Semiconductor optoelectronic devices such as laser diodes for optical transceivers can be efficiently fabricated using wafer processing techniques. Generally, wafer processing techniques simultaneously form a large number (e.g., thousands) of devices on a wafer. The wafer is then cut to separate individual lasers. Simultaneous fabrication of a large number of lasers keeps the cost per laser low, but each laser generally must be packaged and/or assembled into a system that protects the laser and provides both electrical and optical interfaces for use of the devices on the laser.
Assembly of a package or a system containing an optoelectronic device is often costly because of the need to align multiple optical components with a semiconductor device. For example, the transmitting side of an optical transceiver laser may include a Fabry Perot laser that emits an optical signal from an edge of the laser. However, a desired path of the optical signal may require light to emerge from another direction, e.g., perpendicular to the face of a package. A turning mirror can deflect the optical signal from its original direction to the desired direction. Additionally, a lens or other optical element may be necessary to focus or alter the optical signal and improve coupling of the optical signal into an external optical fiber. Alignment of a turning mirror to the edge of the laser, the lens to the turning mirror, and an optical fiber to the lens can be a time consuming/expensive process.
Wafer-level packaging is a promising technology for reducing the size and the cost of the packaging of optoelectronic devices. With wafer-level packaging, components that conventionally have been separately formed and attached are instead fabricated on a wafer that corresponds to multiple packages. The resulting structures can be attached individually or simultaneously and later cut to separate individual packages.
Packaging techniques and structures that can reduce the size and/or cost of packaged optoelectronic devices are sought.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a side-emitting laser is enclosed in a cavity formed between two wafers or substrates. One or more of the substrates can include passive or active electrical circuits that are connected to the laser. An optical element such as a turning mirror can also be integrated into a substrate, e.g. into a wall of the cavity formed in the substrate.
A wafer-level packaging process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes forming multiple cavities and turning mirrors on a first wafer and forming electrical device connections and/or active components on a second wafer. Optoelectronic devices are electrically connected to the device connections and are contained in respective cavities when the two wafers are bonded. The bonding can form a hermetic seal for protection of the optoelectronic devices. The structure including the bonded wafers is sawed or cut to produce separate packages or assemblies containing semiconductor optical devices.
One specific embodiment of the invention is an assembly including a laser, a sub-mount, and a cap with an integrated optical device. The laser is a device such as a Fabry Perot laser that emits an optical signal. The sub-mount contains electrical traces that are electrically connected to the device on the laser and lead to terminals for connection to external devices. The sub-mount may further contain active circuit elements such as an amplifier. The cap is attached to the sub-mount so as to form a cavity, preferably a hermetically sealed cavity, enclosing the laser. The integrated optical element is in a path of the optical signal from the laser when the cap is attached and does not require a separate alignment process.
When the laser emits the optical signal from an edge of the laser, the optical element can be a mirror positioned to reflect the optical signal from an initial direction as emitted from the laser to an output path (e.g., through the sub-mount). The mirror can be formed as a reflective portion of a wall of the cavity.
The cap is generally formed from a substrate such as a silicon substrate having a depression. The crystal structure of the substrate can be used to control the orientation of selected walls of the depression/cavity. In particular, a wall corresponding to the mirror formed by a reflective wall or a reflective coating on a portion of the walls can be along a <111> plane of the crystal structure of a silicon substrate. Anisotropic etching can provide a cavity wall with a smooth surface and the desired orientation.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method for packaging an optical device. The method generally includes: electrically connecting the optical device to a sub-mount; fabricating a cap that includes an optical element; and bonding the cap to the sub-mount. The optical device is thereby enclosed in a cavity between the sub-mount and the cap, and the optical element in the cap redirects an optical signal that is incident on the optical element from the optical device.
Fabricating the cap can be accomplished by creating (e.g., etching) a depression in a substrate and forming the optical element as a mirror corresponding to a reflective area on the walls of the depression. For a silicon substrate, the reflective area can coincide with a <111> plane of a crystal structure of the silicon.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a wafer-level packaging process for lasers containing devices that emit optical signals. The process generally includes: electrically connecting lasers respectively to sub-mount areas of a first wafer; fabricating caps that each include an optical element; and bonding the caps to the first wafer. The lasers are thereby enclosed in respective cavities between the first wafer and the respective caps, and for each laser, the optical element in the corresponding cap is positioned to receive the optical signal from the laser. After bonding the caps to the first wafer, the resulting structure is cut or sawed to separate individual packages respectively containing the lasers, thus completing the process.
The caps can be formed as respective areas of a second wafer, so that bonding the caps to the wafer is actually bonding the first wafer to the second wafer. One method for fabrication of the caps includes creating (e.g., etching) depressions in a substrate and forming the optical elements as mirrors corresponding to reflective areas on the walls of respective depressions.
Use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a package or assembly containing an optoelectronic device includes a sub-mount and a cap with an integrated optical element such as a turning mirror that redirects an optical signal from the semiconductor optical device. The optical signal from the optoelectronic device can thus be redirected to exit in a direction that is convenient for coupling into another optical device or an optical fiber.
A wafer-level fabrication process for these packages attaches a first wafer, which includes multiple caps, to a second wafer, which includes multiple sub-mounts. The optoelectronic devices reside and are electrically connected in multiple cavities formed by the bonding of the wafers. The cavities can be hermetically sealed to protect the enclosed devices. The structure including the bonded wafers is sawed to separate individual packages.
Each laser 110 is within one of the cavities 140 formed between a sub-mount wafer 120 and a cap wafer 130. In the embodiment of
Wafer 120 is predominantly made of silicon and/or other materials that are transparent to the wavelength (e.g., 1100 nm or longer) of the optical signals from lasers 110. Wafer 120 also includes circuit elements such as bonding pads 122 and electrical traces or vias (not shown) that connect lasers 110 to external terminals 124. In the illustrated embodiment, external terminals 124 are on the top surface of sub-mount wafer 120, but the external terminals could alternatively be provided on the bottom surface. Additionally, active devices (not shown) such as transistors, an amplifier, or a monitor/sensor can be incorporated in wafer 120.
Cap wafer 130 is fabricated to include depressions or cavities 140 in areas corresponding to lasers 110 on sub-mount wafer 120 and saw channels 144 in areas over external terminals 124. Wafer 130 can be made of silicon or any convenient material that is suitable for formation of cavities 140 of the desired shape. Cavities 140 can be formed in a variety of ways including but not limited to forming, coining, ultrasonic machining, and (isotropic, anisotropic, or plasma) etching.
All or part of the surface of cap wafer 130 including cavities 140 is either reflective or coated with a reflective material so that reflectors 150 are integrated into cap wafer 130 in the required locations to reflect optical signals from lasers 110 to the desired direction. In an exemplary embodiment, deposition of a reflective metal forms reflectors 150, but the metal may be restricted to selected areas to avoid wicking when solder bonds wafers 120 and 130 together. Reflectors 150 can be planar to merely reflect or turn the optical signal to the desired direction but can alternatively be non-planar to provide beam shaping if desired.
In an exemplary embodiment, cap wafer 130 is silicon, and anisotropic etching of the silicon forms cavities 140 having very smooth planar facets on the <111> planes of the silicon crystal structure. Reflectors 150 are facets coated with a reflective material such as a Ti/Pt/Au metal stack. The preferred angle of reflectors 150 is 45° relative to the surface of wafer 130, so that reflectors 150 reflect optical signals that lasers 110 emit parallel to the surface of wafer 120 to a direction perpendicular to the surface of sub-mount wafer 120. A silicon wafer that is cut off-axis by 9.74° can be used to achieve a 45° angle for each reflector 150. However, etching silicon that is cut on-axis or off-axis at different angles can produce reflectors 150 at angles, which may be suitable for many applications.
Optionally, optical elements 160 such as lenses or prisms can be attached to or integrated into sub-mount wafer 120 along the paths of the optical signals from lasers 110. In
Sub-mount wafer 120 and cap wafer 130 are aligned and bonded together. A variety of wafer bonding techniques including but not limited to soldering, bonding by thermal compression, or bonding with an adhesive could be employed for attaching wafers 120 and 130. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, soldering using a gold/tin eutectic solder attaches wafers 120 and 130 to each other and hermetically seals cavities 140. Hermaetic seals on cavities 140 protect the enclosed lasers 110 from environmental damage.
After wafers 120 and 130 are bonded, structure 100 can be cut to produce individual packages, each including a laser 110 hermetically sealed in a cavity 140. In particular, saw channels 144 permit sawing of cap wafer 130 along lines 136 without damaging underlying structures such as external terminals 124. After sawing cap wafer 130, sub-mount wafer 120 can be cut along lines 126 to separate individual packages.
Although
Sub-mount 300 can be fabricated using wafer processing techniques such as those described in a co-filed U.S. pat. app. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Integrated Optics And Electronics”, Attorney Docket No. 10030566-1. In the illustrated embodiment, sub-mount 300 includes a silicon substrate 310, which is transparent to optical signals using long wavelength light.
On silicon substrate 310, a lens 320 is formed, for example, by building up alternating layers of polysilicon and oxide to achieve the desired shape or characteristics of a diffractive or refractive lens. A co-filed U.S. pat. app. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Methods to Make Diffractive Optical Elements”, Attorney Docket No. 10030769-1, describes some processes suitable for fabrication of lens 320.
A planarized insulating layer 330 is formed on silicon substrate 310 to protect lens 320 and to provide a flat surface on which the metallization can be patterned. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, layer 330 is a TEOS (tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate) layer about 10,000 Å thick.
Conductive traces 340 can be patterned out of a metal layer, e.g., a 10,000-Å thick TiW/AlCu/TiW stack. In an exemplary embodiment, a process that includes evaporating metal onto layer 330 and a lift-off process to remove unwanted metal forms traces 340. An insulating layer 332 (e.g., another TEOS layer about 10,000 Å thick) can be deposited to bury and insulate traces 340. The insulating layer can include openings 338, which are optionally covered with Au (not shown), to provide the ability to make electrical connections using wire bonding. Any number of layers of buried traces can be built up in this fashion. A passivation layer 334 of a relatively hard and chemical resistant material such as silicon nitride in a layer about 4500 Å thick can be formed on top of the other insulating layers to protect the underlying structure. For bonding/soldering to a cap, a metal layer 360 (e.g., a Ti/Pt/Au stack about 5,000 Å thick) is formed on passivation layer 334.
The sub-mounts in the packages described above can incorporate passive or active circuitry.
Optical element 320 is in an area of substrate 310 that is free of electronic traces or components to accommodate the reflected path of the optical signal.
Solder ring 360 for attaching a cap is formed between active circuit 370 and external bond pads 344. An individual cap that is sized to permit access to external bond pads 344 can be attached to solder ring 360. Alternatively, in a wafer-level packaging process where multiple caps are fabricated in a cap wafer, the cap wafer can be partially etched to accommodate external pads 344 before the cap wafer is attached to a sub-mount wafer.
To assemble an optical device package using sub-mount 300 and cap 400 or 450, a laser is mounted on sub-mount 300 using conventional die attach and wire-bonding processes or alternatively flip-chip packaging processes. Electrical connections to traces 340 on sub-mount 300 can supply power to the laser and convey data signals to or from the laser. Cap 400 or 450 attaches to sub-mount 300 after the laser is attached. This can be done either at the single package level or at a wafer level as described above. A hermetic seal can be obtained by patterning AuSn (or other solder) onto sub-mount 300 or cap 400, so that when the wafers are placed together, a solder reflow process creates a hermetic seal protecting the enclosed laser.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a monitor laser 515 is also mounted on and electrically connected to sub-mount 520. Monitor laser 515 contains a photodiode that measures the intensity of the optical signal from laser 510. This enables monitoring of the laser in laser 510 to ensure consistent output.
A post 560 is aligned to the optical signal that is emitted from laser 510 after reflection from reflector 550. In particular, post 560 can be epoxied in place on sub-mount 520 at the location that the light beam exits. Post 560 can take many forms including, but not limited to, a hollow cylinder or a solid structure such as a cylinder or a sphere of an optically transparent material. Post 560 acts as an alignment feature for aligning an optical fiber in a connector to the light emitted from the laser in package 500.
The above-described embodiments of the invention can provide a cap with a turning mirror for redirecting the optical signal from a side-emitting laser. However, aspects of the current invention can also be employed with other types of optoelectronic devices such as VCSELs (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers.)
Sub-mount 620 is a substrate that is processed to include external terminals 624 for external electrical connections. In one embodiment, sub-mount 620 include traces as illustrated in
A cap 630 is attached to sub-mount 620 using any of the techniques described above, and in a exemplary embodiment, solder bonds cap 630 to sub-mount 620. As a result, laser 610 is hermetically sealed in a cavity 640 between cap 630 and sub-mount 620. Cap 630 can be formed from a single substrate as illustrated in
A glass post 660 is epoxied on cap 630 where the optical signal emerges from cap 630. Glass post 660 acts as an alignment cue for aligning an optical fiber or other optical device to receive the light emitted from laser 610.
The top surface of post 560 acts as a fiber stop and controls the “z” positions of ferrule 740 and therefore of optical fiber 730 relative to laser 510. The length of post 560 is thus selected for efficient coupling of the optical signal from package 500 into the optical fiber abutting post 560. In particular, the length of post 560 depends on any focusing elements that may be formed in and on sub-mount 520.
The fit of post 560 and ferrule 740 in sleeve 720 dictates the position in an “x-y” plane of post 560 and optical fiber 730. In this way, optical fiber 730 is centered in the x-y plane relative to post 560, thereby centering the light emitted from laser 510 on optical fiber 730. Accordingly, proper positioning of a post 560 having the desired length during manufacture of sub-assembly 500 simplifies alignment of optical fiber 730 for efficient coupling of the optical signal.
External terminals package 500 or 600 are generally connected to a circuit board containing other components of an optical transmitter or an optical transceiver.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application and should not be taken as a limitation. Various adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
This patent document is related to and hereby incorporates by reference in their entirety the following co-filed U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Alignment Post for Optical Subassemblies Made With Cylindrical Rods, Tubes, Spheres, or Similar Features”, Attorney Docket No. 10030442-1; Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Wafer-Level Packaging of Optoelectronic Devices”, Attorney Docket No. 10030489-1; Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Integrated Optics and Electronics”, Attorney Docket No. 10030566-1; Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Methods to Make Diffractive Optical Elements”, Attorney Docket No. 10030769-1; Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Optical Device Package With Turning Mirror and Alignment Post”, Attorney Docket No. 10030768-1; Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Surface Emitting Laser Package Having Integrated Optical Element and Alignment Post”, Attorney Docket No. 10030807-1; and Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled “Optical Receiver Package”, Attorney Docket No. 10030808-1.