Global Patent Index - EP 2082270 A4

EP 2082270 A4 20100414 - HYBRID PLANAR LIGHTWAVE CIRCUIT WITH REFLECTIVE GRATINGS

Title (en)

HYBRID PLANAR LIGHTWAVE CIRCUIT WITH REFLECTIVE GRATINGS

Title (de)

HYBRIDE PLANARE LICHTWELLENSCHALTUNG MIT REFLEKTIERENDEN GITTERN

Title (fr)

CIRCUIT OPTIQUE PLANAIRE HYBRIDE À RÉSEAUX RÉFLÉCHISSANTS

Publication

EP 2082270 A4 20100414 (EN)

Application

EP 07815949 A 20071003

Priority

  • CA 2007001776 W 20071003
  • US 82808006 P 20061004

Abstract (en)

[origin: WO2008040125A1] The present document relates to a hybrid planar lightwave circuit (PLC) comprising a waveguide circuit chip (21) and a silicon reflective diffraction grating chip (29) which is mounted to the waveguide circuit chip (21), via a trench (27) formed in the waveguide circuit chip (21), wherein the waveguide circuit chip (21) comprises a high optical performance silica-on- silicon waveguide structure (22, 23, 24) formed on a silicon substrate (26) and wherein the silicon reflective diffraction grating chip (29) comprises a separate wafer grating substrate (31) and a reflective diffraction grating (28) formed therein. The reflective diffraction grating (28) is formed in the wafer grating substrate (31) using a highly accurate, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process thereby enabling a highly precise diffraction grating chip (29) to be fabricated. Consequently, the present hybrid planar lightwave circuit (PLC) includes a separately manufactured, highly precise, diffraction grating chip (29) and a separately manufactured, high quality, waveguide structure (22, 23, 24) onto which the diffraction grating chip (29) is mounted, thereby enabling both the use of new DRIE technologies in the processing of the diffraction grating chip (29) and the use of flip-chip bonding when performing the diffraction grating chip (29) mounting operation. The benefit of the disclosed diffraction grating-based, hybrid planar lightwave circuit (PLC) is that, not only is the device able to be fabricated with an equally complex configuration to that of prior art hybrid PLCs, the device is able to be fabricated more easily, using a technique (DRIE) that produces a very high-quality vertical etch with very low surface roughness. In particular, because the reflective diffraction grating chip (29) is fabricated separately, from silicon or like materials, the DRIE technique is able to be used, unlike prior art hybrid PLC fabrication methods which generally preclude the use of DRIE.

IPC 8 full level

G02B 6/13 (2006.01); G02B 5/18 (2006.01); G02B 6/12 (2006.01); G02B 6/136 (2006.01); G02B 6/293 (2006.01)

CPC (source: EP KR)

G02B 5/18 (2013.01 - KR); G02B 6/12 (2013.01 - EP KR); G02B 6/12007 (2013.01 - EP); G02B 6/136 (2013.01 - EP KR); G02B 6/4228 (2013.01 - EP); G02B 2006/12107 (2013.01 - EP)

Citation (search report)

Designated contracting state (EPC)

AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

DOCDB simple family (publication)

WO 2008040125 A1 20080410; CA 2665111 A1 20080410; CN 101548212 A 20090930; EP 2082270 A1 20090729; EP 2082270 A4 20100414; JP 2010506201 A 20100225; KR 20090060365 A 20090611; NO 20091514 L 20090427

DOCDB simple family (application)

CA 2007001776 W 20071003; CA 2665111 A 20071003; CN 200780037378 A 20071003; EP 07815949 A 20071003; JP 2009530743 A 20071003; KR 20097008592 A 20090427; NO 20091514 A 20090417