Assembly of integrated circuit chips having an overvoltage protection component

1. A device, comprising:

an insulating layer;

a silicon layer on said insulating layer;

an optical waveguide formed in said silicon layer by a first region of said silicon layer doped with a first conductivity type and laterally delimited by two outside insulating regions extending completely through the silicon layer, the optical waveguide further defined by an upper insulating layer positioned between the outside insulating regions; and

a protection circuit comprising a second region of said silicon layer doped with a second conductivity type positioned adjacent and in contact with the first region and a third region of said silicon layer more heavily doped with said second conductivity type positioned above and in contact with said second region;

wherein the third region is insulated from the first region by said upper insulating layer and is further positioned between said upper insulating layer and one of the two outside insulating regions.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said protection circuit further comprises a fourth region of said silicon layer doped with the second conductivity type positioned adjacent and in contact with the first region and a fifth region of said silicon layer doped with the first conductivity type positioned above and in contact with said fourth region, wherein the fifth region is insulated from the first region by said upper insulating layer and is further positioned between said upper insulating layer and one of the two outside insulating regions.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein said protection circuit further comprises a sixth region of said silicon layer more heavily doped with said second conductivity type positioned above and in contact with fourth region and wherein said upper insulating layer is configured with an insulating region positioned between said fifth and sixth regions so as to insulate the fifth and sixth regions from each other.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said protection circuit further comprises a fourth region of said silicon layer doped with the second conductivity type positioned adjacent and in contact with the first region and a fifth region of said silicon layer more heavily doped with said second conductivity type positioned above and in contact with said fourth region, wherein the fifth region is insulated from the first region by said upper insulating layer and is further positioned between said upper insulating layer and one of the two outside insulating regions.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the third and fifth regions are on opposite sides of, and are insulated from each other by, the upper insulating layer.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the protection circuit further comprises a fourth region of said silicon layer doped with the first conductivity type positioned above and in contact with said second region and wherein said upper insulating layer is configured with an insulating region positioned between said third and fourth regions so as to insulate the third and fourth regions from each other.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first interconnection network positioned above said silicon layer and configured to make electrical connection to said protection circuit; and

an additional integrated circuit chip including integrated electronic components, said additional integrated circuit chip mounted for electrical interconnection to said to first interconnection network.

8. The device of claim 7 , further comprising an interposer positioned between the additional integrated circuit chip and the first interconnection network.

9. A device, comprising:

a first integrated circuit chip including a layer providing an optical waveguide;

a second integrated circuit chip including an electric circuit component;

wherein said first integrated circuit chip further includes at least one protection circuit component configured to protect the electric circuit component of the second integrated circuit chip, said at least one protection circuit component provided within said layer providing the optical waveguide; and

wherein the second integrated circuit chip is mounted to the first integrated circuit chip with the at least one protection circuit component electrically connected to the electric circuit component.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the layer providing the optical waveguide is a silicon layer of the first integrated circuit chip, said silicon layer including a first region doped with a first conductivity type supporting an optical waveguide, the first region laterally delimited by insulating regions.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one protection circuit component is formed by:

a second region and a third region in the silicon layer of a second conductivity type in contact with the first region and positioned, respectively, on opposite sides of the first region,

the first region, the second region, and the third region together forming a bipolar transistor.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one protection circuit component is formed by:

a second region and a third region in the silicon layer of a second conductivity type in contact with the first region and positioned, respectively, on opposite sides of the first region,

a fourth region in the silicon layer of the first conductivity type positioned on one side of the first region in contact with one of the second and third regions and isolated from the first region, and

the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region altogether forming a unidirectional Shockley diode.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one protection circuit is formed by:

a second region and a third region in the silicon layer of a second conductivity type in contact with the first region and positioned, respectively, on opposite sides of the first region,

a fourth region in the silicon layer of the first conductivity type in contact with the second region and insulated from the first region, and

a fifth region in the silicon layer of the first conductivity type in contact with the third region and insulated from the first region,

the first region, the second region, the third region, the fourth region, and the fifth region altogether forming a bidirectional Shockley diode.