Integrated dielectric waveguide and semiconductor layer and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9285540-B2
Application number	US-201314427748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2013
Priority date	Sep 21, 2012
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A method for realizing a semiconductor waveguide and an ultra-low-loss dielectric waveguide disposed on the same substrate is disclosed. The method includes forming a partial dielectric waveguide structure on the substrate, wherein the dielectric waveguide is annealed to reduce hydrogen incorporation, and wherein the top cladding of the dielectric waveguide is only partially formed by a first dielectric layer. A second substrate comprising a semiconductor layer having a second dielectric layer disposed on its top surface is bonded to the first substrate such that the first and second dielectric layers collectively form the complete top cladding for the dielectric waveguide. The second substrate is then removed and the semiconductor layer is patterned to define the semiconductor waveguide core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a dielectric waveguide structure disposed on a first substrate ( 210 ), the dielectric waveguide structure comprising;
(a) a first waveguide core ( 214 ), the first waveguide core having a first refractive index; and
(b) a first dielectric layer ( 216 ), the first dielectric layer having a second refractive index that is lower than the first refractive index, the first waveguide core being between the first substrate and the first dielectric layer;

providing a second substrate comprising a handle wafer ( 414 ), a semiconductor layer ( 422 ), and a second dielectric layer ( 218 ) having a third refractive index that is lower than the first refractive index;
bonding the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer at a bonded interface ( 220 ) to collectively define a cladding layer ( 222 ) for the first waveguide core, wherein the first waveguide core and a first region ( 604 ) of the semiconductor layer are optically coupled through the cladding layer; and
removing the handle wafer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dielectric waveguide structure is provided such that the dielectric waveguide is characterized by a propagation loss less than or equal to 0.1 dB per meter.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining a second waveguide core ( 224 ) in the semiconductor layer, the second waveguide core including a second region ( 224 ) of the semiconductor layer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second waveguide core is defined such that the second region includes the first region.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing the second substrate such that the semiconductor layer ( 422 ) comprises silicon and the second dielectric layer ( 218 ) comprises silicon dioxide;
defining a second waveguide core ( 224 ) in the semiconductor layer ( 422 ), the second waveguide core including the first region ( 604 );
providing a compound semiconductor layer structure ( 430 ) that includes at least one quantum well; and
bonding the compound semiconductor layer structure and the second waveguide core such that the at least one quantum well and the second waveguide core are evanescently coupled, wherein the compound semiconductor layer structure and the second waveguide core collectively define at least one heterogeneous silicon device ( 208 ).

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the compound semiconductor layer structure is provided such that it includes at least one quantum-well-intermixed region ( 816 ).

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming an electronic device ( 230 ), the electronic device comprising a second region of the semiconductor layer.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the second substrate such that the semiconductor layer comprises a compound semiconductor ( 910 ).

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
providing a compound semiconductor layer structure ( 430 ) that includes the semiconductor layer ( 910 ); and
defining a photonic device ( 902 ) in the compound semiconductor layer structure, wherein the photonic device is optically coupled with the first region.

10. A composition comprising:
a first waveguide ( 202 ), the first waveguide including;
(1) a first waveguide core ( 214 ) having a first refractive index, the first waveguide core being disposed on a first cladding layer ( 212 ) that is disposed on a substrate ( 210 ); and
(2) a second cladding layer ( 222 ) having a bonded interface ( 220 ), the second cladding layer including;
(i) a first dielectric layer ( 216 ) having a second refractive index that is lower than the first refractive index; and
(ii) a second dielectric layer ( 218 ) having a third refractive index that is lower than the first refractive index;
wherein the first dielectric layer and second dielectric layer are bonded at the bonded interface, and wherein the first waveguide core is between the substrate and the second cladding layer; and

a semiconductor layer ( 422 ) disposed on the second cladding layer;
wherein the first waveguide core and a first region ( 604 ) of the semiconductor layer are optically coupled through the second cladding layer.

11. The composition of claim 10 wherein the first waveguide is a dielectric waveguide characterized by a propagation loss less than or equal to 0.1 dB per meter.

12. The composition of claim 10 further comprising an electronic device ( 230 ), the electronic device comprising a second region of the semiconductor layer.

13. The composition of claim 10 further comprising a second waveguide core ( 224 ) having a fourth refractive index that is higher than each of the second and third refractive indices, the second waveguide core including a second region of the semiconductor layer.

14. The composition of claim 13 wherein the second region includes the first region.

15. The composition of claim 14 further comprising a photonic device ( 208 ) that is optically coupled with the first waveguide ( 202 ) via the second waveguide core ( 224 ).

16. The composition of claim 13 wherein the first waveguide is dielectric waveguide characterized by a propagation loss less than or equal to 1 dB per meter, and wherein the second waveguide core comprises silicon.

17. The composition of claim 16 further comprising a compound semiconductor structure ( 430 ) that includes at least one quantum well, the compound semiconductor structure being bonded with the second waveguide core such that the second waveguide core and the at least one quantum well are evanescently coupled.

18. The composition of claim 17 wherein the compound semiconductor structure comprises at least one quantum-well intermixed region ( 816 ).

19. The composition of claim 17 wherein the compound semiconductor structure ( 430 ) and the second waveguide core ( 224 ) collectively define at least one silicon-evanescent photonic device ( 208 ).

20. The composition of claim 13 further comprising a photonic device ( 208 ) that is optically coupled with the first waveguide core ( 214 ).

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Bauters Jared
• Bowers John E
• Bovington Jock
• Heck Martijn
• Davenport Michael
• Blumenthal Daniel
• Barton Jonathon Scott

Classifications

• H10F30/223

  the potential barrier being a PIN barrier · CPC title

• G02B6/305

  and having an integrated mode-size expanding section, e.g. tapered waveguide · CPC title

• G02B6/1347

  using ion implantation (ion implantation in glass C03C23/0055; ion implantation in general C23C) · CPC title

• G02B2006/12176

  Etching · CPC title

• G02B6/1228 Primary

  Tapered waveguides, e.g. integrated spot-size transformers (for coupling with fibres G02B6/305) · CPC title