Reactive Ion Beam Etching of PIC Materials with High Optical Performance

Lithium niobate (LN)-based photonic integrated circuits will play a major role in many future applications. Current structuring techniques using plasma-based etching tools face significant challenges in achieving high-quality waveguides. Ion beam etching delivers high-quality structures with low optical loss, thanks to low roughness and strongly reduced fencing. The ion beam etching technology also enables new options for designers, such as variable sidewall angles. Hartmann will demonstrate novel structuring and yield-improving techniques.

About the presenter
Susanne Hartmann earned her master’s degree in physics from Chemnitz University of Technology in 2015, completing her thesis within the semiconductor physics research group. She subsequently worked, with a focus on electron beam lithography, first as a physicist at Anfatec Instruments AG, and later as a research associate at the Center for Micro- and Nanotechnologies of Chemnitz University of Technology. In 2025, she joined the R&D department of scia Systems.