High-speed TO-can optoelectronic packages

Abstract

Methods and apparatus that provide TO-can optoelectronic packages suitable for optical telecommunications applications involving data speed rates of up to 10 Gbps and beyond. A TO-can optoelectronic package may comprise a TO-can cap and a TO-can header defining an interior region of the package. An optoelectronic component such as a laser or photodetector can be mounted within the interior region of the TO-can. An electrical connection may be selected for coupling the optoelectronic component to a selected post of the TO-can package. The electrical connection may include a transmission line formed from a conductive element other than a bond wire having a predefined length that can assist in reducing parasitic effects within the TO-can optoelectronic package to accommodate high-speed data rates. The transmission line itself is connected to the optoelectronic component and the selected post with a plurality of bond wires.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE [0001] This is a continuation application which claims priority under 35 USC § 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 212,011 filed on Aug. 2, 2002, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 350,610 filed on Jan. 18, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention pertains to semiconductor laser packages, transmitters, and receivers, and more particularly to the packaging of a plurality of optoelectronic components within TO-can package configurations. [0003] Lasers are used for many purposes particularly in the telecommunications industry. Edge emitting lasers are the most common. They are available for all major telecommunication wavelengths and multiple types are available for various applications. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) generally offer a low-cost alternative and are capable of being fabricated in larger volumes on semiconduct...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a cost-effective improvement for packaging high-speed optoelectronic components, such as semiconductor lasers and receivers, in a way that reduces inductance and improves data transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps. The improvements include cutting the external TO-can posts short, connecting them directly to controlled impedance transmission lines, and grounding them as well as possible. Other measures include decreasing inductance in the electrical path, combining interconnect transmission lines and other necessary components on the same submount, and including signal conditioning and bandwidth broadening circuitry on the same submount or PC board. These principles can be applied to various TO-can packages, such as those described in the patents mentioned above."

Problems solved by technology

The TO-can package however was not originally designed for relatively high Gbps speeds.

High-speed optoelectronic devices have primarily relied on other more expensive laser packaging solutions such as butterfly modules.

The parasitic reactance associated with the construction of a TO-can package limited its operation for high-speed applications in the past.

Maintaining the balance between the differential signals is crucial however and this task gets progressively more difficult at higher speeds.

Moreover, TO-can packages generally employ bond wires for connecting various optoelectronic components and posts which may further contribute to the undesirable parasitic effects often associated with these types of packages at high data rates.

The current lack of adequate solutions for addressing these limitations can not meet the growing demand for high-speed digital communications services which now require optical transmission links to operate at data rates of 10 Gbps and higher.

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