Optical device having a photonic chip with one or more suspended functional portions

An apparatus comprising a first photonic chip that comprises:

• a photonic-circuit layer having a first major surface and a second major surface, the first and second major surfaces being opposite to one another and substantially parallel to a main plane of the first photonic chip, the photonic-circuit layer comprising an on-chip optical waveguide;
• and
• a monolithic substrate attached to the second major surface of the photonic-circuit layer;
• and
• wherein the photonic-circuit layer includes an edge portion having located therein an end of the on-chip optical waveguide, the edge portion being located outside an outline of the monolithic substrate on the second major surface.

An apparatus comprising a first photonic chip that comprises:

• a photonic-circuit layer having opposite first and second major surfaces, the photonic-circuit layer comprising an optical device;
• and
• a monolithic substrate attached to the photonic-circuit layer by the second major surface without being vertically over or under an edge portion of the photonic-circuit layer, the monolithic substrate being thicker than the photonic-circuit layer;
• wherein at least a part of the optical device is located in the edge portion of the photonic-circuit layer;
• wherein the apparatus further comprises a second photonic chip having an optical waveguide;
• and
• wherein the edge portion and the second photonic chip are vertically stacked to enable transfer of light between an optical waveguide of the optical device and the optical waveguide of the second photonic chip through evanescent light coupling.

An apparatus comprising a first photonic chip that comprises:

• a photonic-circuit layer having opposite first and second major surfaces, the photonic-circuit layer comprising an optical device;
• and
• a monolithic substrate attached to the photonic-circuit layer by the second major surface without being vertically over or under an edge portion of the photonic-circuit layer, the monolithic substrate being thicker than the photonic-circuit layer;
• wherein at least a part of the optical device is located in the edge portion of the photonic-circuit layer;
• wherein the photonic-circuit layer further comprises a first optical grating located in the edge portion and optically coupled to a first optical waveguide of the first photonic chip;
• wherein the apparatus further comprises a second photonic chip having a second optical waveguide and a second optical grating optically coupled to the second optical waveguide;
• and
• wherein the edge portion and the second photonic chip are stacked such that the first optical grating is positioned in proximity to the second optical grating to enable transfer of light between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide via the first and second optical gratings.