Enabling Scalable CPO Architectures Through Nanoimprint Lithography and Direct Bonding
Co-packaged optics (CPO) demands highly scalable integration of photonic and electronic components, requiring precise alignment, low-loss optical interfaces, and ultra-short electrical interconnects to minimize parasitic effects.
This presentation introduces manufacturing approaches based on wafer-level nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to address key challenges in next-generation optical transceivers. EV Group’s SmartNIL technology enables high-fidelity, wafer-level replication of micro- and nano-optical structures, including grating couplers and vertical coupling elements. These structures allow efficient out-of-plane light redirection, supporting chip chip-to-chip and chip-to-fiber optical interconnects as well as wafer-level testing.
Heterogenous integration is further realized through advanced wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer bonding, enabling the scalable integration of materials such as III-V semiconductors and thin-film lithium niobate onto silicon photonics platforms. Plasma-activated fusion bonding is discussed alongside an oxide-free, room-temperature bonding approach that ensures low-loss, optically transparent interfaces.
The combination of NIL-based patterning with advanced bonding technologies establishes a robust and scalable framework for CPO architectures, addressing critical requirements in alignment precision, heterogeneous integration, and interface quality.
Key Technologies Covered
- Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)
- Nanoimprint Lithography
- Micro- and Nano-Optical Structures
- Optical Interconnects
- Wafer Bonding
- Fusion and Hybrid Bonding
- Oxide-free Bonding
- Heterogenous Integration
