Improved fabrication of scalable hybrid silicon nitride–thin-film lithium niobate electro-optic modulators

Mere, Viphretuo; Valdez, Forrest; Mookherjea, Shayan

doi:10.1364/JOSAB.481915

Improved fabrication of scalable hybrid silicon nitride–thin-film lithium niobate electro-optic modulators

Journal Article · Sun Feb 26 23:00:00 EST 2023 · Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.481915· OSTI ID:1958903

Mere, Viphretuo; ;

Strategies for improved fabrication of integrated thin-film lithium niobate electro-optic (EO) Mach–Zehnder modulators (MZMs) are reported using scalable processes and designs. The MZM devices utilize direct bonding of unetched and unpatterned thin-film lithium niobate to patterned and planarized silicon photonic microchips. The latter contains silicon nitride waveguide structures of various widths that are used to form hybrid modes that are suitable for high-bandwidth low-voltage EO modulators based on Pockels effect. We report that the incorporation of appropriately designed outgassing channels and certain modifications to key processing steps helped achieve a greater than 99% reduction in void density during bonding. Void reduction is critically important for these traveling-wave hybrid MZM devices in which the optical mode is controllably distributed between multiple thin layers and propagates over millimeter-scale lengths.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1958903

Journal Information:: Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics, Journal Name: Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 40; ISSN JOBPDE; ISSN 0740-3224

Publisher:: Optical Society of AmericaCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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