Embodiments herein describe using a double wafer bonding process to form a photonic device. In one embodiment, during the bonding process, an optical element (e.g., a high precision optical element) is optically coupled to an optical device in an active surface layer. In one example, the optical element comprises a nitride layer which can be patterned to form a nitride waveguide, passive optical multiplexer or demultiplexer, or an optical coupler.

An optoelectronic chip includes optical inputs having different passbands, a photonic circuit to be tested, and an optical coupling device configured to couple said inputs to the photonic circuit to be tested.

Examples disclosed herein relate to quantum-dot (QD) photonics. In accordance with some of the examples disclosed herein, a QD semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) may include a silicon substrate and a QD layer above the silicon substrate. The QD layer may include an active gain region to amplify a lasing mode received from an optical signal generator. The QD layer may have a gain recovery time such that the active gain region amplifies the received lasing mode without pattern effects. A waveguide may be included in an upper silicon layer of the silicon substrate. The waveguide may include a mode converter to facilitate optical coupling of the received lasing mode between the QD layer and the waveguide.

A general purpose sensor architecture integrating a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate, a diffractive laser beam delivery substrate and a diffractive infrared detection substrate is provided that can be used to implement a low-cost, compact lab-on-a-chip biosensor that can meet the needs of large-scale infectious disease testing. The sensor architecture can also be used in any other application in which molecules present in the liquid, gaseous or solid phases need to be characterized reliably, cost-effectively and with minimal intervention by highly skilled personnel.

A waveguide illuminator includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-couplers out-coupling portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. To reduce optical interference, the waveguide illuminator may have two interlaced waveguide arrays energized by two different light sources. Output polarizations of neighboring light pixels of a display illuminated with such waveguide illuminator may be orthogonal to each other. The frames to be displayed may be broken down into sequentially displayed sub-frames with interleaved pixels.

Described are various configurations of optical structures having asymmetric-width waveguides. A photodetector can include parallel waveguides that have different widths, which can be connected via passive waveguide. One or more light absorbing regions can be proximate to the waveguides to absorb light propagating through one or more of the parallel waveguides. Multiple photodetectors having asymmetric width waveguides can operate to transduce light in different modes in a polarization diversity optical receiver.

In an optical device, a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer are formed to be thinner than a core, an active layer has a shape with an end in a waveguide direction tapers toward a tip end, the first semiconductor layer having a trapezoidal shape with a width thereof decreases toward a side of a third semiconductor layer from a side of the core in a plan view and a width thereof decreases as one end in the waveguide direction recedes from a central portion of the active region, and the second semiconductor layer having a trapezoidal shape with a width thereof decreases toward a side of a fourth semiconductor layer from the side of the core in a plan view and a width thereof decreases as one end in the waveguide direction recedes from the central portion of the active region.

Temperature measurements of photonic circuit components may be performed optically, exploiting a temperature-dependent spectral property of the photonic device to be monitored itself, or of a separate optical temperature sensor placed in its vicinity. By facilitating measurements of the temperature of the individual photonic devices rather than merely the photonic circuit at large, such optical temperature measurements can provide more accurate temperature information and help improve thermal design.

A method includes forming a first photonic die, which includes forming a first silicon waveguide, and forming a first nitride waveguide. The method further includes forming a first through-via extending into a first plurality of dielectric layers in the first photonic die, and bonding a second photonic die to the first photonic die. The second photonic die includes a second nitride waveguide. The first silicon waveguide is optically coupled to the second nitride waveguide through the first nitride waveguide. A second through-via extends into a second plurality of dielectric layers in the second photonic die.

A method includes forming multiple photonic devices in a semiconductor wafer, forming a v-shaped groove in a first side of the semiconductor wafer, forming an opening extending through the semiconductor wafer, forming multiple conductive features within the opening, wherein the conductive features extend from the first side of the semiconductor wafer to a second side of the semiconductor wafer, forming a polymer material over the v-shaped groove, depositing a molding material within the opening, wherein the multiple conductive features are separated by the molding material, after depositing the molding material, removing the polymer material to expose the v-shaped groove, and placing an optical fiber within the v-shaped groove.