Silicon photonic MEMS developed for semiconductor manufacturing

A team of researchers led by the University of Sydney’s Associate Professor Niels Quack has developed technology to combine optics and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) in a microchip, paving the way for the creation of devices like micro-3D cameras and gas sensors for precision air quality measurement, including their use in mobile phones. Published in Nature: Microsystems and NanoEngineering, the new microfabrication process builds on silicon photonics and uses semiconductor manufacturing techniques to enable a new, more energy-efficient generation of devices for fibre-optical communications, sensors and future quantum computers.

Quack said that the photonic MEMS are unique in that they are compact, consume little power, are fast, support a range of optical carrier signals and have low optical loss. Quack said that this is the first time that nano-electromechanical actuators have been integrated in a standard silicon photonics technology platform.

“It is an important step towards mature large-scale, reliable photonic circuits with integrated MEMS. This technology is being prepared for high-volume production, with potential applications in 3D imaging for autonomous vehicles or new photonic-assisted computing. Current similar technologies consume a lot of power and occupy a large area on-chip. They also have high optical losses. This makes the integration of a large number of components on a single chip challenging,” Quack said.

The researchers’ silicon photonic MEMS technology overcomes these shortcomings and provides a route for efficient scaling of photonic integrated circuits. “The technology will advance knowledge in the field of micro- and nanofabrication, photonics and semiconductors, with a wide range of applications. These include beam steering for LIDAR 3D sensing in autonomous vehicles, programmable photonic chips or information processing in quantum photonics,” Quack said.

Image caption: MEMS technology could enable more efficient fibre-optical telecommunications, datacentres and future quantum computers. Image credit: Neils Quack, University of Sydney.