Thermo-electrical analysis of an optoelectronic
modulator integrated in a SOI rib waveguide
operating in the Gb/s regime
R. C. Zaccuri, M. Iodice, G. Coppola, I. Rendina.
Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi, Sezione di Napoli
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Via P. Castellino 111, 80123, Napoli, Italia
Riunione Annuale GE 2006
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006
Silicon Photonics
Optoelectronic building blocks:
Advantages:
 Integration with electronic devices
 Simple fabrication
 Low cost
 Reliability
 EM Interferences immunity
 New perspectives
Riunione Annuale GE 2006
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006
Silicon Optoelectronic Devices
Air beam
splitter
Input port
Output
port
P-Si
mirrors
Application fields:

Sensing Microsystems

Optical sensors interrogation

Low cost optical interconnections

Fiber-to-the-Home and Fiber-in-the-Loop

Local Area Network (LAN)

…
Riunione Annuale GE 2006
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006
Modulator Basic Structure
Main properties:
 P-i-N diode like electrical structure
 Free-carriers injection is transversal to


Riunione Annuale GE 2006
the optical beam propagation direction
Planar
structure
compatible
with
standard microelectronic processes
Bipolar mode injection which is more
efficient respect to unipolar devices
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006
Design Methodology
ATHENA
Microelectronic fabrication
processes simulator
ATLAS
Electronic devices
behavior simulator
with thermal module
NO
YES
IS THE DEVICE
ELECTRICALLY
AND
THERMALLY
OPTIMIZED ?
BeamPROP
SOFTWARE
INTERFACE LAYER
Matlab
NO
YES
2D optical mode solver
and
3D optical Beam
Propagation Method (BPM)
IS THE STRUCURE A
SINGLE-MODE
WAVEGUIDE AND
ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY
MODULATE THE
OPTICAL BEAM?
OPTIMIZED
DEVICE
Riunione Annuale GE 2006
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006
Microelectronics Technology Labs
Facilities

Wet & Dry Etching

Oxidations
Riunione Annuale GE 2006

Depositions

Photolitography
Ischia, 21-23 giugno 2006