Photonics

The market for photonics devices is driven by diverse end applications including low energy LED lighting, 3D imaging sensors for facial recognition in mobile phones, LIDAR for the ‘smart car’, communications infrastructure and also cloud-based data storage systems.

In general, photonics devices can be classified as either active or passive. Active devices, built from semiconductors, produce or sense light and include LEDs, lasers and photodiodes. Passive devices, on the other hand, are used to channel light in a controlled manner and are built using dielectric materials such as silicon oxide. Both active and passive components can be combined into a photonic integrated circuit (PIC).  SPTS offers a range of technologies which can be employed to manufacture both passive and active optoelectronic devices.

Processes for Photonics:

  • Plasma Etch – etch processes for silicon, oxides, nitrides and compound semiconductors used in LEDs, laser, VCSELs and waveguides
  • PECVD – deposition of a-Si, SiOx, SiN, and SiON for optical waveguides, stress relief layers and anti-reflective coatings
  • PVD -  High productivity deposition of metal layers for diffusion barriers, TSV seed, and UBM/RDL
  • LPCVD – thermal annealing of TCOs, epitaxial and Ag layers in LED applications and silicon smoothing applications
  • Vapor Release Etch - dry, isotropic etch of silicon and oxide in waveguides, µLEDs and optical MEMS