A Hybrid Silicon Laser-Quantum Well Intermixing Wafer Bonded Integration Platform

Brief Description

An approach for integrating InP-based photonic devices together with low loss silicon photonics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) electronics.

Background

The integration of grating sections, optical gain regions, amplifiers, and photodetectors with electroabsorption gives rise to a variety of photonic integrated circuits such as tunable lasers, wavelength converters, pre-amplified photodectectors, and more. However, previous attempts at combining external modulation with silicon photonics have required time-consuming processes and/or multiple growth steps that result in higher product costs and poor device yield.

Description

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed an approach for integrating InP-based photonic devices together with low loss silicon photonics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) electronics. This method requires only standard lithography techniques and requires no discrete laser placement or metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), allowing for quicker fabrication with higher device yield.

Advantages

• Enables a wide range of InP-based functionalities to be performed on silicon on insulator (SOI)-based platforms
• Requires no discrete laser placement or MOCVD growth
• Quicker device fabrication
• Higher device yield

Applications

• Modulators
• Tunable lasers
• Amplifiers
• Photodetectors

Patent Status