Laser Micromachining of Silicon: A New Technology for Fabricating Tera Hertz Imaging Arrays

在设计低噪声、高效率、外差接收机和亚毫米波本振源时遇到的主要障碍之一是波导结构的质量和成本。 在短于400微米的波长处，矩形波导结构、喇叭天线和背短路变得非常难以使用标准加工技术来制造。 我们已经使用了一种新的激光铣削技术，制造高品质，太赫兹波导元件和喇叭。 一旦金属化，该结构具有标准波导元件的特性。 与使用硅湿法蚀刻技术制成的波导元件不同，激光蚀刻元件可以具有几乎任何横截面，从矩形到圆形。 在计算机控制下，整个波导结构（包括波纹喇叭天线！）一个亚毫米波混频器或乘法器可以在几个小时内制造到微米级的公差。 激光蚀刻允许直接缩放成功的波导倍增器和混频器设计到太赫兹频率。 由于整个过程是计算机控制的，制造亚毫米波导元件的成本显着降低。 利用这种新的激光刻蚀工艺，构造高性能的太赫兹波导阵列接收机变得容易。 我们申请资金在亚利桑那大学建立一个激光微加工系统。 该系统将被用于继续我们的研究，以应用这一过程来制造亚毫米波成像系统。

9800260WalkerOne of the main obstacles encountered in designing low noise, high efficiency, heterodyne receivers and local oscillator sources at submillimeter wavelengths is the quality and cost of waveguide structures. At wavelengths shorter than 400 micrometers, rectangular waveguide structures, feedhorns, and backshorts become extremely difficult to fabricate using standard machining techniques. We have used a new laser milling technique to fabricate high quality, THz waveguide components and feedhorns. Once metallized, the structures have the properties of standard waveguide components. Unlike waveguide components made using silicon wet-etching techniques, laser-etched components can have almost any cross section, from rectangular to circular. Under computer control, the entire waveguide structure (including the corrugated feedhorn!) of a submillimeter-wave mixer or multiplier can be fabricated to micrometer tolerances in a few hours. Laser etching permits the direct scaling of successful waveguide multiplier and mixer designs to THz frequencies. Since the entire process is computer controlled, the cost of fabricating submillimeter waveguide components is significantly reduced. With this new laser etching process, the construction of high performance waveguide array receivers at THz frequencies becomes tractable. We request funds to construct a laser micromachining system at the University of Arizona. The system will be used to continue our research into the application of this process to the fabrication of submillimeter-wave imaging systems.***