Wafer-scale Manufacturing of Ultra-low Loss, High-density Si3N4 Photonic Integrated Circuits

We demonstrate Si 3 N 4 photonic integrated circuits featuring ultra-low propagation loss and tight optical confinement, fabricated with a subtractive process. We report an increase in propagation loss in Si 3 N 4 waveguides after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and loss recovery following a rapid thermal anneal (RTA). We show an intrinsic quality factor as high as 20 × 10 6 at 1.55 µ m across a 100 mm wafer.