Advanced transfer printing with in-situ optical monitoring for the integration of micron-scale devices

Transfer printing integration of planar membrane devices on photonic and electronic circuits is becoming a well established technology. Typical systems incorporate a single planar layer printed into full contact with the host substrate. In this work we present an advanced transfer print system that enables printing of optical devices in non-planar geometries and allows in-situ optical monitoring of devices. We show micro-resonators with air-clad whispering gallery modes coupled to on-chip waveguides, inverted device printing and three dimensionally assembled micro-cavities incorporating semiconductor micro-lenses and nanowire lasers. We demonstrate printing onto non-standard substrates including optical chip facets and single-mode fibre ends. The optical fibre printing was carried out with alignment assistance from in-situ optical coupling through the transfer printing system in real-time allowing active alignment of the system.