Freestanding circular GaN grating fabricated by fast-atom beam etching

We report here a top-down process for fabricating a freestanding circular GaN grating. The circular gratings are defined by electron-beam lithography and realized by fast-atom beam (FAB) etching. The silicon substrate below the GaN grating region is completely removed to make the circular grating suspended in space. The optical responses of the fabricated GaN gratings are characterized in reflectance measurements. The polarization-independent responses of circular gratings are experimentally demonstrated, corresponding well with the theoretical prediction. This work represents an important step in combining GaN-based material with freestanding nanostructures.