Extended silicon photonics platform addressing bioimaging applications in the 1 µm wavelength range

We demonstrate the co-integration of SiN waveguide-based building block components in an established 200 mm Silicon photonics platform, extending its capabilities to the 1 µm wavelength range, and addressing bioimaging applications based on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Measured coupling and propagation loss, at wafer-scale, are low for edge couplers (< 2 dB), and PECVD SiN waveguides (< 0.4 dB/cm) respectively. SiN waveguide-coupled Ge-on-Si photodetectors with 0.6 A/W responsivity at 1060 nm and dark currents lower than 15 nA at -1 V operating voltage were achieved at wafer-scale, with a smaller footprint compared to standard Si-based photodetectors. This platform has the potential to be used for a variety of applications, such as optical communications, imaging, and sensing. The achieved results at 1060 nm pave the way for the deployment of miniaturized OCT-based devices to enable large scale patient diagnosis.