NSF Young Investigator: Cointegrated Polymer Waveguide Optical Interconnections for Wafer-Level MCM Systems

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Motivated by the need for robust polymers optically superior to polyamides yet suitable for cointegration of optical interconnection waveguides directly with the active CMOS interconnection substrate of advanced multi-chip modules (MCMs), the research seeks to fabricate the first optical waveguides with polyphenylsilsesquioxane (PPSQ), a spin castable, low temperature processed silicon ladder polymer used as a thin and thick film dielectric for microelectronics. This material potentially offers the low loss obtainable with less stable optical polymers while offering thermal stability and process latitude (patterning, wet, dry etching) exceeding that of polyamide. This research assesses the suitability of PPSQ together with planarizing and superstrate polymer layers for providing a multilayer system supporting fabrication of high density waveguide arrays directly over the Si devices of emerging active MCM substrate.