A photoresist material is deposited, patterned, and developed on a backside of a wafer to expose specific regions on the backside of chips for etching. These specific regions are etched to form etched regions through the backside of the chips to a specified depth within the chips. The specified depth may correspond to an etch stop material. Etching of the backside of the wafer can also be done along the chip kerf regions to reduce stress during singulation/dicing of individual chips from the wafer. Etching of the backside of the chips can be done with the chips still part of the intact wafer. Or, the wafer having the pattered and developed photoresist on its backside can be singulated/diced before etching through the backside of the individual chips. The etched region(s) formed through the backside of a chip can be used for attachment of optical component(s) to the chip.

An apparatus for handling a fiber-array to be attached with a silicon-photonics chip. The apparatus includes a bottom-plate having a first trench formed with two first branches connected to two first recessed regions at a first end and one second branch straight to a second end thereof and a second trench sharing the same second branch and having two third branches connected to two second recessed regions with an angle towards two sides outside the two first branches. The bottom-plate includes many female clip structures located at the first end, the second end, and the two sides. The apparatus includes a top-plate having corresponding male clip structures configured to lock with the female clip structures to at least have two shaped cavities at the first end for firmly holding fiber ferrules of the fiber-array substantially without lateral and axial motion while leaving excess lengths of fibers outside the second end.

A two-dimensional (2D) optical fiber array component takes the form of a (relatively inexpensive) fiber guide block that is mated with a precision output element. The guide block and output element are both formed to include a 2D array of through-holes that exhibit a predetermined pitch. The holes formed in the guide block are relatively larger than those in precision output element. A loading tool is used to hold a 1N array of fibers in a fixed position that exhibits the desired pitch. The loaded tool (holding the pre-aligned 1N array of fibers) is then inserted through the aligned combination of the guide block and output element, and the fiber array is bonded to the guide block. The tool is then removed, re-loaded, and the process continued until all of the 1N fiber arrays are in place. By virtue of using a precision tool to load the fibers, the guide block does not have to be formed to exhibit precise through-hole dimensions, allowing for a relatively inexpensive guide block to be used.

Provided are methods of forming sealed via structures. One method involves: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; (b) forming a layer on the first surface of the substrate; (c) etching a via hole through the substrate from the second surface to the layer, the via hole having a first perimeter at the first surface; (d) forming an aperture in the layer, wherein the aperture has a second perimeter within the first perimeter; and (e) providing a conductive structure for sealing the via structure. Also provided are sealed via structures, methods of detecting leakage in a sealed device package, sealed device packages, device packages having cooling structures, and methods of bonding a first component to a second component.

An optical coupler for coupling an optical fiber to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is presented. The optical coupler comprises a first curved mirror included in a first substrate layer of the PIC and at a first predefined lateral distance from an optical transceiver associated with the PIC; a second curved mirror included in a second substrate layer and placed at a second predefined lateral distance from the optical fiber; and a spacer located between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

A structured substrate for optical fiber alignment is produced at least in part by forming a substrate with a plurality of buried conductive features and a plurality of top level conductive features. At least one of the plurality of top level conductive features defines a bond pad. A groove is then patterned in the substrate utilizing a portion of the plurality of top level conductive features as an etch mask and one of the plurality of buried conductive features as an etch stop. At least a portion of an optical fiber is placed into the groove.

Provided are methods of forming sealed via structures. One method involves: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; (b) forming a layer on the first surface of the substrate; (c) etching a via hole through the substrate from the second surface to the layer, the via hole having a first perimeter at the first surface; (d) forming an aperture in the layer, wherein the aperture has a second perimeter within the first perimeter; and (e) providing a conductive structure for sealing the via structure. Also provided are sealed via structures, methods of detecting leakage in a sealed device package, sealed device packages, device packages having cooling structures, and methods of bonding a first component to a second component.

A structured substrate for optical fiber alignment is produced at least in part by forming a substrate with a plurality of buried conductive features and a plurality of top level conductive features. At least one of the plurality of top level conductive features defines a bond pad. A groove is then patterned in the substrate utilizing a portion of the plurality of top level conductive features as an etch mask and one of the plurality of buried conductive features as an etch stop. At least a portion of an optical fiber is placed into the groove.

A structured substrate for optical fiber alignment is produced at least in part by forming a substrate with a plurality of buried conductive features and a plurality of top level conductive features. At least one of the plurality of top level conductive features defines a bond pad. A groove is then patterned in the substrate utilizing a portion of the plurality of top level conductive features as an etch mask and one of the plurality of buried conductive features as an etch stop. At least a portion of an optical fiber is placed into the groove.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for design, fabrication, and use of an optical bench, as well as alignment and attachment of optical fibers are described herein. One apparatus includes an apparatus body, a first channel within the apparatus body for positioning of a first optical fiber directed along a first axis and a second channel within the apparatus body for positioning of a second optical fiber directed along a second axis, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the second axis. The apparatus also includes a third optical fiber directed along the second axis and an optical element positioned along the first channel and second channel to focus a first light beam from the first optical fiber along the first axis and focus a second light beam from the second optical fiber along the second axis.