A semiconductor device for infrared detection comprises a stack of a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer and an optical coupling layer. The first semiconductor layer has a first type of conductivity and the second semiconductor layer has a second type of conductivity. The optical coupling layer comprises an optical coupler and at least a first lateral absorber region. The optical coupler is configured to deflect incident light towards the first lateral absorber region. The first lateral absorber region comprises an absorber material with a bandgap Eg in the infrared, IR.

An integrated photo detector with enhanced electrostatic discharge damage (ESD) protection. The integrated photo detector includes a first photodiode formed in the SOI substrate and associated with a first p-electrode and a first n-electrode. Additionally, the integrated photo detector includes a second photodiode formed in the SOI substrate associated with a second p-electrode and a second n-electrode forming a capacitance no larger than a few femto Faradays. Moreover, the integrated photo detector includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed respectively on the SOI substrate. The first/second electrode is respectively connected to the first p/n-electrode via a first/second metallic layer patterned with a reduced width from the first/second electrode to the first p/n-electrode and connected to the second p/n-electrode via a first/second metallic wire to make a parallel coupling between the first photodiode and the second photodiode with an ESD threshold of about 100V.

An assembly of an active semiconductor component and of a silicon-based passive optical component includes a carrier; and the active semiconductor component and the passive optical component both arranged on the carrier. The active semiconductor component includes a first set of semiconductor layers comprising at least one first waveguide configured to guide, in a first section of the assembly, at least one first optical mode; a second set of semiconductor layers, the set being superposed and making contact with the first set of layers, and including at least one second waveguide configured to guide at least one second optical mode. At least some of the layers of the first set of layers and of the second set of layers are doped to form, in a first region of the component, a PIN diode. The at least one first waveguide and the at least one second waveguide are configured to allow evanescent coupling therebetween, in a second section of the assembly. The first set of layers is etched to form, in a second region of the active semiconductor component, a first surface flush with the second waveguide. The passive component includes a substrate; a set of silicon-compound layers comprising at least one waveguide configured to guide at least one optical mode. The at least one waveguide lies flush with a first surface of the set of layers, which surface is opposite a second surface of the set of layers making contact with a surface of the substrate. The first surface of the passive optical component makes contact with the first surface of the active semiconductor component in order to allow evanescent coupling between the at least one waveguide of the passive optical component and the at least one second waveguide of the active semiconductor component.

A photodetector includes a germanium layer evanescently coupled to a ring resonator. The ring resonator increases the interaction length between light guided by the ring resonator and the germanium layer without increasing the size of the photodetector, thereby keeping the photodetector's dark current at a low level. The germanium layer absorbs the guided light and converts the absorbed light into electrical signals for detection. The increased interaction length in the resonator allows efficient transfer of light from the resonator to the germanium layer via evanescently coupling. In addition, the internal and external quality factors (Q) of the ring resonator can be matched to achieve (nearly) full absorption of light in the germanium with high quantum efficiency.

Apparatuses including integrated circuit (IC) optical assemblies and processes for operation of IC optical assemblies are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the IC optical assemblies include a transmitter component to provide light output having a particular beam direction, and a transmitter driver component. The transmitter component includes a light source optically coupled to a plurality of waveguides, a plurality of gratings, and a plurality of phase tuners. The transmitter driver component causes a light provided by the light source to be centered at a particular wavelength and a particular phase to be induced by each phase tuner of the plurality of phase tuners on a respective waveguide of the plurality of waveguides, in accordance with a feedback signal, to generate the light output having the particular beam direction.

A method of producing a heterogeneous photonic integrated circuit includes integrating at least one III-V hybrid device on a source substrate having at least a top silicon layer, and transferring by transfer-printing or by flip-chip bonding the III-V hybrid device and at least part of the top silicon layer of the source substrate to a semiconductor-on-insulator or dielectric-on-insulator host substrate.

An integrated optical device, including: a semiconductor body delimited by a top surface; and at least one buried cavity, which extends in the semiconductor body, at a distance from the top surface, so as to delimit at the bottom a front semiconductor region, which functions as an optical guide.

The invention relates to a method of fabrication of a photonic chip 1 comprising an avalanche photodiode 20 of the SACM type optically coupled to an integrated waveguide 40, comprising a step for forming a first spacer 24 allowing a constant peripheral recessing dr.sub.zc of the charge region 23 to be defined later on with respect to an edge of the multiplication portion 22, then a step for forming a second spacer 26 allowing a constant peripheral recessing dr.sub.pa of the absorption portion 27 to be defined later on with respect to an edge of the charge region 23.

A photodetector according to an embodiment includes: a semiconductor substrate including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region; at least one light detection cell including a first semiconductor layer disposed in the first region, a second semiconductor layer disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the semiconductor substrate and including a junction portion with the first semiconductor layer, a third semiconductor layer disposed in the semiconductor substrate separately from the second semiconductor layer, a first electrode on the semiconductor substrate and applying a voltage to the first semiconductor layer, and a second electrode on the semiconductor substrate and applying a voltage to the third semiconductor layer; and a light guide disposed in the second region and guiding incident light to be propagated in a first direction to the junction portion between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

An embodiment optical test circuit includes a first optical circuit and a second optical circuit formed on a substrate, an input optical waveguide optically connected to the first optical circuit and the second optical circuit, and an output optical waveguide optically connected to the first optical circuit and the second optical circuit. The optical test circuit also includes a light emitting diode optically connected to the input optical waveguide, and a photodiode optically connected to the output optical waveguide.