A Two-Wafer Approach for Integration of Optical MEMS and Photonics on Silicon Substrate

This letter reports a novel two-wafer approach which demonstrates an integration of optical microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices and photonics on a silicon substrate. The great advantage of this novel wafer bonding scheme is the ability to maintain the optical axis of the optical MEMS device at the same axis as the optical components. The bonded two wafers which are partially processed, which allows for further processing on the wafer after bonding. Thus, the critical alignment issue is resolved for devices requiring precise alignment in x-/y-/z-axis. Individual functionalities of optical MEMS device and optical coupling between silicon waveguide, fibers and ball lens are demonstrated. This technology shows the potential for integrating silicon photonics integrated circuit and MEMS components with reconfiguration functions on a single silicon substrate.