3D PHOTONIC INTEGRATION WITH LIGHT COUPLING ELEMENTS
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- selecting a first optical substrate and a second optical substrate, wherein at least the first substrate includes a planar waveguide;
selecting a beam direction transition that is optically coupled to the planar waveguide, the beam direction transition situated so as to define a beam propagation axis that includes a portion corresponding to an axis of the planar waveguide and a portion that extends from the beam direction transition through a major surface of a first optical substrate; and
securing the second optical substrate to the first optical substrate so as to optically couple the beam propagation axis of the first optical substrate and the second optical substrate.
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Abstract
Methods for realizing integrated lasers and photonic integrated circuits on complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible silicon (Si) photonic chips, potentially containing integrated electronics, are disclosed. The integration techniques rely on light coupling with integrated light coupling elements such as turning mirrors, lenses, and surface grating couplers. Light is coupled from between two or more substrates using the light coupling elements. The technique can realize integrated lasers on Si where a gain flip chip (the second substrate) is bonded to a Si chip (the first substrate) and light is coupled between a waveguide in the gain flip chip to a Si waveguide by way of a turning mirror or grating coupler in the flip chip and a grating coupler in the Si chip. Integrated lenses and other elements such as spot-size converters can also be incorporated to alter the mode from the gain flip chip to enhance the coupling efficiency to the Si chip. The light coupling integration technique also allows for the integration of other components such as modulators, amplifiers, and photodetectors. These components can be waveguide-based or non-waveguide based, that is to say, surface emitting or illuminating.
119 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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selecting a first optical substrate and a second optical substrate, wherein at least the first substrate includes a planar waveguide; selecting a beam direction transition that is optically coupled to the planar waveguide, the beam direction transition situated so as to define a beam propagation axis that includes a portion corresponding to an axis of the planar waveguide and a portion that extends from the beam direction transition through a major surface of a first optical substrate; and
securing the second optical substrate to the first optical substrate so as to optically couple the beam propagation axis of the first optical substrate and the second optical substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A photonic device, comprising:
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at least one horizontal waveguide defined in a substrate; at least one spot size converter defined in the substrate and optically coupled to the at least one horizontal waveguide, the spot size converter situated to receive an optical beam propagating in the horizontal waveguide or to direct an optical beam to the horizontal waveguide, the spot size convertor configured to produce a spot size converted optical beam based on a horizontal waveguide mode field diameter; and at least one beam transition defined in the substrate and coupled to the at least one spot size converter and situated to receive or transmit the spot size converted optical beam. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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14. A photonic circuit, comprising:
at least two photonic devices, wherein at least one of the photonic devices includes a planar waveguide, and the at least two or more photonic devices are secured to each other.
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20-187. -187. (canceled)
Specification