Reliable micro-transfer printing method for heterogeneous integration of lithium niobate and semiconductor thin films

TL;DR

This paper introduces a reliable micro-transfer printing method for integrating lithium niobate with semiconductor films, enhancing optical device capabilities with high transfer yield demonstrated across multiple materials.

Contribution

A novel source preparation technique enabling high-yield transfer printing of lithium niobate and other semiconductor films, improving integration reliability.

Findings

Successful transfer of 25 lithium niobate films without failure

Versatile application to gallium phosphide and silicon

Enhanced transfer yield for large-area thin films

Abstract

High-speed Pockels modulation and second-order nonlinearities are key components in optical systems, but CMOS-compatible platforms like silicon and silicon nitride lack these capabilities. Micro-transfer printing of thin-film lithium niobate offers a solution, but suspending large areas of thin films for long interaction lengths and high-Q resonators is challenging, resulting in a low transfer yield. We present a new source preparation method that enables reliable transfer printing of thin-film lithium niobate. We demonstrate its versatility by successfully applying it to gallium phosphide and silicon, and provide an estimate of the transfer yield by subsequently printing 25 lithium niobate films without fail.