A roadmap to a technological platform for integrating nanophotonic structures with micromechanical systems in silicon-on-insulator

Abstract

On the foundation of joint experience acquired by several research centres there was defined the roadmap to the desired single technological platform for fabrication of a specific class of photonic integrated circuits, which are controlled by mechanical means. In the paper the challenges of fabrication of such photonic circuits are discussed. The main arguments in favour of the Silicon-on-Insulator materials system as the basis for the platform are presented. Options for the mechanics-to-optics arrangement, materials and processes are described and illustrated with the current achievements from the authors' labs. In the roadmap the preference is given to the vertical arrangement in which, the mechanical part is stacked above the waveguiding layer. A flexible trimming routine is designed to complement the process flow if the technologies developed cannot provide the required reproducibility.