Commercial Methods for Production of Orientation Patterned GaAs

The Air Force desires development of a commercial production source for nonlinear optical (NLO) gallium arsenide semiconductor crystals with orientation patterning, i.e., OP-GaAs. The need for these materials is driven primarily by applications for NLO laser frequency converters in Infrared Counter Measures (IRCM). The proposed Phase I project will demonstrate feasibility for a fabrication method of OP-GaAs crystals that exclusively utilizes processes available from commercial vendors and at PSI. Molecular beam epitaxy, wafer bonding and hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) will be employed. Development of fabrication steps for the first two of these will be done with assistance by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Phase I will fabricate templates, thick films, characterize the OP-GaAs and design the commercial production flow. The proposed overall program goals for the end of Phase II are to bring on-line a new OP-GaAs production foundry based on a sequence of vendors and in-house fabrications at PSI. Production volume of QPM devices of OP-GaAs in the year following Phase II will reach 30-40 units/year.