Erasable diffractive grating couplers in silicon on insulator for wafer scale testing

R. Topley; G. Martinez-Jimenez; L. O'Faolain; N. Healy; S. Mailis; D. J. Thomson; F. Y. Gardes; A. C. Peacock; D. N. R. Payne; G. Z. Mashanovich; G. T. Reed

doi:10.1117/12.2039179

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8 March 2014 Erasable diffractive grating couplers in silicon on insulator for wafer scale testing

R. Topley, G. Martinez-Jimenez, L. O'Faolain, N. Healy, S. Mailis, D. J. Thomson, F. Y. Gardes, A. C. Peacock, D. N. R. Payne, G. Z. Mashanovich, G. T. Reed

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Proceedings Volume 8990, Silicon Photonics IX; 899008 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2039179
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Test points are essential in allowing optical circuits on a wafer to be autonomously tested after selected manufacturing steps, hence allowing poor performance or device failures to be detected early and to be either repaired using direct write methods, or a cessation of further processing to reduce fabrication costs. Grating couplers are a commonly used method for efficiently coupling light from an optical fibre to a silicon waveguide. They are relatively easy to fabricate and they allow light to be coupled into/out from any location on the device without the need for polishing, making them good candidates for an optical test point. A fixed test point can be added for this purpose, although traditionally these grating devices are fabricated by etching the silicon waveguide, and hence this permanently adds loss and leads to a poor performing device when placed into use after testing. We demonstrate a similar device utilising a refractive index change induced by lattice disorder. Raman data collected suggests this lattice damage is reversible, allowing a laser to subsequently erase the grating coupler.

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R. Topley, G. Martinez-Jimenez, L. O'Faolain, N. Healy, S. Mailis, D. J. Thomson, F. Y. Gardes, A. C. Peacock, D. N. R. Payne, G. Z. Mashanovich, and G. T. Reed "Erasable diffractive grating couplers in silicon on insulator for wafer scale testing", Proc. SPIE 8990, Silicon Photonics IX, 899008 (8 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2039179

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