Directly bonded optical components

Abstract

An optical component may comprise a first optical element and a second optical element disposed on the first optical element. A first optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element may extend between a first port on a first surface of the optical component and a second port on a second surface of the optical component. A second optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element may extend between a third port and a fourth port on the first surface of the optical component. The first and third ports are spaced a first distance apart along the first surface, and the second and fourth ports are spaced a second distance apart along the outer surface of the optical component. The first distance is different from the second distance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to Related Applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 745,266, "DIRECTLY BONDED OPTICAL COMPONENTS," filed on June 17, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 511,388, "DIRECTLY BONDED OPTICAL COMPONENTS," filed on June 30, 2023, and incorporates by reference herein all of their disclosures.

[0002] This field relates to directly - bonded optical components and optical communication devices.

Background Art

[0003] Optical interconnects may be provided between semiconductor device dies or chips such as graphics processing units (GPUs), application - specific integrated circuits (ASICs), memory chips, etc., which can be provided within products such as transceivers, switches, etc. for applications such as networking, data centers. Optical interconnects generally facilitate optical communication between semiconductor device dies or between electrical and optical components. Further, optical channels (such as optical waveguides) may be laminated within a medium, or 3 - dimensional (3D) optical waveguides may be formed within a medium such as glass, in conjunction with a conventional packaging substrate (such as a printed wiring board (PCB)). Optical signals or electromagnetic radiation can be transmitted through the optical channels.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, manufacturing optical components that provide communication between semiconductor dies efficiently may be difficult. Therefore, improvements to optical components are still being sought.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In one embodiment, the optical component comprises a first optical element, a second optical element disposed on the first optical element, a first optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, the first optical channel extending between a first port on a first surface of the optical component and a second port on a second surface of the optical component, and a second optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, the second optical channel extending between a third port and a fourth port on a first surface of the optical component, wherein the first port and the third port are spaced a distance apart along the first surface, and the second port and the fourth port are spaced a distance apart along the outer surface of the optical component, the first distance being different from the second distance.

[0006] In some embodiments, the second optical element is directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive. In some embodiments, the fourth port is located on the second surface of the optical component. In some embodiments, the second surface is parallel to or at an angle to the first surface of the optical component. In some embodiments, the fourth port is located on a third surface of the optical component, different from the second surface. In some embodiments, the first optical channel is a waveguide. In some embodiments, the first distance is smaller than the second distance. In some embodiments, the optical component may include a third optical channel passing through at least a portion of a first optical element, the third optical channel extending between a fifth port on a first surface of the optical component and a sixth port on a second surface of the optical component, and a fourth optical channel passing through at least a portion of a second optical element, the fourth optical channel extending between a seventh port on a first surface of the optical component and an eighth port on a second surface of the optical component, wherein the fifth and seventh ports are spaced a third distance apart, and the sixth and eighth ports are spaced a fourth distance apart, with the third distance being different from the fourth distance. In some embodiments, the optical component may include a first optical device directly bonded to the first and second optical channels, and a second optical device directly bonded to the third and fourth optical channels. In some embodiments, the first optical device is an emitter and the second optical device is a receiver. In some embodiments, the emitter is a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser, a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser, an end-face-emitting laser, or a low-power LED. In some embodiments, the receiver is a photodiode or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices are directly bonded to the first die. In some embodiments, the first die controls the operation of at least one of the first or second optical devices. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices are thermocompression-bonded to the first die.In some embodiments, the optical component may include an adapter assembly configured to couple an optical fiber to at least a second port. In some embodiments, the optical component may include at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical channel extending from the first port may include at least one optical power divider, the at least one optical power divider may include a Y-split, a first branch optical channel, and a second branch optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical channel includes a first waveguide section, the second optical channel includes a second waveguide section, and the first and second waveguide sections are optically coupled to form a directional coupler. In some embodiments, the first optical device is directly bonded to a first die, and the second optical device is directly bonded to a second die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a first optical device and a second optical device, the first optical device comprising a fifth optical channel and a first grating coupler coupling the fifth optical channel to a first optical channel in the optical component, and the second optical device comprising a sixth optical channel and a second grating coupler coupling the sixth optical channel to a third optical channel in the optical component. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise an adapter assembly coupled to at least a second port, a fourth port, a sixth port, and an eighth port on a first face. In some embodiments, the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector configured to couple to multiple fiber cores. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a bridging optical channel extending from an input port on a first face of the optical component to an output port on a first face of the optical component, with the input port coupled to the first optical device and the output port coupled to the second optical device. In some embodiments, the optical component bridges a first die and a second die. In some embodiments, the input port and the output port are located on the same face of the optical component.

[0007] In another embodiment, the optical component comprises a first optical element having a first port and a third port along a first surface of the optical component, wherein the first port and the third port are spaced a first distance apart along the first surface, and the first optical element includes at least a first portion of a first optical channel extending from the first port and at least a first portion of a second optical channel extending from the third port; and a second optical element disposed on the first optical element, wherein the second optical element includes at least a second portion of the first optical channel, and the first optical channel extends from the first port to a second port disposed along a second surface of the optical component, and the second optical channel extends from the third port to a fourth port disposed along a second surface of the optical component, and the second port and the fourth port are spaced a second distance apart along the second surface, the second distance being different from the first distance.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second optical element is directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive. In some embodiments, the first optical channel is a waveguide. In some embodiments, the first distance is smaller than the second distance. In some embodiments, the optical component further comprises a fifth port and a seventh port along a first surface of the optical component, the fifth port and the seventh port being separated by a third distance along the first surface, the first optical element includes at least a first portion of a third optical channel extending from the fifth port and at least a first portion of a fourth optical channel extending from the seventh port, the second optical element includes at least a second portion of a third optical channel, the third optical channel extending from the fifth port to a sixth port disposed along a second surface of the optical component, the fourth optical channel extending from the seventh port to an eighth port disposed along a second surface of the optical component, the sixth port and the eighth port being separated by a fourth distance along the second surface, the fourth distance being different from the third distance. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a first optical device directly bonded to a first optical channel and a second optical channel, and a second optical device directly bonded to a third optical channel and a fourth optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical device is a receiver and the second optical device is an emitter. In some embodiments, the emitter is a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser, a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser, an end-face-emitting laser, or a low-power LED. In some embodiments, the receiver is a photodiode or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices are directly bonded to a first die. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices are thermocompression-bonded to the first die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise an adapter assembly coupled to at least a second port, a fourth port, a sixth port, and an eighth port on a first surface. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel.In some embodiments, the first optical channel comprises at least one optical power divider, the at least one optical power divider comprising a Y-split, a first-split optical channel, and a second-split optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical channel includes a first portion of the first optical channel, the second optical channel includes a first portion of the second optical channel, and the first portion of the first optical channel and the first portion of the second optical channel are optically coupled to form a directional coupler. In some embodiments, the first optical device is directly bonded to a first die, and the second optical device is directly bonded to a second die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a first optical device and a second optical device, the second optical device comprising a fifth optical channel and a first grating coupler that couples the fifth optical channel to a first optical channel in the optical component, and the second optical device comprising a sixth optical channel and a second grating coupler that couples the sixth optical channel to a third optical channel in the optical component. In some embodiments, the optical component may include an adapter assembly coupled to at least a second port, a fourth port, a sixth port, and an eighth port on a first surface. In some embodiments, the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector configured to couple to multiple fiber cores.

[0009] In another embodiment, the optical component comprises a first bonding structure having a first surface and a second surface; a first port and a third port disposed on the first surface of the first bonding structure, wherein the first port and the third port are separated by a first distance; a second port and a fourth port disposed on the second surface of the first bonding structure, wherein the second port and the fourth port are separated by a second distance different from the first distance; a first optical channel extending at least partially through the first bonding structure between the first port and the second port; and a second optical channel extending at least partially through the first bonding structure between the third port and the fourth port.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first optical channel is a waveguide. In some embodiments, the optical component may include a fifth port and a seventh port disposed on the first surface of the first junction structure, the fifth port and the seventh port being separated by a third distance; a sixth port and an eighth port disposed on the second surface of the first junction structure, the sixth port and the eighth port being separated by a fourth distance different from the third distance; a third optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the fifth port and the sixth port; and a fourth optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the seventh port and the eighth port. In some embodiments, the optical component may include a plurality of optical devices directly bonded to the first surface of the junction structure. In some embodiments, the plurality of optical devices include a first emitter and a first receiver. In some embodiments, the first emitter is coupled to at least a first optical channel, and the first receiver is coupled to at least a third optical channel. In some embodiments, the first emitter and the first receiver are directly bonded to the first die. In some embodiments, the first emitter is directly bonded to the first die and the first receiver is directly bonded to the second die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a second junction structure, a fifth optical channel extending at least partially through the second junction structure, and a coupling element extending from the fifth optical channel and coupled to the first optical channel of the first junction structure. In some embodiments, the coupling element is a lattice coupler. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise an adapter assembly coupled to at least the second and fourth ports on a first surface. In some embodiments, the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector configured to couple to multiple fiber cores.

[0011] In another embodiment, the optical component comprises a bonding structure having a first surface and a second surface; a first optical channel extending at least partially through the bonding structure between the first surface and the second surface; and a second optical channel extending at least partially through the bonding structure between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the second optical channel includes a first channel portion extending from the first surface in a first direction and a second channel portion extending in a second direction different from the first direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first optical channel is a waveguide. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise an optical device directly bonded to a first surface of the bonding structure. In some embodiments, the optical device is coupled to at least the first optical channel of the bonding structure. In some embodiments, the optical device is directly bonded to a first die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a second bonding structure having a third optical channel including a grating coupler, the grating coupler being coupled to the first optical channel. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise an adapter assembly coupled to a second surface of the bonding structure, the adapter assembly transmitting electromagnetic radiation from an external fiber core to at least the first optical channel, or from at least the first optical channel to the external fiber core. In some embodiments, the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector configured to couple to multiple fiber cores.

[0013] In another embodiment, a method for forming an optical component may include providing a first optical channel between a first port and a second port through at least a portion of a first optical element, providing a second optical channel between a third port and a fourth port through at least a portion of a second optical element, and arranging the first optical element on the second optical element, wherein the first and third ports are spaced a distance apart along a first surface of the optical component, and the second and fourth ports are spaced a distance apart along a second surface of the optical component, with the first distance being different from the second distance.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method may include directly bonding a first optical element to a second optical element without the interposition of an adhesive. In some embodiments, the method may include providing a third optical channel between a fifth port and a sixth port through at least a portion of the first optical element, and providing a fourth optical channel between a seventh port and an eighth port through at least a portion of the second optical element, wherein the fifth and seventh ports are spaced a third distance apart along a first surface of the optical component, and the sixth and eighth ports are spaced a fourth distance apart along a second surface of the optical component, the fourth distance being different from the third distance. In some embodiments, the method may include directly bonding a first optical device to a first optical channel and a second optical channel, and directly bonding a second optical device to a third optical channel and a fourth optical channel. In some embodiments, the method may include directly bonding a first optical device and a second optical device to a first die. In some embodiments, the method may include coupling an adapter assembly to at least a second port, a fourth port, a sixth port, and an eighth port on a first surface of the adapter assembly. In some embodiments, the method may include embedding at least a first grating in a first optical channel. In some embodiments, the method may include forming at least a first Y-branch in the first optical channel. In some embodiments, the method may include coupling a first portion of the first optical channel with a first portion of the second optical channel to form a directional coupler in an optical component. In some embodiments, the method may include directly bonding a first optical device to a first die and directly bonding a second optical device to a second die. In some embodiments, the method may include coupling a first grating coupler extending from a fifth optical channel in a second optical component to a first optical channel in a first optical component, and coupling a second grating coupler extending from a sixth optical channel in a third optical component to a third optical channel in a first optical component.

[0015] In another embodiment, the optical component comprises a first optical element having a bottom surface and a top surface; at least one optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element; a second optical element directly bonded to the top surface of the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive, wherein the second optical element at least partially defines at least one optical channel; a first input port on the bottom surface of the first optical element; and a first output port on the bottom surface of the first optical element, wherein at least one optical channel extends between the first input port and the first output port.

[0016] In some embodiments, at least one optical channel is an optical waveguide. In some embodiments, an optical component bridges a first die and a second die. In some embodiments, the optical component may comprise a first optical device coupled to a first input port and a second optical device coupled to a first output port. In some embodiments, the first optical device is an emitter or a receiver. In some embodiments, the first optical device comprises an optical waveguide and a grating coupler, where electromagnetic radiation propagates through the optical waveguide and grating coupler, and the grating coupler couples the electromagnetic radiation to a first input port.

[0017] In another embodiment, the optical component may include a first optical element, a second optical element directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive, a first optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, the first optical channel extending between a first port on a first surface of the optical component and a second port on a second surface of the optical component, and a second optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, the second optical channel extending between a third port on a first surface of the optical component and a fourth port on a third surface of the optical component.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first optical channel is an optical waveguide. In some embodiments, the optical component may include at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical channel includes at least one optical power divider, the at least one optical power divider further includes a Y-split, a first branch optical channel, and a second branch optical channel. In some embodiments, the first optical channel includes a first portion of the first optical channel, the second optical channel includes a first portion of the second optical channel, and the first portion of the first optical channel and the first portion of the second optical channel are optically coupled to form a directional coupler. In some embodiments, the optical component may include a first optical device coupled to a first port and a third port, and a second optical device coupled to at least a second port or a fourth port. In some embodiments, the first optical device is an emitter or a receiver. In some embodiments, the first optical device comprises an optical waveguide and a lattice coupler, where electromagnetic radiation propagates through the optical waveguide and lattice coupler, and the lattice coupler couples the electromagnetic radiation to a first port. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical element including a first layer, a second layer, a first optical channel, a first port on the first surface of the optical element, and a second port on the second surface of the optical element. [Figure 1B] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical element including multiple optical channels and multiple ports. [Figure 1C] This is a depth diagram of the manufacturing process for forming optical elements. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component according to another embodiment. [Figure 3A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component including a first optical element having a first optical channel, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3B]Schematic plan sectional view of an optical element including a plurality of optical channels according to one embodiment. [Figure 3C] Schematic depth sectional view of a manufacturing process showing etching into a single material and formation of a plurality of optical channels according to one embodiment. [Figure 3D] Schematic side sectional view showing etching into a single material and formation of a first optical channel according to one embodiment. [Figure 4A] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component before bonding of layers according to one embodiment. [Figure 4B] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment. [Figure 5A] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component before bonding of layers according to an alternative embodiment. [Figure 5B] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including a first optical device and a second optical device according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including a first die according to one embodiment [Figure 8] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including an adapter assembly according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including a plurality of first optical devices according to one embodiment. [Figure 10A] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including a first grating and a second grating according to one embodiment. <* [Figure 10B] Schematic plan sectional view of an optical component including a first grating and a second grating according to one embodiment. [Figure 11A] Schematic side sectional view of an optical element including a first optical channel according to one embodiment. [Figure 11B] Schematic side sectional view of an optical element including a first optical channel, a phase mask, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and a first grating according to one embodiment. [Figure 11C] Schematic side sectional view of an optical component including a first grating according to one embodiment. [Figure 12A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment. [Figure 12B] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical component including a Y-branch according to one embodiment. [Figure 13A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment. [Figure 13B] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical component according to one embodiment, which includes a first optical channel having a first coupling portion and a second optical channel having a second coupling portion. [Figure 14] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component that optically interconnects two optical devices according to one embodiment. [Figure 15A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component that optically interconnects two optical devices according to one embodiment. [Figure 15B] This is a schematic plan cross-sectional view of a first optical device according to one embodiment. [Figure 16A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical component including a plurality of optical channels and a first optical device according to one embodiment. [Figure 16B] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first optical device, according to one embodiment, which includes multiple optical channels and multiple lattice couplers. [Figure 17A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an optical assembly comprising an optical component that optically connects a first optical device to a second optical device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 17B] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first optical device, according to one embodiment, which includes multiple optical channels and multiple lattice couplers. [Figure 18A] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a first microelectronic element and a second microelectronic element according to one embodiment. [Figure 18B] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a first microelectronic element and a second microelectronic element that are directly hybrid-joined to each other according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Throughout this specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent similar features.

[0021] Designing and implementing systems that use optical communication, such as optical interconnects between layers of semiconductor devices or optical waveguides within devices, is beneficial from an architectural and bandwidth perspective. With technological advancements and innovations, there is a growing demand for wider bandwidth and additional features in microelectronic devices. However, increasing the density of electrical interconnects and / or additional features within these microelectronic devices leads to corresponding increases in power consumption and noise, making it insufficient to adequately satisfy the above requirements. Therefore, photonic devices have emerged as a solution to satisfy these requirements. Exemplary applications of such photonic devices include networking and computing in data centers, as well as enabling efficient co-packaged optics for other high-demand, wide-bandwidth applications. Processor chips transmit electrical signals within the chip and to other chips and external devices (e.g., other electronic components or chips, system boards, etc.). Electrical signals used for processing may be converted to optical signals for faster transmission and then converted back to electrical signals for further processing. Photonic devices use optical signals to reduce crosstalk problems and suppress signal noise while increasing bandwidth. Furthermore, as technology advances and approaches the limits of Moore's Law, alternative technologies are being developed to address the increasing need for computing power, memory capacity, and bandwidth for memory transfer. Components such as chips, including light sources such as lasers, LEDs, and electrical or optical waveguides (e.g., organic and optical substrates) that maintain the transmission of electrical signals and / or the conversion process between electrical and optical signals, face increasing challenges with respect to inter-chip communication and packaging, thus limiting the progress of other technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) technologies (e.g., machine learning).

[0022] To address the shortcomings of electronic devices, developments have been made in the field of integrated photonics, generally in the areas of optical communication within a chip (e.g., intra-chip communication) and optical communication between chips (e.g., inter-chip communication). Recent developments include the use of optical interconnects between two GPU devices and bandwidth expansion through the stacking of optical waveguides within materials. Research and development is ongoing to improve methods for optically connecting these devices. Current solutions for optically connecting devices involve connecting a chip containing optical connections (e.g., waveguides) to an external element or another chip, in which case a connecting element equipped with a light source such as a laser and optical fiber or photonic wire bond is fixed to the chip. For example, a V-shaped groove may be formed within the chip, and the exposed portion of an external fiber attached to a mechanical transfer type (MT type) connector may be fitted into the groove and bonded with ultraviolet adhesive (UV adhesive).

[0023] Thus, standard optical socket connections at the chip level are still required to provide intra-chip and inter-chip optical communication. One solution involves stacking layers (e.g., dielectric layers) that form the optical channel (e.g., optical waveguide) within the optical component (e.g., by techniques such as deposition or direct bonding) to facilitate the expansion of the pitch between the input and output ports of the optical channel. The expansion of the pitch between the ports of the optical channel (e.g., transition from a very fine pitch to a coarse pitch) allows the use of emitters and receivers of different pitches at the input port of the optical channel, while a standard optical socket is realized at the location of the output port of the optical channel. In this way, the pitch of the contact pads on the die can be significantly smaller than the pitch of the contact pads or terminals of the larger external device to which the die is connected. Optical components facilitate the efficient transmission of information in the form of electromagnetic radiation and can become modular components in larger systems.

[0024] Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to optical components including directly bonded components. Figure 1A shows an optical component 1 comprising a first optical element 2. A first optical channel 3, such as an optical waveguide, is formed on the first optical element 2. A first portion 3a of the first optical channel 3 is formed on a first layer 2a of the first optical element 2, and a second portion 3b of the first optical channel 3 is formed on a second layer 2b of the first optical element 2. The second layer 2b of the first optical element 2 may be disposed on the first layer 2a of the first optical element 2. In one example, a trench 8 (see Figure 1C) is formed in the first layer 2a, and the first portion 3a of the first optical channel 3 is deposited on the first layer 2a and in the trench 8. The use of a mask can facilitate etch-back of the first layer 2a, leaving the first optical channel 3 protruding from the first layer 2a. Subsequently, the second layer 2b can be deposited on the etched first layer 2a and on the first optical channel 3 that protrudes corresponding to the second portion 3b.

[0025] In some embodiments, layers 2a, 2b, and the first optical channel 3 are formed using materials including semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon), inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.), glass, and / or organic dielectrics (e.g., polymers). In other embodiments, one or more of layers 2a, 2b, and the first optical channel 3 are formed using optical materials including organic or inorganic materials (e.g., ceramics and glass such as quartz, borosilicates, and fused silica, as well as special glass compositions, and polymer materials such as silicone, polycarbonate, and acrylic). In other embodiments, materials corresponding to a portion of the optical spectrum other than the visible spectrum (e.g., NIR, SWIR, etc.) may be used. In some embodiments, the first optical channel 3 is formed using deposition processes such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE), vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE), or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), printing, or injection molding. The optical channel 3 has a refractive index n1, and the material or cladding containing the optical elements outside the optical channel has a refractive index n2, where n1 is greater than n2. In this configuration, electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1, propagates through the first optical channel 3 in a first direction D1, and collides with an angled surface 44 so as to be reflected in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1, thus the electromagnetic radiation 43 travels through the first optical channel 3. The angled surface 44 has an angle determined by the direction that the second direction D2 should take with respect to the first direction D1. In one embodiment, direction D1 may be vertical (for example, along the z-axis), and direction D2 may point in any direction along the xy-plane perpendicular to the z-axis. The angled surface 44 may be positioned at an angle value in the range of 35 to 60°. In one embodiment, the angled surface 44 has an angle of about 45° with respect to the first direction D1. In some embodiments, the angled surface 44 is a polished surface. In some embodiments, the angled surface 44 is a mirror. In some embodiments, the material or cladding surrounding the optical channel may consist of two or more materials having different refractive indices (e.g., n2' and n2'' (both less than n1)).For example, a portion of the layer 2a surrounding the first portion 3a of the optical channel may be made of a material with a refractive index n2', and a portion of the layer 2b surrounding the second portion 3b of the optical channel may be made of a material with a refractive index n2''.

[0026] The electromagnetic radiation 43 propagates through the first optical channel 3 in the second direction D2 and exits the optical component 1 through the second port 7 on the second surface 5 relative to the first surface 4. In Figure 1A, the second surface 5 is shown as a surface substantially perpendicular to the first surface 4. Note that in some embodiments, the second surface may represent a surface of the optical component 1 that is substantially parallel to or opposite to the first surface 4. This substantially opposite surface may also be referred to as the top surface 13. In one embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation includes infrared (IR) (e.g., IR values ​​of about 1.1 μm to 7 μm). In other embodiments, electromagnetic radiation of other wavelengths may be preferred (e.g., 0.4 μm to 20 μm).

[0027] Multiple optical channels 3 may be formed in the optical component 1. Figure 1B is a plan view of the optical component 1 including the multiple optical channels 3.

[0028] Figure 1C is a depth view of the manufacturing process of optical component 1. The first layer 2a is shown in step 202. The first layer 2a may include any suitable material such as a semiconductor material (e.g., silicon) and an inorganic dielectric (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.). In other embodiments, one or more of layers 2a, 2b, and the first optical channel 3 are formed using an optical material including an organic or inorganic material (e.g., ceramics and glass such as quartz, borosilicate, fused silica, and special glass compositions, as well as polymer materials such as silicone, polycarbonate, and acrylic). In other embodiments, materials corresponding to a portion of the optical spectrum other than the visible spectrum (e.g., NIR, SWIR, etc.) may be used. In step 204, one or more trenches 8 may be formed in the first layer 2a. The trenches 8 are formed at the location shown as portion 3a of the optical channel 3. For example, the trenches 8 may be formed by etching (e.g., wet etching or dry etching). In step 206, a second preferred material is deposited in one or more trenches 8. Step 206 may be a two-step process comprising a first step of deposition and a second step of etching the optical cavity material. In step 206, after the preferred material is deposited in the trenches 8 to cover layer 2a to the required thickness, an optical channel is formed by patterning (i.e., removal by dry etching or wet etching, etc.). The second preferred material may include semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon) and inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.). The second preferred material may also be any other organic or organic optical material as described above. The deposited material and the first layer 2a may be patterned as shown in the figure, such that the deposited material protrudes onto the first layer 2a and the protrusions extend in a direction that forms portion 3B of the optical channel 3. In step 208, the second layer 2b is deposited on the first layer 2a containing the protruding second preferred material to form the optical channel 3.Similar to the first layer 2a, the second layer 2b may contain any suitable material such as a semiconductor material (e.g., silicon) and an inorganic dielectric (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.). Figure 1D also shows a cross-section passing through portion 3a of the optical channel 3 in a direction perpendicular to the cross-section shown in Figure 1A.

[0029] Figure 2A shows an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. The optical component 1 includes a first optical channel 3 extending from a first port 6 on a first surface 4 (e.g., the bottom surface) of the optical component 1, through at least a portion of the first optical element 2 and at least a portion of the second optical element 10, to a second port 7 on a second surface 5 of the optical component 1. The optical component 1 further includes a second optical channel 9 extending from a third port 11 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1, through at least a portion of the first optical element 2, to a fourth port 12 on a second surface 5 of the optical component 1. The second optical element 10 is disposed on the first optical element 2, and the first and second optical elements 2 and 10 are directly bonded to each other without the interposition of an adhesive to form a first bonded structure 49. In other embodiments, the optical element 10 may be formed by deposition techniques as shown in Figures 1A to 1D. With respect to the bonding structure 49, the first optical channel 3 extends at least partially through the bonding structure 49 between the first and second surfaces 4 and 5, and the second optical channel 9 also extends at least partially through the bonding structure 49 between the first and second surfaces 4 and 5, and the second optical channel 9 includes a first channel portion 9a extending from the first surface 4 along the first direction D1 and a second channel portion 9b extending along the second direction D2.

[0030] Each optical channel 3, 9 has a refractive index n1 greater than the refractive index n2 of the surrounding cladding constituting the optical elements 2, 10. In another embodiment, optical channels 3 and 9 may be formed of different materials having different refractive indices. In one embodiment, one of layers 2a, 2b, 10a, and 10b may be formed of a different material from the other layer material having a different refractive index (for example, in one embodiment, layer 2a may have a refractive index n2 and layer 2b may have a refractive index n2'). Electromagnetic radiation 43 is provided through the first and second optical channels 3, 9. Each optical channel 3, 9 may include one or more angled surfaces 44 to facilitate changing the direction of propagation of electromagnetic radiation. Each angled surface 44 has an angle determined by the direction that the second direction D2 should take with respect to the first direction D1. For example, each angled surface 44 may be positioned at an angle value in the range of 35 to 60°. In one embodiment, one or more of the angled surfaces 44 have an angle of about 45°. In some embodiments, one or more of the angled surfaces 44 are polished surfaces. In some embodiments, one or more of the angled surfaces 44 are mirrors.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, electromagnetic radiation 43 propagating in the first direction D1 through the first optical channel 3 is incident on the first angled surface 44a. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is reflected by the first angled surface 44a and continues to propagate through the first optical channel 3 in a second direction D2, which is different from the first direction D1. The second direction D2 is nonparallel to the first direction D1. Figures 2A and 2B show that the second direction D2 is oriented at approximately 90° with respect to the first direction D1. In other embodiments, the second direction D2 may be oriented at other angles with respect to the first direction D1. For example, the first direction D1 may be along the z-axis, and the second direction D2 may be along a direction in the xy-plane perpendicular to D1 (i.e., the z-axis). In such embodiments, the second direction D2 may be oriented at any angle between 0° and 359° in the xy-plane. Similarly, in Figure 2A, electromagnetic radiation 43 propagating in the first direction D1 through the second optical channel 9 is incident on the second angled surface 44b. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is reflected by the second angled surface 44b and continues to propagate through the second optical channel 9 in a second direction D2, which is different from the first direction D1. The first and third ports 6, 11 are separated or spaced apart by a first distance 58 along the first surface 4 of the optical component 1, and the second and fourth ports 7, 12 are separated or spaced apart by a second distance 59 along the outer surface of the optical component 1 (e.g., the second surface 5). In one embodiment, the first and second distances 58, 59 are different. In some embodiments, the first distance 58 may be smaller than the second distance 59. In some embodiments, the first distance 58 may be larger than the second distance 59.In various embodiments, the first and second distances 58 and 59 represent the first and second pitches of the input ports 6 and 11 and the output ports 7 and 12, respectively (for example, the first pitch can be 50 nm to 100 nm, 100 nm to 0.5 microns, 0.5 microns to 1 micron, 5 microns to 10 microns, 10 microns to 20 microns, 20 microns to 30 microns, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values; in some examples, the second pitch can be 50 microns to 70 microns, 70 microns to 90 microns, 90 microns to 110 microns, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values). In Figure 2A, the second surface 5 of the optical component 1 is a surface of the optical component 1 that is substantially perpendicular to the first surface 4 of the optical component 1. In some embodiments, the second surface 5 may be positioned at other angles to the first surface 4 of the optical component 1. For example, the second surface 5 can be at an angle of 30° to 90° relative to the first surface 4 of the optical component 1. As another example, the second surface 5 can be at an angle of 90° to 150° relative to the first surface 4 of the optical component 1.

[0032] In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 2B, the first and third ports 6, 11 are separated by a distance 58 along the first surface 4 of the optical component 1, and the second and fourth ports 7, 12 are separated by a second distance 59 along the outer surface (e.g., top surface 13) of the optical component 1. In one embodiment, the first and second distances 58, 59 are different. In some embodiments, the first distance 58 may be smaller than the second distance 59. In some embodiments, the first distance 58 may be larger than the second distance 59. In various embodiments, the first and second distances 58, 59 represent the first and second pitches of the input ports 6, 11 and the output ports 7, 12, respectively.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiments of Figures 2A and 2B, optical channels 3 and 9 may have one or more transition points at any preferred angle. In some embodiments, two optical channels on the same layer may intersect or cross. The light in the intersecting channels does not interact with each other and crosses straight from one portion of the optical channel before the intersecting branch to the next portion of the optical channel on the other side of the intersecting branch without signal loss. These transition points and crossings enable, at least partially, the overall routing of the signal and the expansion of the input-to-output pitch. As described above, this pitch expansion allows the use of emitters and receivers of different or arbitrary pitches, with standard optical sockets provided at the output ports of the optical channels. A further advantage is that the input and output can be positioned on any preferred input or output surface (e.g., at any preferred angle), as shown in the illustrated embodiments. Optical component 1 enables optical coupling of two devices with different orientations and different pitches (because the location of the input / output surfaces can be determined).

[0034] In Figures 2A and 2B, the portions of each optical element 2, 10 outside of the optical channels 3, 9 include cladding or surrounding material. The surrounding material of optical element 2 is directly bonded to the surrounding material of optical element 10 via bonding interface 62. Similarly, optical channel 3 in Figure 2A is partially formed by direct bonding via bonding interface 62, and optical channels 3 and 9 in Figure 2B are partially formed by direct bonding via bonding interface 62.

[0035] Figure 3A shows an exemplary optical channel that may be used in a directly bonded optical component. In Figure 3A, the first optical element 2 has a single layer, compared to the first optical element 2 in Figure 1A which has two layers 2a and 2b. In Figure 3A, the first optical channel 3, which can be an optical waveguide, is formed in the single layer of the first optical element 2 by a process such as etching. In some embodiments, the first optical channel 3 is formed using a material that includes semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon), inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.), and organic dielectrics (e.g., polymers). In other embodiments, one or both of layer 2 and the first optical channel 3 are formed using an optical material that includes organic or inorganic materials (e.g., ceramics and glasses such as quartz, borosilicates, and fused silica, as well as special glass compositions, and polymer materials such as silicone, polycarbonate, and acrylic). In other embodiments, materials corresponding to a portion of the optical spectrum other than the visible spectrum (e.g., NIR, SWIR, etc.) may be used. In some embodiments, the first optical channel 3 is formed using an etching process such as wet etching, dry etching, or UV laser writing.

[0036] The optical channel 3 has a refractive index n1, and the material or cladding containing the optical element 2 outside the optical channel 3 has a refractive index n2, where n1 is greater than n2. In this configuration, electromagnetic radiation 43 propagates through the first optical channel 3 by entering the optical component 1 through the first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1, propagating through the first optical channel 3 in a first direction D1, and colliding with the angled surface 44 so as to be reflected in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. In one embodiment, direction D1 may be a vertical direction (for example, along the z-axis), and direction D2 may point in any direction along the xy-plane perpendicular to the z-axis. The angled surface 44 has an angle determined by the direction that the second direction D2 should take relative to the first direction D1. The angled surface 44 may be positioned at an angle value in the range of 35 to 60°. In one embodiment, the angled surface 44 has an angle of about 45°. In some embodiments, the angled surface 44 is a polished surface. In some embodiments, the angled surface 44 is a mirror. The electromagnetic radiation 43 then propagates through the first optical channel 3 in the second direction D2 and exits the optical component 1 through the second port 7 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1. A process of completely etching the optical channel in a single layer of this optical element can be used to form multiple optical channels 3. Figure 3B is a plan view of the optical component 1 including multiple optical channels 3.

[0037] Figures 3C and 3D are depth and side views, respectively, of the manufacturing process of the same optical component 1. A first layer 2 is shown in steps 502 and 508. The first layer 2 may include any suitable material such as a semiconductor material (e.g., silicon) and an inorganic dielectric (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.). In steps 504 and 510, one or more trenches 8 may be formed by etching (e.g., wet etching or dry etching). The trenches 8 may be formed in the vertical direction (e.g., D1 or z-axis direction). Steps 504 and 510 may include a two-step etching process in which only vertical trenches or holes in the first layer 2 are formed in the first layer 2 (e.g., by etching), and then trenches in the D2 direction are formed in the layer 2 (e.g., by etching). In steps 506 and 512, a second suitable material is deposited in one or more trenches 8 to form one or more optical channels 3. A single-step deposition process is also possible for the deposition of the optical channel material. Second preferred materials may include semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon) and inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.). In other embodiments, one or both of layer 2 and the first optical channel 3 are formed using optical materials containing organic or inorganic materials (e.g., ceramics and glass such as quartz, borosilicates, and fused silica, as well as special glass compositions, and polymer materials such as silicone, polycarbonate, and acrylic). In other embodiments, materials that transmit a portion of the optical spectrum other than the visible spectrum (e.g., NIR, SWIR, etc.) may be used.

[0038] Figures 4A and 4B show an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 4A shows optical elements 2, 10, and 14 before they are directly bonded along the bonding interface 62. Figure 4A shows an optical component 1 comprising three layers, the first layer being the first optical element 2 and the second layer being the second optical element 10. The first optical element 2 comprises a first portion 3a of the first optical channel 3 and a second optical channel 9, and the second optical element 10 comprises a second portion 3b of the first optical channel 3. In one embodiment, the optical elements 2 and 10 are formed in the same or similar manner as shown in Figures 3C and 3D. The second layer 10 is disposed on the first layer 2, and the first and second layers 2 and 10 are directly bonded to each other without the interposition of an adhesive. A third layer 14 is disposed on the second layer 10, comprising a material having a refractive index n2 different from the refractive index n1 of the first and second optical channels 3 and 9, and is directly bonded to the second layer 10 without the interposition of an adhesive. In another embodiment, the third layer 14 may be formed by depositing the material for the optical element 14 onto the optical element 10. The material or cladding containing the optical elements 2, 10, 14 outside the optical channels 3, 9 has a refractive index n2, where n1 is greater than n2. In some embodiments, the optical elements 2, 10, 14 and the first and second optical channels 3, 9 are formed using materials that include semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon), inorganic dielectrics (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbonite, silicon oxynitride, etc.), and organic dielectrics (e.g., polymers). In other embodiments, one or more layers 2, 10, and 14 and the first and second optical channels 3, 9 are formed using optical materials that include organic or inorganic materials (e.g., ceramics and glasses such as quartz, borosilicates, fused silica, and special glass compositions, as well as polymer materials such as silicone, polycarbonate, and acrylic).

[0039] The first optical channel 3 extends between the first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 and the second port 7 on the second surface 5 of the optical component, and the second optical channel 9 extends between the third port 11 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 and the fourth port 12 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1. In one embodiment, the second surface 5 of the optical component is a surface of the optical component 1 that is not parallel to the first surface 4 of the optical component 1. In the configuration shown in Figure 4B, electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the first port 6 in a first direction D1, propagates through the first optical channel 3 by colliding with the first angled surface 44a so as to be reflected in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1, and exits the optical component 1 through the second port 7. Similarly, electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the third port 11 in the first direction D1, propagates through the second optical channel 9 by colliding with the second angled surface 44b so as to be reflected in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1, and exits the optical component 1 through the fourth port 12. Each of the angled surfaces 44a and 44b has an angle determined by the direction that the second direction D2 should take with respect to the first direction D1. For example, each of the angled surfaces 44a and 44b may be positioned at an angle value in the range of 35 to 60°. In one embodiment, each of the angled surfaces 44a and 44b has an angle of about 45°. In some embodiments, one or more of the angled surfaces 44a and 44b are polished surfaces. In some embodiments, one or more of the angled surfaces 44a and 44b are mirrors. In one embodiment, direction D1 may be a vertical direction (for example, along the z-axis), and direction D2 may refer to any direction along the xy-plane perpendicular to the z-axis.

[0040] The embodiments shown in Figures 4A and 4B may offer substantially the same or identical operational or performance advantages as the embodiments shown in Figures 2A and 2B. An additional benefit of these embodiments is that the optical channels are etched and formed in a single layer, which can be directly bonded to other layers that have been similarly etched and filled, making the manufacturing process relatively easy.

[0041] Figure 5A shows optical elements 2, 10, and 14 before direct bonding along the bonding interface 62 according to one embodiment, and Figure 5B shows the optical component 1 after direct bonding. As shown in Figure 5A, the optical component comprises three layers, the first, second, and third layers corresponding to the first, second, and third optical elements 2, 10, and 14, respectively. The first optical element 2 comprises the first portion 3a of the first optical channel 3 and the first portion 9a of the second optical channel 9. The second optical element 10 comprises the second portion 3b of the first optical channel 3 and the second portion 9b of the second optical channel 9. The third optical element 14 comprises the third portion 3c of the first optical channel 3 and the third portion 9c of the second optical channel 9.

[0042] In Figures 5A and 5B, the third layer 14 is disposed on the second layer 10, and the second layer 10 is disposed on the first layer 2. The first layer 2 is directly bonded to the second layer 10 along the bonding interface 62 without the interposition of an adhesive, and the second layer 10 is directly bonded to the third layer 14 along the bonding interface 62. More specifically, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the portions of the optical elements 2, 10, and 14 outside the optical channels 3 and 9 can function as cladding or surrounding material. The surrounding material of optical element 2 is directly bonded to the surrounding material of optical element 10 via the bonding interface 62, and the surrounding material of optical element 10 is directly bonded to the surrounding material of optical element 14 via the bonding interface 62. Furthermore, the first portion 3a of the first optical channel 3 is directly bonded to the second portion 3b of the first optical channel 3 via the bonding interface 62, and the second portion 3b is directly bonded to the third portion 3c of the first optical channel 3 via the bonding interface 62. Similarly, the first portion 9a of the second optical channel 9 is directly bonded to the second portion 9b via the bonding interface 62, and the second portion 9b of the second optical channel 9 is directly bonded to the third portion 9c of the second optical channel 9 via the bonding interface 62. For each optical element 2, 10, 14, the bonding interface 62 between the outer portions of the optical channels 3, 9 (e.g., material with refractive index n2) may be transparent, but does not need to be transparent. However, the bonding interface 62 between the optical channels is optically transparent, allowing for the transmission of light 43 with little or no refraction or reflection (e.g., the interface between the optical channels is smooth, seamless, and transparent, allowing for lossless transmission of light 43).

[0043] The first optical channel 3 extends between the first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 and the second port 7 on the upper surface 13 of the optical component 1, and the second optical channel 9 extends between the third port 11 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 and the fourth port 12 on the upper surface 13 of the optical component 1. In one embodiment, the second portion 3b of the first optical channel 3 further includes two angled surfaces 44a, 44c, and the first portion 9a of the second optical channel 9 further includes two angled surfaces 44b, 44d. In the configuration shown in Figure 5B, electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the first port 6 in a first direction D1, collides with the first angled surface 44a so as to be reflected in a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1, collides with the third angled surface 44c so as to be reflected in a third direction D3 different from the second direction D2, propagates through the first optical channel 3, and exits the optical component 1 through the second port 7. Similarly, the electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the third port 11 in the first direction D1, collides with the second angled surface 44b so as to be reflected in the second direction D2 which is different from the first direction D1, collides with the fourth angled surface 44d so as to be reflected in the third direction D3 which is different from the second direction D2, propagates through the second optical channel 9, and exits the optical component 1 through the fourth port 12.

[0044] The embodiments shown in Figures 5A and 5B offer similar operational or performance advantages to the embodiments shown in Figures 4A and 4B. The embodiments in Figures 4A and 4B facilitate the interaction of optical component 1 with additional optical components or devices located below and to the side of optical component 1. However, the embodiments in Figures 5A and 5B demonstrate that the optical channel can incorporate multiple inversion points, crosses, branches, and intersections for guiding electromagnetic radiation 43 from the input port on the first surface 4 of optical component 1 to the output port on the top surface 13 of optical component 1, thereby facilitating the interaction of optical component 1 with additional optical components or devices located below and above optical component 1.

[0045] Figure 6 shows an optical component 1, comprising a stack of optical elements 2, 10 defining a plurality of optical channels 3, 9, 15, 16, according to one embodiment. Optical channels 3 and 9 are identical or substantially the same as channels 3 and 9 shown in Figure 2B. Optical channels 15 and 16 are also identical or substantially the same as channels 3 and 9 shown in Figure 2B. More specifically, the optical component 1 comprises a first optical channel 3 extending from a first port 6 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through a bonding structure 49 to a second port 7 on the upper surface 13 of the optical component 1 (i.e., the first optical channel 3 extends through the bonding structure 49 between the first and second ports 6, 7). In the bonding structure 49, the second optical element 10 is disposed on the first optical element 2 such that the first and second optical elements 2, 10 are directly bonded to each other without the interposition of an adhesive. Optical component 1 further comprises a second optical channel 9 extending from a third port 11 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through a bonding structure 49 to a fourth port 12 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1 (i.e., the second optical channel 9 extends through the bonding structure 49 between the third and fourth ports 11, 12). Optical component 1 further comprises a third optical channel 15 extending from a fifth port 17 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through a bonding structure 49 to a sixth port 18 on the top surface 13 of the optical component (i.e., the third optical channel 15 extends at least partially through the bonding structure 49 between the fifth and sixth ports 17, 18), and further comprises a fourth optical channel 16 extending from a seventh port 19 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through a bonding structure 49 to an eighth port 20 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1 (i.e., the fourth optical channel 16 extends through the bonding structure 49 between the seventh and eighth ports 19, 20).

[0046] In one embodiment, the first and second optical channels 3, 9 are directly bonded to the first optical device 21, and the third and fourth optical channels 15, 16 are directly bonded to the second optical device 22. In one embodiment, the first optical device 21 is an emitter such as a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), edge-emitting laser (EEL), photonic crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL), laser diode, or LED source (e.g., low-power LED, micro-LED, OLED, micro-OLED, etc.), modulator, electro-optic modulator, or coupler. In one embodiment, the second optical device 22 is a receiver such as a photodiode or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, photodetector, modulator, or coupler. In some embodiments, the first and / or second devices may be part of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) or electronic integrated circuit (EIC) of the optical system.

[0047] As shown in Figure 6, electromagnetic radiation 43 is provided through first and second optical channels 3 and 9. Each optical channel 3 and 9 may include one or more angled surfaces 44 to facilitate changes in the propagation direction of the electromagnetic radiation 43. In Figure 6, the electromagnetic radiation 43 is generated by the first optical device 21 and enters the first port 6 of the first optical channel 3. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is transmitted through the first optical channel 3 in a first direction D1 until it is incident on the first angled surface 44a. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is then reflected by the first angled surface 44a and transmitted in a second direction D2, which is different from the first direction D1, until it is incident on the third angled surface 44c. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is then reflected by the third angled surface 44c and transmitted in a third direction, which is the same as the first direction D1 but different from the second direction D2, and exits the optical component 1 through the second port 7. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is similarly transmitted through the second optical channel 9. In some embodiments, the first and third directions may be the same. In some embodiments, the third direction may be different from the first direction.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6, the electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the optical component 1 through the sixth port 18 corresponding to the third optical channel 15. The electromagnetic radiation 43 propagates in the first direction D3 until it is incident on the fifth angled surface 44e, where it is reflected in a second direction D4 different from the first direction D3. The electromagnetic radiation 43 propagates in this second direction D4 until it is incident on the sixth angled surface 44f, where it is reflected in a third direction D3 different from the second direction D4. The electromagnetic radiation 43 then exits the optical component 1 through the fifth port 17 and enters the second optical device 22. When the electromagnetic radiation 43 enters the eighth port 20, it is similarly transmitted through the fourth optical channel 16, reflected on the seventh and eighth angled surfaces 44g and 44h, exits through the seventh port 19 and enters the second optical device 22. In some embodiments, the first and third directions may be identical. In some embodiments, the third direction may differ from the first direction.

[0049] In some embodiments, optical channels 3 and 9 of optical component 1 may operate or function independently of optical channels 15 and 16, as shown in Figure 6, so that signals (e.g., electromagnetic radiation 43) can be transmitted to an external device through optical channels 3 and 9 and signals (e.g., electromagnetic radiation 43) can be received from the same external device (or a different device) through optical channels 15 and 16. In other embodiments, the transmitted signals can be processed or modified by an external device (not shown) to which optical component 1 is connected, and the processed or modified signals can be sent back to a receiver.

[0050] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the first and second optical devices 21 and 22 are bonded to the first die 23. In one embodiment, the bonding between the first optical device 21 and the first die 23 and the bonding between the second optical device 22 and the first die 23 is a hybrid bonding (e.g., dielectric-dielectric and conductor-conductor direct bonding). In one embodiment, the first and second optical devices 21 and 22 are bonded to the first die 23 by hybrid bonding or thermal compression. In some embodiments, the first die 23 can be a dielectric or semiconductor substrate. In other embodiments, the first die 23 can be a processor die, controller chip, or driver chip that controls the emission of light from an emitter and routes light from a receiver to an appropriate circuit or other device. In some embodiments, the first die 23 can be an electronic integrated circuit (EIC) or die that provides serializer / deserializer (SerDes) functionality and can act as part of an I / O interface between optical and electrical signals within an optical component. In some embodiments, the first die 23 can be an interposer. In some other embodiments, the first die 23 may be attached to an interposer, another die, or a substrate by any preferred technique. For example, the first die 23 may be attached using a flip chip, microbump, wire bonding, adhesive bonding (e.g., die attach film or paste), hybrid bonding, etc. In one embodiment, the first and third ports 6, 11 are separated by a first distance 58, the second and fourth ports 7, 12 are separated by a second distance 59, the fifth and seventh ports 17, 19 are separated or spaced apart by a third distance 60, and the sixth and eighth ports 18, 20 are separated or spaced apart by a fourth distance 61. In one embodiment, the first distance 58 is different from the second distance 59, and the third distance 60 is different from the fourth distance 61. In one embodiment, the first distance 58 is smaller than the second distance 59, and the third distance 60 is smaller than the fourth distance 61. In one embodiment, the first, second, third, and fourth distances 58, 59, 60, and 61 are the first, second, third, and fourth pitches.

[0051] Figure 8 shows another embodiment of the optical component 1 shown in Figures 6 and 7. In Figure 8, the optical component 1 comprises a first optical device 21, a second optical device 22, first and second optical channels 3, 9 optically coupled to the first optical device 21, and third and fourth optical channels 15, 16 optically coupled to the second optical device 22. The first and second optical devices 21, 22 are disposed on a die 23 (for example, a dielectric or semiconductor substrate). In some examples, the second optical devices 21, 22 may be directly bonded to the die 23. In other examples, the second optical devices 21, 22 may be integrally manufactured on the die 23.

[0052] Depending on the circumstances, the first optical device 21 may be an optical emitter (e.g., a laser diode or LED), and the second optical device 22 may be an optical receiver (e.g., a photodetector such as a photodiode). The first and second optical channels 3 and 9 may be optical output waveguides configured to receive light emitted by the first optical device 21 and to output light received from the second and fourth ports 7 and 12. The third and fourth optical channels 15 and 16 may be optical input waveguides configured to receive light via the sixth and eighth ports 18 and 20 and to supply the received light to the second optical device 22.

[0053] The optical component 1 further comprises an adapter assembly 24 configured to optically couple to the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth ports 7, 12, 18, and 20 of the optical component 1. In one embodiment, the adapter assembly 24 provides an optical connection between the optical channels 3, 9, 15, and 16 and an external element (not shown). In some embodiments, the adapter assembly 24 may comprise one or more optical elements (not shown) configured to improve the optical coupling between the optical channels 3, 9, 15, and 16 and the external element. For example, the adapter assembly 24 may include one or more lenses (e.g., microlenses) that guide rays received from the external element to the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth ports 7, 12, 18, and 20 and vice versa. In another example, the adapter assembly 24 may include one or more coupling elements (e.g., lattice couplers) that couple light received from the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth ports 7, 12, 18, and 20 to an external device and vice versa. In one embodiment, the adapter assembly 24 facilitates coupling between at least the first optical channel 3 and one or more optical fibers or optical fiber cables. In some examples, the adapter assembly 24 may align the core of an optical fiber (e.g., a fiber core or external fiber core) with ports 7, 12, 18, and 20 so that the light output by optical channels 3, 9, 15, and 16 is directly coupled to the core. In another embodiment, the adapter assembly 24 may optically couple a multicore fiber to ports 7, 12, 18, and 20. For example, the adapter assembly 24 may provide mutual optical coupling between each optical channel and core by aligning the four individual cores of a multicore optical fiber with each of ports 7, 12, 18, and 20, respectively. In some examples, the adapter assembly 24 may align each core of a plurality of optical fibers with one of ports 7, 12, 18, and 20 so that the light output by optical channels 3, 9, 15, and 16 is directly coupled to the core.

[0054] In some embodiments, the adapter assembly 24 may include a first adapter element 24a disposed on the upper surface 13 of the optical component 1, and a second adapter element 24b mechanically coupled to the first adapter element 24a. The second adapter element 24b may be a removable element. The second adapter element 24b may be connected to an external element.

[0055] The illustrated embodiment in Figure 8 illustrates an example of how an optical component may be used as a module component within a device package. Light from an emitter can be transmitted through multiple inputs, which may be arranged to have a narrow or arbitrary pitch. The light can propagate through multiple optical waveguides and exit through multiple output ports, which may be arranged to have a larger pitch to allow subsequent coupling to an adapter assembly. Such a configuration facilitates the coupling of light from the output ports to another device without requiring direct and permanent attachment of a fiber to the optical component itself. The optical component can be easily coupled to an external device using standard connectors that can be connected to the adapter assembly of the optical component. Furthermore, this configuration allows the optical component to receive optical signals from an external device coupled to it via the adapter assembly, such that the optical signals are transmitted through ports on the top surface of the optical component, propagate through optical waveguides, and are received by an optical receiver. The optical signals can then be continued as optical signals to other devices, otherwise manipulated, or converted to electrical signals.

[0056] In Figure 9, the optical component 1, in one embodiment, comprises first and second optical elements 2, 10, first, second, third, and fourth optical channels 3, 9, 15, 16, a first die 23, and a plurality of first optical devices 21. The plurality of first optical devices 21 may be hybrid bonded to the first die 23. In one embodiment, the plurality of emitters 21 constitute a large light source array. For example, the large light source array may comprise VCSELs, EELs, PCSELs, or LEDs (e.g., low-power LEDs, micro-LEDs, OLEDs, etc.). In another embodiment, the large light source array is coupled with other large light source arrays. In one embodiment, the coupling of large light source arrays forms a display (not shown). In such an embodiment, the optical channels 3, 9, 15, 16 can scale from the small pitch of the plurality of emitters 21 to the larger pitch of the plurality of pixels on the display. In another embodiment, the optical channels 3, 9, 15, 16 may be configured to connect the larger pitch of the plurality of emitters 21 to the smaller pitch of the plurality of pixels on the display. Smaller pitches are possible, approximately 0.5 microns. In some embodiments, smaller pitches are possible in the ranges of approximately 50 nm to 100 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, 50 nm to 1000 nm, 100 nm to 500 nm, 100 nm to 1000 nm, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values. Larger pitches are also possible in the range of approximately 50 microns to 500 microns, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values. Furthermore, port sizes are possible from small sizes of approximately 0.1 microns to large sizes of approximately 100 microns. In some embodiments, port sizes of less than 0.1 microns are also possible.

[0057] Figures 10A and 10B are a side section and a plan section of an optical component 1 according to one embodiment, respectively. The optical component 1 may comprise one or more dielectric layers that are integrally bonded. In some examples, the optical component 1 may comprise three dielectric layers, each of which comprises at least a vertical (e.g., extending along the z-axis) or horizontal (e.g., extending along the x-axis or along any direction in the xy-plane) optical waveguide region. When these three layers are integrally bonded, the optical waveguide region forms at least one optical channel (or waveguide) that optically connects the input port of the optical component 1 to the output port. Optionally, the dielectric layers may comprise an optical channel formed by one or more optical waveguide regions. In some embodiments, at least one optical waveguide region may include a wavelength-selective region configured to provide different optical paths for at least two different wavelengths. As shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the optical component 1 comprises a first optical channel 3 extending through a first optical element 2 and a second optical element 10. The first optical channel 3 can extend from the first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 to the second port 7 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1. The optical component 1 further includes a second optical channel 9 extending through the first optical element 2, which can extend from the third port 11 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 to the fourth port 12 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1.

[0058] The first and second optical channels 3 and 9 each comprise first and second optical gratings 25 and 26, respectively. The first optical channel 3 further comprises a first angled surface 44a that guides the transmission of electromagnetic radiation 43 from a first direction D1 to a second direction D2, which is different from the first direction D1 and passes through the first grating 25 in the first optical channel 3. The second optical channel 9 further comprises a second angled surface 44b that guides the transmission of electromagnetic radiation 43 from a first direction D1 to a second direction D2, which is different from the first direction D1 and passes through the second grating 26 in the second optical channel 9. In one embodiment, the first and second gratings 25 and 26 are Bragg gratings. In some embodiments, the first and second gratings 25 and 26 can be used as filtering devices that selectively transmit electromagnetic radiation signals of specific wavelengths. For example, the first grating 25 (or the second grating 26) may be configured to reflect light having wavelengths within the reflection bandwidth of the first grating 25 and transmit light wavelengths outside the reflection bandwidth. In various embodiments, the first and second gratings 25, 26 may have the same spectral response or may have different spectral responses. Including an optical grating (or other wavelength-selective optical component) is advantageous because it allows for tuning of the optical spectrum of light transmitted through the optical component 1, thereby reducing the number of optical components in external optical devices optically connected via the optical component 1. In various embodiments, the first grating 25 (or the second grating 26) may be configured as a band-pass or band-canceling optical filter. Optionally, the optical channel may include two or more gratings with different spectral transmissions. The optical component 1 may play a dual role as an optical interconnect and an optical filter in a particular optical system (e.g., a wavelength division multiplexing optical system).

[0059] Figures 11A to 11C show an example of how a first Bragg grating 25 may be manufactured on a first optical channel 3 in an optical component 1. For example, the first dielectric layer 2 of the optical component 1 may include a first optical channel 3 that includes a vertical waveguide region and a horizontal waveguide region. Optionally, the upper surface of the first dielectric layer may include the upper surface of the horizontal waveguide region. Optionally, the horizontal waveguide region may be located below the upper surface of the dielectric layer 2. In various embodiments, the dielectric layer 2 and the horizontal waveguide region within it may be configured to allow optical access to the horizontal waveguide region via the upper surface. Optionally, an optical grating may be formed in the horizontal waveguide region by direct optical writing, illumination via an optical mask, or the formation of an etched periodic structure. In one embodiment, the first optical channel 3 is an optical waveguide. In one embodiment, the first optical channel 3 is a processed glass waveguide. In some embodiments, the processed glass waveguide can be a silica waveguide. Although the material for the fabricated waveguide is described as glass or silica, other materials may also be used. The waveguide may have a refractive index n1, and the portion of the optical element 10 outside the first optical channel 3 (e.g., cladding) may have a refractive index n2, where n1 is greater than n2. In some embodiments, if the waveguide is silica, it may be easy to change its refractive index by doping (e.g., Figure 11A) to form a Bragg grating. After the doped silica waveguide is formed (e.g., Figure 11A), a Bragg grating 25 is formed on the silica waveguide 3 by a phase mask 27 and UV irradiation 50 (e.g., Figure 11B). After the Bragg grating 25 is formed, a second dielectric layer 10 of the optical component 1 containing a material having a refractive index n2 is directly bonded to the first dielectric layer 2 (e.g., Figure 11C). In another embodiment, the Bragg grating 25 is formed on the silica waveguide 3 using a process that includes direct writing with a femtosecond laser. In another embodiment, the Bragg grid 25 is formed on the silica waveguide 3 using a process that includes a UV interference pattern.

[0060] Figures 12A and 12B are a side section and a plan section of an optical component 1 according to one embodiment, respectively. The optical component 1 may comprise one or more dielectric layers that are integrally bonded. In some examples, the optical component 1 may comprise three dielectric layers, each of which comprises at least a vertical (e.g., extending along the z-axis) or horizontal (e.g., extending along the x-axis) optical waveguide region. When these three layers are integrally bonded, the optical waveguide region forms at least one optical power divider that optically connects the input port of the optical component 1 to two or more output ports. The optical component 1 shown in Figure 12A comprises a first optical channel 3 with refractive index n1 extending from a first port 6 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through first and second dielectric layers 2, 10, and an optical power divider formed in a third dielectric layer 14 (Figure 12B). The optical power splitter comprises a Y-branch 51 and two branched optical channels 52a and 52b, the input port of the Y-branch 51 being optically coupled to the first optical channel 3. A third dielectric layer 14 is disposed on the second dielectric layer 10 and contains a material having a refractive index n2. The Y-branch 51 is configured to split the electromagnetic radiation (light) 43 transmitted through the first optical channel 3 into a first branched optical channel 52a and a second branched optical channel 52b, with at least one of the branched optical channels (e.g., 52a) extending through the second optical element 10 to a second port 7 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1.

[0061] In one embodiment, the Y-branch 51 is configured to equally divide the electromagnetic radiation 43 between two branched optical channels 52a and 52b. In another embodiment, the Y-branch 51 is configured to asymmetrically divide the electromagnetic radiation between two branched optical channels 52a and 52b. In one embodiment, the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through optical channel 52a is greater than the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through optical channel 52b. In another embodiment, the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through optical channel 52a is less than the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through optical channel 52b. In some embodiments, the Y-branch 51 acts as a power splitter. In such embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation 43 is transmitted through a first optical channel 3, which can be a straight optical waveguide. The electromagnetic radiation 43 is then divided by the Y-branch 51 between the first and second branched optical channels 52a and 52b. In another embodiment, the Y-branch 51 acts as an optical power combiner such that electromagnetic radiation received through the first and second branched optical channels 52a, 52b is combined by the Y-branch 51 to generate electromagnetic radiation 43 in the first optical channel 3. The combined electromagnetic radiation 43 is transmitted through the first optical channel 3 and output via port 6.

[0062] Figure 13A shows an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. The optical component 1 may comprise one or more dielectric layers that are integrally and directly bonded via a bonding interface 62. In some examples, the optical component 1 may comprise three dielectric layers, each of which includes at least a vertical (e.g., extending along the z-axis) or horizontal (e.g., extending along the x-axis) optical waveguide region. When these three layers are integrally bonded, the optical waveguide region forms at least one directional optical coupler that optically connects one or more input ports of the optical component 1 to one or more output ports.

[0063] The optical component 1 shown in Figure 13A comprises a first optical channel 3 extending from a first port 6 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through first, second, and third dielectric layers 2, 10, and 14 to a second port 7 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1. The optical component 1 further comprises a second optical channel 9 extending from a third port 11 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 through first and second optical elements 2, 10 to a fourth port 12 on the second surface 5 of the optical component 1, which is non-parallel to the first surface 4 and top surface 13 of the optical component 1. The first waveguide portion 54 of the first optical channel 3 and the second waveguide portion 55 of the second optical channel 9 in the second dielectric layer 10 are optically coupled (for example, side-coupled) to form a directional coupler 53 as shown in Figure 13B. Figure 13B shows a first waveguide portion 54 of the first optical channel 3 extending through the second and a second waveguide portion 55 of the second optical channel 9 extending through the dielectric layer 10. The first waveguide portion 54 may be substantially parallel to the second waveguide portion 55. In some examples, the lateral distance between the first waveguide portion 54 and the second waveguide portion 55, parallel to the main plane of the second layer 10 and along a direction perpendicular to the first and / or second waveguide portions 54, 55 (e.g., along the y-axis), may be configured to enable mutual optical power transmission between the first and second waveguide regions 54, 55 via evanescent coupling. The lateral distance between the first waveguide portion 54 and the second waveguide portion 55 may be determined at least partially based on the wavelength of light transmitted through the optical component 1.

[0064] Figure 14 shows two optical devices optically interconnected by an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. The optical component 1 may comprise one or more dielectric layers that are integrally and directly bonded. In some examples, the optical component 1 may comprise three dielectric layers, each dielectric layer comprising at least a vertical (e.g., extending along the z-axis) or horizontal (e.g., extending along the x-axis) optical waveguide region. In some embodiments, these three layers are directly bonded to form at least one optical channel (or waveguide) that optically connects the input port of the optical component 1 to the output port. The optical component 1 comprises a first optical channel 3 extending from a first port 6 on a first face 4 of the optical component 1 to a second port 7 on the first face 4. More specifically, according to the embodiment of Figure 14, optical signals can be transmitted and received along the same face 4 of the optical component 1. In this embodiment, the optical component 1 functions as an optical bridge connecting adjacent elements or devices through a bridging optical channel (or waveguide). Optical bridges offer advantages in such devices because they provide a manufacturable method for forming high-speed chip-to-chip optical communications, etc.

[0065] In Figure 14, the first optical channel 3 extends through the first and second dielectric layers 2 and 10. Optionally, the first port 6 and the second port 7 of the optical component 1 may be optically coupled to the first and second optical devices 21 and 22, respectively. In some embodiments, a first region of the bottom surface of the optical component 1, including the first port 6, may be directly bonded to the top surface of the first optical device 21, and a second region of the bottom surface of the optical component 1, including the second port 7, may be directly bonded to the top surface of the second optical device. In some embodiments, the direct bonding between the top surface of the first optical device 21 (or the second optical device 22) and a region of the bottom surface of the optical component 1 may include a hybrid bonding (e.g., a bonding including at least one dielectric-dielectric and metal-metal bonding). Optionally, the first optical device 21 (or the second optical device 22) may include an optical element (e.g., an active or passive optical device) disposed on a substrate, die, chip, package, etc. In some cases, the optical element may be directly bonded to a substrate, die, chip, package, etc. In some examples, the optical element may be integrated (for example, manufactured as a single unit) on a substrate, die, chip, package, etc. In other examples, the first optical device may be an optical emitter (for example, a laser, laser diode, LED, etc.) 21 bonded to a first element (for example, a first die 23), and the second optical device may include an optical receiver 22 (for example, a photodetector) bonded to a second element (for example, a second die 28). Thus, the first optical channel 3 is configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal 43 (for example, an optical signal) from the emitter 21 to the receiver 22. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices 21, 22 may each include an optical transceiver configured to transmit and receive optical signals. In these embodiments, one or more optical channels of the optical component 1 may optically connect two transceivers. In some examples, a single channel may transmit light from the first transceiver to the second transceiver, and vice versa. In some examples, the first channel may transmit light from the first transceiver to the second transceiver, and the second channel may transmit light from the second transceiver to the first transceiver.In one embodiment, the first optical device 21 can be a receiver, and the second optical device 22 can be an emitter.

[0066] Figure 15A shows an optical component 1 comprising one or more dielectric layers integrally and directly bonded via a bonding interface 62, according to one embodiment. The component 1 in Figure 15A may include one or more features described with respect to Figure 14. For example, the optical component 1 in Figure 15A comprises a first optical channel 3 extending from a first port 6 on a first face 4 of the optical component 1 to a second port 7 on the first face 4 of the optical component 1. The first optical channel 3 extends through first and second dielectric layers 2, 10. Similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 14, in the embodiment shown in Figure 15A, the first optical channel 3 is configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal 43 from a first optical device 29 to a second optical device 30, or from a second optical device 30 to a first optical device 29. In one embodiment, the first optical device 29 includes an optical waveguide 33 and a lattice coupler 31 configured to couple light from the optical waveguide 33 to a first optical channel 3 through a first port 6 and from the first optical channel 3 to the optical waveguide 33 through the first port 6. Furthermore, the second optical device 30 may include an optical waveguide 33 and a lattice coupler 31 configured to couple light from the optical waveguide 33 to a first optical channel 3 through a second port 7 and from the first optical channel 3 to the optical waveguide 33 through the second port 7. In some examples, the optical waveguide 33 can be a silicon-on-silica waveguide formed on a semiconductor substrate (e.g., a silicon substrate 35). In some other examples, the optical waveguide 33 can be a polymer waveguide, a semiconductor waveguide containing a compound semiconductor material, or a silica waveguide. In some embodiments, the first and second optical devices 29, 30 are bonded to the optical component 1 through a plurality of bonding pads 38. Optionally, the plurality of optical pads may enable coupling between the optical component 1 and the first and second optical devices, and / or provide a gap between the top surface of the lattice coupler and the bottom surface of the optical component 1 to improve optical coupling. In one of the plurality of optical pads, a lithographically defined dielectric pad may be formed on the substrate (e.g., substrate 35). The top surface of the optical pad may be configured to bond to the bottom surface 4 of the optical component 1.In some cases, the optical pads may be spaced between the bottom surface 4 and the top surface of the grating coupler (e.g., grating coupler 31) to improve optical coupling between the optical waveguide (e.g., optical waveguide 33) and the ports of the optical component 1 (e.g., ports 6 or 7). In some such cases, the thickness of the optical pads along the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate 35 (e.g., along the y-axis) can be greater than the thickness of the grating coupler. Figure 15B is a plan view of a first optical device 29 comprising an optical waveguide 33, a grating coupler 31, and a plurality of bonding pads 38. Although four optical pads are shown, in various embodiments, it is possible to have more or fewer pads.

[0067] Figure 16A shows an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. In Figure 16A, the optical component 1 comprises a first plurality of optical channels 3 extending from a first plurality of ports 6 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 to a second plurality of ports 7 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1. The first plurality of optical channels 3 are coupled to a second plurality of optical channels 33 in a second optical device 29 through a first plurality of lattice couplers 31. As shown in Figures 16A and 16B, the second optical device 29 is directly bonded to the optical component 1 through a plurality of bonding pads 38. In one embodiment, the first and second plurality of optical channels 3, 33 are optical waveguides. In one embodiment, the optical waveguides are silica waveguides formed on a semiconductor substrate 35.

[0068] Figure 16B is a plan view of a second optical device 29 having multiple bonding pads 38 and a second set of optical channels 3 tapering into multiple grating couplers 31. Figure 16B is also a bottom view of the optical component 1 and the alignment between the optical component 1 and the second optical device 29. The bottom view shows the optical component 1 having a first set of optical channels 3 terminating at a first set of ports 6.

[0069] In the embodiment shown in Figure 16A, multiple optical waveguides allow light transmitted through multiple narrow-pitch inputs to propagate from an optical device 29 to multiple outputs arranged as a larger-pitch output array. Such a configuration allows for the use of multiple light sources (e.g., lasers, laser diodes, LEDs, etc.) while maintaining them on separate devices. The illustrated embodiment may be beneficial in situations where another device (not shown) receiving the transmitted light from device 29 is susceptible to thermal influences, or where isolation from many components powering the light source is advantageous. In other embodiments, light of various wavelengths may be supplied through device 29, propagated through optical channels 3 in optical component 1, and transmitted through output ports at different locations on the top surface 13 of optical component 1. Another device can be connected to the output to receive light of various wavelengths. In other embodiments, light of various wavelengths can be received by multiple external devices.

[0070] Figure 17A is a side view of an optical assembly comprising an optical component 1 according to one embodiment. The optical component 1 may be configured to couple light from one or more optical waveguides of a first optical device 29 to one or more optical ports of a second optical device 41 located above the optical component 1, and vice versa. The optical component 1 may comprise one or more dielectric layers integrally bonded directly via a bonding interface 62. In some examples, the optical component 1 may comprise three dielectric layers, each dielectric layer including at least a vertical (e.g., extending along the z-axis) or horizontal (e.g., extending along the x-axis) optical waveguide region. When these three layers are integrally bonded, the optical waveguide region forms at least one optical channel (or waveguide) that optically connects at least one input port of the optical component 1 to an output port. The optical component 1 may comprise a first plurality of optical channels 3 extending from a first plurality of ports 6 on a first surface 4 of the optical component 1 to a second plurality of ports 7 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1. Multiple optical channels 3 are coupled to multiple optical waveguides 33 in a first optical device 29 via a first set of grating couplers 31. As shown in Figures 17A and 17B (and as described above with respect to Figures 15A and 15B), the first optical device 29 is directly bonded to an optical component 1 via a set of bonding pads 38. The optical assembly shown in Figure 17A comprises the first optical device 29 optically coupled to a second optical device 41 via an optical component 1. In some examples, the second optical device includes a multifiber connector 41 (e.g., an MT-type connector) containing a set of fibers 42, the core region of each fiber configured to receive light from the optical component 1. Optionally, the multifiber connector 41 may be directly bonded to the top surface 13 of the optical component 1 (e.g., via one or more bonding pads 38). In some other examples, the optical component 1 may further include a connector receiver (e.g., a socket) configured to mechanically couple a multifiber connector 41 to the optical component 1 and align the core regions of the multiple fibers 42 to the second multiple ports 7 of the multiple optical channels 3.In some embodiments, the first optical device 29 and optical component 1 in Figure 17A may include one or more of the features described above with respect to the first optical device 29 and optical component 1 in Figures 15A and 15B.

[0071] The inset is a bottom cross-sectional view of the alignment between the optical component 1 and the ports 7 of the multiple optical channels 3 (in the optical component 1) and the multiple fibers 42 of the multifiber connector 41. The lateral spacing between the multiple channels 3 on the first surface 4 of the optical component 1 is smaller than the lateral spacing between the multiple optical channels 3 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1.

[0072] Figure 17B is a plan view of a first optical device 29 bonded to an optical component 1 via a plurality of bonding pads 38. A plurality of optical waveguides 33 are optically coupled to a plurality of optical channels 3 in the optical component 1 via a plurality of grating couplers 31. In one embodiment, the first lateral spacing (e.g., along the x-axis or y-axis) between a first plurality of ports 6 on the bottom surface 4 of the optical component 1 is smaller than the second lateral spacing between a second plurality of ports 6 on the top surface 13 of the optical component 1. Thus, the optical component 1 can optically couple the plurality of output ports (e.g., grating couplers 31) of the first optical device 29 having a first pitch to a plurality of second optical devices (e.g., multifiber connectors 41) having a second pitch, so that the individual input and output ports are aligned with the corresponding ports of the individual optical channels in the optical component 1. In some examples, the first pitch can be 50 nm to 100 nm, 100 nm to 0.5 microns, 0.5 microns to 1 micron, 5 microns to 10 microns, 10 microns to 20 microns, 20 microns to 30 microns, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values. In some examples, the second pitch can be 50 microns to 70 microns, 70 microns to 90 microns, 90 microns to 110 microns, or any range formed by these values ​​or larger or smaller values. In one embodiment, the lateral distance separating the first plurality of optical channels 3 on the upper surface 13 of the optical component 1 is configured to correspond to alignment with the core regions of the plurality of fibers 42. In one embodiment, the fiber diameter can be 50 microns to 500 microns, and the core region diameter can be 5 microns to 400 microns.

[0073] Similar to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 16A, the embodiment in Figure 17A demonstrates that multiple optical waveguides can propagate light transmitted through multiple narrow-pitch inputs from one optical device 29 to multiple outputs arranged as a larger-pitch output array within a connector such as an MT-type connector. Such a configuration allows for the use of multiple light sources (e.g., lasers) while maintaining them on separate devices. The illustrated embodiment may be beneficial in situations where another device (not shown) receiving the transmitted light from device 29 is susceptible to thermal effects, or where isolation from many components powering the light source is advantageous. In other embodiments, light of various wavelengths may be supplied through device 29, propagated through optical channels 3 in optical component 1, and transmitted through output ports at different locations on the top surface 13 of optical component 1. Another device can be coupled to optical component 1 via a connector (e.g., 41) to receive light of various wavelengths.

[0074] Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to direct bonding structures in which two or more elements can be directly joined to each other without the interposition of an adhesive. In this specification, such processes and structures are referred to as “direct bonding” processes or “direct bonding” structures. Direct bonding may include joining a material on one element to a material on another element (also referred to herein as “uniform direct bonding”), without the use of conventional adhesives, and the materials on the different elements do not need to be the same. Direct bonding may also include joining multiple materials on one element to multiple materials on another element (e.g., hybrid bonding).

[0075] In some embodiments (not shown), each bonding layer has one material. In these uniform direct bonding processes, only one material on each element is directly bonded. An example of a uniform direct bonding process is the ZIBOND® technology, commercially available from Adeia, Inc. in San Jose, California. The materials of opposing bonding layers on different elements can be the same or different, and may include elemental or compound materials. For example, in some embodiments, a non-conductive bonding layer can be blanket-deposited on a base substrate portion without patterning with conductive features (e.g., without pads). In other embodiments, the bonding layers can be patterned on one or both elements and may be the same or different from each other, but one material on each element is directly bonded without adhesive across the entire surface of the elements (or across the entire surface of the smaller element if the elements are of different sizes). In another embodiment of uniform direct bonding, one or both of the non-conductive bonding layers may contain one or more conductive features, but the conductive features do not participate in the bonding. For example, in some embodiments, opposing non-conductive bonding layers can be uniformly and directly bonded to each other, and after bonding, through-substrate vias (TSVs) can be formed on one element to provide electrical communication to the other element.

[0076] In various embodiments, the bonding layers 108a and / or 108b may include nonconductive materials such as dielectric materials or undoped semiconductor materials such as undoped silicon, which may contain native oxides. Dielectric bonding surfaces or materials suitable for direct bonding include, but are not limited to, inorganic dielectrics such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride, or materials containing silicon carbide, silicon oxycarbonitride, low dielectric constant materials, SiCOH dielectrics, silicon carbonitride, diamond-like carbon, or diamond surfaces. Such carbon-containing ceramic materials can be considered inorganic despite containing carbon. In some embodiments, the dielectric material of the bonding surface does not include polymer materials such as epoxy (e.g., epoxy adhesives, cured epoxy, or epoxy composites such as FR-4 materials), resins, or molding materials.

[0077] In other embodiments, the bonding layer may include a conductive material such as a deposited conductive oxide material (e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO)), as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 524564 filed June 30, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference to provide an example of a conductive bonding layer without short-circuit contacts through the interface.

[0078] In direct bonding, the first and second elements can be directly bonded to each other without the interposition of an adhesive, which differs from the deposition process and results in a structurally different interface compared to that produced by deposition. In one application, the width of the first element in the bonded structure is approximately the same as the width of the second element. In some other embodiments, the width of the first element in the bonded structure is different from the width of the second element. The width or area of ​​the larger element in the bonded structure may be at least 10% larger than the width or area of ​​the smaller element. Furthermore, the interface between direct bonded structures, unlike the interface directly beneath the deposited layer, may contain defect regions where nanometer-scale voids (nanovoids) exist. Nanovoids can be formed by the activation of one or both of the bonding surfaces (e.g., exposure to the plasma described below).

[0079] The bonding interface between non-conductive bonding surfaces may contain higher concentrations of material compared to the bulk of the bonding layer due to activation and / or final chemical treatment processes. For example, in embodiments utilizing nitrogen plasma for activation, a nitrogen concentration peak may be formed at the bonding interface. In some embodiments, the nitrogen concentration peak may be detectable using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) techniques. In various embodiments, nitrogen-terminated surfaces can be generated by replacing the OH groups on the hydrolysis (OH-terminated) surface with NH2 molecules, for example, by nitrogen termination (e.g., exposure of the bonding surface to a nitrogen-containing plasma). In embodiments utilizing oxygen plasma for activation, an oxygen concentration peak may be formed at the bonding interface between non-conductive bonding surfaces. In some embodiments, the bonding interface may contain silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, or silicon carbonitride. Direct bonding may involve covalent bonds stronger than van der Waals bonds. The bonding layer may also include polished surfaces planarized to a high degree of smoothness.

[0080] In direct bonding processes such as uniform direct bonding and hybrid bonding, two elements are joined integrally without the interposition of an adhesive. In non-direct bonding processes that utilize adhesives, a physical connection between elements is achieved by applying an intervening material typically to one or both elements. For example, in some adhesive-based processes, a physical connection (not chemical or covalent) can be formed between elements by applying a fluid adhesive (e.g., an organic adhesive such as epoxy), which may contain a conductive filler material, to one or both elements and allowing it to cure. Typical organic adhesives do not form strong chemical or covalent bonds with either element. In such processes, the connection between elements is weak and / or easily reversed by reheating or flux cleaning.

[0081] In contrast, direct bonding processes integrate two elements by forming a strong chemical bond (e.g., a covalent bond) between opposing nonconductive materials. For example, in direct bonding processes between nonconductive materials, one or both of the nonconductive surfaces of the two elements are planarized and chemically treated (e.g., activated and / or terminated) so that a chemical bond (e.g., a covalent bond) stronger than van der Waals bonds or hydrogen bonds is formed when the elements are in contact. In some embodiments (e.g., between opposing dielectric surfaces such as opposing silicon oxide surfaces), the chemical bond can occur spontaneously at room temperature when the elements are in contact. In some embodiments, the chemical bond between the opposing nonconductive materials can be strengthened after the elements have been annealed.

[0082] As described above, hybrid bonding is a type of direct bonding in which non-conductive features are directly bonded to other non-conductive features, and conductive features are directly bonded to the conductive features of the elements being bonded. While the non-conductive bonding materials and interfaces can be as described above, conductive bonding can be formed, for example, as a direct connection between metals. In conventional metal bonding processes, a fusible metal alloy (e.g., solder) is placed between the conductors of two elements, heated to melt the alloy, and then cooled to form a connection between the two elements. The resulting bond often exhibits a sharp interface with the conductors of both elements and can be reversed by reheating. In contrast, direct metal bonding, such as that employed in hybrid bonding, does not require melting or an intermediate fusible metal alloy, can provide a strong mechanical and electrical connection, and often exhibits interdiffusion of the bonded conductive features and grain growth at the bonding interface between elements, even without the much higher temperatures and pressures of thermocompression bonding.

[0083] Figures 18A and 18B are schematic side cross-sectional views of first and second elements 102 and 104, respectively, before and after a process for forming a direct bond structure, more specifically, a hybrid bond structure, according to several embodiments. In Figure 18B, the bond structure 100 includes first and second elements 102 and 104 directly bonded to each other at a bond interface 118 without the interposition of an adhesive. A conductive feature 106a of the first element 102 may be electrically connected to the corresponding conductive feature 106b of the second element 104. In the illustrated hybrid bond structure 100, the conductive feature 106a is directly bonded to the corresponding conductive feature 106b without the interposition of solder or conductive adhesive.

[0084] The conductive features 106a and 106b in the illustrated embodiment are embedded in the first bonding layer 108a of the first element 102 and the second bonding layer 108b of the second element 104, respectively, and can be considered as parts of these. The field regions of the bonding layers 108a and 108b extend between the conductive features 106a and 106b and surround part or all of the conductive features 106a and 106b. As described above, the bonding layers 108a and 108b may include a layer of non-conductive material suitable for direct bonding, and the field regions are directly bonded to each other without adhesive. The non-conductive bonding layers 108a and 108b may be disposed on the surfaces 114a and 114b of the base substrate portions 110a and 110b, respectively.

[0085] The first and second elements 102 and 104 may include microelectronic elements such as semiconductor elements including, for example, integrated device dies, wafers, passive devices, discrete active devices such as power switches, and MEMS. In some embodiments, the base substrate portion may include a device portion such as a bulk semiconductor (e.g., silicon) portion of the elements 102 and 104, and a back-end obline (BEOL) interconnection layer on such a semiconductor portion. The junction layers 108a and 108b may be provided as part of such a BEOL layer during device manufacturing, part of a redistribution layer (RDL), or as a specific junction layer added to an existing device, with junction pads extending from the underlying contacts. Active devices and / or circuits can be patterned and / or otherwise arranged in or on the base substrate portions 110a and 110b, and at least some of the conductive features 106a and 106b can be electrically communicated. Active devices and / or circuits can be disposed on the front surfaces 114a, 114b or near thereto of the base substrate portions 110a, 110b, and / or on the opposite back surfaces 116a, 116b or near thereto of the base substrate portions 110a, 110b. In other embodiments, the base substrate portions 110a, 110b do not have to include active circuits and may instead include dummy substrates, passive interposers, passive optical elements (e.g., glass substrates, grids, lenses), etc. Although the bonding layers 108a, 108b are shown as being provided on the surface of the element, similar bonding layers may be provided as additional or alternative to the back surface of the element.

[0086] In some embodiments, the base substrate portions 110a and 110b may have significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE), and a junction element including such different base substrate portions may form a heterogeneous junction structure. The CTE difference between the base substrate portions 110a and 110b, and in particular between the bulk semiconductor (typically single crystal) portions of the base substrate portions 110a and 110b, can be greater than 5 ppm / °C or greater than 10 ppm / °C. For example, the CTE difference between the base substrate portions 110a and 110b can be in the range of 5 ppm / °C to 100 ppm / °C, 5 ppm / °C to 40 ppm / °C, 10 ppm / °C to 100 ppm / °C, or 10 ppm / °C to 40 ppm / °C.

[0087] In some embodiments, one of the base substrate portions 110a, 110b may comprise an optoelectronic single-crystal material (including perovskite materials) useful for photoelectric or pyroelectric applications, while the other base substrate portion 110a, 110b may comprise a more conventional substrate material. For example, one of the base substrate portions 110a, 110b may comprise lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) or lithium niobate (LiNbO3), while the other base substrate portion 110a, 110b may comprise silicon (Si), quartz, fused silica glass, sapphire, or glass. In other embodiments, one of the base substrate portions 110a, 110b may comprise a III-V single-semiconductor material such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) or gallium nitride (GaN), while the other base substrate portion 110a, 110b may comprise a non-III-V semiconductor material such as silicon (Si), or other materials having a similar CTE, such as quartz, fused silica glass, sapphire, or glass. In yet another embodiment, one of the base substrate portions 110a and 110b includes a semiconductor material, and the other of the base substrate portions 110a and 110b includes a packaging material such as a glass, organic, or ceramic substrate.

[0088] In some configurations, the first element 102 may include a fragmented element such as a fragmented integrated device die. In other configurations, the first element 102 may include a carrier or substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) containing multiple (e.g., tens, hundreds, or more) device regions that form multiple integrated device dies by fragmentation, although in other embodiments, such a carrier can be a package substrate or a passive or active interposer. Similarly, the second element 104 may include a fragmented element such as a fragmented integrated device die. In other configurations, the second element 104 may include a carrier or substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer). Thus, embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to wafer-to-wafer (W2W), die-to-die (D2D), or die-to-wafer (D2W) bonding processes. In a W2W process, two or more wafers are directly bonded to each other (e.g., direct hybrid bonding) and can be fragmented by a suitable fragmentation process. After framing, the side edges of the framing structure (e.g., the side edges of two junction elements) may be substantially flush (the x-y dimensions are substantially aligned), and / or the edges of the junction interfaces of both the junction element and the framing element may extend, and may also include markings indicating a common framing process for the junction structure (e.g., saw markings if a dicing process is used).

[0089] Furthermore, although only two elements 102 and 104 are shown, any suitable number of elements can be stacked in the junction structure 100. For example, a third element (not shown) can be stacked on the second element 104, a fourth element (not shown) can be stacked on the third element, and so on. In such embodiments, vertical electrical communication between vertically stacked elements can be provided by forming through-substrate vias (TSVs). As an addition or alternative, one or more additional elements (not shown) can be stacked adjacent to each other along the first element 102. In some embodiments, the additional elements stacked laterally may be smaller than the second element. In some embodiments, the junction structure may be encapsulated with an insulating material such as an inorganic dielectric (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbonitride). One or more insulating layers can be provided on the junction structure. For example, in some embodiments, a first insulating layer may be conformally deposited on the junction structure, and a second insulating layer (which may contain the same material as the first insulating layer or a different material) may be provided on the first insulating layer.

[0090] To achieve direct bonding between bonding layers 108a and 108b, the bonding layers 108a and 108b can be prepared for direct bonding. The non-conductive bonding surfaces 112a and 112b on the upper or outer surfaces of bonding layers 108a and 108b can be prepared for direct bonding by polishing, for example, by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The roughness of the polished bonding surfaces 112a and 112b can be less than 30 Årms. For example, the roughness of the bonding surfaces 112a and 112b can range from approximately 0.1 Årms to 15 Årms, 0.5 Årms to 10 Årms, or 1 Årms to 5 Årms. Furthermore, the polishing can be adjusted to leave conductive features 106a and 106b that are recessed in the field region of bonding layers 108a and 108b.

[0091] Furthermore, preparation for direct bonding may include cleaning one or both of the bonding surfaces 112a, 112b and exposing them to plasma and / or etchant to activate at least one of the surfaces 112a, 112b. In some embodiments, one or both of the surfaces 112a, 112b may be terminated with a species after or during activation (e.g., during the plasma and / or etching process). Without theoretical limitations, in some embodiments, the activation process can break chemical bonds at the bonding surfaces 112a, 112b, and the termination process can provide additional chemical species to the bonding surfaces 112a, 112b that cause changes in chemical bonds and / or increases in bond energy during direct bonding. In some embodiments, activation and termination are provided in the same step (e.g., activation and termination of surfaces 112a, 112b by plasma). In other embodiments, one or both of the bonding surfaces 112a, 112b can be terminated by a separate treatment to provide additional species for direct bonding. In various embodiments, the termination species may include nitrogen. For example, in some embodiments, the bonding surfaces 112a and 112b may be exposed to a nitrogen-containing plasma. Depending on the material of the bonding surfaces 112a and 112b, other termination types may be suitable to increase the bonding energy. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the bonding surfaces 112a and 112b may be exposed to fluorine. For example, one or more fluorine concentration peaks may be present at or near the bonding interface 118 between the first and second elements 102 and 104. Typically, the fluorine concentration peak occurs at the interface between material layers.Examples of additional activation and / or termination processing are found in U.S. Patent No. 9391143, specifically in columns 5, row 55 to 7, row 3; columns 8, row 52 to 9, row 45; columns 10, rows 24 to 36; columns 11, rows 24 to 32, 42 to 47, 52 to 55, and 60 to 64; columns 12, rows 3 to 14, 31 to 33, and 55 to 67; and column 14, row 38 May also be described in lines 40 and 44-50, and in columns 4 and 41-50 of U.S. Patent No. 10434749; lines 7-22, 39, and 55-61 of column 5; lines 25-31, 35-40, and 49-56 of column 8; and lines 46-61 of column 12 (the teachings for their activation and termination processes are incorporated herein by reference).

[0092] Thus, in the direct bonding structure 100, the bonding interface 118 between the two nonconductive materials (e.g., bonding layers 108a, 108b) may include a very smooth interface with higher nitrogen (or other termination species) content and / or fluorine concentration peaks at the bonding interface 118. In some embodiments, the nitrogen and / or fluorine concentration peaks may be detected using various types of inspection techniques, such as SIMS technology. The polished bonding surfaces 112a and 112b may become slightly rougher after the activation process (e.g., about 1 Årms to 30 Årms, 3 Årms to 20 Årms, or possibly more). In some embodiments, as a result of activation and / or termination, the surface may become slightly smoother prior to bonding, such as when plasma treatment preferentially erodes high points on the bonding surface.

[0093] The nonconductive bonding layers 108a and 108b can be directly bonded to each other without adhesive. In some embodiments, elements 102 and 104 are integrated at room temperature without the need for voltage application and without the application of external pressure or force exceeding the external pressure or force used to initiate contact between the two elements 102 and 104. Direct bonding (e.g., dielectric covalent bonding) between the nonconductive surfaces of the bonding layers 108a and 108b can be achieved solely by contact. Furthermore, conductive features 106a and 106b can be directly bonded by subsequent annealing of the bonding structure 100.

[0094] In some embodiments, prior to direct bonding, the conductive features 106a and 106b are recessed relative to the surrounding field region such that the total gap between opposing contacts after dielectric bonding and before annealing is less than 15 nm or less than 10 nm. Since the recess depth of the conductive features 106a and 106b may vary across each element due to process variations, the described gap may represent the maximum or average gap between corresponding conductive features 106a and 106b of the two integrated elements (prior to annealing). During annealing, the conductive features 106a and 106b may expand and come into contact with each other, forming a metal-to-metal direct bond.

[0095] During annealing, the conductive features 106a, 106b (e.g., metallic material) may expand, while the direct bonding between the nonconductive materials surrounding the bonding layers 108a, 108b resists separation of the elements, as the internal contact pressure between the opposing conductive features increases due to thermal expansion. Annealing also results in cross-bonding metallic grain growth across the bonding interface, such that particles from one element migrate across the bonding interface to the other element, and vice versa. Thus, in some embodiments of hybrid bonding, the opposing conductive materials are integrated without heating above the melting temperature of the conductive materials, allowing the bonding to be formed at a lower annealing temperature than soldering or thermocompression bonding.

[0096] In various embodiments, the conductive features 106a, 106b may include individual pads, contacts, electrodes, or traces at least partially embedded in the non-conductive field regions of the bonding layers 108a, 108b. In some embodiments, the conductive features 106a, 106b may include exposed contact surfaces of TSVs (e.g., through-silicon vias).

[0097] As described above, in some embodiments, in elements 102 and 104 of Figure 18A prior to direct bonding, portions of the conductive features 106a and 106b may be recessed below the nonconductive bonding surfaces 112a and 112b by, for example, less than 30 nm, less than 20 nm, less than 15 nm, or less than 10 nm (for example, in the range of 2 nm to 20 nm or 4 nm to 10 nm). Due to process variations, both the dielectric thickness and the conductive recess depth may vary across the entire element. Therefore, the recess depth range described above may be applied to individual conductive features 106a and 106b, or to the average depth of the recess relative to a local nonconductive field region. Even for individual conductive features 106a and 106b, since the vertical recess can vary across the entire feature, measurements can be taken at or near the lateral center of the cavity in which a given conductive feature 106a or 106b is formed, or on the side of the cavity.

[0098] Beneficially, the use of hybrid bonding technologies (such as Direct Bond Interconnect, or DBI® technology, commercially available from Adeia, Inc. in San Jose, California) can enable connections between high-density conductive features 106a, 106b across the direct bonding interface 118 (e.g., small-pitch or micro-pitch regular arrays).

[0099] In some embodiments, the pitch p of conductive features 106a, 106b, such as conductive traces embedded on one bonding surface of a bonding element, may be less than 40 μm, less than 20 μm, less than 10 μm, less than 5 μm, less than 2 μm, or less than 1 μm. In some applications, the ratio of the pitch of conductive features 106a and 106b to one of the lateral dimensions of the bonding pad (e.g., diameter) is preferably less than 20, less than 10, less than 5, or less than 3, and in some cases less than 2. In various embodiments, the conductive features 106a and 106b and / or traces may include copper or copper alloys, but other metals such as nickel, aluminum, or alloys thereof may be preferred. Conductive features disclosed herein, such as conductive features 106a and 106b, may include fine-grained metals (e.g., fine-grained copper). Furthermore, the main lateral dimensions (for example, pad diameter) are also small, allowing for ranges such as approximately 0.25 μm to 30 μm, approximately 0.25 μm to 5 μm, or approximately 0.5 μm to 5 μm.

[0100] In the case of hybrid junction elements 102, 104, as shown in the figure, the orientation of one or more conductive features 106a, 106b of opposing elements can be opposite to each other. As is known in the art, conductive features can generally be formed near vertical sidewalls, and in particular, the conductive sidewalls are defined by directional reactive ion etching (RIE) directly by etching the conductive material, or indirectly by etching the surrounding insulator in a damascene process. However, a slight tapered shape may exist with respect to the conductive sidewall, and the conductor narrows as it moves away from the surface first exposed to etching. The taper may be more pronounced if the conductive sidewall is defined directly or indirectly by isotropic wet etching or dry etching. In the illustrated embodiment, at least one conductive feature 106b (and / or at least one internal conductive feature such as a BEOL feature) in the junction layer 108b of the upper element 104 may be tapered or narrowed upward in the direction away from the junction surface 112b. In contrast, at least one conductive feature 106a (and / or at least one internal conductive feature such as a BEOL feature) in the bonding layer 108a of the lower element 102 may be tapered or narrowed downward in the direction away from the bonding surface 112a. Similarly, any bonding layer (not shown) on the back surfaces 116a, 116b of elements 102, 104 may be tapered or narrowed away from the back surface with a taper orientation opposite to that of the surface conductive features 106a, 106b of the same element.

[0101] As described above, during the annealing stage of the hybrid junction, the conductive features 106a and 106b may expand and come into contact with each other, forming a direct metal-metal junction. In some embodiments, the materials of the conductive features 106a and 106b of the opposing elements 102 and 104 may interdiffuse during the annealing process. In some embodiments, metal particles grow into each other across the junction interface 118. In some embodiments, the metal is or contains copper, which may have particles that enhance copper diffusion across the junction interface 118 with an orientation along the crystal plane 111. In some embodiments, the conductive features 106a and 106b may include nanotwinned copper particle structures that can aid in the integration of the conductive features during annealing. In or near the junctioned conductive features 106a and 106b, there is no substantial gap between the nonconductive junction layers 108a and 108b. In some embodiments, a barrier layer may be provided beneath the conductive features 106a and 106b and / or surrounding the sides of the conductive features 106a and 106b (for example, it may contain copper). However, in other embodiments, the barrier layer may not be present beneath the conductive features 106a and 106b.

[0102] Unless otherwise explicitly required by the context, throughout this specification and the claims, terms such as “comprise,” “comprising,” and “include,” shall be interpreted in a comprehensive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense, i.e., “including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled,” as commonly used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected by one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, the word “connected,” as commonly used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected by one or more intermediate elements. Furthermore, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words with similar meanings, as used in this application, refer to the entire application and not to any particular part thereof. Where permitted by the context, words used singular or plural in the above “Detailed Description of the Invention” may also include plural or singular forms. The word "or" in relation to a list of two or more items encompasses all interpretations of that word, namely any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[0103] Furthermore, conditional expressions used herein, in particular "can, could," "might, may," "eg, for example," and "etc.," are generally intended to convey that a particular embodiment includes a particular feature, element, and / or state, while other embodiments do not, unless otherwise specified or understood in the context in which they are used. Thus, such conditional expressions are generally not intended to imply that a feature, element, and / or state is required in any way in one or more embodiments.

[0104] While specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. For example, the illustrative embodiments include preparation for hybrid bonding, but as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the techniques taught herein may also be useful for direct metal bonding, even when direct dielectric bonding is not present. In fact, the novel apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made to the forms of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, in alternative embodiments, similar functions may be performed with different components and / or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. Each of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Any preferred combination of elements and operations of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide other embodiments. Various combinations or partial combinations of specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made, and these may still fall within the scope described above. The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover forms or improvements that fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

Claims

1. It is an optical component, First optical element and A second optical element disposed on the first optical element, A first optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, wherein the first optical channel extends between a first port on the first surface of the optical component and a second port on the second surface of the optical component, A second optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, wherein the second optical channel extends between the third port and the fourth port on the first surface of the optical component, An optical component in which the first port and the third port are spaced a first distance apart along the first surface, and the second port and the fourth port are spaced a second distance apart along the outer surface of the optical component, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

2. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the second optical element is directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive.

3. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the fourth port is disposed on the second surface of the optical component.

4. The optical component according to claim 3, wherein the second surface is parallel to or at an angle to the first surface of the optical component.

5. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the fourth port is disposed on a third surface of the optical component that is different from the second surface.

6. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the first optical channel is a waveguide.

7. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance.

8. The optical component according to claim 1, further comprising at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel.

9. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the first optical channel extending from the first port further comprises at least one optical power divider, the at least one optical power divider further comprises a Y-split, a first branch optical channel, and a second branch optical channel.

10. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the first optical channel comprises a first waveguide portion, the second optical channel comprises a second waveguide portion, and the first waveguide portion and the second waveguide portion are optically coupled to form a directional coupler.

11. A third optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, wherein the third optical channel extends between a fifth port on the first surface of the optical component and a sixth port on the second surface of the optical component, The present invention further comprises a fourth optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, wherein the fourth optical channel extends between a seventh port on the first surface of the optical component and an eighth port on the second surface of the optical component, The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the fifth port and the seventh port are spaced apart by a third distance, the sixth port and the eighth port are spaced apart by a fourth distance, and the third distance is different from the fourth distance.

12. The optical component according to claim 11, further comprising a first optical device directly bonded to the first optical channel and the second optical channel, and a second optical device directly bonded to the third optical channel and the fourth optical channel.

13. The optical component according to claim 12, wherein the first optical device is an emitter and the second optical device is a receiver.

14. The optical component according to claim 13, wherein the emitter is a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser, a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser, an end-face-emitting laser, or a low-power LED.

15. The optical component according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is a photodiode or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor.

16. The optical component according to claim 12, wherein the first optical device and the second optical device are directly bonded to the first die.

17. The optical component according to claim 16, wherein the first die controls the operation of at least one of the first optical device or the second optical device.

18. The optical component according to claim 16, wherein the optical component bridges the first die and the second die.

19. The optical component according to claim 12, wherein the first optical device and the second optical device are thermocompressed onto the first die.

20. The optical component according to claim 12, wherein the first optical device is directly bonded to the first die, and the second optical device is directly bonded to the second die.

21. The optical component according to claim 20, further comprising a bridging optical channel extending from an input port on the first surface of the optical component to an output port on the first surface of the optical component, wherein the input port is bonded to a first optical device and the output port is bonded to a second optical device.

22. The optical component according to claim 21, wherein the input port and the output port are arranged on the same surface of the optical component.

23. The optical component according to claim 11, further comprising an adapter assembly that connects an optical fiber to at least the second port.

24. The optical component according to claim 11, further comprising a first optical device and a second optical device, wherein the first optical device comprises a fifth optical channel and a first lattice coupler for coupling the fifth optical channel to the first optical channel in the optical component, and the second optical device comprises a sixth optical channel and a second lattice coupler for coupling the sixth optical channel to the third optical channel in the optical component.

25. The optical component according to claim 24, further comprising an adapter assembly coupled to at least the second port, the fourth port, the sixth port, and the eighth port on the first surface.

26. The optical component according to claim 25, wherein the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector that connects to a plurality of fiber cores.

27. It is an optical component, A first optical element having a first port and a third port along a first surface of the optical component, wherein the first port and the third port are spaced apart by a first distance along the first surface, and the first optical element includes at least a first portion of a first optical channel extending from the first port and at least a first portion of a second optical channel extending from the third port, A second optical element disposed on the first optical element, wherein the second optical element includes at least a second portion of the first optical channel, An optical component in which the first optical channel extends from the first port to a second port disposed along the second surface of the optical component, the second optical channel extends from the third port to a fourth port disposed along the second surface of the optical component, and the second port and the fourth port are separated by a second distance along the second surface, the second distance being different from the first distance.

28. The optical component according to claim 27, wherein the second optical element is directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive.

29. The optical component according to claim 27, wherein the first optical channel is a waveguide.

30. The optical component according to claim 27, wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance.

31. The optical component according to claim 27, further comprising at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel.

32. The optical component according to claim 27, wherein the first optical channel comprises at least one optical power divider, and the at least one optical power divider further comprises a Y-split, a first branch optical channel, and a second branch optical channel.

33. The optical component according to claim 27, wherein the first optical channel includes a first portion of the first optical channel, the second optical channel includes a first portion of the second optical channel, and the first portion of the first optical channel and the first portion of the second optical channel are optically coupled to form a directional coupler.

34. The optical component according to claim 27, further comprising a fifth port and a seventh port along the first surface of the optical component, wherein the fifth port and the seventh port are spaced a third distance apart along the first surface, and the first optical element includes at least a first portion of a third optical channel extending from the fifth port and at least a first portion of a fourth optical channel extending from the seventh port, and the second optical element includes at least a second portion of the third optical channel, wherein the third optical channel extends from the fifth port to a sixth port disposed along the second surface of the optical component, and the fourth optical channel extends from the seventh port to an eighth port disposed along the second surface of the optical component, wherein the sixth port and the eighth port are spaced a fourth distance apart along the second surface, the fourth distance being different from the third distance.

35. The optical component according to claim 34, further comprising a first optical device directly bonded to the first optical channel and the second optical channel, and a second optical device directly bonded to the third optical channel and the fourth optical channel.

36. The optical component according to claim 35, wherein the first optical device is a receiver and the second optical device is an emitter.

37. The optical component according to claim 36, wherein the emitter is a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser, a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser, an end-face-emitting laser, or a low-power LED.

38. The optical component according to claim 36, wherein the receiver is a photodiode or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor.

39. The optical component according to claim 35, wherein the first optical device and the second optical device are directly bonded to the first die.

40. The optical component according to claim 35, wherein the first optical device and the second optical device are thermocompressed onto the first die.

41. The optical component according to claim 35, wherein the first optical device is directly bonded to the first die, and the second optical device is directly bonded to the second die.

42. The optical component according to claim 34, further comprising an adapter assembly coupled to at least the second port, the fourth port, the sixth port, and the eighth port on the first surface.

43. The optical component according to claim 34, further comprising a first optical device and a second optical device, wherein the second optical device comprises a fifth optical channel and a first lattice coupler for coupling the fifth optical channel to the first optical channel in the optical component, and the second optical device comprises a sixth optical channel and a second lattice coupler for coupling the sixth optical channel to the third optical channel in the optical component.

44. The optical component according to claim 43, further comprising an adapter assembly coupled to at least the second port, the fourth port, the sixth port, and the eighth port on the first surface.

45. The optical component according to claim 44, wherein the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector that connects to a plurality of fiber cores.

46. A first joint structure having a first surface and a second surface, A first port and a third port disposed on the first surface of the first joint structure, wherein the first port and the third port are spaced apart by a first distance, A second port and a fourth port disposed on the second surface of the first joint structure, wherein the second port and the fourth port are separated by a second distance different from the first distance, A first optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the first port and the second port, A second optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the third port and the fourth port, An optical component equipped with the following features.

47. The optical component according to claim 46, wherein the first optical channel is a waveguide.

48. A fifth port and a seventh port disposed on the first surface of the first joint structure, wherein the fifth port and the seventh port are spaced apart by a third distance, A sixth port and an eighth port disposed on the second surface of the first joint structure, wherein the sixth port and the eighth port are separated by a fourth distance different from the third distance, A third optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the fifth port and the sixth port, A fourth optical channel extending at least partially through the first junction structure between the seventh port and the eighth port, The optical component according to claim 46, further comprising:

49. The optical component according to claim 48, further comprising a plurality of optical devices directly bonded to the first surface of the bonding structure.

50. The optical component according to claim 49, wherein the plurality of optical devices comprises a first emitter and a first receiver.

51. The optical component according to claim 50, wherein the first emitter is coupled to at least the first optical channel and the first receiver is coupled to at least the third optical channel.

52. The optical component according to claim 51, wherein the first emitter and the first receiver are directly bonded to the first die.

53. The optical component according to claim 51, wherein the first emitter is directly bonded to the first die and the first receiver is directly bonded to the second die.

54. The optical component according to claim 48, further comprising: a second junction structure; a fifth optical channel extending at least partially through the second junction structure; and a coupling element extending from the fifth optical channel and coupled to the first optical channel of the first junction structure.

55. The optical component according to claim 54, wherein the coupling element is a lattice coupler.

56. The optical component according to claim 54, further comprising an adapter assembly coupled to at least the second port and the fourth port on the first surface.

57. The optical component according to claim 56, wherein the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector that connects to a plurality of fiber cores.

58. A joint structure having a first surface and a second surface, A first optical channel extending at least partially through the bonding structure between the first surface and the second surface, A second optical channel extending at least partially through the bonding structure between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the second optical channel includes a first channel portion extending from the first surface in a first direction and a second channel portion extending in a second direction different from the first direction, An optical component equipped with the following features.

59. The optical component according to claim 58, wherein the first optical channel is a waveguide.

60. The optical component according to claim 58, further comprising an optical device directly bonded to the first surface of the bonding structure.

61. The optical component according to claim 60, wherein the optical device is coupled to at least the first optical channel of the bonding structure.

62. The optical component according to claim 61, wherein the optical device is directly bonded to the first die.

63. The optical component according to claim 58, further comprising a second junction structure having a third optical channel including a lattice coupler, wherein the lattice coupler is coupled to the first optical channel.

64. The optical component according to claim 58, further comprising an adapter assembly coupled to the second surface of the bonding structure, wherein the adapter assembly transmits electromagnetic radiation from an external fiber core to at least the first optical channel, or from at least the first optical channel to the external fiber core.

65. The optical component according to claim 64, wherein the adapter assembly is a multifiber connector that connects to a plurality of fiber cores.

66. A method for forming optical components, A first optical channel is provided between the first port and the second port, passing through at least a portion of the first optical element. A second optical channel is provided between the third port and the fourth port, passing through at least a portion of the second optical element. The first optical element is arranged on the second optical element such that the first port and the third port are spaced a first distance apart along the first surface of the optical component, and the second port and the fourth port are spaced a second distance apart along the second surface of the optical component, and the first distance is different from the second distance. Methods that include...

67. The method according to claim 66, further comprising directly bonding the first optical element to the second optical element without the interposition of an adhesive.

68. A third optical channel is provided between the fifth port and the sixth port, passing through at least a portion of the first optical element. A fourth optical channel is provided between the seventh port and the eighth port, passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, wherein the fifth port and the seventh port are spaced a third distance apart along the first surface of the optical component, and the sixth port and the eighth port are spaced a fourth distance apart along the second surface of the optical component, with the fourth distance being different from the third distance. The method according to claim 66, further comprising:

69. The method according to claim 68, further comprising directly bonding a first optical device to the first optical channel and the second optical channel, and directly bonding a second optical device to the third optical channel and the fourth optical channel.

70. The method according to claim 69, further comprising directly bonding the first optical device and the second optical device to the first die.

71. The method according to claim 70, further comprising coupling the adapter assembly to at least the second port, the fourth port, the sixth port, and the eighth port on a first surface of the adapter assembly.

72. The method according to claim 69, further comprising bonding the first optical device directly to the first die and bonding the second optical device directly to the second die.

73. The method according to claim 68, further comprising coupling a first lattice coupler extending from a fifth optical channel in a second optical component to the first optical channel in the first optical component, and coupling a second lattice coupler extending from a sixth optical channel in a third optical component to the third optical channel in the first optical component.

74. The method according to claim 66, further comprising embedding at least a first grating in the first optical channel.

75. The method according to claim 66, further comprising forming at least a first Y branch in the first optical channel.

76. The method according to claim 66, further comprising coupling a first portion of the first optical channel with a first portion of the second optical channel to form a directional coupler inside the optical component.

77. A first optical element having a bottom surface and a top surface, At least one optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, A second optical element directly bonded to the upper surface of the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive, wherein the second optical element defines at least one optical channel at least partially, The first input port on the bottom surface of the first optical element, A first output port on the bottom surface of the first optical element, wherein the at least one optical channel extends between the first input port and the first output port, An optical component equipped with the following features.

78. The optical component according to claim 77, wherein the at least one optical channel is an optical waveguide.

79. The optical component according to claim 77, wherein the optical component bridges the first die and the second die.

80. The optical component according to claim 77, further comprising a first optical device coupled to the first input port and a second optical device coupled to the first output port.

81. The optical component according to claim 80, wherein the first optical device is an emitter or a receiver.

82. The optical component according to claim 80, wherein the first optical device comprises an optical waveguide and a lattice coupler, electromagnetic radiation propagates through the optical waveguide and the lattice coupler, and the lattice coupler couples the electromagnetic radiation to a first input port.

83. It is an optical component, First optical element and A second optical element directly bonded to the first optical element without the interposition of an adhesive, A first optical channel passing through at least a portion of the first optical element, wherein the first optical channel extends between a first port on the first surface of the optical component and a second port on the second surface of the optical component, A second optical channel passing through at least a portion of the second optical element, wherein the second optical channel extends between a third port on the first surface of the optical component and a fourth port on the third surface of the optical component, An optical component equipped with the following features.

84. The optical component according to claim 83, wherein the first optical channel is an optical waveguide.

85. The optical component according to claim 83, further comprising at least a first optical grating disposed in the first optical channel.

86. The optical component according to claim 83, wherein the first optical channel comprises at least one optical power divider, and the at least one optical power divider further comprises a Y-split, a first branch optical channel, and a second branch optical channel.

87. The optical component according to claim 83, wherein the first optical channel includes a first portion of the first optical channel, the second optical channel includes a first portion of the second optical channel, and the first portion of the first optical channel and the first portion of the second optical channel are optically coupled to form a directional coupler.

88. The optical component according to claim 83, further comprising a first optical device coupled to the first port and the third port, and a second optical device coupled to at least the second port or the fourth port.

89. The optical component according to claim 88, wherein the first optical device is an emitter or a receiver.

90. The optical component according to claim 88, wherein the first optical device comprises an optical waveguide and a lattice coupler, electromagnetic radiation propagates through the optical waveguide and the lattice coupler, and the lattice coupler couples the electromagnetic radiation to a first port.

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