Microelectronic-like packaging for silicon photonics : A 10 Gbps multi-chip-module optical receiver based on Ge-on-Si photodiode

Next generation optoelectronic devices and optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEIC) will require higher bandwidth, higher I/O pin counts, and package compatible with mass volume production, particularly in term of cost and assembly yield. Today´s optopackages (Butterfly package, TO-can, XMD package) are unable to fulfill all these requirements. In this paper, we propose to use a microelectronic standard package, that is, a Quad Flat Nolead (QFN) air cavity package, in order to build a multichip optoelectronic module. This module is an optoelectronic receiver embedding a high speed Ge-on-Si photodiode, the related amplifier electronics and at least one bypass capacitor. The used package has 32 electrical connections, making it suitable for future use with more complex integrated devices, like CMOS photonics components. A fiber pigtail is inserted through the package lid in order to couple light from an optical fiber to the photodiode. We obtained open eye diagram at 10 Gbps, demonstrating the validity of this approach for high speed integrated devices.