Optical-electrical substrate providing interconnects for photonic integrated circuit and associated methods

A method for providing electrical and optical connections to at least one photonic integrated circuit, the method comprising:

• registering a photonic integrated circuit with an optical-electrical substrate, wherein the substrate comprises (i) a glass body comprising an upper surface, an intermediate surface, and a lower surface;
• (ii) a plurality of glass optical waveguides integrated into the glass body;
• and (iii) a plurality of electrically conductive vias extending through a portion of the glass body from the intermediate surface to the lower surface, wherein the intermediate surface is arranged at an elevation that is between the upper surface and the lower surface;
• at least a portion of the intermediate surface is laterally offset relative to the upper surface;
• and each of the upper surface and the intermediate surface opposes the lower surface;
• heating a plurality of bonding bumps arranged between the photonic integrated circuit and the intermediate surface sufficiently to make a plurality of conductive electrical connections between electrical contacts of the photonic integrated circuit and at least some electrically conductive vias of the plurality of electrically conductive vias;
• and
• providing optically transmissive paths between optical coupling areas of the photonic integrated circuit and at least some glass optical waveguides of the plurality of glass optical waveguides.

An optical-electrical substrate configured for providing electrical and optical connections to at least one photonic integrated circuit, the optical-electrical substrate comprising:

• a glass body comprising an upper surface, an intermediate surface, and a lower surface;
• a plurality of glass optical waveguides integrated into the glass body;
• and
• a plurality of electrically conductive traces on the intermediate surface;
• wherein:
• the intermediate surface is arranged at an elevation that is between the upper surface and the lower surface;
• at least a portion of the intermediate surface is laterally offset relative to the upper surface;
• and
• each of the upper surface and the intermediate surface opposes the lower surface.