Patent ID: 11892678
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 8:
9. A system comprising:
an optical fiber configured to carry an optical signal; and
a photonic device in optical communication with the optical fiber, wherein the photonic device comprises:
a device region;
a silicon layer, wherein the silicon layer includes a grating and a waveguide portion, wherein the grating is configured to optically couple the waveguide portion to the optical fiber;
a cladding layer over the waveguide portion, wherein the device region is free of the cladding layer;
a low refractive index layer in direct contact with the cladding over the waveguide portion, wherein a refractive index of the low refractive index layer is less than a refractive index of silicon nitride, and the low refractive index layer comprises silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbon oxynitride, aluminum oxide or hafnium oxide; and
an interconnect structure over the low refractive index layer.