Optical Interconnection Device with Suspended Bridge Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical interconnection devices face challenges in efficiently removing heat from light emitting elements, achieving low guide loss for long-distance optical interconnections, and maintaining manufacturing cost-effectiveness, particularly due to the use of heteroepitaxial growth and organic films which hinder alignment accuracy and increase guide loss.
Innovation Solution
The integration of light emitting and receiving elements with amorphous silicon and silicon-oxynitride waveguides on a silicon substrate, utilizing a single-crystalline silicon waveguide with a taper structure and heat treatment to reduce sidewall roughness and guide loss, and employing distributed coupling for efficient optical coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If wafer bonding is used to integrate laser structure on optical waveguides, then integration is achieved, but heat removal efficiency deteriorates due to air space under the laser structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the air space layer between the laser structure and the heat dissipation substrate by using a suspended bridge structure. The laser structure is integrated on optical waveguides while maintaining direct thermal contact with the heat dissipation substrate, extracting the harmful air gap that impedes heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the optical waveguides are formed within a suspended bridge structure that is itself integrated on the heat dissipation substrate. This multi-level nesting allows the laser structure to be positioned above the waveguides while maintaining thermal pathways to the substrate through the bridge supports.
2Ease of manufacture
If organic film is used to bond laser structure and optical waveguides, then bonding is achieved, but heat removal efficiency deteriorates and alignment accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the organic film bonding layer that causes alignment inaccuracies and thermal resistance. Instead, it uses direct bonding between the suspended bridge structure and the heat dissipation substrate, eliminating the intermediate organic layer that compromises both thermal performance and alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a suspended bridge structure as an intermediary between the laser structure and the heat dissipation substrate. This bridge structure provides both mechanical support and thermal pathways without requiring organic bonding films, thereby achieving both accurate alignment and efficient heat removal.
3Temperature
If direct mounting on Si wafer is used, then heat removal efficiency improves, but alignment accuracy requirements increase and mass production difficulty arises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the integration structure into modular components: a suspended bridge structure containing the optical waveguides, and a separate heat dissipation substrate. The laser structure is integrated on the bridge structure which is then mounted on the substrate, creating modular units that are easier to manufacture and assemble in mass production while maintaining direct thermal contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from planar integration to three-dimensional suspended bridge structure. The optical waveguides are formed in a suspended configuration above the heat dissipation substrate, creating vertical thermal pathways and allowing independent optimization of optical and thermal functions without compromising mass production capability.
4Ease of manufacture
If heteroepitaxial growth is used to form waveguides, then waveguide formation is achieved, but guide loss increases due to sidewall roughness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the formation parameters of the waveguides by using thermal oxidation instead of heteroepitaxial growth. This parameter change transforms the waveguide material formation process, resulting in smoother sidewalls and reduced guide loss while maintaining the ability to form functional optical waveguides on the suspended bridge structure.
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 configuration enables fast signal transmission with low guide loss over long distances, improves heat management, and simplifies manufacturing, resulting in a compact, high-performance optical interconnection system with reduced production costs.
Implementation Method 1
a first waveguide made of amorphous silicon, a second waveguide made of amorphous silicon, a third waveguide made of silicon-oxynitride, and a fourth waveguide made of amorphous silicon are provided on the silicon substrate
Implementation Method 2
heat treatment to reduce sidewall roughness and guide loss
Implementation Method 3
a light emitting element, a light receiving element, and optical waveguides, all of which are integrated on a single substrate
Implementation Method 4
a light emitting element, a light receiving element, and optical waveguides, all of which are integrated on a single substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An optical interconnection device includes a light-emitting element, a light-receiving element, and an optical waveguide. Both the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element have a layered structure and are formed on a silicon substrate. At least a portion of the light-emitting element is embedded in an insulator. At least a portion of the light-receiving element is embedded in the insulator. The optical waveguide is formed over the insulator, and is optically coupled to the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element by distributed coupling.