Wafer-scale Manufacturing of Ultra-low Loss, High-density Si3N4 Photonic Integrated Circuits

We demonstrate Si
3
N
4
photonic integrated circuits featuring ultra-low propagation loss and tight optical confinement, fabricated with a subtractive process. We report an increase in propagation loss in Si
3
N
4
waveguides after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and loss recovery following a rapid thermal anneal (RTA). We show an intrinsic quality factor as high as 20×10
⁶
at 1.55 µm across a 100 mm wafer.