TY - GEN

T1 - Coupling structures for active and passive integrated optoelectronic components and circuits on silicon

AU - Zurhelle, Dieter

AU - Hoffmann, Rainer

AU - Sander, Dietmar

AU - Mueller, Joerg

AU - Schmidt, Jan Peter

PY - 1995/4/24

Y1 - 1995/4/24

N2 - Efficient coupling structures are important for the realization of reliable and economical integrated optical circuit applications. This paper presents a new approach for the simulation of an anisotropic plasma etching process in silicon based on a string point model as well as the realization and the results of etching processes in silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon oxinitride and silicon nitride which are fundamental for the fabrication of coupling structures. The connections to active and passive components were fabricated using plasma etching and deposition processes which are compatible with C-MOS or BIC-MOS technology. The realized waveguide-detector structures with vertical and horizontal silicon PIN-diodes exhibit efficiencies close to 90% for wavelength below 1.1 μm. The diodes can detect signals of modulation frequencies of more than 400 MHz due to horizontal light injection and capacitances less than 1 pF. Fiber-detector coupling structures with U-grooves for the fiber alignment containing such detectors show similar results. The necessary accuracy of the etched depth of the U-grooves for fiber-detector coupling is ±2 μm in contrast to a fiber- waveguide coupling which requires a reproducible accuracy of the process better than 0.5 μm. A reduction of coupling losses due to the necessary close tolerances is accomplished by waveguide tapers. The simulation, realization and results for such structures are presented in the paper. Also laser diode - fiber connections require extremely close tolerances. The design of a micro-optical bench realized by plasma etching and a selfaligning soldering process is presented, which allows such tolerances.

AB - Efficient coupling structures are important for the realization of reliable and economical integrated optical circuit applications. This paper presents a new approach for the simulation of an anisotropic plasma etching process in silicon based on a string point model as well as the realization and the results of etching processes in silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon oxinitride and silicon nitride which are fundamental for the fabrication of coupling structures. The connections to active and passive components were fabricated using plasma etching and deposition processes which are compatible with C-MOS or BIC-MOS technology. The realized waveguide-detector structures with vertical and horizontal silicon PIN-diodes exhibit efficiencies close to 90% for wavelength below 1.1 μm. The diodes can detect signals of modulation frequencies of more than 400 MHz due to horizontal light injection and capacitances less than 1 pF. Fiber-detector coupling structures with U-grooves for the fiber alignment containing such detectors show similar results. The necessary accuracy of the etched depth of the U-grooves for fiber-detector coupling is ±2 μm in contrast to a fiber- waveguide coupling which requires a reproducible accuracy of the process better than 0.5 μm. A reduction of coupling losses due to the necessary close tolerances is accomplished by waveguide tapers. The simulation, realization and results for such structures are presented in the paper. Also laser diode - fiber connections require extremely close tolerances. The design of a micro-optical bench realized by plasma etching and a selfaligning soldering process is presented, which allows such tolerances.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0029221467&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1117/12.206914

DO - 10.1117/12.206914

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:0029221467

SN - 0819417440

SN - 9780819417442

T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

SP - 666

EP - 677

BT - Proceedings of SPIE

T2 - Optoelectronic Integrated Circuit Materials, Physics, and Devices 1995

Y2 - 6 February 1995 through 9 February 1995

ER -