Vertical waveguides with various functionality on integrated circuits

Abstract

An embodiment relates to a device comprising an optical pipe comprising a core and a cladding, the optical pipe being configured to separate wavelengths of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a selective wavelength through the core and the cladding, wherein the core is configured to be both a channel to transmit the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the core. Other embodiments relate to a compound light detector.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An device comprising an optical pipe comprising a core, the optical pipe being configured to separate wavelengths of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a selective wavelength through the core, wherein the core is configured to be both a channel to transmit the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the core; wherein the selective wavelength is an infrared wavelength. 
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the core comprises a waveguide. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the active element is configured to be a photodiode, a charge storage capacitor, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the device is an image sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the core comprises a waveguide comprising a semiconductor material. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , further comprising a passivation layer around the waveguide. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 5 , further comprising a metal layer around the waveguide. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 6 , further comprising a metal layer around the passivation layer. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises no color or IR filter. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the optical pipe is circular, non-circular or conical. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a cladding, wherein the core has a core index of refraction (n 1 ), and the cladding has a cladding index of refraction (n 2 ), wherein n 1 >n 2 , n 1 =n 2 , or n 1 <n 2 . 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , further comprising a stack surrounding the optical pipe, the stack comprising metallic layers embedded in dielectric layers, wherein the dielectric layers have a lower refractive index than that of the cladding. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein a surface of the stack comprises a reflective surface. 
     
     
         14 . A compound light detector comprising at least two different devices, each device comprising an optical pipe comprising a core, the optical pipe being configured to separate wavelengths of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a selective wavelength through the core, wherein the core is configured to be both a channel to transmit the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the core, and the compound light detector is configured to reconstruct a spectrum of wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation beam; wherein the selective wavelength is an infrared wavelength. 
     
     
         15 . The compound light detector of  claim 13 , wherein the core comprises a first waveguide having the selective wavelength such that electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths beyond the selective wavelength transmits through a cladding, further wherein the selective wavelength of the core of each of the at least two different devices is different such that the at least two different devices separate the electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the compound light detector at different selective wavelengths. 
     
     
         16 . The compound light detector of  claim 14 , wherein the cladding comprises a second waveguide that permits electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths beyond the selective wavelength to remains within the cladding and be transmitted to a peripheral photosensitive element. 
     
     
         17 . The compound light detector of  claim 15 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the cladding at an electromagnetic radiation beam emitting end of the cladding is substantially equal to an area of the peripheral photosensitive element. 
     
     
         18 . A compound light detector comprising at least a first device and a second device, wherein the first device is configured to provide a first separation of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a first selective wavelength without any external filter, the second device is configured to provide a second separation of the electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a second selective wavelength without any external filter, the first selective wavelength is different from the second selective wavelength, each of the first device and the second device comprises a core that is configured to be both a channel to transmit the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the core. 
     
     
         19 . The compound light detector of  claim 17 , wherein the first device comprises a first waveguide having the first selective wavelength such that electromagnetic radiation of wavelength beyond the first selective wavelength will not be confined by the first waveguide, wherein the second device comprises a second waveguide having the second selective wavelength such that electromagnetic radiation of wavelength beyond the second selective wavelength will not be confined by the second waveguide, further wherein the first selective wavelength is different from the second selective wavelength. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the first device further comprises a first waveguide that permits electromagnetic radiation of wavelength of greater than the first selective wavelength to remains within the first waveguide and the second device further comprises a second waveguide that permits electromagnetic radiation of wavelength of greater than the second selective wavelength to remains within the second waveguide. 
     
     
         21 . The compound light detector of  claim 18 , wherein each of the first and second devices comprises a cladding comprising a photosensitive element.