Design, fabrication, and characterization of integrated optical through-silicon waveguides for 3D photonic interconnections

Francesco Villasmunta; Patrick Steglich; Claus Villringer; Sigurd Schrader; Harald Schenk; Andreas Mai; Martin Regehly

doi:10.1117/12.3003146

11 March 2024 Design, fabrication, and characterization of integrated optical through-silicon waveguides for 3D photonic interconnections

Francesco Villasmunta, Patrick Steglich, Claus Villringer, Sigurd Schrader, Harald Schenk, Andreas Mai, Martin Regehly

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12892, Optical Interconnects XXIV; 128920I (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3003146
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

In the context of an ever-growing volume of data generated by established and emerging technologies, such as 5G, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and virtual reality, faster communication speed is demanded by data centers and high-performance computing. Transceiver requirements surged from 100 to 400 Gb/s and beyond. In this scenario, photonics aims to enable Tb/s optical communication at energies below 1 pJ/bit. Targeting higher communication rates while maintaining a low power budget can significantly benefit from 3D photonic chip architectures. This paper presents the simulation-based design, fabrication, and characterization of a monolithically integrated optical through-silicon waveguide that facilitates the connection between different surfaces of a silicon chip. Deep reactive ion etching was employed in both the Bosch and Cryogenic variants to evaluate the effect of sidewall roughness on propagation losses. The mechanical stability of the waveguide was ensured by interrupting the annular trench with a bridging structure. The high-refractive-index contrast to air provides tight light confinement for a core size of up to 50 μm and multimode operation at 1550 nm. The morphology was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical transmission characterization was performed using relative power loss measurements. A tunable laser source was buttcoupled to a waveguide to analyze light transmission efficiency. Preliminary measurements using single-mode fiber show that the transmitted values exceeded 99% for all structures.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Francesco Villasmunta, Patrick Steglich, Claus Villringer, Sigurd Schrader, Harald Schenk, Andreas Mai, and Martin Regehly "Design, fabrication, and characterization of integrated optical through-silicon waveguides for 3D photonic interconnections", Proc. SPIE 12892, Optical Interconnects XXIV, 128920I (11 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3003146

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available