Method for manufacturing an optical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11774664-B2
Application number	US-202017026819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Oct 13, 2016
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

An embodiment optical device includes a glass plate, a first trench disposed in the glass plate, and a second trench disposed in the glass plate. The second trench crosses the first trench, and the first trench has an open end in a first wall of the second trench. The optical device includes a waveguide disposed inside the first trench, where the waveguide is formed of a material having a refractive index different from that of the glass plate, and a mirror on a second wall of the second trench opposite the first wall and waveguide. The optical device includes an encapsulation layer filling the second trench and covering all of an upper surface of the waveguide and having a refractive index that is different from the waveguide and the glass plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical device comprising:
a glass plate;
a first trench disposed in the glass plate;
a second trench disposed in the glass plate, wherein the second trench crosses the first trench, and wherein the first trench has an open end in a first wall of the second trench;
a waveguide disposed inside the first trench, wherein the waveguide is formed of a material having a refractive index different from that of the glass plate;
a mirror on a second wall of the second trench opposite the first wall;
an encapsulation layer filling the second trench and covering all of an upper surface of the waveguide, the encapsulation layer filling the second trench and covering all of the upper surface of the waveguide having a refractive index that is different from the waveguide and the glass plate; and
an optical path between the waveguide and the mirror through a portion of the encapsulation layer filling the second trench, the optical path being part of the optical device during operation of the optical device.

2. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the mirror is inclined relative to vertical in the range from 40 to 50 degrees relative to vertical.

3. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide and mirror are separated by a distance of less than 50 μm.

4. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the refractive index of the glass plate is lower than the refractive index of the waveguide and the refractive index of the encapsulation layer is lower than the refractive index of the waveguide.

5. The optical device according claim 1 , wherein the mirror is curved.

6. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the mirror comprises aluminum, copper, or an alloy of aluminum and copper.

7. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the first trench has a width of 5 to 10 μm.

8. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide comprises a polymer and the encapsulation layer comprises silicon oxide.

9. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein a difference in the refractive index of the glass plate and the material of the encapsulation layer is on the order of 10 −5 , and wherein a difference in the refractive index between the glass plate and the material of the waveguide is in the range from 10 −3 to 10 −2 .

10. An optical device comprising:
a glass plate;
a first trench disposed in the glass plate;
a second trench disposed in the glass plate and having a first sidewall and an opposite second sidewall, wherein the first trench intersects with the first sidewall of the second trench, and wherein the second trench extends deeper into the glass plate than the first trench;
a waveguide disposed inside the first trench, wherein the waveguide is constructed of a material having a refractive index different from that of the glass plate;
a mirror covering the second sidewall of the second trench;
an encapsulation layer disposed over the glass plate, the waveguide, and the second trench, wherein the encapsulation layer covers all of an upper surface of the waveguide and all of an upper surface of the glass plate, wherein the second trench is filled with the encapsulation layer so that a portion of the encapsulation layer in the second trench separates the waveguide from the mirror, wherein the encapsulation layer filling the second trench and covering all of the upper surface of the waveguide and all of the upper surface of the glass plate has a refractive index that is lower than the waveguide and different from the glass plate; and
an optical path between the waveguide and the mirror through the portion of the encapsulation layer filling the second trench, wherein
the encapsulation layer covers all of the upper surface of the waveguide during operation of the optical device, and
the optical path is part of the optical device during operation of the optical device.

11. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein the mirror is inclined relative to vertical in the range from 40 to 50 degrees relative to vertical.

12. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein the waveguide and mirror are separated by a distance of less than 50 μm.

13. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein the refractive index of the glass plate is lower than the refractive index of the waveguide.

14. The optical device according claim 10 , wherein the mirror is curved.

15. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein the mirror comprises aluminum, copper, or an alloy of aluminum and copper.

16. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein the waveguide comprises a polymer and the encapsulation layer comprises silicon oxide.

17. The optical device according to claim 10 , wherein a difference in the refractive index of the glass plate and the material of the encapsulation layer is on the order of 10 −5 .

18. An optical device comprising:
a glass plate comprising a major surface;
a first trench disposed in the major surface of the glass plate, the first trench comprising a first planar sidewall and an opposite second planar sidewall;
a second trench disposed in the glass plate, wherein the second trench comprises a first curved sidewall and a second curved sidewall, the first curved sidewall comprising an opening connecting with the first trench;
a waveguide disposed inside the first trench, wherein the waveguide is formed of a material having a refractive index different from that of the glass plate;
a mirror disposed on the second curved sidewall of the second trench;
an encapsulation layer overfilling the second trench and having a refractive index that is different from the waveguide and the glass plate, the encapsulation layer comprising a first portion covering an outer upper surface of the waveguide and second portions filling the second trench; and
a first optical path between the waveguide and the mirror through one of the second portions of the encapsulation layer filling the second trench and a second optical path from the mirror through another one of the second portions towards an exposed outer surface of the optical device,
wherein the first and the second optical paths are part of the optical device during operation of the optical device, and
wherein both the first curved sidewall and the second curved sidewall comprise a nonzero curvature perpendicular to the major surface of the glass plate.

19. The optical device according to claim 18 , wherein a difference in the refractive index of the glass plate and the material of the encapsulation layer is on the order of 10 −5 .

20. The optical device according to claim 18 , wherein the mirror covers a portion of a bottom surface of the second trench, and wherein the encapsulation layer contacts the remaining portion of the bottom surface of the second trench.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Sa

Inventors

• Ayi-Yovo Folly Eli
• Durand Cédric
• Gianesello Frédéric

Classifications

• G02B6/0065 Primary

  Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects · CPC title

• B23K26/00

  Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring · CPC title

• B23K26/0624

  using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1 ns or less · CPC title

• B23K26/364

  for making a groove or trench, e.g. for scribing a break initiation groove · CPC title

• B23K26/402

  involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators · CPC title