Method and apparatus providing optical input/output through the back side of an integrated circuit die - Patent Review 6049639

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Method and apparatus providing optical input/output through the back side of an integrated circuit die

United States Patent

6049639

Link to this page

http://www.wikipatents.com/6049639.html

Inventor(s)

Paniccia; Mario J. (Santa Clara, CA), Rao; Valluri R. M. (Saratoga, CA)

Abstract

A method and an apparatus providing optical input/output in an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, optical modulators and demodulators, which are coupled to integrated circuit input/output nodes, are disposed on or within the back side semiconductor substrate of a flip chip packaged integrated circuit. Since a flip chip packaged integrated circuit die is utilized, full access to the optical modulators and demodulators is provided from the back side of the integrated circuit die for optical input/output. In one embodiment, a heat sink including a light source and an optical assembly is thermally and optically coupled to the back side of the integrated circuit die. A light beam is directed to the optical modulators and the deflected modulated light beam is routed and directed to the optical demodulators to realize optical input/output. In one embodiment, infrared light may be utilized such that the optical modulators and demodulators are disposed within a silicon semiconductor substrate. Since silicon is partially transparent to infrared light, optical input/output is realized through the back side and through the semiconductor substrate of the flip chip packaged integrated circuit die.

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U.S. References

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Reference	Relevancy	Comments	Reference	Relevancy	Comments
5872360 Paniccia et al. Feb,1999	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5864642 Chun et al. Jan,1999	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5835646 Yoshimura et al. Nov,1998	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5696862 Hauer et al. Dec,1997	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5638469 Feldman et al. Jun,1997	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5629838 Knight et al. May,1997	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5625636 Bryan et al. Apr,1997	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5605856 Goosen et al. Feb,1997	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5568574 Tanguay, Jr. et al. Oct,1996	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5502779 Magel Mar,1996	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5485021 Abe Jan,1996	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5432630 Lebby et al. Jul,1995	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5434434 Kasahara et al. Jul,1995	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5400419 Heinen Mar,1995	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5198684 Sudo Mar,1993	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5159700 Reid et al. Oct,1992	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
5153770 Harris Oct,1992	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		5061027 Richard Oct,1991	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
4966430 Weidel Oct,1990	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		4917450 Pocholle et al. Apr,1990	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
4871224 Karstensen et al. Oct,1989	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		4865427 Kingston et al. Sep,1989	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
4761620 Bar-Joseph et al. Aug,1988	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		4758092 Heinrich et al. Jul,1988	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
4695120 Holder Sep,1987	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]		4422088 Gfeller Dec,1983	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
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Foreign References

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Reference	Relevancy	Comments
Miller, DAB: "Reason and Prospects for Dense Optical Interconnections", Presentation by Stanford University Professor, (Oct. 1997). . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
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Fernando, C. et al: "Si/Si.sub.0.85 /GE.sub.0.15 Si P-I-N Waveguide Optical Intensity Modulator," SPIE, vol. 2402(131), 1995, no month available. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Raybon, G., et al.: "A Reconfigurable Optoelectronic Wavelength Converter based on an Integrated Electroabsorption Modulated Laser Array" in 1997 Digest of the IEEE/LEOS Summer Topical Meetings, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Aug. 1997. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Reiley, DJ, and Sasian JM: "Optical Design of a Free-Space Photonic Switching System" in Applied Optics, vol. 36(19), Jul. 1997. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Koren, U., et al.: "A Polarization Insensitive Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with Integrated Electroabsorption Modulators" in Integrated Photonics Research, Apr. 29-May 2, 1996 Technical Digest Series, vol. 6, 1996. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Krishnamoorthy, AV, and Miller, DAB: "Free-Space Optical Interconnections for VLSI Systems: A Technology Roadmap", Conference Proceedings Leos '96 9th Annual MeetingU IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics (vol. 1), Nov. 1996. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Goosen, KW: "GaAs MQW Modulators Integrated With Silicon CMOS" in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 7(4), Apr. 1995. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
"Optoelectronic VLSI Foundry Services From Lucent Technologies", Lucent Technologies Bell Labs Innovations Web Page at http://www.bell-labs.com/project/oevlsi/, updated Mar. 2, 1997. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
"Process for Fabricating OE/VLSI Chips", Lucent Technologies Bell Labs Innovations Web Page at http://www.bell-labs.com/project/oevlsi/wfabproc.html, updated Sep. 26, 1996. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
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Orobtchouk, R., et al.: "Quasi-TEoo Singlemode Optical Waveguides for Electro-optical Modulation at 1.3 .mu.m Using Standard SIMOX Material" in IEEE Proc. Optoelectron, vol. 144(2) Apr. 1997. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
Soref, RA: "Electrooptical Effects of Silicon" in IEEE J of Quantum Electron. vol. QE-23(1), Jan. 1997. . May,2007	Your vote accepted [0 after 0 votes]
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Technical Review Submit all comments and votes

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Claims

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What is claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit device, comprising:

an optical modulator coupled to a first integrated circuit node, the optical modulator optically coupled to receive a light beam generated by a light source, the optical modulator to modulate and deflect the light beam in response to an output signal at the first integrated circuit node; and

an optical demodulator coupled to a second integrated circuit node, the optical demodulator optically coupled to the optical modulator to receive the modulated light beam deflected from the optical modulator, the optical demodulator to generate an input signal at the second integrated circuit node in response to the output signal such that the first integrated circuit node is coupled to the second integrated circuit node through a back side of the integrated circuit device, the integrated circuit device having a front side and the back side, the back side including a semiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit device.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second integrated circuit nodes are included in a first integrated circuit die, the first integrated circuit die having a front side and a back side, the back side of the first integrated circuit die including a semiconductor substrate of the first integrated circuit die.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the optical modulator and the optical demodulator are disposed on a back side of the first integrated circuit die such that the optical modulator and optical demodulator are coupled to the first and second integrated circuit nodes, respectively, through the semiconductor substrate of the first integrated circuit die from the back side of the first integrated circuit die.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first integrated circuit die is included in a flip chip packaged integrated