Polylithic Integration of Electrical and Optical Interconnect Technologies for Gigascale Fiber-to-the-Chip Communication

Polylithic integration of electrical and optical interconnect technologies is presented as a solution for merging silicon CMOS and compound semiconductor optoelectronics. In contrast to monolithic and hybrid integration technologies, polylithic integration allows for the elimination of optoelectronic and integrated optic device-related processing from silicon CMOS manufacturing. Printed wiring board-level and compound semiconductor chip-level waveguides terminated with volume grating couplers facilitate bidirectional optical communication, where fiber-to-board and board-to-chip optical coupling occurs through a two-grating (or grating-to-grating) coupling path. A 27% increase in the electrical signal I/O projected by and 33% increase in the number of substrate-level electrical signal interconnect layers implied by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) projections for the 32-nm technology generation are required to facilitate 10 Tb/s aggregate bidirectional fiber-to-the-chip communication. Buried air-gap channels provide for the routing of chip or board-level encapsulated air-clad waveguides for minimum crosstalk and maximum interconnect density. Optical signals routed on-board communicate with on-chip volume grating couplers embedded as part of a wafer-level batch package technology exhibiting compatible electrical and optical input/output interconnects. Measurements of grating-to-grating coupling reveal 31% coupling efficiency between two slab, nonoptimized, nonfocusing volume grating couplers.     

Crystalline organic semiconductor optical directional couplers andswitches using an index-matching layer

A directional coupler using crystalline organic semiconductor waveguides grown by the vacuum process of organic molecular beam deposition is demonstrated. An index-matching layer placed between two coupled waveguides separated by a 1 μm gap greatly increases the coupling coefficient, significantly decreasing the coupling length and making the device very compact. Switching of 1.06 μm wavelength light from one guide to another in the coupler has been observed by pumping the surface of one guide in the coupling region with 0.514 μm     

Ferrite elements for hybrid microwave integrated systems

Complete realization of the potentialities of hybrid microwave integrated circuits will require both semiconductor and ferrite elements. This paper presents performance data for several microstrip ferrite devices that can play an important role in the exploitation of microwave integrated circuits. Data on both fixed-field and latched microstrip junction circulators are given including a fixed-field circulator with less than 0.4- dB loss and greater than 20-dB isolation over the 6.5- to 9.3-GHz band. The characteristics of microstrip meander-line phasers are discussed, and a simple, rugged technique for fabricating single-crystal YIG devices by embedding the YIG element in the substrate is presented.     

Ferrite Elements for Hybrid Microwave Integrated Systems

Complete realization of the potentialities of hybrid microwave integrated circuits will require both semiconductor and ferrite elements. This paper presents performance data for several microstrip ferrite devices that can play an important role in the exploitation of microwave integrated circuits. Data on both fixed-field and latched microstrip junction circulators are given including a fixed-field circulator with less than 0.4-dB loss and greater than 20-dB isolation over the 6.5- to 9.3-GHz band. The characteristics of microstrip meander-line phasers are discussed, and a simple, rugged technique for fabricating single-crystal YIG devices by embedding the YIG element in the substrate is presented.     

Ferrite Elements for Hybrid Microwave Integrated Systems

Complete realization of the potentialities of hybrid microwave integrated circuits will require both semiconductor and ferrite elements. This paper presents performance data for several microstrip ferrite devices that can play an important role in the exploitation of microwave integrated circuits. Data on both fixed-field and latched microstrip junction circulators are given including a fixed-field circulator with less than 0.4-dB loss and greater than 20-dB isolation over the 6.5- to 9.3-GHz band. The characteristics of microstrip meander-line phasers are discussed, and a simple, rugged technique for fabricating single-crystal YIG devices by embedding the YIG element in the substrate is presented.     

Grating-assisted coupling of light between semiconductor and glasswaveguides

Floquet-Bloch theory is used to calculate the electromagnetic fields in a leaky-mode grating-assisted directional coupler (LM-GADC) fabricated with semiconductor and glass materials. One waveguide is made from semiconductor materials (refractive index ≈3.2) while the second is made from glass (refractive index ≈1.45). The coupling of light between the two waveguides is assisted by a grating fabricated at the interface of the glass and semiconductor materials. Unlike typical GADC structures where power is exchanged between two waveguides using bound modes, this semiconductor/glass combination couples power between two waveguides using a bound mode (confined to the semiconductor) and a leaky mode (associated with the glass). The characteristics of the LM-GADC are discussed. Such LM-GADC couplers are expected to have numerous applications in areas such as laser-fiber coupling, photonic integrated circuits, and on-chip optical clock distribution. Analyses indicate that simple LM-GADC's can couple over 40% of the optical power from one waveguide to another in distances less than 1.25 mm     

Fabrication and characterization of polymer optical waveguides with integrated micromirrors for three-dimensional board-level optical interconnects

This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of optical/electrical printed circuit boards (O/E-PCB) with embedded multimodal step index (MM-SI) waveguides and integrated out-of-plane micromirrors (IMMs) for three-dimensional (3-D) optical interconnects. Optical circuitry is built up on PCBs using UV lithography; 45/spl deg/ input/output (I/O) couplers are fabricated by inclined exposure. Commercial polymers are used as optical core and cladding materials. Critical mirror properties of angle, surface quality, reflectivity, and coupling efficiency are characterized experimentally and theoretically. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, white light interferometry, and fiber scanning method are used in the investigations. Sloping profiles measured as a function of the incident light showed the attainment of mirror angles of /spl alpha/=36/spl deg/-45/spl deg/ with /spl plusmn/2/spl deg/ consistency. Near-field optical imaging with a white light source showed that out-of-plane beam turning was achieved. Topography investigations revealed a rectilinear negative tapering shape regardless of the incoming beam angle or type of substrate. However, higher substrate reflectancy was observed to lower the mirror angle. The average propagation loss measured for 10-cm-long waveguides at /spl lambda/=850 nm by the cut-back method was 0.60 dB/cm; the excess loss calculated for the mirror coupling was 1.8-2.3 dB. The results showed that the IMMs can be incorporated in O/E-PCBs to couple light in and out of planar waveguides. Furthermore, the presented results indicate that optical waveguides with integrated micromirrors for optical 3-D wiring can be produced compatible with volume manufacturing techniques.     

Low-loss, single-mode, organic polymer waveguides utilizingrefractive index tailoring

Low-loss, single-mode optical waveguides have been fabricated from photopolymerizable acrylic monomers. The material system consists of a low-index cladding resin and a high-index core resin. The two resins are miscible so that precise control over the refractive index can be obtained. This allows the fabrication of single-mode waveguides with specific cross-sectional dimensions. One advantage of this is the ability to fabricate waveguides with high coupling efficiencies to other devices such as optical fiber or semiconductor lasers. The materials adhere to a wide variety of substrates and exhibit average waveguide losses of 0.56 dB/cm at 1300 nm for single-mode waveguides. Details of the fabrication procedure, index of refraction tailoring technique, and waveguide loss data are presented     

Optical-fibre coupling to high-silica channel waveguides with fibre-guiding grooves

A practical coupling technique between high-silica multimode channel waveguides and optical fibres has been demonstrated using guiding grooves formed simultaneously with waveguides on a substrate. The fibre-waveguide (15 mm long)-fibre insertion loss was 1.23 dB.     

Optical surface wave mode converters and modulators utilizing static strain-optic effects

Periodic perturbations of dielectric waveguides can be obtained by an evaporated SiO2thin film grating through the static strain-optic effect. These waveguides are applied to TE-TM mode converters and modulators in Ti-diffused LiNbO3waveguides. Using a coupling length of 3 mm in an optical surface waveguide, we have demonstrated a TE-TM mode conversion efficiency of 80 percent and a TE-TM mode modulator with 100 percent modulation with an applied field of 2 V/μm. A theoretical analysis of a reflector for a semiconductor laser waveguide is also described.     

Characterization and attenuation mechanism of CMOS-compatible micromachined edge-suspended coplanar waveguides on low-resistivity silicon substrate

This paper presents detailed characterization of a category of edge-suspended coplanar waveguides that were fabricated on low-resistivity silicon substrates using improved CMOS-compatible micromachining techniques. The edge-suspended structure is proposed to provide reduced substrate loss and strong mechanical support at the same time. It is revealed that, at radio or microwave frequencies, the electromagnetic waves are highly concentrated along the edges of the signal line. Removing the silicon underneath the edges of the signal line, along with the silicon between the signal and ground lines, can effectively reduce the substrate coupling and loss. The edge-suspended structure has been implemented by a combination of deep reactive ion etching and anisotropic wet etching. Compared to the conventional silicon-based coplanar waveguides, which show an insertion loss of 2.5dB/mm, the loss of edge-suspended coplanar waveguides with the same dimensions is reduced to as low as 0.5 dB/mm and a much reduced attenuation per wavelength (dB//spl lambda//sub g/) at 39 GHz. Most importantly, the edge-suspended coplanar waveguides feature strong mechanical support provided by the silicon remaining underneath the center of the signal line. The performance of the coplanar waveguides is evaluated by high-frequency measurement and full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation. In addition, the resistance, inductance, conductance, capacitance (RLGC) line parameters and the propagation constant of the coplanar waveguides (CPWs) were extracted and analyzed.     

Optical directional coupler using deposited silica waveguides (DS guides)

A new optical directional coupler using embedded single-mode glass waveguides is presented. The glass waveguides, called deposited silica waveguides (DS guides), were fabricated by depositing doped glass on a silica substrate after forming grooves by reactive sputter etching. Waveguide transmission loss was measured to be 1.3 dB/cm, and fiber-to-waveguide coupling loss was 0.1 dB. Using a tunable monochromatic light source, 96 percent power transfer or 14 dB isolation was measured. The DS guide directional coupler is compatible with single-mode fiber and is expected to be a useful component for future wavelength division multiplexing transmission systems.     

Finite-Element Solution of Planar Inhomogeneous Waveguides for Magnetostatic Waves

A unified numerical approach based on the finite-element method is described for the solution of planar inhomogeneous waveguides for magnetostatic waves. Both magnetostatic volume wave and magnetostatic surface wave modes are treated. The validity of the method is confirmed by calculating the magnetostatic wave modes of layered YIG films. The numerical results of inhomogeneous YIG films with alpha-power magnetization profile are also presented, and the effects of magnetization inhomogeneities on the delay characteristics and potential profiles for magnetostatic forward volume wave, magnetostatic backward volume wave, and magnetostatic surface wave modes are examined.     

Magnetostatic surface wave straight-edge resonators

The performance of the magnetostatic surface wave straight-edge resonator (MSSW-SER) is presented. The resonator uses a rectangular YIG film to propagate MSSWs where the straight edge serves as a reflector. Problems arising from coupling to width mode resonances and their effect on the main resonance are investigated. Through a careful choice of YIG and transducer parameters, the interference effects of the width mode resonances with the main resonance are minimized. As a result, highQ tunable microwave resonators with a tuning range from 2–20 GHz, insertion loss less than 10 dB, and spurious rejection better than 10 dB could be designed and fabricated. This MSSW resonator could be used to construct a tunable low-phase-noise feedback oscillator. However, the tuning range of this MSW feedback oscillator is limited by the phase change of the external amplifier circuit.     

Low-loss substrate-removed (SURE) optical waveguides in GaAs-AlGaAsepitaxial layers embedded in organic polymers

Low-loss single-mode semiconductor rib optical waveguides fabricated in GaAs-AlGaAs epitaxial layers are removed from GaAs substrates and bonded to transfer substrates using a benzocyclobutene organic polymer. Optical quality facets were obtained by cleaving through the transfer substrate. An average propagation loss of 0.39 and 0.48 dB/cm at 1.55 μm wavelength for TE and TM polarizations, respectively, were measured. This was on average 0.05 dB/cm greater than control guides fabricated in GaAs-AlGaAs epilayers on GaAs substrates with air as the top cladding. This demonstrates the feasibility of a process enabling semiconductor polymer integration and processing both sides of an epitaxial layer     

Vertically tapered epilayers for low-loss waveguide-fiber coupling achieved in a single epitaxial growth run

Next-generation optical-communications systems require on-wafer integration of active and passive opto-electronic components to increase operating speed and reduce packaging costs. Increased coupling efficiencies between semiconductor waveguides and optical fibers are of particular interest. A simple and cost-effective method of fabricating a mode-size converter monolithically integrated with a semiconductor waveguide is presented. An on-wafer mode-size converter reduces the number of interfaces in an opto-electronic circuit and improves the coupling efficiency between semiconductor waveguide and optical fiber. Vertically tapered epilayers are deposited in a single epitaxial growth run using shadow-masked growth by chemical-beam epitaxy, avoiding complex and expensive processing and regrowth stages. Waveguides that taper vertically and horizontally over /spl sim/1 mm for gradual expansion of the mode size are demonstrated. Waveguide loss measurements showed that there was negligible loss across the tapered regions. A loss of <2 dB/interface was achieved compared with /spl sim/8 dB/interface for a butt-coupled discrete device.     

阵列集成光波导应用于光学相控阵中的理论分析

基于光学相控阵理论和钛扩散铌酸锂光波导的导模特性,提出了一种新型阵列集成光波导应用于光学相控。根据光束传输法（BPM）,并结合现有半导体工艺水平及参数,对该阵列波导的导光特性,损耗特性以及耦合特性进行了仿真计算,最终给出了相控阵的结构设计参数。结果表明,应用该集成阵列波导的光学相控阵结构可实现光束连续精确定向偏转,偏转角度可达4.5,相位控制半波电压小于6 V,其系统光学控制单元损耗低且响应速度快。     

Resonant coupling of near-infrared radiation to photonic bandstructure waveguides

Sharp resonance features are observed in the polarized reflectivity spectra of semiconductor photonic crystals fabricated by deep periodic patterning of AlGaAs surface waveguides. Both one- (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) lattices are studied by angular dependent reflectivity. By comparison with theory we show that the sharp features in reflectivity arise from resonant coupling of the external radiation to the folded band structure of the photonic crystal waveguides. Wavevector selective coupling to “heavy photon” states at the edge of the photonic Brillouin zone is demonstrated for the 1-D lattices. In the case of the 2-D lattices we observe polarization mixing of the photonic hands. Theoretical reflectivity spectra were obtained from a numerical solution of Maxwells equations for the patterned waveguide and were found to be in very good agreement with experiment     

Grafted GaAlAs rib waveguides on an InP substrate

Rib waveguides were fabricated on a 1.4 mu m thick GaAlAs epilayer granted on the surface of a semi-insulating InP substrate by epitaxial lift-off. Single-mode waveguides with propagation losses (<7 dB/cm) lower than heteroepitaxially grown counterparts have been achieved. TEM analysis on the GaAlAs/InP interface indicates surface scattering as one of the main loss mechanisms.<>     

A new method for producing graded index PMMA waveguides

We report a new method for producing graded index polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) waveguides using optical densification by angled X-ray exposure. The resulting larger refractive index near the surface of the waveguide serves to better isolate the guided light from potentially absorbing or scattering substrates than in waveguides of constant refractive index. We calculate that a 65° angle exposure in 6-μm-thick planar PMMA waveguide shifts the peak of the fundamental mode profile ~0.5 μm away from the substrate. Consistent with this result, we measure a reduction in the propagation loss of PMMA planar waveguides on a Ni substrate from 1.5 dB/cm to 0.5 dB/cm after angle X-ray exposure