Reactive Ion Beam Etching of InP

A variety of optoelectronic devices are fabricated using compound semiconductors. In order to implement large-scale manufacturing using these materials, new processing techniques must be developed. Standard silicon processes and chemistries simply cannot achieve the results required to fabricate high quality optical devices from compound semiconductors such as InP and GaAs.

Methods for etching InP using the Veeco Instruments NEXUS™ Ion Beam Etching cluster system will be discussed in this Applications Note. InP is used as the basis for fabrication of many semiconductor lasers due to its unique electrical and optical characteristics. In order to generate a more useful and compact optical product, other features, such as wave guides and mirrors, must be fabricated into the InP in close proximity to the laser element.