Refining silicon nitride waveguide quality through femtosecond laser annealing

We present a method for modification of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) waveguide resonators using femtosecond laser annealing. The quality (Q) factor of the waveguide resonators can be improved by approximately 1.3 times after annealing. Notably, waveguides that originally had a high Q value maintained their quality after the annealing process. However, those with a lower initial Q value experienced a noticeable improvement post-annealing. To characterize the annealing effect, the surface morphologies of Si₃N₄ films, both pre- and post-annealing, were analyzed using atomic force microscopy. The findings suggest a potential enhancement in surface refinement. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the Si₃N₄ film's composition remains largely consistent with its original state within the annealing power range of 0.6–1.6 W. This research underscores the potential of femtosecond laser annealing as an efficient, cost-effective, and localized technique for fabricating low-loss integrated photonics.