Low-loss bridge type heater structure and application thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a low-loss bridge type heater structure and application thereof, the heater structure comprises a plurality of heater units arranged in parallel, the length of each heater unit is larger than that of a heated unit so as to form a bridge type, and the heater units are connected with a metal layer. According to the low-loss bridge type heater structure, light absorption of heater materials can be reduced, absorption loss can be reduced, the distance between the heater and a heated unit can be further reduced, the heat regulation efficiency is improved, power consumption is reduced, the heat regulation rate is increased, meanwhile, the resistance value of a heating device is reduced through the designed bridge type structure, and the heat regulation efficiency is improved. The compatibility with an electrical system is improved, the condition of overheat breakdown is avoided, and the method has a good application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor devices, and in particular relates to a low-loss bridge heater structure and application thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has led to an increasing demand for large-scale, high-speed computing, and has put forward higher requirements for hardware. Traditional electrical interconnection has problems such as large latency, low bandwidth, and high power consumption, making it difficult to realize the massive data exchange function of future multi-core chips. Compared with electrical interconnection, optical interconnection has the advantages of large bandwidth and low power consumption, and has great application potential in the field of big data computing.

[0003] With the rapid development of silicon-based optoelectronics research, more and more scenarios are introduced in device design for thermal adjustment structures, such as traditional active device modulators and phased arrays, and integrated waveguides that require thermal adjustment with the introduction of new materials. For silicon-based waveguides, typical thermal adjustment solutions mainly use metal materials, introduce lightly doped silicon, TCO materials, etc. as heat sources. The use of metal materials such as TiN is prone to introduce great losses. Therefore, in the design process, the metal material as a heat source needs to optimize and expand the distance between it and the silicon waveguide. This solution reduces the introduced losses, but at the same time reduces the heating efficiency, increases the power consumption of the entire device, and reduces the thermal adjustment rate. Doping silicon as a heat source increases the complexity of the process flow, and the doping concentration needs to be optimized to achieve the purpose of low power consumption and low loss. Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) is considered to be an excellent heater material with excellent optical properties and low absorption loss. Heaters based on materials with excellent optical properties can improve heating efficiency and reduce power consumption when the distance from the heated structure is small, and introduce less loss. At the same time, doping is not required in the process. It only needs to make electrodes at both ends and introduce voltage to achieve the heating function. However, the loss of the TCO material itself cannot be completely ignored.

[0004] CN115128880A discloses a double-injected micro-ring reconfigurable multi-spectral response unit based on SOI material. The material used for thermal adjustment of the unit is TiN. Its thermal adjustment structure is a block structure. In order to reduce the loss caused by TiN, the distance between it and the heated unit is increased. This solution increases power consumption to a certain extent and reduces the thermal adjustment rate. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a low-loss bridge heater structure and its application, which can reduce the absorption of light by the heater material and reduce the absorption loss, and further reduce the distance between the heater and the heat receiving unit, thereby increasing the thermal adjustment efficiency, reducing power consumption and improving the thermal adjustment rate.

[0006] The present invention provides a low-loss bridge heater structure, which comprises a plurality of heater units arranged in parallel. The length of the heater unit is greater than the length of the heated unit so as to form a bridge, and the heater units are connected to metal layers.

[0007] Preferably, the heater units are arranged in parallel at equal intervals.

[0008] Preferably, the heat receiving unit comprises one or more of phase change material, silicon, and silicon nitride.

[0009] The invention also provides an application of a low-loss bridge heater structure in an optical switch, a modulator or a phased array.

[0010] Preferably, the low-loss bridge heater structure is used as a heat adjustment unit for a hybrid integrated waveguide composed of a phase change material and a silicon waveguide.

[0011] Preferably, the method comprises the following steps:

[0012] (1) Cleaning the wafer;

[0013] (2) depositing a phase change material film, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a pattern;

[0014] (3) depositing a heating layer, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a low-loss bridge heater structure;

[0015] (4) Deposition of oxide layer;

[0016] (5) photolithography and etching of the oxide layer to form a through hole;

[0017] (6) Deposit a metal layer and perform patterning to form heating electrodes and circuit distribution.

[0018] Beneficial Effects

[0019] The low-loss bridge heater structure proposed in the present invention can reduce the absorption of light by the heater material and reduce absorption loss. It can further reduce the distance between the heater and the heat receiving unit, thereby increasing the thermal regulation efficiency, reducing power consumption, and increasing the thermal regulation rate. At the same time, the designed bridge structure reduces the resistance value of the heating device, improves the compatibility with the electrical system, and avoids overheating and breakdown. It has a simple structure, is compatible with CMOS technology, is easy to produce, has a low production cost, and has good application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the bridge heater structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a top view of the bridge heater structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of the preparation process of the bridge heater structure of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms fall within the scope limited by the appended claims of the application equally.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] Take the hybrid integrated waveguide of phase change material and silicon waveguide as an example, Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a low-loss bridge heater structure, the heater structure includes a plurality of heater units arranged in parallel, the length of the heater unit is greater than the length of the heated unit to form a bridge, and the heater unit is connected to the metal layer. The heated unit is a phase change material in this embodiment. The phase change control of the phase change material is achieved by applying voltage or current to the heater to generate heat. A low-loss bridge heater structure is arranged on top of the phase change material layer of the hybrid integrated waveguide, which can further reduce the loss introduced by the heater material. In addition to heating the phase change material to change its state, other materials can also be heated, such as silicon, silicon nitride, etc., which are used in most scenarios requiring thermal adjustment, such as optical switches, modulators, and thermal adjustment parts of phased arrays.

[0026] like Figure 2 As shown, preferably, the heater units are arranged in parallel with equal spacing, which can effectively reduce the absorption of light by the heater material and reduce absorption loss. At the same time, the parallel connection of the structure reduces the resistance value of the heating device, improves the compatibility with the electrical system, and avoids overheating and breakdown.

[0027] This embodiment also provides a process flow for preparing a hybrid integrated waveguide thermal adjustment unit of phase change material and silicon, such as Figure 3 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0028] (1) Cleaning the wafer;

[0029] (2) depositing a phase change material film, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a pattern;

[0030] (3) depositing a heating layer, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a low-loss bridge heater structure;

[0031] (4) Deposition of oxide layer;

[0032] (5) photolithography and etching of the oxide layer to form a through hole;

[0033] (6) Deposit a metal layer and perform patterning to form heating electrodes and circuit distribution.

Claims

1. A low-loss bridge heater structure, characterized in that: The heater structure comprises a plurality of heater units arranged in parallel, the length of the heater unit is greater than the length of the heated unit so as to form a bridge, and the heater units are connected to the metal layers.

2. The low-loss bridge heater structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heater units are arranged in parallel with equal intervals.

3. The low-loss bridge heater structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat receiving unit includes one or more of phase change material, silicon, and silicon nitride.

4. An application of the low-loss bridge heater structure according to claim 1 in an optical switch, a modulator or a phased array.

5. The use according to claim 4, characterized in that: The low-loss bridge heater structure is used as a heat adjustment unit for a hybrid integrated waveguide composed of a phase change material and a silicon waveguide.

6. The use according to claim 5, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: (1) Cleaning the wafer; (2) depositing a phase change material film, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a pattern; (3) depositing a heating layer, applying a glue, and then performing photolithography and etching to form a low-loss bridge heater structure; (4) Deposition of oxide layer; (5) photolithography and etching of the oxide layer to form a through hole; (6) Deposit a metal layer and perform patterning to form heating electrodes and circuit distribution.

Images