Probe card for testing in-wafer photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and method of use

• US 20050094927A1
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infinera Corp.
• Original Assignee: Infinera Corp.
• Inventors: Nagarajan, Radhakrishnan L., Peters, Frank H., Kish, Fred A. Jr., Schneider, Richard P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31728 Optical aspects, e.g. opto-electronics used for testing, optical signal transmission for testing electronic circuits, electro-optic components to be tested in combination with electronic circuits, measuring light emission of digital circuits probes having electro-optic elements G01R1/071; electro-optic sampling for oscilloscopes G01R13/347; contactless testing of individual semiconductor devices by optical means G01R31/2656
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318511 Wafer Test
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12004 Combinations of two or more optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12011 characterised by the arrayed waveguides, e.g. comprising a filled groove in the array section
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12019 characterised by the optical interconnection to or from the AWG devices, e.g. integration or coupling with lasers or photodiodes coupling integrated waveguide to fibre G02B6/30, to optoelectronic element G02B6/42; monolithic integration of integrated waveguides with other optical elements G02B6/12004
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12021 Comprising cascaded AWG devices; AWG multipass configuration; Plural AWG devices integrated on a single chip
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12023 characterised by means for reducing the polarisation dependence, e.g. reduced birefringence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12026 characterised by means for reducing the temperature dependence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12028 based on a combination of materials having a different refractive index temperature dependence, i.e. the materials are used for transmitting light
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12033 characterised by means for configuring the device, e.g. moveable element for wavelength tuning switching G02B6/35; thermo-optic devices G02F1/0147
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/131 by using epitaxial growth epitaxial growth for semiconductors H01L21/02365
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/136 by etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4204 the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms encapsulated active devices H01S5/02208, H01L33/52
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01725 Non-rectangular quantum well structures, e.g. graded or stepped quantum wells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0175 with a spatially varied well profile, e.g. graded or stepped quantum wells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01758 with an asymmetric well profile, e.g. asymmetrically stepped quantum wells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/69 Arrangements or methods for testing or calibrating a device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/125 Composite devices with photosensitive elements and electroluminescent elements within one single body
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0014 : Measuring characteristics or properties thereof measuring techniques per se G01J, G01K, G01N, G01R
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0085 : for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02325 : Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/026 : Monolithically integrated components, e.g. waveguides, monitoring photo-detectors, drivers stabilisation of output H01S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0262 : Photo-diodes, e.g. transceiver devices, bidirectional devices H01S5/0265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0264 : for monitoring the laser-output
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0265 : Intensity modulators intra-cavity modulators H01S5/0625
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0268 : Integrated waveguide grating router, e.g. emission of a multi-wavelength laser array is combined by a "dragon router"
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06256 : with DBR-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06258 : with DFB-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0683 : by monitoring the optical output parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06832 : Stabilising during amplitude modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/12 : the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11; surface-emitting lasers H01S5/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1228 : DFB lasers with a complex coupled grating, e.g. gain or loss coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2077 : using lateral bandgap control during growth, e.g. selective growth, mask induced
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 : having a ridge or stripe structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3408 : characterised by specially shaped wells, e.g. triangular
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4031 : Edge-emitting structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 : emitting more than one wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/50 : Amplifier structures not provided for in groups H01S5/02 - H01S5/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2914 : using lumped semiconductor optical amplifiers [SOA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 : Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 : Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 : using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/025 : using one wavelength per ONU, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0258 : Wavelength identification or labelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0265 : Multiplex arrangements in bidirectional systems, e.g. interleaved allocation of wavelengths or allocation of wavelength groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0276 : using pilot tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 : WDM tree architectures

Abstract

Method and apparatus for utilizing a probe card for testing in-wafer photonic integrated circuits (PICs) comprising a plurality of in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die formed in the surface of a semiconductor wafer where each PIC comprises one or more electro-optic components with formed wafer-surface electrical contacts. The probe card has a probe card body with at least one row of downwardly dependent, electrically conductive contact probes. The probe body is transversely translated over the surface of the wafer to a selected in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die. Then, the contact probes of the probe card are brought into engagement with surface electrical contacts of the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die for testing the operation of electro-optic components in the selected in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die.

Claims

1. A probe card for testing in-wafer photonic integrated circuits (PICs) comprising a plurality of in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die formed in the surface of a semiconductor wafer where each PIC comprises one or more electro-optic components with formed surface electrical contacts, comprising:

a probe card body having at least one row of downwardly dependent, electrically conductive contact probes;

means to move said contact probes transversely over the surface of the wafer to a selected in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die;

means to move said contact probes into engagement with surface electrical contacts of the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die for testing the operation of electro-optic components in the selected in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die.

2. The probe card of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of test IC chips included on said probe card body.

3. The probe card of claim 2 wherein said test IC chips include circuitry for identifying each selected in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die tested for later circuit chip identification relative to test data retrieved and stored from each tested die after said die have been separated from the wafer as PIC chips.

4. The probe card of claim 2 wherein said in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die include electro-optic components comprising an array of laser sources, said probe card test IC chips operated via said contact probes to drive said laser sources and to measure their light output power or operational wavelengths.

5. The probe card of claim 4 wherein said measured light output power or operational wavelength is accomplished with the engagement of at least one of said contact probes with a surface contact of an in-wafer photodetector in the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die under test.

6. The probe card of claim 5 wherein there are a plurality of said-wafer photodetector in the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die under test.

7. The probe card of claim 2 further comprising an array of electro-optic modulators included in said electro-optic components, said probe card test IC chips operated via said contact probes to modulate said electro-optic modulators with a test signal to measure their light output power, chirp or extinsion ratio.

8. The probe card of claim 7 wherein said measured light output power, chirp or extinsion ratio is accomplished with the engagement of at least one of said contact probes with a surface contact of an in-wafer photodetector in the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die under test.

9. The probe card of claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of said-wafer photodetector in the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die under test.

10. A method testing in-wafer photonic integrated circuits (PICS) comprising a plurality of in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die formed in the surface of a semiconductor wafer where each PIC comprises one or more electro-optic components with formed surface electrical contacts, comprising the steps of:

translating a probe card body with at least one row of downwardly dependent, electrically conductive contact probes over the wafer surface;

selecting an in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die for circuit test by translating the probe card body over the same;

engaging at least some of the contact probes with surface electrical contacts of the selected photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die;

operating the electro-optic component via at least some of the probe contacts;

retrieving operational parameter data of the electro-optic component via at least some of the other probe contacts; and

retaining the retrieved data for future use when the tested in-wafer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die are removed from the wafer as PIC chips.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of probing in-wafer photodetectors integrated in the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die for retrieving operational parameter data of the electro-optic component.