Collaborative Research: FuSe:Substrate-inverted Multi-Material Integration Technology

新材料的异质集成有望显着扩大硅光子集成电路（PIC）的能力范围。然而，经典的集成协议需要通过顶层进行定制的深蚀刻以访问下面的光子器件，因此在集成容量、密度和工艺复杂性方面面临严重的限制。该计划将探索新材料，集成工艺，器件架构和封装解决方案的协同设计，以实现变革性的通用异构集成平台：衬底倒置多材料集成技术（SuMMIT）。成功后，SuMMIT平台将大大扩展和加快新材料的异构光子集成-PIC技术进步的关键驱动力。该计划还将通过开发在线和面对面的光子学培训项目，加强与业界的合作伙伴关系和劳动力发展。SuMMIT集成方案利用先进的晶圆级三维封装技术，如硅通孔和直接键合互连，实现传统上被认为与互补金属氧化物半导体工艺不兼容的材料的无缝集成。所提出的方案的另一创新方面是使用穿Si通孔来建立双面电和光互连配置，与外围引线接合相比，其提供高得多的互连密度和改进的电性能，诸如延迟和功耗。此外，SuMMIT平台开辟了大量的设计概念，创造性地重新利用行业标准PIC中的现有组件和结构，以促进异构集成。该计划专注于建立标准PIC流程和结构，并尽可能减少定制，从而促进行业采用创新并将其整合到现有的半导体制造生态系统中。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Heterogeneous integration of new materials promises to significantly expand the range of capabilities accessible by silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs). However, classical integration protocols require custom deep etching through the top layers to access the photonic devices underneath, and thus face severe limitations in integration capacity, density, and process complexity. This program will explore co-design of new materials, integration processes, device architectures, and packaging solutions to realize a transformative universal heterogeneous integration platform: Substrate-inverted Multi-Material Integration Technology (SuMMIT). Upon success, the SuMMIT platform will significantly expand and expedite heterogeneous photonic integration of new materials—a key driving force for PIC technology advances. The program will also strengthen academia-industry partnership and workforce development through development of both online and in-person photonics training programs.The SuMMIT integration scheme leverages advanced wafer-scale 3-D packaging technologies such as through-Si vias and direct bond interconnects to enable seamless integration of materials traditionally considered incompatible with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor processing. Another innovative aspect of the proposed scheme is the use of through-Si vias to establish a bi-facial electrical and optical interconnect configuration, which offers much higher interconnect density and improved electrical performance such as latency and power consumption as compared to peripheral wire-bonding. Furthermore, the SuMMIT platform opens up a plethora of design concepts creatively re-purposing existing components and structures in industry-standard PICs towards facilitating heterogeneous integration. The program’s focus on building on standard PIC processes and structures with minimal customization facilitates industry adoption of the innovations and their integration into the existing semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.