Subassemblies for optoelectronic hybrid integrated circuits
AssigneeAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorGreg E. Blonder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Optoelectronic chips, such as Group III-V compound lasers and photodiodes, are mounted on a single-crystal silicon base, and are optically interconnected to one another by silica waveguides and couplers integrally formed on the base. Integrated circuit chips to provide electronic function are also mounted on the base. Various schemes for optically coupling and aligning lasers, photodiodes and optical fibers to the waveguides are described. Also described is the use of a single-crystal silicon lid, which serves to provide optical and electrical isolation between chips on the base, as well as a plug-in arrangement in which the edges of the base are adapted to receive parallel guide rods.
Claims21
An optoelectronic integrated circuit subassembly comprising
- a single-crystal semiconductor base having a major surface and an insulative layer formed on said surface,
- optical waveguides integrally formed on said surface,
- at least two optoelectronic chips mounted on said base and optically coupled to said waveguides, said chips being physically separated from one another,
- a single-crystal semiconductor lid on said base, said lid including at least two physically separate cavities for receiving said chips, said cavities being separated by material in said lid which electrically and optically isolates said chips from one another.
An optoelectronic integrated circuit subassembly comprising
- a single-crystal semiconductor base having a major surface,
- an optical waveguide integrally formed on said surface,
- an optoelectronic chip mounted on said surface and optically coupled to said waveguide,
- a single-crystal semiconductor lid sealed to said base and forming an enclosure which covers said chip,
- said waveguide extending from under said lid to the exterior thereof, and
- means exterior to said enclosure for coupling said waveguide to an optical fiber.
An optoelectronic subassembly comprising
- a single-crystal semiconductor base having a major surface in which a groove is formed,
- an optical waveguide integrally formed on said surface and axially aligned with said groove, and
- a semiconductor laser mounted on said surface having a mesa formed thereon and an active region, said mesa being disposed in said groove so as to align said active region with said waveguide.
An optoelectronic subassembly comprising
- a single-crystal semiconductor base,
- an optoelectronic device mounted on said base,
- means for optically coupling said device to an optical fiber, and
- means for receiving at least two spaced-apart rods for guiding said subassembly into alignment with other equipment exterior said subassembly.
An optoelectronic integrated circuit subassembly comprising
- a single-crystal silicon base having a major surface and an insulative layer formed on said surface,
- optical waveguides integrally formed on said surface,
- at least two optoelectronic chips mounted on said base and optically coupled to said waveguides, said chips being physically separated from one another,
- a single-crystal silicon lid on said base, said lid including at least two physically separate cavities for receiving said chips, said cavities being separated by material in said lid which electrically and optically isolates said chips from one another,
- at least one of said waveguides extending from under said lid to the exterior thereof,
- means exterior to said lid for coupling said at least one waveguide to an optical fiber,
- said lid having a dimension measured parallel to said surface which is less than the corresponding dimension of said base and further including electrical contacts on said base which extend from said chips under said lid to the exterior thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.