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In-chip microstructures and photonic devices fabricated by nonlinear laser lithography deep inside silicon

Nature Photonics volume 11, pages 639–645 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Silicon is an excellent material for microelectronics and integrated photonics1,2,3, with untapped potential for mid-infrared optics4. Despite broad recognition of the importance of the third dimension5,6, current lithography methods do not allow the fabrication of photonic devices and functional microelements directly inside silicon chips. Even relatively simple curved geometries cannot be realized with techniques like reactive ion etching. Embedded optical elements7, electronic devices and better electronic–photonic integration are lacking8. Here, we demonstrate laser-based fabrication of complex 3D structures deep inside silicon using 1-µm-sized dots and rod-like structures of adjustable length as basic building blocks. The laser-modified Si has an optical index different to that in unmodified parts, enabling the creation of numerous photonic devices. Optionally, these parts can be chemically etched to produce desired 3D shapes. We exemplify a plethora of subsurface—that is, ‘in-chip’—microstructures for microfluidic cooling of chips, vias, micro-electro-mechanical systems, photovoltaic applications and photonic devices that match or surpass corresponding state-of-the-art device performances.

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Fig. 1: Creation of 3D index modification inside Si.
Fig. 2: Selective chemical etching and theoretical modelling.
Fig. 3: Functional in-chip optical elements and information storage.
Fig. 4: Sculpting of 3D arbitrary micro-architectures.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported partially by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant ERC-617521 NLL, EU Marie Curie Fellowship 660769 SMILE and TÜBITAK under project 113M930. The authors acknowledge support from the Structural Characterization Facilities at IBC of the HZDR. The authors thank H. Volkan Hünerli for discussions of the chemical procedure.

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Author notes

  1. Onur Tokel and Ahmet Turnalı contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Onur Tokel, Ghaith Makey, Parviz Elahi, Ihor Pavlov, Serim Ilday & F. Ömer Ilday

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Ahmet Turnalı, Özgün Yavuz, Denizhan Koray Kesim & F. Ömer Ilday

  3. The Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Tahir Çolakoğlu, Mona Zolfaghari Borra, Alpan Bek & Raşit Turan

  4. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Emre Ergeçen

  5. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany

    René Hübner

  6. Micro and Nanotechnology Graduate Program, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Mona Zolfaghari Borra, Alpan Bek & Raşit Turan

  7. Department of Physics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Alpan Bek & Raşit Turan

  8. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Serhat Tozburun

  9. Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Izmir, 35340, Turkey

    Serhat Tozburun

  10. UNAM – National Nanotechnology Research Center and Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    F. Ömer Ilday

Authors
  1. Onur Tokel
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Contributions

O.T. and F.Ö.I designed the research and interpreted the results, with help from S.I. Experiments were performed by A.T., O.T., G.M. and Ö.Y. The customized laser was built by I.P. The analytical model was developed by P.E., O.T. and F.Ö.I. Numerical simulations were performed by A.T., O.T. and E.E. Chemical etching was developed by T.Ç., M.Z.B., A.B. and R.T. Material analyses were performed by R.H. and S.I. Waveguide characterization and optical coherence tomography imaging were performed by D.K.K. and S.T., respectively.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Onur Tokel.

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Supplementary Information

In-chip microstructures and photonic devices fabricated by nonlinear laser lithography deep inside silicon

Supplementary Video 1

Infrared transmission microscopy of subsurface structures in Si.

Supplementary Video 2

3D projection of a subsurface Fresnel hologram.

Supplementary Video 3

Multi-level structures in Si.

Supplementary Video 4

Silicon in-chip cooling with embedded microfluidic channels.

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Tokel, O., Turnalı, A., Makey, G. et al. In-chip microstructures and photonic devices fabricated by nonlinear laser lithography deep inside silicon. Nature Photon 11, 639–645 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-017-0004-4

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