Silicon wafer with embedded optoelectronic material for monolithic OEIC

摘要

A structure with an optically active layer embedded in a Si wafer, such that the outermost epitaxial layer exposed to the CMOS processing equipment is always Si or another CMOS-compatible material such as SiO2. Since the optoelectronic layer is completely surrounded by Si, the wafer is fully compatible with standard Si CMOS manufacturing. For wavelengths of light longer than the bandgap of Si (1.1 mum), Si is completely transparent and therefore optical signals can be transmitted between the embedded optoelectronic layer and an external waveguide using either normal incidence (through the Si substrate or top Si cap layer) or in-plane incidence (edge coupling).