Transfer-Printable Micro-Optical Structures for Miniaturized Photonic Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for small, high-resolution compound semiconductor devices and optical elements suitable for miniaturized photonic systems, as conventional optical elements are too large and silicon-based materials are not optimal for all semiconductor applications, leading to increased costs and limited availability of photolithographic processing equipment for compound semiconductor materials.
Innovation Solution
The development of micro-optical components and systems that include light emitters, detectors, processors, and waveguides, featuring micro-substrates with integrated micro-optical elements such as lenses, prisms, and filters, which can be transferred onto system substrates using techniques like micro-transfer printing, enabling precise assembly of these components in photonic systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional optical elements are used in photonic systems, then optical functions can be achieved, but the system size becomes too large for miniaturization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the photonic system into separate functional modules: silicon-based electronic circuits on silicon wafers and compound semiconductor optical devices on separate compound semiconductor wafers. These segmented modules are then integrated through wafer bonding, allowing each segment to be optimized for its specific function while achieving overall system miniaturization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds compound semiconductor optical devices within silicon photonic structures by bonding compound semiconductor wafers to silicon wafers. The optical devices are nested within the silicon photonic circuit framework, creating a compact hierarchical structure where smaller optical components are integrated within the larger silicon photonic system.
2Reliability
If compound semiconductor materials are used for optical devices, then superior light emission and sensor sensitivity are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases due to lower production volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manufacturing process into separate silicon wafer fabrication and compound semiconductor wafer fabrication lines. This allows compound semiconductor devices to be manufactured in smaller batches optimized for high performance, while silicon devices are produced in large volumes for cost efficiency. The segmented approach enables specialized high-volume compound semiconductor fabrication facilities to develop, reducing overall costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from traditional discrete device assembly to wafer-level parallel processing. By bonding entire wafers of compound semiconductor devices to silicon wafers in a single step, the manufacturing throughput increases dramatically, effectively changing the production scale parameters to reduce per-unit costs.
3Manufacturing precision
If high-resolution photolithographic tools are used for silicon processing, then dense and fast integrated circuits are achieved, but equipment cost is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal wafer bonding platform that can process both silicon wafers and compound semiconductor wafers using the same bonding equipment. This multi-functional approach allows expensive high-resolution photolithographic and bonding tools to serve multiple material systems and device types, amortizing the equipment cost across larger production volumes of diverse photonic devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A micro-optical structure includes a structure substrate comprising a cavity and a micro-optical component disposed entirely and directly over or in the cavity. The micro-optical component includes a micro-optical element and a component tether physically attached to an anchor portion of the structure substrate and in contact with the micro-optical element. The structure substrate and the micro-optical component can be monolithic, for example unitary and comprise a same material or are the same material. The micro-optical component can be disposed on a sacrificial portion disposed on a micro-optical component source wafer differentially etchable form the sacrificial portion. The micro-optical component can be disposed on a micro-optical component source wafer patterned with an encapsulation layer where the micro-optical component is differentially etchable from the encapsulation layer and the micro-optical component.