Hybrid semiconductor lasers
View Patent ↗Various exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus including: a first substrate including a planar dielectric layer on a semiconducting layer, and a silicon layer located directly on a planar surface of the dielectric layer, adjacent first and second segments of the silicon layer being optically end-coupled, the first segment being thicker than the second segment; and a second substrate including a III-V semiconductor layer segment on a top surface thereof, the first and second substrates being bonded together such that the III-V semiconductor layer segment is in direct contact with a portion of the first segment of the silicon layer.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a first substrate including a planar dielectric layer on a semiconducting layer, and a silicon layer located directly on a planar surface of the dielectric layer; and
a III -V semiconductor layer in direct contact with a first segment of the silicon layer to form a hybrid optical waveguide core; and
wherein a successive second segment of the silicon layer forms a silicon optical waveguide core optically end-coupled to and adjacent to an end of the hybrid optical waveguide core, the silicon layer being thicker in the hybrid waveguide core than in the silicon waveguide core; and
wherein the second segment of the silicon layer having a thickness that varies by less than 10 nanometers in the silicon waveguide core.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second dielectric layer located on the first dielectric layer and laterally surrounding the first segment, the second dielectric layer and the first segment having upper surfaces of the same height at interfaces there between.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate including a first silicon layer is a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a laser whose optical gain medium includes, at least, part of the III-V semiconductor layer segment.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes an optical modulator or a photodetector including, at least, part of the III-V semiconductor layer segment.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first segment has a lateral taper region at each end thereof.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the III-V semiconductor layer segment includes a lateral taper at each end thereof.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first segment has third and fourth tapers overlapping the lateral tapers of the III-V lateral segment.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first segment is greater than about 380 nm.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first segment is between about 380 nm and 420 nm.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first segment is between about 100 nm and 350 nm.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the second segment is between about 200 nm and 240 nm.
13. A method of manufacturing a hybrid optical semiconductor device, comprising:
forming an opening in a first dielectric layer to expose a part of a first silicon layer segment of a first semiconductor layer, the first silicon layer being located on a planar surface of a second dielectric on a planar surface of a first substrate;
forming a second silicon layer on the first silicon layer in the opening; and
bonding a second substrate to the first substrate such that a III-V semiconductor layer segment of the second substrate is in direct contact with an exposed surface of the second silicon layer; and
wherein the bonding produces a hybrid optical waveguide core including the first silicon layer segment such that the hybrid optical waveguide core is optically end connected to an adjacent end of a silicon optical waveguide core of a remaining segment of the silicon layer.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising polishing the first substrate to cause the exposed surfaces of the first silicon layer segment and the second dielectric layer to have a same distance from the planar surface.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first substrate is a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first silicon layer segment has a height over the planar surface that varies by less than 10 nanometers in regions within one micrometer of the second silicon layer segment.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the III-V semiconductor layer segment is a part of the optical gain medium of a laser.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the III-V semiconductor layer segment is a part of one of an optical modulator and a photo-detector.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second silicon layer segment has first and second taper regions at first and second ends thereof.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the III-V semiconductor layer segment includes a first laterally tapered segment at a first end thereof and second lateral taper segment at a second end thereof.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the second silicon layer has third and fourth lateral taper regions overlapping the first and second tapered segments of the III-V layered segment.
22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a third segment of the silicon layer forms another silicon optical waveguide core optically end-coupled to and adjacent to another end of the hybrid optical waveguide core, the silicon layer being thicker in the hybrid optical waveguide core than in the another silicon optical waveguide core.
23. The method of claim 13 , wherein the forming a second silicon layer includes performing an epitaxial growth of the second silicon layer.