MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED VLSI OPTOELECTRONIC CIRCUITS AND A METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME

摘要

A monolithically integrated, optoelectronic VLSI circuit is fabricated by growing optical devices on the compound semiconductor surface of a VLSI chip or wafer having pre-existing electronic devices formed thereon. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a large array of surface normal optical modulating devices such as multiple quantum well modulators is grown on an impurity free surface of a VLSI chip having an array of FETs already provided thereon. The growth of such devices takes place at temperatures below 430.degree.C on a compound semiconductor surface which has a highly ordered atomic structure. An optoelectronic switch constructed in this manner is capable of addressing electronic chips in systems handling 10,000 or more input/output optical beams.