Si基芯片光互连研究进展

Research Progress of Silicon-Based Optical Interconnects

综述了近年来Si基光互连,尤其是和微电子工艺兼容程度较高的芯片间和芯片内的光互连的进展。Luxtera公司已经率先实现了除光源外的所有光子器件的单片集成,IBM也提出并开始实施微电子学领域的片内光互连的技术方案,但Si基光互连大部分还停留在各构建单元器件性能提高的阶段,例如Si基发光、Si波导、Si波导耦合器、Si基调制器及光开关、Si基探测器以及用于光波导器件阵列的WDM技术。此外,还对Si基光源、光纤耦合、偏振敏感性以及光子器件的热稳定性提出了看法。总之,随着各种构建单元器件的综合性能、CMOS工艺兼容度、制备成品率的提高以及光电融合单片集成工艺的突破,光互连最终会成为现实,并引发微电子技术和IC行业的下一场革命。

The progress of optical interconnects is reviewed,especially for the chip-to-chip and on-chip optical interconnects on SOI platform,which have the in-born advantages for the integration with present micro-electronics process.Although the most of optical interconnects progresses have still stayed at the stage of the self-improvements of individual devices and structures,such as Si-based light-emitting,silicon waveguides,silicon waveguide couplers,silicon modulators and switches,silicon detectors,and WDM technologies,the corporation of Luxtera has realized the monolithic integration of all the photonic devices except for the silicon light source,and IBM has also proposed and started the on-chip optical interconnects in the process of micro-electronic fields.Some comments about Si-based light-emitting,waveguide-fiber coupling,polarization sensitivity,and thermal stability of photonic devices are proposed.In conclusion,the optical interconnects,with the developments of the comprehensive performances of each building blocks,the compatibility with CMOS process,the rate of production yield,and on-chip opto-electronic integration process,will be realized finally and inaugurate a new era of micro-electro-nics and IC industries.