III-V photonic integration on silicon

Abstract

Photonic integrated circuits on silicon are disclosed. By bonding a wafer of III-V material as an active region to silicon and removing the substrate, the lasers, amplifiers, modulators, and other devices can be processed using standard photolithographic techniques on the silicon substrate. The coupling between the silicon waveguide and the III-V gain region allows for integration of low threshold lasers, tunable lasers, and other photonic integrated circuits with Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a photonic integrated circuit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the offset quantum well gain region in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates another view of the quantum well region shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the confinement factor versus the width and height of the silicon core in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a device manufactured in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a processed chip with different devices on a single wafer in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a silicon transponder in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a silicon wavelength converter in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a silicon tunable laser in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a channel selector/WDM modulator structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates an optical buffer memory structure in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 12 illustrates an integrated silicon transmitter photonics chip in accordance with the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising: a silicon layer resident on a first substrate;a III-V layer resident on a second substrate, the III-V layer being bonded to the silicon layer, and the III-V layer and the silicon layer are processed to create the optical device.

2. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the second substrate is removed prior to the silicon layer and the III-V layer being processed.

3. The optical device of claim 2, further comprising a semiconductor layer resident on a third substrate, wherein the semiconductor layer is coupled to the III-V layer, and the semiconductor layer, the III-V layer, and the silicon layer are processed to create the optical device.

4. The optical device of claim 3, wherein the third substrate is removed prior to the III-V layer, the semiconductor layer, and the silicon layer being processed.

5. The optical device of claim 3, wherein the optical device is a semiconductor laser, and wherein a gain region in the III-V layer of the semiconductor laser is evanescently coupled to a waveguide in the silicon layer.

6. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a photodetector, and wherein an absorption region in the III-V layer is evanescently coupled to a mode in the silicon layer.

7. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a transponder.

8. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a wavelength converter.

9. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is an optical amplifier.

10. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a tunable laser.

11. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a channel selector.

12. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical device is an optical buffer memory.

13. The optical device of claim 6, further comprising at least one section selected from the group comprising detector pre-amplifier electronics, a laser, drive electronics, memory, and processing circuits.

14. A lasing device, comprising: a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOD structure, wherein a silicon layer within the SOI structure comprises a waveguide and a silicon core having a height and a width; anda semiconductor structure, comprising a quantum well structure, the semiconductor structure bonded to the silicon layer of the SOI structure, wherein light in the waveguide is coupled to at least the quantum well layer of the semiconductor structure.

15. The lasing device of claim 14, wherein the coupling is evanescent.

16. The lasing device of claim 14, wherein the SOI structure comprises a silicon substrate.

17. The lasing device of claim 14, wherein the semiconductor structure is a III-V semiconductor material.

18. The lasing device of claim 14, further comprising a tunable laser.

19. The lasing device of claim 14, further comprising a grating in the semiconductor structure.

20. The lasing device of claim 14, further comprising a grating in the SOI structure.

21. The lasing device of claim 14, wherein the height of the silicon core is varied.

22. The lasing device of claim 14, wherein a thickness of a layer in the quantum well structure is varied.

23. A lasing device, comprising: a silicon substrate;an oxide layer coupled to the substrate;a silicon layer, coupled to the oxide layer, wherein at least one waveguide is formed within the silicon layer;a spacer layer coupled to the silicon layer at an interface;a compound semiconductor layer, coupled to the silicon layer; anda bulk semiconductor layer, coupled to the compound semiconductor layer; wherein the compound semiconductor layer comprises at least one Quantum Well (QW) layer optically coupled to the at least one waveguide in an evanescent manner, and the spacer layer is bonded to the silicon layer.

24. The lasing device of claim 23, wherein the compound semiconductor layer further comprises at least one Separated Confinement Heterostructure (SCH) layer.

25. The lasing device of claim 24, wherein the bulk semiconductor layer comprises a grating.

26. The lasing device of claim 25, wherein the oxide layer further comprises a grating.

27. The lasing device of claim 26, wherein a waveguide cladding, coupled to the waveguide, comprises a material selected from the group comprising air, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and silicon nitride.

28. The lasing device of claim 23, wherein the lasing device is a ring laser.