Abstract: A method of fabricating a component having a crystalline silicon substrate includes the steps of depositing a layer of silica onto a crystalline silicon substrate, this silica layer being doped with dopants, and then treating the substrate. Before the doped silica layer is deposited, a barrier layer is formed on the substrate, consisting of a barrier material opposing diffusion of the dopants. The doped silica layer is deposited onto this barrier layer. The invention finds one particular application in connecting flat bundles of fibers in communication networks.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of assembling an optical module comprising at least two optical components whose waveguides are optically coupled to each other. Positioning one waveguide relative to the other one relies on two contact surfaces on the respective optical components cooperating with each other. A first contact surface includes a vertical bearing plane in the same horizontal plane as the optical axis of the waveguide of one of the optical components. A second contact surface includes a vertical bearing plane in the same horizontal plane as the optical axis of the waveguide of the other optical component.

Abstract: A hybrid optical device includes a passive component coupled optically to an active component, the passive component being formed in layers of silica on a substrate made of silica, the layers and the substrate thus forming a silica-on-silica structure. The hybrid optical device includes an intermediate element having good thermal conductivity and a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of the active component, wherein the active component is fixed to the intermediate element prior to insertion into the cavity, and the intermediate element is fixed to the structure so that the active component is located inside the cavity and is coupled optically to the passive component.

Abstract: In a method for mounting an integrated optical component, a starting base structure includes a silica lower confinement layer and the cores of the future optical waveguides. This basic structure includes an alignment abutment so that a component to be mounted can be subsequently aligned with these waveguides. A silicon barrier layer is deposited on the abutment. Flame hydrolysis deposition is then used to deposit an upper silica layer to constitute the upper confinement layer of the waveguides. This silica layer also covers the alignment abutment, however. For this reason the region of the abutment is then etched by reactive ion etching to expose the abutment, which is protected from this etching by the barrier layer. The component to be mounted is then located relative to the abutment.