Publications

Heterogeneous integration of silicon electronics and compound semiconductor optoelectronics for miniature rf photonic transceivers

Nordquist, C.D.; Skogen, Erik J.; Fortuna, S.A.; Hollowell, Andrew E.; Hemmady, C.S.; Saugen, J.M.; Forbes, T.; Wood, M.G.; Jordan, Matthew J.; McClain, Jaime L.; Lepkowski, Stefan M.; Alford, Charles A.; Peake, Gregory M.; Pomerene, Andrew P.; Long, C.M.; Serkland, Darwin K.; Dean, Kenneth A.

Heterogeneous Integration (HI) may enable optoelectronic transceivers for short-range and long-range radio frequency (RF) photonic interconnect using wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) to aggregate signals, provide galvanic isolation, and reduce crosstalk and interference. Integration of silicon Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with InGaAsP compound semiconductor photonics provides the potential for high-performance microsystems that combine complex electronic functions with optoelectronic capabilities from rich bandgap engineering opportunities, and intimate integration allows short interconnects for lower power and latency. The dominant pure-play foundry model plus the differences in materials and processes between these technologies dictate separate fabrication of the devices followed by integration of individual die, presenting unique challenges in die preparation, metallization, and bumping, especially as interconnect densities increase. In this paper, we describe progress towards realizing an S-band WDM RF photonic link combining 180 nm silicon CMOS electronics with InGaAsP integrated optoelectronics, using HI processes and approaches that scale into microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies.