Flexible 3-d photonic device

Abstract

Three-dimensional flexible photonic integrated circuits on silicon are fabricated in semiconductor wafer form and then transferred to Silicon-on-Polymer (SOP) substrates. SOP provides flexibility for conformal mounting with devices capable of maintaining performance when dynamically deformed to allow routing of light in x, y and z directions. Bonding a wafer or individual die of III-V semiconductor, such as Gallium Arsenide or similar photonic material, to the flexible silicon creates an active region for lasers, amplifiers, modulators, and other photonic devices using standard processing. Mounting additional photonic devices to the opposite side of a flexible photonic waveguide produces a stack for three-dimensional devices. Multiple flexible photonic waveguides may be stacked to increase functionality by transferring light between stacked waveguides. The flexible photonic circuit allows for integration of photonic devices such as low threshold lasers, tunable lasers, and other photonic integrated circuits with flexible Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits.