Method of forming a hermetically sealed fiber to chip connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329336-B2
Application number	US-201213543156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2012
Priority date	Jul 6, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are methods of providing a hermetically sealed optical connection between an optical fiber and an optical element of a chip and a photonic-integrated chip manufactured using such methods.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method of coupling an optical fiber to a chip, comprising:
providing a chip having a surface comprising a base surface and a chamfered surface adjacent to the base surface;
providing an optical fiber having a terminating end surface and a chamfered surface adjacent to the terminating end surface, wherein the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber are activated in a plasma to generate dangling bonds on the terminating end surface and the adjacent chamfered surface, whereby the dangling bonds facilitate coupling with the surface of the chip;
directly contacting the terminating end surface of the optical fiber to the base surface of the chip such that the chamfered surface of the optical fiber directly contacts the chamfered surface of the chip; and
applying a pressure between the chamfered surface of the optical fiber and the chamfered surface of the chip to ensure no gaps are formed between the optical fiber and the chip.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma is generated from a gas species containing oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia or argon.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber are activated using reactive ion etching plasma or microwave radicals generated from the gas species.

4. An optical device manufacturing process, comprising:
providing an optical fiber having a terminating end surface and an adjacent chamfered surface, wherein the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber are pre-activated in a plasma to generate dangling bonds on the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber;
providing a chip having a surface with a base surface and a chamfered surface adjacent to the base surface;
connecting the pre-activated terminating end surface of the optical fiber to the base surface of the chip such that the terminating end surface of the optical fiber directly contacts the base surface of the chip and
the chamfered surface of the chip matches and aligns with the chamfered surface of the optical fiber; and
applying a pressure between the terminating end surface of the optical fiber and the base surface of the chip to ensure no gaps are formed between the optical fiber and the chip surface.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the plasma is generated from a gas species containing oxygen, hydrogen or argon.

6. The process of claim 4 , further comprising the step of annealing the chip at a temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius, wherein the annealing step is performed after the connecting step.

7. The process of claim 4 , wherein the chamfering of the optical fiber is performed before the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber are pre-activated.

8. The process of claim 4 , wherein the connecting step occurs within two hours of pre-activating the terminating end surface and the chamfered surface of the optical fiber.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated terminating end surface of the optical fiber forms a hermetic seal with the base surface of the chip.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chip comprises an optical waveguide and the optical fiber forms at least one covalent bond directly with the optical waveguide.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the optical fiber forms a hermetic seal with the optical waveguide.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one covalent bond is a silicon to silicon covalent bond.

Assignees

• Meade Roy
• Sandhu Gurtej
• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Meade Roy
• Sandhu Gurtej

Classifications

• G02B6/424

  Mounting of the optical light guide · CPC title

• G02B6/255

  Splicing of light guides, e.g. by fusion or bonding · CPC title

• G02B6/12 Primary

  of the integrated circuit kind (electric integrated circuits H10B, H10D84/00 - H10D89/00, H10F19/00, H10F39/00, H10H29/00, H10K19/00, H10K39/00, H10K59/00, H10N19/00, H10N39/00, H10N59/00, H10N69/00, H10N79/00, H10N89/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/305 Primary

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

• G02B6/25 Primary

  Preparing the ends of light guides for coupling, e.g. cutting · CPC title