METHOD OF FABRICATING SILICON WAVEGUIDES WITH EMBEDDED ACTIVE CIRCUITRY

摘要

A method of fabricating silicon waveguides with embedded active circuitry from silicon-on-insulator wafers utilizes photolithographic microfabrication techniques to define waveguide structures and embedded circuit recesses for receiving integrated circuitry. The method utilizes a double masking layer, one layer of which at least partially defines at least one waveguide and the other layer of which at least partially defines the at least one waveguide and at least one embedded circuit recess. The photolithographic microfabrication techniques are sufficiently precise for the required small structural features of high frequency waveguides and the double masking layer allows the method to be completed more efficiently. The basic fabrication method may be extended to provide batch arrays to mass produce silicon waveguide devices.

主权项

1. A method of fabricating a silicon waveguide structure with an embedded circuit, comprising the steps of:
1) providing a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer; 2) providing a double masking layer on said SOI wafer, leaving at least one portion of the surface of said SOI wafer unmasked, said double masking layer comprising:
a first masking layer arranged to define the first half of at least one waveguide which has an associated desired waveguide depth and a circuit recess to receive a circuit having an associated embedded circuit thickness and embedded circuit width;a second masking layer on said first masking layer arranged to define said first half of said at least one waveguide; 3) etching the at least one unmasked portion of said SOI wafer through the buried insulator layer of said SOI wafer to define a portion of the first half of said at least one waveguide, to a depth equal to said desired waveguide depth minus said embedded circuit thickness; 4) removing said second masking layer, unmasking at least one additional portion of said SOI wafer; and 5) etching through the unmasked portions of said SOI wafer to define said circuit recess and to complete the etching of the remaining portion of said desired waveguide depth, the resulting waveguide structure providing the first half of a silicon waveguide.