IP Library › Granted Patent US 12663579
Granted Patent B2
US 12663579 · App. 18/434,636 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Photonic device, system and method of making same

Inventors: Weiwei Song (San Jose, CA); Stefan Rusu (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
G02B6/12002G02B6/122G02B6/13G02B2006/12061G06N3/067
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12663579
App. No.
18/434,636
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Photonic device, system and methods of making photonic devices and systems, the method including: providing a substrate, forming an insulator layer over the substrate, depositing a plurality of waveguide layers and a plurality of insulator spacers at different vertical levels over the insulator layer, wherein adjacent waveguide layers in the plurality of waveguide layers are isolated by one or more insulator spacers in the plurality of insulator spacers, and forming a plurality of waveguide patterns at the plurality of waveguide layers, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the plurality of waveguide patterns are coupled.

Claims (46)

1 . A method for forming a photonic device,

the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a first insulator layer over the substrate;

depositing at least one first waveguide layer over the first insulator layer;

forming a first plurality of waveguide patterns in the at least one first waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other;

removing the substrate;

forming at least one second waveguide layer under the first insulator layer after removing the substrate; and

forming a second plurality of waveguide patterns in the at least one second waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the second plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises a same material as the at least one second waveguide layer.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer and the at least one second waveguide layer are each deposited by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns are coupled to form a directional coupler or a ring resonator, wherein at least one performance parameter of the directional coupler or the ring resonator is determined by a vertical distance between the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the second plurality of waveguide patterns are coupled to form a directional coupler or a ring resonator, wherein at least one performance parameter of the directional coupler or the ring resonator is determined by a vertical distance between the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the second plurality of waveguide patterns.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises silicon nitride layers.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second waveguide layer comprises silicon nitride layers.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of waveguide patterns comprises a first photonic neural network and the second plurality of waveguide patterns comprises a second photonic neural network.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

forming a second insulator layer over the first plurality of waveguide patterns;

forming a handling wafer over the second insulator layer.

11 . A photonic device, comprising:

a first insulator layer;

at least one first waveguide layer formed over the first insulator layer;

a first plurality of waveguide patterns formed in the at least one first waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other;

a handling wafer over the first insulator layer;

at least one second waveguide layer formed under the first insulator layer; and

a second plurality of waveguide patterns formed in the at least one second waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the second plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other,

wherein the first plurality of waveguide patterns comprises one or more photonic neural networks.

12 . The photonic device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises a same material as the at least one second waveguide layer.

13 . The photonic device of claim 11 , wherein the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns are coupled to form a directional coupler or a ring resonator, wherein at least one performance parameter of the directional coupler or the ring resonator is determined by a vertical distance between the at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns.

14 . The photonic device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises silicon nitride layers.

15 . The photonic device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one second waveguide layer comprises silicon nitride layers.

16 . The photonic device of claim 11 , wherein the second plurality of waveguide patterns is part of the one or more photonic neural networks.

17 . An integrated circuit (IC), comprising:

one or more layout patterns; and

at least one photonic device coupled to the one or more layout patterns by one or more vias, wherein the at least one photonic device comprises:

a first insulator layer;

at least one first waveguide layer formed over the first insulator layer;

a first plurality of waveguide patterns formed in the at least one first waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the first plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other;

a handling wafer over the first insulator layer;

at least one second waveguide layer formed under the first insulator layer; and

a second plurality of waveguide patterns formed in the at least one second waveguide layer, wherein at least two waveguide patterns at different vertical levels in the second plurality of waveguide patterns are optically coupled to each other,

wherein the one or more layout patterns, the one or more vias, and the at least one photonic device form a photonic neural network (PNN) device.

18 . The IC of claim 17 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises a same material as the at least one second waveguide layer.

19 . The IC of claim 17 , wherein the at least one photonic device further comprises at least one optical modulator.

20 . The IC of claim 17 , wherein the at least one first waveguide layer comprises a first plurality of waveguide layers, and the at least one second waveguide layer comprises a second plurality of waveguide layers.