We have developed a simple and scalable approach for fabricating sub-wavelength structures (SWS) on silicon nitride by means of self-assembled nickel nanoparticle masks and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ion etching. Silicon nitride SWS surfaces with diameter of 160-200 nm and a height of 140-150 nm were obtained. A low reflectivity below 1% was observed over wavelength from 590 to 680 nm. Us...

We have used optical drive and detection to study dissipation in silicon nitride beam resonators. We are able to tune resonant frequency as well as quality factor in a given nanostring resonator by several hundred percent by tuning the stress in real time, providing a unique look into the sources of dissipation for this class of nanoresonator. A record room temperature quality factor of 390,000...

Atom-surface interactions can significantly modify the intensity and phase of atom de Broglie waves diffracted by a silicon nitride grating. This affects the operation of a material grating as a coherent beam splitter. The phase shift induced by diffraction is measured by comparing the relative phases of serveral interfering paths in a Mach-Zehnder Na atom interferometer formed by three materia...

Neodymium (Nd) doped amorphous silicon nitride films with various Si concentrations (Nd:SiNx) were fabricated by reactive magnetron co-sputtering followed by thermal annealing. The time dynamics of the energy transfer in Nd:SiNx was investigated, a systematic optimization of its 1.1 μm emission was performed, and the Nd excitation cross section in SiNx was measured. An active Nd:SiNx micro-disk...

Film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) are widely applied in mass bio-sensing and pressure sensors, owing to their extreme sensitivity and integration ability, and ability to miniaturize circuits. A volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor with a polymer-coated diaphragm, using FBARs as a strain sensing element is proposed and optimized. This vapor sensor is based on organic vapor-induced changes ...

Crack deflection and the subsequent growth of delamination cracks can be a potent source of energy dissipation during the fracture of layered ceramics. In this study, multilayered ceramics that consist of silicon nitride (Si3N4) layers separated by boron nitride/silicon nitride (BN/Si3N4) interphases have been manufactured and tested. Flexural tests reveal that the crack path is dependent on th...

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of thermally controlled soliton mode-locked frequency comb generation in microresonators. By controlling the electric current through heaters integrated with silicon nitride microresonators, we demonstrate a systematic and repeatable pathway to single- and multi-soliton mode-locked states without adjusting the pump laser wavelengt...

The chemical dry etching of silicon nitride (Si3N4)and silicon nitride (SiO2) in a downstream plasma reactor using CF4, O2, and N2 has been investigated. A comparison of the Si3N4 and SiO2 etch rates with that of polycrystalline silicon shows that the etch rates of Si3N4 and SiO2 are not limited by the amount of fluorine arriving on the surface only. Adding N2 in small amounts to a CF4 /O2 micr...

We demonstrate the feasibility of forming a compact integrated photonic spectrometer for operation in the visible wavelength range using the dispersive properties of a planar photonic crystal structure fabricated in silicon nitride. High wavelength resolution and compact device sizes in these spectrometers are enabled by combining superprism effect, negative diffraction effect, and negative ref...