LSI on-chip optical interconnections are discussed from the viewpoint of a comparison between optical and electrical interconnections. Based on a practical prediction of our optical device development, optical interconnects will have an advantage over electrical interconnects within a chip that has an interconnect length less than about 10 mm at the hp32-22 nm technology node. Fundamental optical devices and components used in interconnections have also been introduced that are small enough to be placed on top of a Si LSI and that can be fabricated using methods compatible with CMOS processes. A SiON waveguide showed a low propagation loss around 0.3 dB/cm at a wavelength of 850 nm, and excellent branching characteristics were achieved for MMI (multimode interference) branch structures. A Si nano-photodiode showed highly enhanced speed and efficiency with a surface plasmon antenna. By combining our Si nano-photonic devices with the advanced TIA-less optical clock distribution circuits, clock distribution above 10 GHz can be achieved with a small footprint on an LSI chip.

Complex thin oxide films with electro-optic (EO) properties are promising for use in advanced optical devices because of their large EO effect. We developed a method of aerosol deposition (AD) for fabricating EO films. The mechanism for AD is based on the solidification by impact of submicron particles onto a substrate. Since particles in AD films preserve their crystalline structure during the formation of film, epitaxial growth is not necessary for exhibiting the EO effect. Highly transparent Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 films, which have acceptable transmittance loss for use as optical devices, were directly deposited on glass substrates by AD. We found the Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 film by AD produced a fairly high EO coefficient (>150 pm/V), approximately 10 times larger than that of LiNbO3. A Fabry-Perot (FP) optical modulator was developed with EO films fabricated by AD. We demonstrated the modulation of optical intensity with an electrical field applied to an EO film made of ferroelectric Pb (Zr, Ti)O3.