氫化鍺（Ge:H，鍺氫）薄膜因具有高折射率（n ≈ 4.0 於1550 nm）、寬廣的 中紅外光穿透範圍與可低溫沉積的特性，近年來被視為具潛力的紅外光導波材 料，可應用於積體光子、感測及非線性光學元件中。本研究以高功率脈衝磁控濺 鍍（HiPIMS， High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering）技術來製作鍺氫薄膜，利用脈衝功率、佔空比（Duty Cycle）及氫氣流量的精確控制，改善傳統直流磁控濺鍍鍍膜中常見的柱狀結構與高缺陷密度問題。HiPIMS 濺鍍製程的鍺氫薄膜呈現緻密且平滑的非晶結構，並具有可調的折射率與低吸收係數，顯示優異的光學 品質。 在製程上，樣品經光阻（S1813）微影定義後，採用氟系氣體（SF₆或CF₄） 進行反應性離子蝕刻（RIE），以形成具高折射率對比與良好側壁形貌的波導結 構。透過氣體比例、蝕刻功率與腔體壓力之最佳化，實現對鍺氫薄膜的高選擇比 與高方向性蝕刻。於工作波長1550 nm 下，製程得到的鍺氫波導展現強烈的光侷 限效應與低傳輸損耗，證實HiPIMS 技術可有效製作出高品質紅外光波導。此結 果顯示，HiPIMS 製程具備在低溫下沉積高光學品質材料的優勢，對未來中紅外 積體光子元件與光電整合系統的發展具有重要應用潛力。;Hydrogenated germanium (Ge:H) thin films are promising materials for infrared photonic applications due to their high refractive index (n ≈ 4.0 at 1550 nm)， broad midinfrared transparency， and compatibility with low-temperature deposition processes. In this research， Ge:H films were deposited using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS)， which enables precise control of the pulsed power， duty cycle， and hydrogen incorporation. Compared with conventional DC magnetron sputtering， the HiPIMS process significantly reduces defect density and suppresses columnar microstructures， resulting in dense， smooth， and amorphous Ge:H films with variable optical constants and low absorption coefficients. The waveguide structures were fabricated by srandard photolithography using a positive photoresist（S1813）followed by reactive ion etching （RIE）with fluorinebased gases (SF₆ or CF₄). By optimizing the gas composition， RF power， and chamber pressure， high etch selectivity and anisotropic profiles were achieved. The fabricated Ge:H waveguides exhibit strong optical confinement and low propagation loss at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm， demonstrating their suitability for infrared integrated photonic circuits. These results confirm that HiPIMS is a highly effective approach for depositing high-quality Ge:H thin films at low substrate temperatures， offering superior material density and controllable hydrogen content. The demonstrated process provides a reliable pathway toward the development of mid-infrared integrated photonic devices， optical interconnects， and on-chip sensing platforms， highlighting the strong potential of HiPIMS-deposited Ge:H as a core material for next-generation photonic integration.
