Position controlled waveguides and methods of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449600-B2
Application number	US-202117483565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2021
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Position controlled waveguides and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a substrate with a channel that extends into a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate, wherein the second surface is recessed relative to the first surface; buffer material having a first index of refraction on the second surface of the substrate; and a waveguide on the buffer material, the waveguide having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a substrate, the substrate including a channel that extends into a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate, the second surface recessed relative to the first surface;
a buffer material on the second surface of the substrate, the buffer material having a first index of refraction, the buffer material including a first portion and a second portion spaced apart from the first portion, both the first and second portions of the buffer material on the second surface of the substrate with the second surface extending continuously between the first and second portions;
a first waveguide on the buffer material, the first waveguide having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction; and
a second waveguide on the second portion of the buffer material, the second waveguide spaced apart from the first waveguide, the first waveguide having a first side surface facing toward a second side surface of the second waveguide.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a filler material within the channel, the filler material having a third index of refraction that matches the first index of refraction, the filler material to fill a space within the channel surrounding the first waveguide.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the filler material includes an index matching gel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , including:
a first optical component; and
a second optical component, the first waveguide to transmit an optical signal between the first optical component and the second optical component.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first optical component corresponds to a photonic integrated circuit and the second optical component corresponds to a fiber array unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a glass substrate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first waveguide has a third side surface, a bottom surface in contact with the buffer material, and an upper surface, the bottom surface closer to the second surface of the substrate than the upper surface is to the second surface of the substrate, the upper surface closer to the second surface of the substrate than the first surface of the substrate is to the second surface of the substrate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the channel is a first channel, the apparatus including a third waveguide on a third portion of the buffer material, the third portion of the buffer material on a third surface of the substrate within a second channel in the substrate.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first channel is adjacent the second channel such that a portion of the substrate between the first channel and the second channel extends between the first waveguide and the third waveguide.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein part of the buffer material includes a region adjacent the first waveguide that has a graded index of refraction to define a graded refraction interface between the buffer material and the waveguide.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the part of the buffer material includes different layers, each of the different layers having a different index of refraction to define the graded refraction interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a filler material to fill a gap between the first side surface and the second side surface, the filler material to have the first index of refraction.

13. A method of manufacturing a waveguide, the method comprising:
etching a cavity into a first surface of a substrate, the cavity defined by first and second sidewalls and a second surface, the second surface recessed relative to the first surface;
depositing a first material onto the second surface of the substrate, the first material having a first index of refraction;
depositing a second material onto the first material, the second material having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction, the first and second materials to completely cover the second surface of the substrate across a distance between the first and second sidewalls of the cavity;
etching the second material between the first sidewall and the second sidewall to separate a first portion of the second material from a second portion of the second material; and
depositing a third material within the cavity, the first and second materials to be enclosed by the substrate and the third material, the third material having an index of refraction that matches the first index of refraction.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cavity is a first cavity, the method including:
etching a second cavity into the first surface of the substrate, the second cavity defined by third and fourth sidewalls and a third surface of the substrate, the third surface recessed relative to the first surface, the second cavity spaced apart from the first cavity;
depositing the first material onto the third surface of the substrate concurrently with the depositing of the first material onto the second surface of the substrate; and
depositing the second material onto the first material within the second cavity concurrently with the depositing of the second material onto the first material within the first cavity.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the third material includes an index matching gel.

16. A method of manufacturing a waveguide, the method comprising:
etching a cavity into a first surface of a substrate, the cavity defined by first and second sidewalls and a second surface, the second surface recessed relative to the first surface, the substrate between a first optical component and a second optical component, the first optical component including an optical signal emitter, and the second optical component including an optical signal receiver;
depositing a first material onto the second surface of the substrate, the first material having a first index of refraction;
measuring a depth of the cavity to the first material during deposition of the first material;
modifying deposition of the first material based on the measured depth of the cavity to the first material relative to a position of the optical signal emitter and the optical signal receiver to facilitate alignment of a second material with the optical signal emitter and the optical signal receiver;
depositing the second material onto the first material, the second material having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction; and
depositing a third material within the cavity, the first and second materials to be enclosed by the substrate and the third material, the third material having an index of refraction that matches the first index of refraction.

17. A method of manufacturing a waveguide, the method comprising:
etching a cavity into a first surface of a substrate, the cavity defined by first and second sidewalls and a second surface, the second surface recessed relative to the first surface;
depositing a first material onto the second surface of the substrate, the first material having a first index of refraction;
depositing a second material onto the first material, the second material having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction, the first and second materials to completely cover the second surface across a distance between the first and second sidewalls;
etching the second material to create a first gap between the first sidewall and the second material and to create a second gap between the second sidewall and the second material; and
depositing a thi

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Ecton Jeremy
• Arana Leonel
• Bryks Whitney
• Chen Haobo
• Duong Benjamin
• Liu Changhua
• Marin Brandon
• Pietambaram Srinivas

Classifications

• G02B6/132

  by deposition of thin films · CPC title

• G02B2006/12038

  Glass (SiO2 based materials) · CPC title

• G02B2006/12111

  Fibre · CPC title

• G02B6/1223

  high refractive index type, i.e. high-contrast waveguides · CPC title

• G02B6/4228

  Passive alignment, i.e. without a detection of the degree of coupling or the position of the elements (G02B6/4234 takes precedence) · CPC title