Hybridisation of LEDs with silicon microsensors

This paper presents the experiments we performed for hybrid integration of LEDs with silicon optical readout microsensors. LEDs were face down mounted, in a silicon cavity, on the same wafer with the sensor. The edge-emitted light is coupled into SiON waveguides. The LEDs hybridization steps were included in the technological processes of two types of silicon microsensors: chemo-optical and mechano-optical sensors. The proper technological steps succession was established according to the limitation imposed by lithography on wafers with deep groves and the thermal behavior of transducing layers. The main problem we solved was the matching of all the involved processes: integrated optics, micromachining, thin-film technology, CMOS technology. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.