LNOI Lithium Niobate Thin-Film Wafers 4inch 6inch 8inch X-cut Y-cut
Z-cut Orientations
LNOI (Lithium Niobate on Insulator) wafers are advanced photonic
platforms based on ultra-thin lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) films
(300–900 nm) bonded to insulating substrates (e.g., silicon,
sapphire, or glass) via ion implantation and direct bonding
techniques.
Key advantages include:
· Flexible sizes: Customizable 4–8-inch wafers with tunable
film thickness (standard 600 nm, scalable to micro-scale).
· Heterogeneous integration: Compatible with silicon, nitride,
and glass for monolithic integration of electro-optic modulators,
quantum light sources, etc.
· ZMSH services: Wafer design, bonding process optimization,
wafer-level fabrication (photolithography, etching, metallization),
and turnkey solutions for prototyping to mass production.
Specification for X-cut Lithium Niobate on Insulator (LNOI) wafers
| S.N | Parameters | Specifications |
| 1 | LNOI wafer general specifications |
| 1.1 | Structure | LiNbO₃ / oxide / Si |
| 1.2 | Diameter | Φ100 ± 0.2 mm |
| 1.3 | Thickness | 525 ± 25 μm |
| 1.4 | Primary Flat Length | 32.5 ± 2 mm |
| 1.5 | Wafer Beveling | R Type |
| 1.6 | LTV | <1.5 μm (5×5 mm²)/95% |
| 1.7 | Bow | +/-50 μm |
| 1.8 | Warp | <50 μm |
| 1.9 | Edge Trimming | 2 ± 0.5 mm |
| 2 | Lithium Niobate layer specification |
| 2.1 | Average Thickness | 400 nm ± 10 nm |
| 2.2 | Orientation | X axis ±0.5° |
| 2.3 | Primary Flat Orientation | Z axis ±1° |
| 2.4 | Front Surface Roughness(Ra) | <1 nm |
| 2.5 | Bond Defects | >1 mm None；≤1 mm within 80 total |
| 2.6 | Front Surface Scratch | >1 cm None；≤1 cm within ≤3 total |
| 3 | Oxide (SiO2)layer specification |
| 3.1 | Thickness | 4700 ± 150 nm |
| 3.2 | Uniformity | ±5% |
| 4 | Si layer specification |
| 4.1 | Material | Si |
| 4.2 | Orientation | <100> ±1° |
| 4.3 | Primary Flat Orientation | <110> ±1° |
| 4.4 | Resistivity | >10 kΩ·cm |
| 4.5 | Backside | Etched |
| Notes:Valid/Latest authorization from OEM is required |
Key Features of LNOI Wafers
1. Material Properties:
· High electro-optic coefficient (r₃₃ ≈ 30 pm/V) and wide
transparency window (0.35–5 μm), enabling UV-to-MIR applications.
· Ultra-low waveguide loss (<0.3 dB/cm) and high nonlinearity
for high-speed modulation and quantum frequency conversion.
2. Process Advantages:
· Sub-300 nm films reduce modal volume, supporting >60 GHz
bandwidth modulators.
· Thermal expansion mismatch mitigation through bonding interface
engineering (e.g., amorphous silicon layers).
3. Performance Comparison:
· vs. Silicon Photonics/InP: Lower power consumption (<3 V
half-wave voltage), higher extinction ratio (>20 dB), and 50%
smaller footprint.
Primary applications of LNOI Wafers
1. High-Speed Optical Communications:
- Electro-optic modulators: Enable 800 Gbps/1.6 Tbps modules with >40 GHz bandwidth, 3×
efficiency over silicon.
- Coherent modules: Heterogeneously integrated with silicon photonics for low-loss,
high-reliability long-haul transmission.
2. Quantum Information Systems:
- Quantum light sources: Integrated entangled photon pair generators for on-chip quantum
state manipulation.
- Quantum computing chips: Leverage LiNbO₃’s nonlinearity for qubit fabrication and
fault-tolerant architectures.
3. Sensing & Imaging:
- Terahertz detectors: Non-cryogenic imaging with mm-resolution via EO modulation.
- Fiber optic gyroscopes: High-precision inertial navigation for aerospace.
4. Optical Computing & AI Acceleration:
- Photonic ICs: Ultra-low-latency logic gates and switches for parallel AI
processing.
ZMSH's Services
1. Core Services:
Wafer Customization: 4–8-inch LNOI wafers with X-cut/Z-cut
orientations, MgO doping, and buried oxide layer thickness (50
nm–20 μm).
Heterogeneous Integration: Bonding with silicon, sapphire, or
nitride for hybrid EO-optical chips (e.g., laser-modulator
monoliths).
Fabrication Services: 150 nm UV lithography, dry etching, Au/Cr
metallization, and wafer-level packaging/testing.
End-to-End Support: Design simulation (PIC Studio tools), yield
optimization, and full-scale production.
2. Technological Trends:
Larger Wafers: Transition to 8-inch LNOI for cost reduction and
capacity scaling.
Ultra-Thin Films: Develop <200 nm films to overcome
short-wavelength absorption limits (visible-light applications).
Hybrid Integration: Bond with III-V materials (InP) for
laser-modulator integration.
Smart Manufacturing: AI-driven etching parameter optimization to
reduce defects (<1 defect/cm²).
Q&A
