Microwave design of multi-layer interposers for the packaging of photonic integrated circuits

The increasing growth of data traffic on the Internet is supported by innovations in high-speed photonic devices. Some of this novel photonic devices are photonic integrated circuits (PICs) that use higher speeds, have higher circuit density and integrate more heterogeneous devices. A new generation of photonic packaging is also required to handle the increasing device density and data rate of the PICs. An important element to package the PICs is the carrier board which also serves as an interposer between the PIC and the package. The usual interposer material for PICs is a single-layer aluminium nitride (AlN) substrate due to its high thermal conductivity and good microwave performance. In contrast, other high-speed and high-density applications use multi-layer substrates as carrier boards. The typical multi-layer technologies for high-speed interposers is low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). The motivation of this research is the need of multi-layer interposers suitable for the packaging of high-speed and high-density PICs. A key element to enable this multi-layer interposer is the high-speed channels. The task of this research was the microwave design of these high-speed channels for a multi-layer interposer and carrier board suitable for PICs. The main findings of this research can be divided into three areas. First, improvements to the microwave theory. A novel impedance profile reconstruction algorithm based on time-domain reflectometry (TDR) was developed. Additionally, a novel set of equations to calculate the characteristic impedance and the complex propagation constant from the vector network analyser (VNA) measurements of long lines was found and tested with positive results. Also, a novel single impedance thru-only de-embedding algorithm was completed. Second, the design of a novel rotatable vertical transition. The vertical transition has a 3 dB bandwidth around 35 GHz and small penalties on the eye diagram at 40 Gbit s−1 . Third, positive measured results of these designs in co-fired AlN. The measurements of the co-fired AlN board show similar results than in an LTCC board proving that co-fired AlN is an attractive option for PICs where the thermal management is important. The main conclusion from these findings is that the designed transmission lines and vertical transitions are suitable for the use of LTCC or of co-fired AlN as multi-layer interposers for the packaging of high-speed PICs Future work include improvements to the novel microwave algorithms, the development of equation-based models for the transmission lines. Also, the vertical transition has a resonance around 35 GHz that could be compensated using stubs or other elements. Finally, the transmission line designs and vertical transition designs need to be used for real applications of high-speed PICs using LTCC or co-fired AlN

A high-speed vertical transition for multi-layer A1N carrier boards designed by time-domain reflectometry

High density, high speed photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have large numbers of closely spaced DC and RF contacts, which must be connected in the package. The use of multilayer carrier boards to interface between the contacts and the package gives high performance and high density. In order to be effective as a packaging solution, these multi-layer carrier boards need high-speed electrical channels with good performance. Also, the boards usually need high thermal conductivity to manage the heat. Co-fired aluminium nitride (A1N) has the needed high thermal conductivity. However, there are no designs of multi-layer high-speed channels in the literature for co-fired A1N. Therefore, this article presents a high-speed multi-layer channel for co-fired A1N and its measured results. Two transmission lines were designed that showed a measured loss of Ë 0.09dBmm-1 at 40GHz. The vertical transition allows for arbitrary planar rotations of the channel and showed a measured 3 dB bandwidth of 33 GHz and small penalties in the eye diagram with a 44 Gbits-1 signal. The channels showed crosstalk below -30 dB

Wafer-level vacuum sealing for packaging of silicon photonic MEMS

Silicon (Si) photonic micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), with its low-power phase shifters and tunable couplers, is emerging as a promising technology for large-scale reconfigurable photonics with potential applications for example in photonic accelerators for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. For silicon photonic MEMS devices, hermetic/vacuum packaging is crucial to the performance and longevity, and to protect the photonic devices from contamination. Here, we demonstrate a wafer-level vacuum packaging approach to hermetically seal Si photonic MEMS wafers produced in the iSiPP50G Si photonics foundry platform of IMEC. The packaging approach consists of transfer bonding and sealing the silicon photonic MEMS devices with 30 μm-thick Si caps, which were prefabricated on a 100 mm-diameter silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The packaging process achieved successful wafer-scale vacuum sealing of various photonic devices. The functionality of photonic MEMS after the hermetic/vacuum packaging was confirmed. Thus, the demonstrated thin Si cap packaging shows the possibility of a novel vacuum sealing method for MEMS integrated in standard Si photonics platforms

MORPHIC : programmable photonic circuits enabled by silicon photonic MEMS

In the European project MORPHIC we develop a platform for programmable silicon photonic circuits enabled by waveguide-integrated micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). MEMS can add compact, and low-power phase shifters and couplers to an established silicon photonics platform with high-speed modulators and detectors. This MEMS technology is used for a new class of programmable photonic circuits, that can be reconfigured using electronics and software, consisting of large interconnected meshes of phase shifters and couplers. MORPHIC is also developing the packaging and driver electronics interfacing schemes for such large circuits, creating a supply chain for rapid prototyping new photonic chip concepts. These will be demonstrated in different applications, such as switching, beamforming and microwave photonics

Neural circuits controlling behavior and autonomic functions in medicinal leeches

In the study of the neural circuits underlying behavior and autonomic functions, the stereotyped and accessible nervous system of medicinal leeches, Hirudo sp., has been particularly informative. These leeches express well-defined behaviors and autonomic movements which are amenable to investigation at the circuit and neuronal levels. In this review, we discuss some of the best understood of these movements and the circuits which underlie them, focusing on swimming, crawling and heartbeat. We also discuss the rudiments of decision-making: the selection between generally mutually exclusive behaviors at the neuronal level

Longitudinal neuronal organization and coordination in a simple vertebrate: a continuous, semi-quantitative computer model of the central pattern generator for swimming in young frog tadpoles

When frog tadpoles hatch their swimming requires co-ordinated contractions of trunk muscles, driven by motoneurons and controlled by a Central Pattern Generator (CPG). To study this co-ordination we used a 3.5 mm long population model of the young tadpole CPG with continuous distributions of neurons and axon lengths as estimated anatomically. We found that: (1) alternating swimming-type activity fails to self-sustain unless some excitatory interneurons have ascending axons, (2) a rostro-caudal (R-C) gradient in the distribution of excitatory premotor interneurons with short axons is required to obtain the R-C gradient in excitation and resulting progression of motoneuron firing necessary for forward swimming, (3) R-C delays in motoneuron firing decrease if excitatory motoneuron to premotor interneuron synapses are present, (4) these feedback connections and the electrical synapses between motoneurons synchronise motoneuron discharges locally, (5) the above findings are independent of the detailed membrane properties of neurons

Silicon photonic MEMS: exploiting mechanics at the nanoscale to enhance photonic integrated circuits

With the maturing and the increasing complexity of Silicon Photonics technology, novel avenues are pursued to reduce power consumption and to provide enhanced functionality: exploiting mechanical movement in advanced Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits provides a promising path to access a strong modulation of the effective index and to low power consumption by employing mechanically stable and thus non-volatile states. In this paper, we will discuss recent achievements in the development of MEMS enabled systems in Silicon Photonics and outline the roadmap towards reconfigurable general Photonic Integrated Circuits

Autonomous Building Detection Using Edge Properties and Image Color Invariants

Automated building extraction from high-resolution satellite imagery is a challenging research problem, and several issues remain with respect to the variety of variables to be accounted for. In this paper we present an approach for building detection using multiple cues. We use the shadow, shape, and color features of buildings to propose our approach, known as Building Detection with Shadow Verification (BDSV). BDSV has three main pillars, which are: (1) tile building detection (TBD) to detect roof tile buildings; (2) flat building detection (FBD) to detect non-tile flat buildings according to shape features; and (3) results fusion used to fuse and aggregate results from previous blocks. Analyses performed over different study areas reveal high quality percentage and precision metrics, exceeding 95%. Performance analysis over the SztaKi–Inria and Istanbul datasets shows that BDSV outperforms benchmark algorithms

Representation of goal and movements without overt motor behavior in the human motor cortex: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

We recorded motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) to transcranial magnetic stimulation from the right opponens pollicis (OP) muscle while participants observed an experimenter operating two types of pliers: pliers opened by the extension of the fingers and closed by their flexion (“normal pliers”) and pliers opened by the flexion of the fingers and closed by their extension (“reverse pliers”). In one experimental condition, the experimenter merely opened and closed the pliers; in the other, he grasped an object with them. In a further condition, the participants imagined themselves operating the normal and reverse pliers. During the observation of actions devoid of a goal, the MEP amplitudes, regardless of pliers used, reflected the muscular pattern involved in the execution of the observed action. In contrast, during the observation of goal-directed actions, the MEPs from OP were modulated by the action goal, increasing during goal achievement despite the opposite hand movements necessary to obtain it. During motor imagery, the MEPs recorded from OP reflected the muscular pattern required to perform the imagined action. We propose that covert activity in the human motor cortex may reflect different aspects of motor behavior. Imagining oneself performing tool actions or observing tool actions devoid of a goal activates the representation of the hand movements that correspond to the observed ones. In contrast, the observation of tool actions with a goal incorporates the distal part of the tool in the observer's body schema, resulting in a higher-order representation of the meaning of the motor act