Demonstration of two-dimensional photonic

crystals based on silicon carbide

Bong-Shik Song,1,2,* Shota Yamada,2 Takashi Asano,2 and Susumu Noda2
1
School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Jangan-Gu, Suwon Gyeonggi-do
440-746, South Korea
2
Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
*songwiz@skku.edu

Abstract: We demonstrate two-dimensional photonic crystals of silicon

carbide (SiC)—a wide bandgap semiconductor and one of the hardest
materials—at near-infrared wavelengths. Although the refractive index of
SiC is lower than that of a conventional semiconductor such as GaAs or Si,
we show theoretically that a wide photonic bandgap, a broadband
waveguide, and a high-quality nanocavity comparable to those of previous
photonic crystals can be obtained in SiC photonic crystals. We also develop
a process for fabricating SiC-based photonic crystals that experimentally
show a photonic bandgap of 200 nm, a waveguide with a 40-nm bandwidth,
and a nanocavity with a high quality factor of 4,500. This demonstration
should stimulate further development of resilient and stable photonics at
high power and high temperature analogous to SiC power electronics.
©2011 Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: (230.5298) Photonic crystals; (130.0130) Integrated optics.

References and links

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#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
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1. Introduction
Two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystals [1–10], which show arbitrary propagation and
strong confinement of photons within a tiny space, can be used in various applications such as
optical filters, switches, sensors, and cavity quantum electrodynamics. Given their mature
fabrication processes and high refractive indices, mainly semiconductors such as silicon (Si)
and gallium arsenide (GaAs) have been used to realize 2-D photonic crystals [6, 7] operated at
telecommunication wavelengths. Recently, photonic crystals based on wide bandgap materials
(GaN, GaP, ZnO, etc.) [8–10] have attracted interest because they provide not only the
suppression of two-photon absorption at high input power, but also broadband operation
including in the visible range. However, silicon carbide (SiC), which has a wide bandgap and
is one of hardest materials, has not yet been employed in 2-D photonic crystals. SiC, which
consists of 50% C atoms bonded covalently with 50% Si atoms, adopts various crystalline
forms such as the 4H, 6H, and 3C structures; exhibits distinct and wide electronic bandgaps
between 2.2 and 3.2 eV in magnitude; and possesses high mechanical strength, large thermal
conductivity (kSiC = 490 Wm1K1), and a small thermo-optic coefficient (dnSiC/dT = 2.77 ×
105 K1) [11]. By using the excellent physical properties of SiC in the field of photonic
crystals, it is expected that nanophotonic devices resilient to high power and temperature will
be realized, as in SiC power electronics [12]. For example, because its thermal properties are
superior to those of Si (kSi = 156 Wm1K1 and dnSi/dT = 1.86 × 104 K1) [13], SiC should
allow the realization of more stable photonic devices than Si during a local temperature
fluctuation in reconfigurable optical systems. Although a few studies of SiC photonic crystals
have been carried out very recently [14, 15], here we demonstrate SiC 2-D photonic crystals.
First, we present designs for waveguides and nanocavities in SiC 2-D photonic crystals, and
show that a broadband waveguide and high-quality cavity can be obtained in such crystals
even if the refractive index of SiC (n = 2.5–2.7 [11]) is lower than that of Si or GaAs (n = 3.2–
3.46). We then develop a process to fabricate SiC photonic crystals using SiC on an insulator
(SiCOI) wafer. Finally, we experimentally assess the fundamental properties of the fabricated
SiC photonic crystals at near infrared (NIR) wavelengths.
2. Design of SiC photonic crystals
First, we investigated the feasibility of SiC 2-D photonic crystals because the refractive index
of SiC is lower than that of Si or GaAs. We calculated a photonic band diagram of the SiC 2-
D photonic crystal slab structure using a three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference time
domain (FDTD) method. A basic 2-D photonic crystal slab structure consists of a triangular
pattern of air holes defined by the lattice constant (a), as shown in Fig. 1(a). The radius of the
air holes and the slab thickness were set to 0.29a and 0.6a, respectively. The refractive index
of the SiC slab was assumed to be 2.5. The calculated band diagram for this structure is shown
in Fig. 1(b). The dotted line is the so-called light line; modes above this line are leaky to air. It
is apparent that a photonic bandgap (PBG) exists in the frequency region from 0.345 to 0.398
(c/a). The PBG corresponds to the NIR range of 1,380–1,590 nm when a = 550 nm. We next
investigated a line-defect waveguide for delivering photons in the direction shown in Fig.
1(c). The calculated dispersion relation of this waveguide is shown in Fig. 1(d). As indicated
by the solid-circle data points, the waveguide formed by a row of missing air holes (width W
= 3a = W1) has a bandwidth of 0.006 (c/a), which corresponds to 25 nm at the central
wavelength of 1,550 nm. This is very narrow compared to the bandwidth in Si photonic
crystal waveguides [16], because the SiC waveguide with a lower refractive index is

#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
(C) 2011 OSA 6 June 2011 / Vol. 19, No. 12 / OPTICS EXPRESS 11085
significantly affected by the light-line effect. To obtain an SiC waveguide with a broader
bandwidth, the dispersion of the waveguide can be controlled by adjusting the width of the
waveguide. When W was set to 0.62W1, a broad bandwidth of 0.024 (c/a) was obtained. This
corresponds to a bandwidth of 100 nm, which is comparable to that of previous photonic
crystal waveguides [16, 17]. We also designed a point-defect cavity in the photonic crystal
structure, as shown in
Light Line
(a) a r = 0.29a (b) 0.5

Frequency (c/a)
0.4
PBG
0.3
0.2
0.1
SiC(n=2.5) t = 0.6a 0
X J 
Wavevector (2p/a)
Light Line
(c) a r = 0.29a (d) 0.4

Frequency (c/a)
0.38
w0
0.36
0.62W1
0.34 W1

SiC t = 0.6a 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Wavevector (2p/a)

Fig. 1. (a) and (c) Schematic drawings of an SiC 2-D photonic crystal structure and its line-
defect waveguide. (b) and (d) Calculated band diagrams for the structures depicted in (a) and
(c).

Figure 2(a). The cavity consisted of three missing air holes (referred to as an L3 cavity)
[2]. Figure 2(b) shows the calculated electric field (Ey) distribution of the L3 cavity at the
resonant frequency of 0.357 (c/a), which lies above the PBG region. It is apparent that the
electric field is strongly confined in the cavity. The quality (Q) factor of the cavity was
calculated to be 1,200 from the exponential decay of the electric field (or magnetic field) in
the cavity mode. A modal volume of 0.54 (λ/n) 3 was calculated according to the definition
given in a previous report [18]. In order to investigate the possibility of further increasing the
Q factor of SiC nanocavities, we studied the optical characteristics of ―air-hole shifted‖ [2]
and ―hetero-structured‖ [4] nanocavities, as shown in Figs. 2(c) and 2(d), respectively. The
calculated Q factors of the nanocavities shown are 6,000 and 500,000. This implies that
optical performance comparable to those of conventional photonic crystals can be achieved in
SiC-based photonic structures.
a Q~1,200 a
(a) (b) +

Y -
t = 0.60a SiC X
a Q~6,000 a1 a2 a1 Q~500,000
(c) (d)

0.2a shift 0.2a shift

t = 0.60a t = 0.60a1 (a2 = 0.988a1)

Fig. 2. (a) Schematic drawing of an SiC-based (L3) nanocavity with three missing air holes and
a Q factor of 1,200. (b) The electric field (Ey) distribution of the L3 nanocavity. (c) and (d)
Schematics of ―air-hole shifted‖ and ―hetero-structured‖ nanocavities with Q factors of 6 × 103
and 5 × 105, respectively.

#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
(C) 2011 OSA 6 June 2011 / Vol. 19, No. 12 / OPTICS EXPRESS 11086
3. Fabrication of SiC 2-D photonic crystals
The SiC phonic crystals were fabricated on thin SiC-on-insulator (SiCOI) wafers, which were
specially prepared using the smart-cut technique [19]. The wafers consisted of an SiC (6H
crystalline structure) surface layer with a thickness of 180 nm above an SiO2 layer (680 nm),
on top of an Si substrate (300 μm) that was used for handling. The fabrication process for SiC
nanophotonic structures is summarized in Fig. 3. Electron Beam

Al Resist
SiC
SiO2
Si
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Cl2 plasma SF6/O2 plasma

(e) (f) (g) (h)

Fig. 3. Fabrication process of an SiC-based 2-D photonic crystal (a)-(h).

Aluminum (Al) layers with a thickness of 30 nm were evaporated onto the SiCOI wafers
as hard masks (Fig. 3(b)). The photonic crystal patterns were first defined in the electron beam
resist using an electron beam writer (Figs. 3(c) and 3(d)). The lattice constants of the photonic
crystals were set to be 525–600 nm. The resist patterns were transferred to the aluminum
mask using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching with Cl 2 gas (Fig. 3(e)), after which the
mask was transferred to the SiC layer using ICP etching under the following conditions:
ICP/RF powers of 600 W/15 W, a temperature of 25°C, and an etch rate of 215 nm/min (Fig.
3(f)). Finally, the aluminum mask was removed using a hydrochloric acid solution (Fig. 3(g)).
The SiO2 layer (680 nm) was also removed in order to form air-bridge structures using a
hydrogen fluoride (HF) solution (Fig. 3(h)). According to our calculations, it was found that
optical loss occurs to the Si substrate because of the short air gap (680 nm), as part (>620 nm)
of the Si substrate is etched using an alkali solution. The final air gap is over 1.3 μm, which is
sufficiently distant to ignore optical2 loss to the substrate. Scanning electron micrograph
(SEM) images of a fabricated SiC 2-D photonic crystal before using the HF solution are
shown in Fig. 4. The air holes were etched uniformly and relatively vertically (~82°).
a=575 nm
(a) (b)
180 nm (=0.31a)
SiC
SiO2

Si

Fig. 4. (a) Cross-sectional and (b) top-view SEM images of the fabricated SiC photonic crystal
(before using HF solution).

4. Measured results and discussion

In order to investigate the optical properties of the fabricated SiC photonic crystals, light from
a continuous waveguide laser (λ = 1,270–1,620 nm) was coupled to the cleaved facet of
individual samples. The transmission of the samples and emission from the cavities were

#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
(C) 2011 OSA 6 June 2011 / Vol. 19, No. 12 / OPTICS EXPRESS 11087

2
observed (or measured) using an NIR camera (or photoreceiver). Figure 5 shows the measured
spectra of the transmission of SiC photonic crystal samples without a waveguide or cavity. As
seen in the figure, the transmission of the sample with a = 525 nm shows a dip around 1300
nm and increases in intensity for wavelengths beyond 1,300 nm. Furthermore, the region of
the dip is shifted to longer wavelengths as the lattice constant increases. The dip region
corresponds to the PBG because light cannot transmit through the photonic crystals, whereas
the high-transmission region corresponds to the slab mode outside the PBG. A maximal PBG
of 200 nm is obtained in the sample with a = 600 nm, which is in good agreement with the
calculations considering the fabricated structure.
a
1,270nm
~1,630nm

100
Transmission (a.u)
10-1
a=525 nm

10-2
a=550 nm
a=575 nm
a=600 nm
10-3
1,300 1,400 1,500 1,600
Wavelength (nm)
Fig. 5. Transmission spectra of SiC photonic crystals (a = 525–600 nm) without waveguide or
cavity.

Next, we investigated the transmission characteristics of a waveguide (a = 575 nm), as

shown in Fig. 6. Comparing the spectrum with the PBG of Fig. 4 (a = 575 nm), we can
observe a high transmission range from 1,360 to 1,400 nm within the PBG (1,270–1,410 nm)
and another high transmission range from 1,430 to 1,620 nm corresponding to the slab mode
region outside the PBG. The narrow bandwidth of the photonic crystal waveguide is mainly
due to the thin SiC slab (t = 0.31a) according to our FDTD calculations. By using a thicker
slab (t = 0.6a), it is expected that a wider bandwidth comparable to that of high-index Si
photonic crystal waveguides [16, 17] may be realized.
a=575nm

0.62 × 3a
2

Slab mode
Transmission (a.u)

PBG

1,300 1,400 1,500 1,600

Wavelength (nm)

Fig. 6. Transmission spectrum of an SiC photonic crystal waveguide with a = 575 nm.

Figure 7 shows the measured drop spectrum of the L3 cavity (a = 575 nm). A resonant
wavelength of 1373 nm exists within the PBG region. The Q factor of the cavity is estimated
as 550 by a Lorentzian fit to the spectrum. As seen in the near-field pattern of the resonance,
light is confined to the cavity and emitted to free space. In order to increase the Q factor of
SiC nanocavities further, we fabricated ―air-hole shifted‖ and ―hetero-structured‖
nanocavities. Figure 8(a) shows the measured Q factor of the air-hole shifted cavities (a = 525
nm). The maximal Q factor is obtained as ~2,000 when s = 0.2a. As seen in Fig. 8(b), the Q

#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
(C) 2011 OSA 6 June 2011 / Vol. 19, No. 12 / OPTICS EXPRESS 11088

2
factor of a hetero-structured nanocavity is approximately 4,500. However, the experimental Q
factor of the hetero-structured cavity is lower than that of the simulation (Q factor ~78,000),
even when considering only the two factors of actual slab thickness (t = ~0.31a) and tilted air-
hole angle (~82°). We are currently investigating the reasons for this discrepancy, which may
be due to additional optical loss resulting from other imperfections in air-hole position or size,
surface roughness, quality of SiC material, etc. If the quality of the SiC itself and the
fabrication process of the photonic crystal are improved, we expect that ultrahigh Q factors
comparable to state-of-the art photonic crystal nanocavities may be achieved in SiC photonic
crystals that retain the excellent physical properties of SiC.
a=575nm

Drop intensity (a.u)

l=2.3 nm

1,300 1,400 1,500 1,600

Wavelength (nm)
Fig. 7. Drop spectrum of an SiC photonic crystal L3 nanocavity with a = 575 nm.

3,000
(a) (b)
Q=2,300
Intensity (a.u.)
Q factor

Q=~4,500
2,000 l=0.31 nm

1,000
Q=550
0 0.1 0.2 1,386 1,388 1,390 1,392 1,394
Air-hole shift (a) 2 Wavelength (nm)

Fig. 8. (a) Measured Q factors of air-hole shifted cavities and (b) spectrum of a hetero-
structured cavity.

5. Conclusion
In summary, we developed SiC 2-D photonic crystals at NIR wavelengths. It was found
theoretically that optical performance comparable to conventional semiconductor-based
photonic crystals could be obtained in SiC photonic crystals. Furthermore, we fabricated SiC
2-D photonic crystals and experimentally demonstrated a PBG of 200 nm, a waveguide
bandwidth of 40 nm, and nanocavities with high Q factors of 550–4,500 in the NIR range.
These results should stimulate further development of resilient and stable photonics at high
power and high temperature analogous to SiC power electronics.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through
its ―Funding Program for World-Leading Innovation R&D on Science and Technology
(FIRST Program),‖ a Grant-in-Aid from the MEXT Japan, and the WCU program (R32-2008-
000-10204-0) of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).

#144220 - $15.00 USD Received 22 Mar 2011; revised 5 May 2011; accepted 10 May 2011; published 23 May 2011
(C) 2011 OSA 6 June 2011 / Vol. 19, No. 12 / OPTICS EXPRESS 11089