Thin film multi-material OEICs

One promising method for integrating semiconductor devices, both electronic and optoelectronic, with arbitrary host substrates such as integrated circuits, polymers, and glass, is thin film device integration. Single crystal, thin film semiconductor devices can be separated from the growth substrate and bonded to host substrates using standard microelectronic processing, which is a particularly attractive option for multi-material integrated optoelectronics. The separation of Si, GaAs, and InP-based thin film epitaxial devices from the growth substrate, called epitaxial lift off (ELO), and the subsequent transfer and bonding of these thin film devices to relatively smooth host substrates, such as silicon circuits, has been demonstrated by a number of groups and is reviewed in this paper. In addition, thin film device performance before and after separation from the growth substrate is examined.