Co-manufacturing of silicon-on-insulator waveguides and silicon nitride waveguides for hybrid photonic integrated circuits
AssigneeORCA Computing Limited
InventorsBrian Mattis, Taran Huffman, Bryan Woo, Thien-An Nguyen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of co-manufacturing silicon waveguides, SiN waveguides, and semiconductor structures in a photonic integrated circuit. A silicon waveguide structure can be formed using a suitable process, after which it is buried in a cladding. The cladding is polished, and a silicon nitride layer is disposed to define a silicon nitride waveguide. The silicon nitride waveguide is buried in a cladding, and annealed. Thereafter, cladding above the silicon waveguide structure can be trenched through, and low-temperature operations can be performed to or with an exposed surface of the silicon waveguide structure.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a hybrid photonic integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- forming a silicon structure over a base substrate;
- burying the silicon structure in a first dielectric layer;
- forming a silicon nitride structure over the first dielectric layer;
- burying the silicon nitride structure in a second dielectric layer;
- trenching through at least the first dielectric layer to expose a surface of the silicon structure;
- implanting the surface with an implant and activating the implant;
- disposing a third dielectric layer over the surface;
- defining a via through the third dielectric layer;
- and
- conductively coupling through the via to the surface of the silicon structure.
A method of manufacturing a hybrid photonic integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- defining a silicon structure on an insulator layer;
- burying the silicon structure in a first dielectric layer;
- annealing the first dielectric layer;
- forming a silicon nitride layer on the first dielectric layer;
- burying the silicon nitride layer in a second dielectric layer;
- annealing the second dielectric layer;
- disposing a lithographic mask over a silicon waveguide and a silicon nitride waveguide;
- selectively etching the annealed first and second dielectric layers to expose a portion of the silicon nitride layer;
- removing the portion of the silicon nitride layer;
- trenching through a portion of the first dielectric layer below the portion of the silicon nitride layer to expose a surface of the silicon structure;
- and
- performing a temperature-sensitive operation with the surface of the silicon structure.
A method of manufacturing a photonic circuit, the method comprising:
- forming a first semiconductor layer using a first high temperature process;
- burying the first semiconductor layer in a first dielectric layer;
- forming a second semiconductor layer using a second high temperature process;
- burying the second semiconductor layer in a second dielectric layer having a thickness that exceeds the first dielectric layer;
- etching through a portion of the second dielectric layer over the first semiconductor layer, using the second semiconductor layer as an etch stop, exposing a surface of the first dielectric layer;
- etching through the surface of the first dielectric layer to expose a portion of the first semiconductor layer;
- implanting and activating an implant within the portion of the first semiconductor layer in a low temperature process;
- and
- conductively coupling the implant to a circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.