CMOS Compatible Active Silicon Nanophotonic Devices and Systems

In this STTR effort, Structured Materials Industries, Inc. (SMI), in collaboration with our academic and industrial partners will design, develop, and demonstrate a more efficient and compact, silicon optical modulator based on nanoscale photonic structures that is completely compatible with standard CMOS processing. The structures developed will form the building blocks for a family of devices based on active silicon nanophotonics which will open the door to a new technology free from conventional microelectronics limitations, providing low power, high bandwidth, high speed and ultra-small optoelectronic components. Moreover, the active silicon nanophotonic devices to be developed will benefit from the inherent infrastructure and cost benefits of the existing CMOS manufacturing infrastructure. In Phase I of this project, we expanded preliminary results on specific electro-optic devices to address a more general class of devices and their integration on a silicon chip within a commercially manufacturable infrastructure. In this Phase II effort we will complete development of the devices and finalize a route for integrating passive and active components into complex, electro-optical systems on a single silicon chip within a commercial CMOS foundry.