SIMOX Structures for Optical Waveguides and Electro- Optic Devices in Silicon

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Crystalline silicon is a new material for optical waveguiding in the 1.3 to 1.6 micron wavelength range. This proposal will advance the state-of-the-art of silicon guided-wave optics, especially silicon optical interconnects. We shall investigate a novel, three- dimensional, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) guided-wave structure that will allow optical communications on two stacked levels within a large-area silicon wafer. To do this we shall use multiple implants of oxygen ions based on Spire's unique experience in producing multi- level Separation by Implantation of Oxygen (SIMOX) structures. In addition, we shall examine ways of fabricating low-loss SOI waveguides and high-speed electro-optic (EO) devices integrated in SOI waveguides. Low-loss guiding and practical EO components are two key areas that need to be researched to establish that silicon is a viable and valuable optical material. Goal of the Phase II work will be to exploit Phase I results to construct practical, high performance, guided-wave electro-optic components in SOI. The best-suited SIMOX structures from Phase I will be selected. Some possible approaches for Phase II are to fabricate Schottky-barrier or p-n junction electrodes on SOI channel waveguides to obtain high-performance optical phase modulators for the 1.3 micron wavelength.