Abstract

CdTe together with the HgCdTe alloys constitute a versatile materials system for certain integrated optical circuits in the 0.9-12 μm wavelength range. Favorable properties include a high electrooptic coefficient, a low bulk absorption coefficient, n- and p-type conductivity, and a good lattice match of the narrow-gap HgCdTe alloys to CdTe. This paper reports detailed studies of low-loss CdTe waveguides for 10.6 μm formed by proton bombardment¹ along with results on grating couplers, acoustic surface wave modulators and electrooptic modulators integrated into such waveguides. The development of an improved technique for vapor-phase growth of high-quality HgCdTe layers on CdTe substrates is also reported.

© 1976 Optical Society of America