Photonic Wire Bonds

Photonic Wire Bonds – the benefits

No need for active alignment

Adaptable for any design due to software defined additive fabrication.

Compensates vertical and lateral alignment offsets by up to ± 20 µm.

Flexibility to support standard and non-standard waveguide pitch

Dense pitch down to 10 µm for high chip edge shoreline integration

Scaling from low-volume prototyping up to high-volume mass production

Step 1: Assembly Build-Up

Step 2: Resist & Interface Detection

Step 3: Fabrication of PWBs

Step 4: Developing & Cleaning

Step 5: Cladding (Encapsulation)

Photonic Wire Bonds – the process

Step 1: Assembly build up with passive component alignment and relaxed tolerances ± 20µm

Step 2: Drop dispense photoresist and passive detection of waveguide interfaces

Step 3: Automatic nanofabrication of Photonic Wire Bonds 

Step 4: Post development steps and cleaning of the assembly

Step 5: Encapsulation of the Photonic Wire Bonds

Wavelength compatibility O- to L- band (other wavelengths on request).

Mode field matching from 2µm up to 10+ µm, with elliptical mode field compensation.

Compatible with SM/PM fibers with 8, 12, 24, 32+ channels

Compatible with a wide range of material platforms: silicon on insulator, silicon nitride, thin film lithium niobate (TFLN), indium phosphide, and more.

 

Refractive Index PWB @ 1550 nm: 1.53

Refractive Index Cladding @ 1550 nm: 1.39

Typical insertion loss down to  0.7 dB 

High power operation > 20 dBm

Material absorption negligible

 

Testing following Telcordia GR-468

Environmental Stress Tests

Damp heat: 1000 hours at 85 °C/85 % RH

Thermal Cycling: 500 cycles -40 °C to 85 °C

Mechanical integrity Tests

Vibration: 20 g, 20 to 2000 Hz 4 min/cycle, 4 cycle/axis

Additional Tests

Operation at 4K. Cryogenic cooling cycles

 

Fiber to fiber connectivity average insertion loss 1.1 dB, 95% yield with insertion loss below 1.5 dB

Fiber to chip connectivity average insertion loss 1.5 dB, 100% yield with insertion loss below 2.0 dB