Heater Combined Temperature Sensor for Silicon Photonics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Silicon photonics integrated circuits' performance is highly temperature-dependent, requiring effective temperature monitoring and adjustment to maintain optimal performance, but existing solutions are inefficient and often require additional external devices for calibration.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a heater combined temperature sensor within silicon photonics integrated circuits, which includes a doped silicon region, an analog-to-digital converter, memory for relation information, and a micro-controller to estimate temperature and adjust performance, eliminating the need for external temperature measurement devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external temperature measurement devices are used to monitor temperature changes in silicon photonics integrated circuits, then temperature monitoring capability is provided, but device complexity increases and integration is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heater structure and temperature sensor into a single integrated unit. The heater is formed as a doped silicon region that serves dual purposes: providing thermal tuning capability and acting as the sensing element for temperature measurement. This merging eliminates the need for separate external temperature measurement devices while maintaining accurate temperature monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The doped silicon heater structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as a heating element for thermal tuning of optical devices, as a temperature sensor for monitoring, and as part of the silicon photonics integrated circuit substrate. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity by eliminating dedicated separate components.
2Reliability
If separate temperature sensors and heaters are used, then temperature control is achieved, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heater and temperature sensor are merged into a single doped silicon structure formed through standard CMOS doping processes. This integration allows both temperature control and measurement functions to be achieved using conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques, thereby simplifying the overall manufacturing process while maintaining reliable temperature control capability.
3Measurement precision
If additional external devices are used for temperature calibration, then calibration accuracy is provided, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated heater-sensor unit enables self-calibration capability within the silicon photonics device. The system can monitor its own temperature and adjust accordingly without requiring external calibration devices, thereby maintaining calibration accuracy while reducing device complexity and eliminating additional external components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for precise temperature calibration and performance optimization of silicon photonics devices, enhancing lasing spectrum, power, and peak wavelength stability without the need for additional external temperature monitoring devices.
Implementation Method 1
a heater configured as a silicon region doped on a part of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to measure a voltage of the heater and convert the voltage of the heater into an ADC conversion value
Data Source
AI summary
An optical device and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device each including a heater combined temperature sensor are disclosed. The optical device including the heater combined temperature sensor may include a heater, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to measure a voltage of the heater, a memory storing a measurement value, and a micro-controller configured to estimate a temperature of the heater based on relationship between the measurement value and the temperature.