CMOS Photonics: A Platform for Optoelectronics Integration

We describe the intimate relationship between process, devices, and system design by examining the development of Luxtera's CMOS Photonics technology. We address the challenges of integrating optoeletronic elements, including germanium photodiodes, in a commercial CMOS process without significantly affecting the electronics performance and the manufacturability of the process. The common practices of the electronics design and manufacturing industry are applied to our optoelectronic technology; we discuss our device library and our design and testing infrastructure in support of the engineering of complex optoelectronic circuits and systems. Finally, we use a complete monolithically integrated wavelength division multiplexed 40 Gbps transceiver chip as an example of the application of our complete technology platform and the demonstration of its capabilities for optoelectronic integration.