Sparkolor Corp. announces passively aligned hybrid flip-chip bonding capability

Sparkolor Corp., developer of tunable optical networking components and modules, has successfully demonstrated its passively aligned hybrid semiconductor flip-chip bonding capability. According to the company, this fully automated process achieves sufficient accuracy to enable mass production of hybrid-integrated optical components, bringing the manufacturing cost efficiencies common to the integrated electronics industry to photonic devices.

The flip-chip bonding process, a key element of Sparkolor's Planar Hybrid Integration (PHI) technology platform, has sufficient accuracy to permanently align an Indium-Phosphide (InP) laser diode to a silica-on-silicon Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) with horizontal alignment of 0.5 micrometers and vertical alignment with less than 0.2 micrometers of error. Typically, this degree of alignment is achieved using expensive "active alignment" techniques, where the laser is turned on during bonding, explain company representatives. Sparkolor's technique uses passively aligned image recognition techniques and a proprietary bonding process to achieve sufficient precision without the added expense of individually turning on every laser diode during manufacturing.

While many different materials could be integrated onto the silica-on-silicon platform, Sparkolor first intends to use its precision hybrid flip-chip bonding capability to make Hybrid Distributed Bragg Reflector (HDBR) lasers, which utilize an InP laser diode chip integrated with a silica-on-silicon tuning structure.

For more information about Sparkolor Corp. (Santa Clara, CA), visit the company's Web site at www.sparkolor.com.