US 11,796,739 B2
Edge couplers and methods of making the same
Min-Hsiang Hsu, Hsinchu (TW); Chewn-Pu Jou, Hsinchu (TW); Chan-Hong Chern, Palo Alto, CA (US); Cheng-Tse Tang, Zhubei (TW); Yung-Jr Hung, Kaohsiung (TW); and Lan-Chou Cho, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/461,534.
Prior Publication US 2023/0061568 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/30 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/305 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A semiconductor device for optical coupling, comprising:
a substrate;
an optical waveguide over the substrate; and
a plurality of layers over the optical waveguide, wherein:
the plurality of layers includes a plurality of coupling pillars disposed at an edge of the semiconductor device, and
the plurality of coupling pillars form an edge coupler configured for optically coupling the optical waveguide to an optical fiber placed at the edge of the semiconductor device, wherein:
the optical waveguide comprises a plurality of coupling gratings over the substrate;
at least two of the plurality of coupling gratings have different shapes from each other; and
at least one of the plurality of coupling gratings comprises an active photonic device.