US 6,983,086 B2
Thermally isolating optical devices
Behzad Fardi, San Jose, Calif. (US); Farshid Adibi, San Jose, Calif. (US); Chaoyang Li, San Jose, Calif. (US); Anirban Bandyopadhyay, San Jose, Calif. (US); and Mahesh Junnarkar, San Jose, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif. (US)
Filed on Jun. 19, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/465,210.
Prior Publication US 2004/0258344 A1, Dec. 23, 2004
Int. Cl. G02B 6/12 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 385—14 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical circuit comprising:
a thermo-optic device including a waveguide core formed over a semiconductor substrate, said core covered by a cladding; and an opening in said semiconductor substrate extending under said thermo-optic device, said opening having a first laterally extending region communicating with a second deeper, vertically extending region, said vertically extending region having a lateral extent less than the lateral extent of said laterally extending region, wherein said first laterally extending region is isotropically etched, and said second vertically extending region is anisotropically etched.