High Refractive Index Integrated Photonics on Glass Substrates

Abstract:
Silicon photonic circuits based on high index contrast waveguides for near-infrared applications are commonly manufactured on commercially available crystalline silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or on oxidized silicon wafers if the waveguide core layer is fabricated by deposition methods. We present a novel manufacturing approach of compact amorphous silicon photonic circuit components directly deposited and patterned on fused silica glass wafers. The additional substrate transparency at the visible wavelengths region, an increased thermal heating efficiency of the integrated components, and the ease of alignment of photonic backplanes on underlying photonic or electronic microchips are some advantages to highlight compared to oxidized silicon substrates.