SPUTTER DEPOSITION OF PRECISION SI/SI3N4 BRAGG REFLECTORS USING MULTITASKING INTERACTIVE PROCESSING CONTROL

High quality Si/Si3N4 Bragg reflectors have been fabricated using magnetron sputter deposition. The individual layer characterization and process control were performed using multitasking processing control software that we have designed and implemented onto the sputter-deposition equipment. The experimentally determined Bragg reflector characteristics match very closely with the theoretical model which includes both loss and deposition in the films. The multitasking processing control software system enables real-time monitoring and control for in-depth process characterization and sequencing. Individual layers, as well as the full structure of ten alternating layers of Si and Si/Si3 N4, have been optimized to produce 99.4% reflective mirrors at wavelength of 1300 nm.