A novel apparatus for bonding of two polished substrates includes a plasma source in a ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber and a wafer-guiding element to control and guide wafers in the UHV chamber, where after a plasma activation process the wafers are guided and pressed against each other to form a covalent bond between wafer surfaces. The plasma activation process involves deposition of mono-layer or sub-monolayer metallic atom on the surface of substrates. After deposition of metallic layers, a high-force actuation presses the wafers and forms a covalent bond between the wafers. Then, the bonded wafer pair is ion-sliced or thinned to form single crystalline optical thin film. An annealing process oxidizes the deposited metallic layers and produces optically-transparent single crystalline thin film. An optical waveguide may be fabricated by this thin film while utilizing an electro-optic effect to produce optical modulators and other photonic devices.

An optoelectronic device and method of manufacturing the same. The device includes: a layer disposed above a substrate, the layer having a first cavity therein, which cavity is at least partially defined by an inclined interface between the cavity and an insulating liner, the interface being disposed at an angle relative to the substrate of greater than 0 and less than or equal to 90; and a regrown semiconductor material, providing or forming a part of a waveguide, the regrown semiconductor material being at least partly disposed in the first cavity and including an inclined interface between the regrown semiconductor material and the insulating liner, the interface being disposed at an angle relative to the substrate of greater than 0 and less than or equal to 90.

A novel apparatus for bonding of two polished substrates includes a plasma source in a ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber and a wafer-guiding element to control and guide wafers in the UHV chamber, where after a plasma activation process the wafers are guided and pressed against each other to form a covalent bond between wafer surfaces. The plasma activation process involves deposition of mono-layer or sub-monolayer metallic atom on the surface of substrates. After deposition of metallic layers, a high-force actuation presses the wafers and forms a covalent bond between the wafers. Then, the bonded wafer pair is ion-sliced or thinned to form single crystalline optical thin film. An annealing process oxidizes the deposited metallic layers and produces optically-transparent single crystalline thin film. An optical waveguide may be fabricated by this thin film while utilizing an electro-optic effect to produce optical modulators and other photonic devices.

A photonic structure can include in one aspect one or more waveguides formed by patterning of waveguiding material adapted to propagate light energy. Such waveguiding material may include one or more of silicon (single-, poly-, or non-crystalline) and silicon nitride.

A method of forming an optical device in a body (32), comprises performing a plurality of laser scans (34,36) to form the optical device, each scan comprising relative movement of a laser beam and the body thereby to scan the laser beam along a respective path (34a, 34b 34f; 36a, 36b 36f) through the body to alter the refractive index of material of that path, wherein the paths are arranged to provide in combination a route for propagation of light through the optical device in operation that is larger in a direction substantially perpendicular to the route for propagation of light than any one of the paths individually.

The disclosure provides a method of forming an erasable optical coupler in a photonic device comprising a conventional optical waveguide formed in a crystalline wafer. The method comprises selectively implanting ions in a localized region of the wafer material adjacent to the conventional waveguide of the photonic device, to cause modification of the crystal lattice structure of, and a change in refractive index in, the ion implanted region of the wafer material to thereby form an ion implanted waveguide optically coupled to the adjacent conventional waveguide to couple light out therefrom, or in thereto. The crystalline wafer material and ion implanted waveguide are such that the crystal lattice structure or composition can be modified to adjust or remove the optical coupling with the conventional waveguide by further modification of the refractive index in the ion implanted region.

A photonic structure can include in one aspect one or more waveguides formed by patterning of waveguiding material adapted to propagate light energy. Such waveguiding material may include one or more of silicon (single-, poly-, or non-crystalline) and silicon nitride.

A method of forming an optical device in a body (32), comprises performing a plurality of laser scans (34,36) to form the optical device, each scan comprising relative movement of a laser beam and the body thereby to scan the laser beam along a respective path (34a, 34b 34f; 36a, 36b 36f) through the body to alter the refractive index of material of that path, wherein the paths are arranged to provide in combination a route for propagation of light through the optical device in operation that is larger in a direction substantially perpendicular to the route for propagation of light than any one of the paths individually.

A method of transfer printing. The method comprising: providing a precursor photonic device, comprising a substrate and a bonding region, wherein the precursor photonic device includes one or more alignment marks located in or adjacent to the bonding region; providing a transfer die, said transfer die including one or more alignment marks; aligning the one or more alignment marks of the precursor photonic device with the one or more alignment marks of the transfer die; and bonding at least a part of the transfer die to the bonding region.

A photonic structure can include in one aspect one or more waveguides formed by patterning of waveguiding material adapted to propagate light energy. Such waveguiding material may include one or more of silicon (single-, poly-, or non-crystalline) and silicon nitride.