deflector figure of merit is defined, and comparisons with existing EO deflectors are given. Devices fabricated in LiTaO(3) demonstrate 3 dB of average insertion loss and 3 degrees deflection angles. These results represent the best deflection performances to our knowledge reported to date for bulk EO deflectors.