Optically Interconnected Analog Focal Plane Image Processor Using Hybrid-Seed Technology

Abstract

The hybrid SEED technology, originally developed by AT&T Bell Laboratory, successfully integrates for the first time the dense high processing power silicon VLSI with the fast high-density GaAs self-electrooptic effect device (SEED) detectors and modulators, which are the absorption-based reflective mode modulator. Thus, we can provide parallel optical I/O to the silicon smart pixels. The techniques involved in this integration include flip-chip bonding and substrate removal. The adoption of flip-chip bonding eliminates difficulty to grow IH-V modulators directly on silicon circuits, In the mean time, substrate removal eliminates the need of using transparent substrate and makes further bonding of multiple arrays of optoelectronic devices, or lenslet arrays to chip possible^1,2.