Electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit and method for fabricating electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit

• US 8,213,751 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Yingyan Huang
• Original Assignee: OptoNet, Inc
• Inventors: Ho, Seng-Tiong, Huang, Yingyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/626,178
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 385/1, 385/11, 385/122, 385/14, 385/43, 385/49, 385/31, 385/42, 385/120, 385/130, 385/131, 385/132, 385/141, 438/29, 438/31
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/305 and having an integrated mode-size expanding section, e.g. tapered waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/43 Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0311 Structural association of optical elements, e.g. lenses, polarizers, phase plates, with the crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/035 in an optical waveguide structure

Abstract

An electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit (EIC-PIC) for achieving high-performance computing and signal processing is provided. The electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit comprises a plurality of electronic circuit structures and a plurality of photonic circuit structures. The electronic and photonic circuit structures are integrated by a process referred to as monolithic integration. An electronic circuit structure includes one or more electronic devices and a photonic circuit structure includes one or more photonic devices. The integration steps of electronic and photonic devices are further inserted into standard CMOS process. The photonic circuit structures and the electronic circuit structures are integrated to form the electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit device.

Claims

1. A method for integrating one or more photonic devices on a substrate with a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device comprises one or more electronic devices, the method comprising:

a. creating a first optical cladding layer on a first substrate;

b. creating a first optical core layer on top of the first optical cladding layer, wherein the first optical cladding layer and the first optical core layer form a first optical waveguide;

c. creating a first optical-fiber coupling lens on the first optical waveguide;

d. creating a first optical device, wherein an optical beam in the first waveguide propagates substantially in the first optical core layer;

e. optically connecting the first optical device to the first waveguide;

f. creating a first interspaced dielectric structure layer on top of the first optical core layer;

g. creating a second optical core layer on top of the first interspaced dielectric structure layer; and

h. creating a second optical device with optical beam propagating substantially in the second optical core layer;

i. mounting a first optical fiber on the first substrate to facilitate a coupling of light beam energy between the first optical fiber and the first optical waveguide.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first substrate is a silicon-on-insulator wafer, the first optical cladding layer is a silicon dioxide layer, and the first optical core layer is a silicon-on-insulator wafer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first optical-fiber coupling lens is a superlens.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first optical device is one of an optical waveguide, an optical wavelength multiplexer, an optical wavelength demultiplxer, an optical grating, an optical beam splitter, a polarization beam splitter, an optical isolator, a polarization rotator, an optical interferometer, an optical modulator, an optical ring resonator, an optical disk resonator, an optical curved reflector, an optical mirror, an optical amplifier, an optical detector, a laser, a light-emitting device, a nonlinear-optical device, a photonic transistor, a optical harmonic frequency generator, and an all-optical device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises a trench to support the optical fiber.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises a V-groove to support the optical fiber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical beam enters the second optical device through a tapered waveguide structure made from the second optical core layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical beam exits the second optical device through a tapered waveguide structure made from the second optical core layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optical core layer is fabricated by wafer bonding.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optical core layer is fabricated by local-area wafer bonding.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps a-e are performed by using a process used in fabricating electronic devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic devices are one of an electronic transistor, an electronic diode, a resistor, a capacitor, or an inductor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic devices form a CMOS integrated circuit.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device comprises one or more Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices, the method further comprising:

a. growing a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on a nano-waveguide and a disk;

b. creating a deposition layer on the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer;

c. creating a source region and a drain region by implanting N+ dopants and P+ dopants on the deposition layer, wherein an integrated structure is formed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices are integrated by using a standard CMOS fabrication process.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optical core layer is a III-V compound semiconductor layer.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) on the second optical core layer.

18. A semiconductor device manufactured by the method as claimed in claim 14.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of electronic circuit structures.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of electronic circuit structures further comprise at least one of an active electronic device and a passive electronic device.

21. The semiconductor device of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of photonic circuit structures.

22. The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the plurality of photonic circuit structures further comprise at least one of an active photonic device and a passive photonic device.