NHanced Semiconductors and the University of Florida will present research on the role of hybrid bonding and silicon interposers in advanced photonic packaging at the 2026 SMTA International Conference in Rosemont, Illinois.
The paper, titled Advanced Packaging for Photonics: Hybrid Bonding and Silicon Interposer Integration, will be presented by NHanced Semiconductors Vice President Dr. Charles Woychik and Dr. Navid Asadizanjani of the Florida Semiconductor Institute at the University of Florida.
The work focuses on fine-pitch Cu-Cu hybrid bonding and high-density silicon interposers for 2.5D heterogeneous integration of chiplets, including silicon photonics devices.
According to the researchers, hybrid bonding can provide dielectric-to-dielectric bonding and direct copper interconnects at pitches below 10 µm, with potential scaling to below 5 µm.
Eliminating conventional micro-bumps can reduce interconnect height, parasitic capacitance and inductance, improving signal integrity and energy efficiency for high-speed photonic-electronic interfaces.
Silicon interposers provide another part of the integration strategy, using high-density redistribution layers and through-silicon vias to bring heterogeneous chiplets together within 2.5D architectures.
Combining the two technologies could provide the alignment accuracy required for low-loss optical coupling while helping address the electrical, optical and thermal requirements of co-packaged optics and AI interconnects.
However, significant manufacturing challenges remain. These include bonding defects, overlay accuracy, thermal expansion mismatch and heat dissipation within increasingly dense device stacks.
Addressing these issues will require closer co-optimisation of materials, process integration and thermal management.
The researchers see these advanced packaging approaches as an important foundation for scaling high-density, energy-efficient photonic-electronic integration in next-generation data-centric systems.
The 2026 SMTA International Conference will take place from 25–29 October at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
