Electronic device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electronic device. The electronic device comprises a carrier plate; the photon integrated circuit is arranged on the carrier plate and is provided with a first waveguide; the optical transceiver is arranged on the carrier plate and comprises a first guide structure and an optical channel used for being optically coupled with the first waveguide, and the optical transceiver is connected to the carrier plate through the reflowable material layer; and an optical assembly having an optical fiber configured to be optically coupled to the optical channel, and a second guide structure secured to the first guide structure. According to the technical scheme, at least the structural strength can be improved, and the alignment operation of the optical assembly and the optical transceiver is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly, to an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] For optical communication products, optical signals are coupled from the waveguides of a silicon photon chip to an optical fiber. With the improvement of the efficiency of AI (Artificial Intelligence) / HPC (High Performance Computing) technology, the energy of single data transmission has also increased. However, traditional system level pluggable optical modules can only support data transmission up to 400 - 800G and have reached the 800G limit, and it is technically impossible to achieve T bit / s data transmission. Currently, existing products cannot meet the optical communication I / O quantity and transmission rate after 800G. And the data transmission of CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) technology can reach 51.2T, which is the future trend of AI / HPC and big data transmission.

[0003] Currently, when packaging micro-optical components in most products, the technology of active alignment is used for active mounting. Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an existing structure for integrating an optical component into a wafer-level PIC (Photonic Integrated Circuit). Refer to Figure 1 As shown, the FAU (Fiber Array Unit) 10 is placed beside the PIC 20 by using a fixture 15, and the optical fiber 13 is aligned with the waveguide 23. Figure 2A And Figure 2B are respectively schematic diagrams of another structure for aligning the FAU 10 with the waveguide 23, where an EIC (Electronic Integrated Circuit) 30 is also provided on the PIC 20. However, the waveguide 23 in the PIC 20 is at the nanoscale. Specifically, as Figure 3A shown, both the length and width of the waveguide 23 in the cross-section are in the range of 200 - 500 nm. As Figure 3B shown, the optical fiber 13 includes an optical fiber core 13A and a cladding 13B that coats the optical fiber core 13A. The length and width of the optical fiber core 13A in the cross-section can be approximately 125 μm each. As Figure 3CAs shown, the mode field diameter (MDF) D1 of the waveguide 23 can be in the range of 1 - 3 microns. The MDF D2 of the optical fiber 13 can be approximately 10.4 μm. Due to the MDF mismatch, the accuracy error in laser or arrayed optical fiber alignment is only 0.5 - 1 μm. Existing bonding machines are difficult to meet this requirement or have a very low UPH (units per hour), and there is also a large energy loss, making it difficult to put the product into mass production. In addition, due to the MDF mismatch between the optical fiber 13 and the waveguide 23 in the PIC 20, the optical energy loss from the optical fiber 13 to the waveguide 23 of the PIC 20 is relatively serious.

[0004] Therefore, most current products configure optical elements such as lenses between the FAU and the PIC waveguide to convert the MDF size, guide the optical signal to the PIC waveguide, and reduce losses. Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a schematic structural diagram of an existing structure integrating an optical element into a wafer-level PIC. Refer to Figure 4A , first, use the fixture 15 to place the micro-lens 50 beside the PIC 20 on the substrate 12. Then, refer to Figure 4B , use the fixture 15 to place the FAU 10 on the substrate 12, and align the optical fiber 13, the micro-lens 50, and the waveguide 23 of the PIC 20. However, the main process context of this method is continuous alignment until the best function is obtained, which will increase the alignment operation (active / passive) between the optical elements. The UPH of this technology is low, and this solution will result in a large amount of equipment, labor, and maintenance costs.

[0005] From the above, it can be seen that current silicon photon products are new-generation products. Due to large process variations, most use active alignment to compensate for process errors, resulting in a low UPH (production capacity), which in turn affects the increase in equipment, labor, and maintenance costs. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present application proposes an electronic device to at least solve the above technical problems.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided an electronic device, which includes: a carrier board; a photonic integrated circuit disposed on the carrier board and having a first waveguide; an optical transceiver disposed on the carrier board and including a first guiding structure and an optical channel for optical coupling with the first waveguide, wherein the optical transceiver is connected to the carrier board through a reflowable material layer; and an optical component having an optical fiber configured to be optically coupled to the optical channel and a second guiding structure fixed to the first guiding structure.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first guiding structure includes a guiding hole facing the optical component, and the second guiding structure includes a fixing pin component that mates with the guiding hole.

[0009] In some embodiments, there is a gap between the optical transceiver and the photonic integrated circuit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the optical channel includes a second waveguide.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second waveguide of the optical channel has a pattern extending in different directions.

[0012] In some embodiments, the optical transceiver has a first side facing the optical component and a second side facing the photonic integrated circuit. Among them, the optical channel of the optical transceiver has a first end and a second end that are respectively exposed from the first side and the second side.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first end is substantially aligned with the optical fiber, and the second end is substantially aligned with the first waveguide of the photonic integrated circuit.

[0014] In some embodiments, the size of the first end is larger than the size of the second end.

[0015] In some embodiments, the carrier board is spaced apart from the optical component.

[0016] In some embodiments, the optical channel includes a plurality of waveguide segments that are optically coupled in sequence between the first end and the second end. Among them, the cross-sectional sizes of the plurality of waveguide segments are different; in the direction from the first end to the second end, the cross-sectional sizes of the plurality of waveguide segments decrease.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the optical transceiver is used to replace the lens used in the prior art for coupling, and the first guiding structure and the second guiding structure are respectively provided in the optical transceiver and the optical component to perform the alignment of the optical transceiver and the optical component. The alignment is achieved by using the mechanical structure design of the optical transceiver, which can improve the structural strength and reduce the operation of aligning the optical component and the optical transceiver. Compared with the existing active alignment method, the operation time can be greatly reduced, thereby simplifying the alignment operation of the optical component in the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figures 1-4B It is a schematic structural diagram of some existing optical communication products.

[0020] Figure 5A is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 5B is Figure 5A a side view of the electronic device in

[0022] Figure 5C and Figure 5D are respectively a cross-sectional view and a top view of an optical transceiver according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 5E is a schematic diagram of an MDF of an optical channel according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figures 6A to 6D is a cross-sectional view at multiple stages of forming the electronic device.

[0025] Figure 7A and Figure 7B are respectively a cross-sectional view and a top view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0026] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements will be described below to simplify the present invention. Of course, these are only examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, in the following description, forming the first component above or on the second component may include embodiments where the first component and the second component are in direct contact, and may also include embodiments where additional components are formed between the first component and the second component such that the first component and the second component may not be in direct contact. Moreover, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and / or letters in various instances. Such repetition is only for the sake of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0028] In addition, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0029] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5B is Figure 5ASide view schematic diagram of the electronic device in. Refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown in, the electronic device 100 includes a carrier board 102, a PIC 110 disposed on the carrier board 102, and an optical transceiver 150. The optical transceiver 150 is connected to the carrier board 102 through a reflowable material layer 320. The PIC 110 can be connected to the carrier board 102 through an electrical connector 189. The electrical connector 189 can be, for example, solder, such as a C4 bump. The PIC 110 has a first waveguide 113. The optical transceiver 150 includes a first guiding structure 152. The optical transceiver 150 further includes an optical channel 500 for optically coupling with the first waveguide 113. In some embodiments, the optical channel 500 may include a second waveguide 153.

[0030] The electronic device 100 may further include an optical component 180 having an optical fiber 183 configured to be optically coupled to the optical channel 500. In some embodiments, the optical component 180 may be a FAU, or alternatively, may be other types of optical components 180. The optical fiber 183 can be optically coupled to the first waveguide 113 using the optical channel 500 of the optical transceiver 150. [[ID=⑨]]

[0031] The optical component 180 further has a second guiding structure 182 that can be fixed to the first guiding structure 152. Since the second guiding structure 182 of the optical component 180 can be fixed to the first guiding structure 152 of the optical transceiver 150, the optical component 180 can be fixed, so that the optical fiber 183 can be aligned and coupled with the optical channel 500.

[0032] The PIC 110 may include a through-silicon via (TSV) 186 of the PIC 110, and the through-silicon via 186 is connected to the carrier board 102 through an electrical connector 189. The electronic device 100 may further include an EIC 220 located above the PIC 110. The EIC 220 can be electrically connected to the through-silicon via 186.

[0033] In the above-mentioned electronic device 100, the optical transceiver 150 is used to replace the lens used in the prior art to couple the PIC 110, and the first guiding structure 152 and the second guiding structure 182 are respectively provided in the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180 to align the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180. The passive alignment method is realized by using the mechanical structure design of the optical transceiver 150, which can improve the structural strength and reduce the operation of aligning the optical component 180 with the optical transceiver 150. Compared with the existing active alignment method, the operation time can be significantly reduced, thus simplifying the alignment operation of the optical component 180 in the prior art.

[0034] In some embodiments, the reflowable material layer 320 may be an AuSn layer. In other embodiments, the reflowable material layer 320 may be composed of other reflowable materials. The optical transceiver 150 is bonded to the carrier board 102 through the reflowable material layer 320. The optical transceiver 150 and the PIC 110 may be disposed on the same carrier board 102. Since the reflowable material of the reflowable material layer 320 has the characteristic of low CET (coefficient of thermal expansion) (the Z-axis offset approaches 0), using the reflowable material layer 320 to bond the optical transceiver 150 can increase the alignment accuracy between the optical transceiver 150 and the PIC 110. For example, when AuSn is used as the material of the reflowable material layer 320, the bonding accuracy can be improved to about 1 μm, and the temperature resistance can be increased to more than 300 degrees.

[0035] The carrier board 102 may be spaced apart from the optical component 180. Since the optical component , the optical component 180 may not be located on the carrier board 102, but may be suspended above the carrier board 102 at a vertical interval from the carrier board 102. The lower surface of the optical component 180, the lower surface of the optical transceiver 150, and the lower surface of the PIC 110 may not be flush. There may be a gap 252 between the optical transceiver 150 and the PIC 110. Even though there is a gap 252 between the optical transceiver 150 and the PIC 110, the optical channel 500 can still be optically coupled to the first waveguide 113 of the PIC 110.

[0036] The optical component 180 may specifically include a main body portion 180A and an optical fiber 183 passing through the main body portion 180A. The end of the optical fiber 183 facing the optical transceiver 150 is exposed by the main body portion 180A to be optically coupled to the optical channel 500. A part of the second guiding structure 182 may be embedded in the main body portion 180A of the optical component 180, and another part may protrude from the main body portion 180A. The second guiding structure 182 may include a fixing pin member.

[0037] Figure 5C and Figure 5D are respectively a cross-sectional schematic view and a top view of the optical transceiver 150 according to some embodiments. As shown in combination with Figures 5B-5D shown, the optical transceiver 150 may include a main body portion 150M, and the optical channel 500 passes through the main body portion 150M. The first guiding structure 152 of the optical transceiver 150 may include a guiding hole defined by the main body portion 150M, and the size of the guiding hole may be matched with the size of the second guiding structure 182 (such as a fixing pin member) so that the second guiding structure 182 (such as a fixing pin member) can be embedded in the first guiding structure 152 (such as a guiding hole) to fix the optical component 180.

[0038] The optical transceiver 150 has a first side 150a facing the optical component 180 and a second side 150b facing the PIC 110. The optical channel 500 of the optical transceiver 150 has a first end 500a and a second end 500b that are respectively exposed from the first side 150a and the second side 150b. The first end 500a is substantially aligned with the optical fiber 183 of the optical component 180, and the second end 500b is substantially aligned with the first waveguide 113 of the PIC 110.

[0039] The dimension L1 of the first end 500a is greater than the dimension L2 of the second end 500b. As Figure 5E is a schematic diagram of the MDF (mode field diameter) of the optical channel 500 according to some embodiments. Refer to Figure 5E As shown, at the first end 500a with a larger dimension of the optical channel 500, there is a larger MDF. As the dimension of the optical channel 500 decreases, the MDF also decreases, and at the second end 153b with a smaller dimension, there is a smaller MDF. In some embodiments, the mode field diameter of the first waveguide 113 and the optical fiber 183 is different. The larger MDF can correspond to the MDF of the optical fiber 183. The smaller MDF can match the MDF of the first waveguide 113 in the PIC 110 to which it is coupled. Such an optical channel 500 with different dimensions at both ends can be used to optically couple the first waveguide 113 and the optical fiber 183 with different MDFs to each other.

[0040] Refer to Figure 5D As shown, a plurality of second waveguides 153 are included in the optical channel 500. The plurality of second waveguides 153 can be disposed at the same Z - direction height and extend in the X - Y plane. The dimension of the optical channel 500 can correspond to the width in the direction Y occupied by the plurality of second waveguides 153. The second waveguides 153 can have patterns extending in different directions. By changing the extending direction of the second waveguides 153, the dimension of the optical channel 500 can be changed, thereby changing the MDF to optically couple the optical fiber 183 with different MDFs to the first waveguide 113, solving the problem of MFD mismatch between the first waveguide 113 of the PIC 110 and the optical fiber 183 of the optical component 180. The extending arrangement of the second waveguides 153 can be designed according to the first waveguide 113 in the PIC 110 to achieve optical coupling, which can also reduce the manufacturing process of the PIC 110 chip itself. It should be understood that this embodiment is described with a 2D horizontal gradient design of the second waveguides 153. In other embodiments, the plurality of second waveguides 153 can also be a 2D vertical gradient design or a 3D gradient design.

[0041] In some embodiments, each second waveguide 153 may include a plurality of waveguide segments. In this embodiment, each second waveguide 153 includes three waveguide segments as an example. Specifically, each second waveguide 153 includes a first waveguide segment 153a connected to the first end 500a, a second waveguide segment 153b connected to the second end 500b, and a third waveguide segment 153c connected between the first waveguide segment 153a and the second waveguide segment 153b.

[0042] Wherein, the longitudinal extension directions of the first waveguide segment 153a and the second waveguide segment 153b are parallel, and the longitudinal extension direction of the third waveguide segment 153c is inclined with respect to the longitudinal extension directions of the first waveguide segment 153a and the second waveguide segment 153b. As a result, the size of the optical channel 500 decreases in the direction from the first end 500a to the second end 500b. Wherein, the spacing between adjacent first waveguide segments 153a is greater than the spacing between second waveguide segments 153b. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional dimensions of the plurality of waveguide segments 153a, 153b, 153c may be different. According to the required MDF change, the cross-sectional dimensions of the plurality of waveguide segments 153a, 153b, 153c may decrease in the direction of MDF reduction. In this embodiment, in the direction from the first end 500a to the second end 500b, the cross-sectional dimensions of the plurality of waveguide segments 153a, 153b, 153c decrease progressively. Specifically, the cross-sectional dimension of the first waveguide segment 153a is greater than that of the third waveguide segment 153c, and the cross-sectional dimension of the third waveguide segment 153c is greater than that of the second waveguide segment 153b. By changing the cross-sectional dimensions of the plurality of waveguide segments 153a, 153b, 153c of the second waveguide 153, it can also be used to modulate the MDF.

[0043] Embodiments of the present application also provide a method for forming the above-mentioned electronic device 100. Figures 6A to 6D It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram at multiple stages of forming the electronic device 100. First, refer to Figure 6A As shown, a carrier substrate 102 is provided, and a PIC 110 is bonded on the carrier substrate 102. The carrier substrate 102 may be a Si interposer or a substrate. The PIC 110 has vias 186. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned electronic device 200 may be formed by a wafer-level process, and in such embodiments, the carrier substrate 102 and the PIC 110 may be wafers respectively.

[0044] Refer to Figure 6B As shown, an EIC 220 is bonded on the PIC 110. The EIC 220 can be connected to the vias 186 of the PIC 110 through electrical connectors. The electrical connection posts 188 may include conductive posts (such as copper posts) and solder. This manufacturing method can be called the CoW (Chip-on-Wafer) method.

[0045] Reference Figure 6C As shown, the optical transceiver 150 is attached to the carrier board 102 through the reflowable material layer 320.

[0046] Then, as shown in the reference Figure 6D , the optical component 180 is connected to the optical transceiver 150 by the first guiding structure 152 and the second guiding structure 182. In some embodiments, the first guiding structure 152 and the second guiding structure 182 respectively include guiding holes and fixing pin components, so as to achieve a pluggable connection method.

[0047] In the above method, first, the EIC 220 is bonded above the PIC 110 by the electrical connector 188 in the CoW manner. The EIC 220 can be an active component, and a heat sink cover can be installed at the top of the EIC 220 to assist in heat dissipation. Then, the optical transceiver 150 is connected by the reflowable material layer 320 (such as AuSn), which can not only improve the UPH, but also replace the lens to achieve MFD conversion; the PIC 110 is connected to the carrier board 102 through the through hole 186, which can reduce the high-frequency transmission loss of wire bonding. Finally, the optical component 180 is connected to the optical transceiver 150 in a pluggable connection manner. The electronic device 100 formed in this way can be called a CPO module. The CPO module can be applied to optical detection, including lidar (LiDAR), etc., to detect objects by transmitting optical signals. The above method improves and simplifies the manufacturing process, increases the process tolerance, complies with industry specifications, improves product benefits, and reduces signal loss.

[0048] The electronic device uses the optical transceiver 150 to replace the lens used in the prior art to couple the PIC 110, and the first guiding structure 152 and the second guiding structure 182 are respectively arranged in the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180 to align the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180. The passive alignment method is realized by the mechanical structure design of the optical transceiver 150, which can improve the structural strength and reduce the operation of aligning the optical component 180 with the optical transceiver 150. Compared with the existing active alignment method, the operation time can be greatly reduced, thus simplifying the alignment operation between the optical component 180 and the lens in the prior art. The UPH of manufacturing is improved, and the equipment, labor, and maintenance costs are reduced.

[0049] Figure 7A and Figure 7B are respectively a cross-sectional view and a top view of the electronic device 200 according to another embodiment of the present application. Combining Figure 7A and Figure 7BAs shown, the electronic device 200 may include a PIC 110, an EIC 220, an optical transceiver 150, and an optical component 180. The optical component 180 and the optical transceiver 150 are fixedly connected through a first guiding structure 152 and a second guiding structure 182.

[0050] In this embodiment, a lens 702 is provided at one end of the optical channel 500' in the optical transceiver 150 facing the PIC 110, and the lens 702 can be used for MDF conversion. In this embodiment, the optical channel 500' includes a plurality of second waveguides 153'. The plurality of second waveguides 153' extend parallel to each other in the direction from the optical fiber 183 to the first waveguide 113, and the cross-sectional dimensions of each second waveguide 153' remain unchanged. The optical channel 500' in the optical transceiver 150 may not have the function of MDF conversion and is only used for optical signal transmission.

[0051] In the above-mentioned electronic device 200, the alignment of the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180 is performed by providing the first guiding structure 152 and the second guiding structure 182 in the optical transceiver 150 and the optical component 180. The passive alignment method is realized by using the mechanical structure design of the optical transceiver 150, which can improve the structural strength and reduce the operation of aligning the optical component 180 with the optical transceiver 150. Compared with the existing active alignment method, the operation time can be significantly reduced.

[0052] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that, Comprising: A carrier board; A photonic integrated circuit, disposed on the carrier board and having a first waveguide; An optical transceiver, disposed on the carrier board and including a first guiding structure and an optical channel for optically coupling with the first waveguide, wherein the optical transceiver is connected to the carrier board through a reflowable material layer; And An optical component, having an optical fiber configured to be optically coupled to the optical channel and a second guiding structure fixed to the first guiding structure.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The first guiding structure includes a guiding hole facing the optical component, and the second guiding structure includes a fixing pin component cooperating with the guiding hole.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein There is a gap between the optical transceiver and the photonic integrated circuit.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The optical channel includes a second waveguide.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein The second waveguide of the optical channel has patterns extending in different directions.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The optical transceiver has a first side facing the optical component and a second side facing the photonic integrated circuit, wherein the optical channel of the optical transceiver has a first end and a second end respectively exposed from the first side and the second side.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein The first end is substantially aligned with the optical fiber, and the second end is substantially aligned with the first waveguide of the photonic integrated circuit.

8. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein The size of the first end is larger than the size of the second end.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The carrier board is spaced apart from the optical component.

10. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein The optical channel includes a plurality of waveguide segments optically coupled in sequence between the first end and the second end, wherein the cross-sectional sizes of the plurality of waveguide segments are different, In the direction from the first end to the second end, the cross-sectional sizes of the plurality of waveguide segments decrease.

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