Heterogeneous Photonic Integrated Circuits for Microwave Photonics

用于微波光子学的异构光子集成电路

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06077
• 负责人: Yao, Jianping
• 金额: $ 9.32万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=752513
• 关键词: Heterogeneous; Photonic; Integrated; Circuits; Microwave

Microwave photonics (MWP) is an interdisciplinary field to study the generation, processing, control and distribution of microwave signals by means of photonics, which can find applications such as broadband wireless communications, radar, high-speed sensing, high-resolution imaging, and modern instrumentation. Various MWP systems have been proposed and demonstrated in the past few years. These systems, however, were implemented based on discrete photonic components, which makes the systems bulky, heavy and costly with relatively poor performance. To overcome these limitations, there is an ever-increasing interest in using photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to realize on-chip integration of MWP systems. Currently, there are three major material systems that are being studied for integrated MWP implementations: 1) Indium Phosphide (InP), 2) Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) and 3) Silicon photonics (Si). Si-based PICs using the standard and well-developed CMOS fabrication process to develop and manufacture optical devices on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms has been considered a potential solution for integrated microwave photonic systems. The key advantages include much smaller footprint, low power consumption and compatible fabrication process with CMOS technology, which also holds a significant potential for seamless integration with microelectronics. However, one key factor limiting the Si for monolithic integration is the lack of light sources and amplifiers, since silicon is a non-direct bandgap material. A potential solution is to integrate InP-based light sources and amplifiers on a silicon chip through heterogeneous integration. This approach combines the benefits of two different material systems to provide a unique solution to light generation and amplification. The motivation of the proposed research is to study the use of the heterogeneous integration technology to develop fully integrated MWP systems for the generation and processing of high-frequency and frequency-tunable microwave signals. The combination of the InP-based and Si-based PICs would significantly boost the performance of microwave photonic systems and opens up new avenues toward real applications.

微波光子学（MWP）是通过光子学研究微波信号的生成，处理，控制和分布的跨学科领域，可以找到诸如宽带无线通信，雷达，高速感应，高分辨率成像和现代仪器等应用。在过去的几年中，已经提出和证明了各种MWP系统。但是，这些系统是基于离散的光子组件实施的，这使得系统笨重，繁重且昂贵，性能相对较差。为了克服这些局限性，人们对使用光子综合电路（PIC）的兴趣不断增加，以实现MWP系统的芯片整合。目前，正在研究用于集成MWP实施的三个主要材料系统：1）磷化二氮（INP），2）氮化硅（SI3N4）和3）硅光子学（SI）。使用标准和发达的CMOS制造工艺的基于SI的图片，在硅启用器上开发和制造光学设备（SOI）平台已被认为是集成微波光子系统的潜在解决方案。关键优势包括与CMOS技术相兼容的占地面积，低功耗和兼容制造过程，这也具有与微电子学无缝集成的重要潜力。但是，限制SI整体整合的一个关键因素是缺乏光源和放大器，因为硅是一种非直接的带隙材料。潜在的解决方案是通过异质整合在硅芯片上集成基于INP的光源和放大器。这种方法结合了两种不同材料系统的好处，以提供独特的解决方案来生成光和放大。拟议研究的动机是研究使用异质整合技术的使用，以开发完全集成的MWP系统，以生成和处理高频和频率可传播的微波信号。基于INP和基于SI的图片的组合将显着提高微波光子系统的性能，并为实体应用开辟新的途径。