Optoelectronic Device Integration in Silicon (OpSIS)

Abstract : This report summarizes achievements in Professor Hochbergs research group at the Universities of Washington and Delaware in the development of fundamental design tools and methodologies for optoelectronic devices in silicon photonics. We proposed to develop fundamental tools and methodologies that enable successful design of complex electronic-photonic integrated devices in silicon. We worked with a number of foundry partners, including BAE Systems, IME, and Luxtera, to develop leading-edge devices, including best-in-class modulators, couplers and detectors,and we prototyped integrated high-complexity devices that showcase these new design and layout capabilities. In particular we focused on devices that closely coupled electronics with photonics for low-loss data transmission, in order to realize multiple order-of-magnitude gains in performance and SWaP metrics. The goals of the project were to develop methodologies for designing and validating electronic-photonic integrated devices in silicon and to demonstrate leading-edge performance for a variety of device categories, including some fundamentally new device types. We developed a community of users for these processes, in order to enable the creation of a multi-project-wafer infrastructure for silicon photonics.