Low propagation loss SiN optical waveguide prepared by optimal low-hydrogen module

We investigated low-hydrogen SiN films prepared by a low temperature (350°C) PECVD method. The impact of SiH/N flow ratio and radio frequency power on the hydrogen content in the SiN films was studied. In this work, we demonstrated a low-loss sub-micron SiN waveguide by using the corresponding optimal SiN films. The propagation loss was found to be as low as -2.1±0.2 dB/cm at 1550nm with waveguide cross-section of 700nm×400nm. The results suggest that the SiN films grown by PECVD with low hydrogen can be used in photonics integrated circuits for new generation communications applications. © 2008 Optical Society of America.