Mode-splitting of a non-polarizing guided mode resonance filter by substrate overetching effect

We investigate substrate overetch effect on resonance properties of sub-wavelength titanium oxide (TiO2) Guided Mode Resonance Filters (TiO2-GMRFs). The TiO2-GMRF is designed and fabricated to possess a non-polarizing behavior, which is strongly dependent on substrate (fused silica) overetch depth. For non-polarizing gratings at resonance, TE- and TM-modes have the same propagation constants. However, an overetch substrate effect results in splitting of the degenerate modes, which is studied theoretically and experimentally. The TiO2-SiO2 GMRFs are designed by Fourier Modal method (FMM) based on the rigorous calculation of electromagnetic diffraction theory at a designed wavelength of 850 nm. The TiO2-SiO2 gratings are fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Electron Beam Lithography (EBL), and Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), and they are subsequently characterized structurally by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and optically by a spectroscopic ellipsometer. Several grating samples are fabricated by gradually increasing the overetch depth into fused silica and measuring the extent of TE- and TM-mode-splitting. A close agreement between the calculated and experimentally measured resonance wavelength spectral shift is found to describe the mode splitting of non-polarizing gratings.