Device for propagating light and method for fabricating a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9678273-B2
Application number	US-201514727128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2015
Priority date	Jun 1, 2015
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A device for propagating light is described, comprising: a substrate having a semiconductor material, an insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer is arranged on the substrate, a recess reaching through the insulating layer and into the substrate, wherein the recess is at least partially filled with a filler material, and a waveguide arranged in or on the filler material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for propagating light, comprising:
a substrate having a semiconductor material;
an insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer is arranged on the substrate;
a recess formed to penetrate both of a portion of the insulating layer and a portion of the substrate, wherein the recess is at least partially filled with a filler material; and
a waveguide arranged on the filler material,
wherein a bottom surface of the waveguide is coplanar with a top surface of the insulating layer,
wherein the recess has a recess bottom, and a distance between the waveguide and the recess bottom is larger than a thickness of the insulating layer.

2. A device for propagating light, comprising:
a substrate having a semiconductor material;
an insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer is arranged on the substrate;
a recess formed to penetrate both of a portion of the insulating layer and a portion of the substrate, wherein the recess is at least partially filled with a filler material; and
a waveguide arranged on the filler material,
wherein a bottom surface of the waveguide is coplanar with a top surface of the insulating layer,
wherein the recess is formed such that a distance between the waveguide and an interface between the semiconductor material and the filler material is larger than a radius of a light mode of the waveguide.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the filler material has a lower index of refraction than the substrate.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer is a buried oxide layer.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a tapered form in the substrate in a direction from the waveguide towards the substrate.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a further waveguide is arranged below or above the waveguide for an adiabatic coupling of light between the two waveguides.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the waveguide extends in a longitudinal direction and the waveguide or the further waveguide is tapered in the longitudinal direction.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer comprises front-end electronic components.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a passivation layer on top of the insulating layer.

10. The device of claim 9 , further comprising back-end electronic components above the passivation layer.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the back-end electronic components comprise a first interlayer dielectric (ILD 1 ).

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the filler material and the insulating layer comprise the same material, particularly silicon dioxide, and the substrate comprises silicon.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide comprises silicon, polysilicon or a polymer.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hofrichter Jens
• Jubin Daniel S
• Kiewra Edward W
• La Porta Antonio

Classifications

• G02B2006/12061

  Silicon · CPC title

• G02B2006/12069

  Organic material · CPC title

• G02B6/1228 Primary

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

• G02B6/24 Primary

  Coupling light guides · CPC title

• G02B2006/12085

  Integrated · CPC title