Optical transceiver bandwidth scaling through direct optical line fiber termination

Abstract

Optical transceiver bandwidth scaling through a direct optical line fiber termination is disclosed. A wavelength multiplexed fiber optic transmitter, receiver, or transceiver in which a plurality of transmitters and / or photodetectors having different center wavelengths are coupled to a single fiber optic core terminal through a plurality of waveguides that can be printed directly in free space. The described optical assemblies are suitable for optical data link applications, e.g., to reduce the number of optical fibers required for a given bandwidth or to increase the bandwidth of a given number of optical fibers. The bi-directional fiber termination may also be implemented with a pair of emitters and photodetectors coupled to a single fiber core termination through multiple waveguides.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Optical data links can be used to address the scalability challenges faced by electrical interconnects over longer distances (e.g., 1 m or more) due to their potential for negligible frequency-dependent losses. Optical links based on vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) emitters are now commercially available. However, meeting the growing bandwidth demands while maintaining high energy efficiency, small device footprint, and low cost remains challenging.

[0002] For a given optical data link, the aggregate data rate can be expressed by the data rate per channel multiplied by the number of wavelengths multiplexed onto the fiber, further multiplied by the number of fibers in the link. Strategies for increasing optical link data rates include increasing the data rate per channel by increasing transmitter bandwidth (e.g., from a few GHz to up to 30 GHz or more) and / or by implementing non-return-zero (NRZ) data transmission or pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4). Strategies for increasing optical link data rates also include utilizing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), in which transmitters with different wavelengths transmit their modulated light into a single fiber. Strategies for increasing optical link data rates also include increasing the number of fibers and / or fiber cores. For example, multiplexing and adding has advanced transceiver standards from 4 data channels and 8 fibers (e.g., where one fiber transmits and another fiber receives) to 8 or 16 data channels.

[0003] However, these strategies for higher bandwidth have disadvantages. Further increasing the data rate per channel may be limited by the device physics of the transmitter modulation. The original bit error rate (BER) and energy efficiency are also degraded with higher order modulations such as PAM4. For WDM, an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer (mux / demux) is required between each fiber terminal and the transmitter or photodetector (PD) array. Many of these mux / demux architectures currently rely on complex mechanical-optical interfaces (MOI) with wavelength filters and one or more integrated microlenses, which may become cost-prohibitive. In addition, the mux / demux architecture has a high package profile (i.e., z height) and / or a large footprint, which may exclude their tight integration within a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) system, which is critical for bandwidth scalability. Finally, simply adding more channels / fibers in parallel will not increase the bandwidth density per fiber or per area of ​​the optical link. Currently, the fiber array pitch size is limited by the fiber diameter (eg, 127 μm for multimode fiber with a standard 125 μm diameter cladding). As a result, shoreline fiber density is very difficult to expand.

[0004] Therefore, an equipment architecture that can multiplex optical fibers within a smaller footprint and / or lower profile is commercially advantageous, enabling the multiplexed optical fibers to be tightly integrated within a system (e.g., within a PIC package) and at a potentially lower cost than conventional solutions. An equipment architecture that can improve bandwidth density along the edge is also commercially advantageous. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In the accompanying drawings, the material described herein is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the elements illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated between the drawings to indicate corresponding or similar elements. In the drawings:

[0006] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for assembling optical devices multiplexed by optical line fiber terminals according to some embodiments;

[0007] Figure 2Ais a cross-sectional profile view of a photonic device assembly including a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal according to some embodiments;

[0008] Figure 2B is a cross-sectional profile view of an optical fiber end face and two optical lines overlapping different portions of the optical fiber end face according to some embodiments;

[0009] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a fiber optic multiplexing system including an optical fiber array and a plurality of optical devices coupled to each of a plurality of optical fibers through an optical line according to some embodiments;

[0010] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Figure illustrates a cross-sectional profile view of an optical fiber core end face and a plurality of optical lines overlapping different portions of the optical fiber core end face according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an optical line extending from an optical transmitter to an optical fiber core end face according to some embodiments;

[0012] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating an optical line extending from an optical detector to an optical fiber core end face according to some embodiments;

[0013] Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional profile view of a bidirectional fiber optic multiplexing system according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 7B According to some embodiments, Fig. 7A A cross-sectional view of a first optical fiber end face of the multiplexing system illustrated in FIG.

[0015] Figure 7C According to some embodiments, Fig. 7A A cross-sectional view of a second optical fiber end face of the multiplexing system shown in FIG.

[0016] Figure 8 illustrates a mobile computing platform and a data server machine including a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal according to some embodiments; and

[0017] Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram of an electronic computing device according to some embodiments, which can implement Figure 8 One or more components of the mobile platform or data server machine illustrated in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Various embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although specific configurations and arrangements are described and discussed in detail, this is done for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that the techniques and / or arrangements described herein may also be used in various other systems and applications in addition to the systems and applications described in detail herein.

[0019] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this document and illustrate exemplary embodiments. Further, it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter. It should also be noted that directions and references (e.g., up, down, top, bottom, etc.) may be used only to facilitate the description of features in the drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be understood in a limiting sense, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0020] In the following description, numerous details are set forth. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments can be implemented without these specific details. In some instances, known methods and devices are shown in block diagram form rather than in detail to avoid obscuring various embodiments. References throughout this specification to "embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" mean that specific features, structures, functions or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, phrases "in an embodiment" or "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" appearing in multiple locations throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, in one or more embodiments, specific features, structures, functions or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner. For example, in any case where specific features, structures, functions or characteristics associated with the first embodiment and specific features, structures, functions or characteristics associated with the second embodiment are not mutually exclusive, the first embodiment can be combined with the second embodiment.

[0021] As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] The terms "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives can be used to describe functional or structural relationships between components. These terms are not intended to be synonymous with each other. On the contrary, in certain embodiments, "connected" can be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical, optical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" can be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct or indirect (with other intervening elements between them) physical or electrical contact, and / or that two or more elements cooperate or interact with each other (e.g., in a causal relationship).

[0023] As used herein, the terms "above," "below," "between," and "on" refer to the relative position of one component or material with respect to other components or materials where such physical relationship is noteworthy. For example, in the context of materials, a material or layer above or below another material may be in direct contact or may have one or more intervening materials or layers. Additionally, a material between two materials or layers may be in direct contact with both materials / layers or may have one or more intervening materials / layers. In contrast, a first material or layer that is "above" a second material or layer is in direct contact with the second material / layer. Similar distinctions are made in the context of assemblies of components.

[0024] As used throughout the specification and in the claims, a list of items linked by the term "at least one of" or "one or more of" may mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" may mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B, and C.

[0025] As previously mentioned, the optical data link can advantageously include multiple transmitters (Tx) having multiple transmitters used as multi-wavelength (multi-channel) sources. The optical data link can similarly include multiple receivers (Rx) having multiple photodetectors, which are used as multi-wavelength (multi-channel) receiving ends (sinks). As further described below, a transmitter according to an embodiment of the present invention can multiplex a single optical fiber to multiple transmitters or multiple detectors or transmitter / detector transceiver pairs through multiple optical lines. Each of the optical lines is an optical waveguide that can propagate a light mode to a single terminal of an optical fiber core / propagate from a single terminal of an optical fiber core to multiple optical devices. The optical line can be a polymer composition that can be directly (3D) printed in free space as part of an assembly process.

[0026] The multiplexed fiber-coupled architecture described herein can avoid the limitations associated with free-space propagation, such as eliminating the need for alignment and focusing to compensate for device / air or fiber / air interfaces. The multiplexed fiber-coupled architecture described herein can also avoid the use of reflectors to turn light between the optical device aperture and the fiber core. Fine alignment between the relative optical device aperture and the fiber core can also be avoided, thereby allowing greater freedom when arranging an array of optical devices. In addition, a more compact fiber terminal assembly can be achieved in which each optical path is easily accessible.

[0027] According to exemplary embodiments, the Tx, Rx and / or Tx / Rx architectures according to embodiments herein are advantageously implemented using one or more photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Although many examples herein are therefore further described in the context of PIC implementations, the exemplary fiber multiplexing architectures may alternatively be implemented using alternative technologies without departing from the principles disclosed herein.

[0028] Figure 1 The figure shows a flow chart of a method 100 for assembling an optical device multiplexed by a direct optical line fiber terminal according to some embodiments. The method 100 starts at an input 110, where a workpiece including a suitable substrate is received as input. In some examples, the method 100 is implemented on a workpiece including a PIC chip. The PIC chip can be a substrate, or the PIC chip can have been pre-assembled on a packaging substrate received at the input 110. In other embodiments, the PIC chip has not yet been assembled to the packaging substrate received at the input 110, and the method 100 can be completed before further assembling the PIC chip to the packaging substrate. In some embodiments, the method 100 is implemented on a single (e.g., first) substrate. However, in some alternative embodiments, some frames of the method 100 can be implemented on a first substrate, while other frames are implemented on a second substrate. Then, multiple substrates can be assembled with another (third) substrate, and the remaining frames of the method 100 are completed.

[0029] At box 120, a plurality of optical devices are attached to the substrate. Each optical device can be any optical device suitable for coupling with an optical fiber. In an exemplary embodiment, the optical device attached at box 120 is one or more of an optical emitter or an optical (photo) detector. However, at box 120, other optical devices such as array waveguide gratings (AWG), optical modulators, etc. can be similarly attached to the substrate. Any attachment method known to be suitable for a particular optical device and substrate combination can be implemented at box 120, as the embodiments are not limited in this respect. In some examples, semiconductor light emitters and / or semiconductor photodetectors are attached using surface mounting technology.

[0030] The method 100 continues at block 130 where one or more optical fibers are attached to a substrate. The optical fibers may be any known optical fibers suitable for integration with the optical device attached at block 120. In some examples, a multimode (MM) optical fiber core having any suitable composition (e.g., a glass medium) is attached to a substrate, such as adjacent to the optical device assembled at block 120. The optical fiber core may be secured to the substrate using any technique and / or structure known to be suitable for an optical fiber core and substrate combination, as the embodiments are not limited in this regard. Along with the optical fiber core, the optical fiber may include an inner cladding and / or an outer cladding, which may also be attached to the substrate at block 130. The numbering of blocks 120 and 130 does not imply an order, as the optical fibers and optical devices may be attached in any order.

[0031] Method 100 continues at box 140, where a first optical waveguide or "optical wire" is directly printed to span the distance between the first optical device in the optical device assembled at box 120 and the first portion of the terminal surface area of ​​the optical fiber attached at box 130. In contrast to planar, slab, rib, ridge, or channel optical waveguides (all of which include some planar portion of substrate material), optical wires are non-planar optical waveguides that span a distance above or "off" the underlying substrate. As non-planar waveguides, optical wires can be freely suspended above the substrate. In contrast to fiber optic waveguides drawn from glass, optical wires are advantageously printed using materials other than glass, such as polymers. Similar to electrical bonding wires, optical wires according to embodiments of the present invention are point-to-point.

[0032] Optical wire printing can be performed by building up wire material from the surface of an assembled optical device or from the surface of an optical fiber terminal. Wire printing can be performed by controlling the free space translation of a print head, the print head comprising a micropipette through which a polymer precursor solution is transported and / or extruded to form a meniscus, wherein a solvent from the polymer precursor solution evaporates at a rate controlled to match the translation of the print head. As the solvent evaporates, the dissolved polymer precursor material solidifies (e.g., cross-links) to form a solid polymer material (e.g., having a circular cross-sectional shape).

[0033] The method 100 continues at block 150 where a second optical waveguide or “optical wire” is printed directly to span the distance between a second optical device in the optical device assembled at block 120 and a second portion of the terminal end of the optical fiber attached at block 130. Substantially the same optical wire printing process performed at block 140 may be repeated at block 150 and may be performed by building up the wire from a surface of the optical device or from a surface of the optical fiber terminal.

[0034] For a single optical fiber, blocks 140 and 150 may be iterated any number of times to make any number of connections to the same optical fiber, thereby optically multiplexing the optical fiber to many inputs (e.g., emitters), many outputs (e.g., detectors), or bidirectional I / O pairs (e.g., emitter-detector pairs). The method 100 may further be iterated any number of times through blocks 140 and 150 to print an optical line directly to each of all optical fibers attached at block 130. The method 100 is then completed at output 160, where the photonic device assembly is completed, for example, according to any known technique.

[0035] Figure 2A 2 is a cross-sectional profile view of a photonic device assembly 200 according to some embodiments, the photonic device assembly 200 including an optical fiber length 201 coupled to a plurality of optical devices 231-233 via a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal 202. In an exemplary embodiment, the photonic device assembly 200 is implemented by performing method 100 ( Figure 1 ) to manufacture. However, the photonic device assembly 200 ( Figure 2A ) can also be manufactured according to alternative methods.

[0036] The photonic device assembly 200 includes a plurality of optical devices attached to a surface 251 of a substrate 250. For example, the surface 251 may be substantially planar (e.g., with reference to an xz plane). The substrate 250 may be any substrate suitable for physical assembly of an optical data link. In an exemplary embodiment, the substrate 250 is a PIC package substrate. The package substrate may include one or more materials, such as an epoxy preform, a cored or coreless laminate, a substantially homogeneous bulk glass, or a single crystal silicon substrate. The substrate 250 may include one or more metallized redistribution layers (not depicted) embedded in a dielectric material. The substrate may also include one or more IC dies (not depicted) embedded therein. In some exemplary embodiments, the substrate 250 is a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a composite material such as FR4.

[0037] The photonic device assembly 200 includes at least two optical devices 231 and 232, but may include any number of additional optical devices 233. The optical devices 231-233 may be attached to the substrate 250 according to any suitable technology. In some examples, the optical devices 231, 232 are surface mounted, for example, using solder interconnects. The optical devices 231-233 may also be directly bonded to the substrate 250, or may be monolithically integrated into the substrate 250. Each of the optical devices 231-233 may be any optical device suitable for fiber coupling, such as a transmitter, a photodetector, an electro-optic modulator, an acousto-optic modulator, or an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). The optical devices 231-233 are illustrated as vertical devices having apertures substantially parallel to the xz plane of the substrate 250. However, the optical devices 231-233 may also have an edge / end-face coupled architecture.

[0038] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the optical devices 231, 232 is an emitter. The emitter according to the embodiments may emit radiation at any center wavelength (λ), but in some examples, the radiation is emitted in the IR band of the electromagnetic spectrum, and more specifically, in the near IR band of 850nm-940nm. In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the optical devices 231, 232 includes a laser diode. For the illustrated vertical emission embodiment, at least one of the optical devices 231, 232 is a VCSEL. In other embodiments, at least one of the optical devices 231, 232 is a light emitting diode (LED), and more specifically a μLED.

[0039] In some embodiments, both optical devices 231 and 232 are emitters. Although both emitters can emit at the same center wavelength, in some exemplary wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) embodiments, optical device 231 emits at a first center wavelength (λ1) and optical device 232 emits at a second center wavelength (λ2). In some embodiments, λ1 differs from λ2 by at least 1 nm, and advantageously differs by at least 5 nm or more. In some exemplary near IR band embodiments, λ1 is about 850 nm and λ2 is about 880 nm (i.e., there is a 30 nm difference between λ1 and λ2). For such embodiments, additional optical device 233 can similarly emit other center wavelengths, for example all about 30 nm apart.

[0040] In some embodiments, both optical devices 231 and 232 are photodetectors. The photodetector may have any semiconductor architecture, such as a p-n photodiode, a p-i-n photodetector, a Schottky barrier photodetector, or a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector. The photodetector may have a wide band responsivity or may have a narrow band responsivity (e.g., a resonant cavity enhanced architecture). Although both optical devices 231 and 232 may have responsivity tuned to the same center wavelength, in some exemplary wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) embodiments, optical device 231 has a peak responsivity at a first center wavelength (λ1) and optical device 232 has a peak responsivity at a second center wavelength (λ2). In some embodiments, λ1 differs from λ2 by at least 1 nm, and advantageously differs by at least 5 nm or more. In some exemplary near IR band embodiments, λ1 is approximately 850 nm and λ2 is approximately 880 nm (i.e., there is a 30 nm difference between λ1 and λ2). For such embodiments, the additional optical device 233 may similarly have peak responsivity at other center wavelengths, for example all about 30 nm apart. In some wideband detector embodiments, one or more of the optical devices 231 and 232 include wavelength filters adapted to impart λ1 and λ2 wavelength selectivity to the optical devices 231 and 232, respectively. In some narrowband detector embodiments, one or more of the optical devices 231 and 232 include resonant cavities tuned for peak absorption at λ1 and λ2, respectively.

[0041] In yet other embodiments, the first optical device (e.g., 231) is a photodetector and the second optical device (e.g., 232) is a transmitter. The first optical device and the second optical device may, for example, include a pair of receiver and transmitter devices that advantageously may operate together as a bidirectional transceiver for an I / O channel. For such embodiments, the first optical device (e.g., 231) may have responsiveness at one or more center wavelengths (e.g., λ1 and / or λ2), and the second optical device (e.g., 232) may transmit at the same or different center wavelengths (e.g., λ2 and / or λ1).

[0042] The optical fiber length 201 includes a core 205. Although a double-clad optical fiber embodiment is shown, the optical fiber length 201 may have any number of claddings known to be suitable for use in optical fiber waveguides (e.g., single, triple, etc.). Figure 2AIn the illustrated example, the fiber length 201 has an inner cladding 210, which is annular and surrounds the core 205. An annular outer cladding 215 surrounds the inner cladding 210. The optical fiber core 205 is axially surrounded by the inner cladding 210. The inner cladding 210 is axially surrounded by the outer cladding 215. Although the core 205 and the inner cladding 210 are illustrated as concentric (i.e., a core in the center), they are not necessarily concentric. One or more of the core 205 and the cladding 210 can also be various shapes other than circular, such as but not limited to annular, elliptical or irregular. Although the core 205 and the inner cladding 210 are illustrated as being coaxial, they can alternatively have axes that are offset relative to each other.

[0043] The core 205 can have any suitable composition, but in an exemplary embodiment is a glass suitable for IR band emission. The glass can be SiO2, SiO2 doped with GeO2, germanosilicate, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphosilicate, Al2O3, aluminosilicate, etc. or any combination thereof. The inner cladding 210 can also be a glass having a sufficient refractive index contrast with the core 205 to maintain internal reflection of one or more light-guiding core modes. For example, the outer cladding 215 can be a polymer or another glass. Although not depicted, one or more protective (non-optical) coatings can further surround the outer cladding 215.

[0044] According to some embodiments, core 205 is a multimode (MM) core adapted to propagate multiple core modes. With sufficient core diameter D 芯 , the fiber length 201 supports more than one transverse optical mode (e.g., LP 01 LP 02 LP 11 In the exemplary MM embodiment, D 芯 is about 50 μm (e.g., OM3 or OM4 of ISO / IEC 11801). In an alternative MM embodiment, D 芯 is about 62 μm (eg, OM1 of ISO / IEC 11801). According to other embodiments, the core 205 is adapted to propagate only one transverse optical mode (eg, LP 01 ) of a single-mode (SM) core. In an exemplary SM embodiment, D 芯 Less than 10 μm (eg, about 9 μm).

[0045] As shown, the optical fiber length 201 extends along the axial (e.g., z) dimension in an xy plane that is substantially parallel to the xz plane of the substrate 250. The terminal end length of the optical fiber core 205 is embedded in a fiber array unit 240, which is physically attached to the surface of another area of ​​the substrate 250, laterally adjacent to the optical devices 231-233. The fiber array unit 240 may include any structural material suitable for anchoring the optical fiber core 205 to the substrate 250 while maintaining optical confinement within the core 205. The fiber array unit 240 may include a bottom plate attached to the substrate 250. The bottom plate may have a v-groove to receive and orient a fiber core 205. The fiber array unit 240 may further include a top plate bonded to the bottom plate, wherein the optical fiber core 205 is embedded between these plates. The top plate and the bottom plate may be glass, for example, having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core 205. One or more glues may adhere the plates of the fiber array unit 240. Although in Figure 2A Only one optical fiber core 205 is illustrated in the cross-sectional profile view of FIG. 2 , but the optical fiber array unit 240 may include any number of optical fiber cores spaced apart on the substrate 250 , for example, in the x-dimension.

[0046] The optical fiber array unit 240 and the optical fiber core 205 can be ground and / or polished to have such an optical fiber end face 203: having sufficient flatness and a suitable angle relative to the y-axis. Although the dotted line distinguishes the optical fiber end face 203 as being on the xy plane perpendicular to the axial length of the optical fiber (i.e., 0° face angle), the optical fiber end face 203 can be at other angles (e.g., <10° face angle, etc.).

[0047] like Figure 2A As further illustrated in FIG. 2 , the multiplexed optical line fiber terminal 202 includes an optical line 221 that spans a line length L1 between a first portion of the optical fiber end face 203 and an aperture of the optical device 231 and that is substantially free of contact with the substrate 250. The entire optical line length L1 is illustrated as freely suspended on or above the substrate 250 to emphasize the presence of a gap 252 between the substrate surface 251 and the optical line 221. However, in some implementations, some contact between the optical line and the substrate 250 may occur. The optical line 221 at least partially protrudes from the substrate surface 251 in a manner similar to an electrical bond wire, and is a structurally distinguishable optical waveguide from a planar optical waveguide that is confined in the substrate 250 in a manner more similar to an electrical trace than an electrical bond wire. Notably, the gap 252 may be backfilled with any intermediate material (not depicted) that maintains a sufficient refractive index contrast with the optical line 221.

[0048] The fiber terminal 202 includes another optical line 222 that spans another length L2 between a second portion of the fiber end face 203 and the aperture of the optical device 232, and that likewise does not substantially contact the substrate 250. Although the optical line 222 is illustrated as freely suspended on or above the substrate 250 over the entire length L2, some contact with the substrate surface 251 may occur. However, the optical line 222 is again distinguishable from a planar optical waveguide that is confined in a portion of the substrate 250. For any additional optical devices 233, the other optical lines 223 similarly span the length or distance between the optical device and another portion of the fiber end face 203. The additional optical lines 223 are illustrated in dashed lines to emphasize that they are optional, and that there may be any number of such additional optical lines.

[0049] Optical lines 221-223 are waveguides for propagating one or more optical modes to / from the fiber end face 203 to the apertures of the optical devices 231-233. In an exemplary embodiment, the optical lines 221-223 have a composition different from the fiber core 205. For example, the optical lines 221-223 may not be glass, but may include one or more materials with a suitably high refractive index. The optical lines 221-223 may be derived from the method 100 ( Figure 1 ) The material of the precursor solution dispensed by the direct printing process described in ). For example, the optical lines 221-223 can be printed after attaching the optical devices 231-233 and attaching the optical fiber array unit 240.

[0050] In some embodiments, the optical lines 221-223 all have substantially the same chemical composition. Each of the optical lines 221-223 can advantageously be a polymer material. In some embodiments, the polymer material includes one or more organic compounds. The polymer material can, for example, include polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate, a perfluorinated compound (PFC), such as an amorphous fluoropolymer. The polymer material can also include polyimide, an epoxy compound (such as SU-8), or an optoelectronic π-conjugated polymer (CP). The composition of each optical line 221-223 can be substantially uniform. Each optical line 221-223 can be surrounded by free space (e.g., air), or can be embedded in one or more cladding or coating materials (not depicted).

[0051] like Figure 2AAs shown, optical lines 221-222 optically couple a vertically oriented (i.e., vertically coupled) emission and / or collection aperture to a horizontally oriented (i.e., edge coupled) fiber end face 203. A first end of optical line 221 is in direct contact with an aperture of optical device 231. In some embodiments, optical line 221 is in direct contact with a thin film filter material 213. The optical properties of filter material 213 may differ between optical devices 231 and 232, for example, to make a first photodetector (e.g., device 231) most responsive to a first radiation band, and to make a second photodetector (e.g., device 232) most responsive to a second radiation band. In the illustrated embodiment, a second end of optical line 221 is in direct contact with a portion of fiber end face 203. Although end face attachment is shown as an advantageous embodiment, the second end of optical line 221 may alternatively be butted to fiber core 205 over some axial length of fiber core 205, for example, via an evanescent wave coupler. The first end of the optical line 222 is in direct contact with the aperture of the optical device 232, while the second end of the optical line 222 is in direct contact with another portion of the optical fiber end face 203. Although the end face attachment shown is advantageous, the second end of the optical line 222 can alternatively be butted against the optical fiber core 205 over a certain axial length of the optical fiber core 205 (e.g., via an evanescent wave coupler).

[0052] Figure 2B FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional profile view of an optical fiber end face 203 according to some embodiments. As shown, the cross-sectional areas of optical lines 221 and 222 overlap different portions of the area of ​​the optical fiber core 205. Optical line 221 has a line diameter D W,1 The cross-sectional area associated with the core diameter D 芯 The associated cross-sectional area is small enough to allow the optical line 221 to be as small as the line diameter D W,2 The associated cross-sectional area further overlaps another area of ​​the optical fiber core end face 203. Figure 2B Not depicted, but if additional optical wires are to overlap the fiber core end face 203, the optical wire diameters can be scaled to make room for a greater number of wire-fiber interfaces. Figure 2B In the illustrated embodiment, the optical lines 221 and 222 have substantially circular cross-sections. However, the optical lines may have other cross-sectional shapes at their interface with the optical fiber end face 203.

[0053] In some embodiments, the diameter of the optical lines 221 and 222 is no greater than half the diameter of the optical fiber core 205. 芯 In some examples, the wire diameter D is about 50 μm. W,1 and D W,2 10-20μm. In the core diameter D 芯 In some other embodiments, the wire diameter D is 9-10 μm.W,1 and D W,2 1-3 μm. Submicron wire diameters are also possible. Wire diameter D W,1 and D W,2 For example, in the case where both optical devices 231 and 232 are emitters or both are photodetectors, D W,1 and D W,2 Can be substantially equal. Wire diameter D W,1 It can also differ significantly from the wire diameter D W,2 (e.g., a change of 30% or more). For example, where optical device 231 is a photodetector and optical device 232 is a transmitter, the wire diameter D W,1 Can be compared with the wire diameter D W,2 30-300% larger.

[0054] The photonic device assembly may include any number of optical fibers having multiplexed optical line fiber terminations implemented on each of the optical fibers. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a fiber multiplexing system 300 according to some embodiments, the fiber multiplexing system 300 including multiple (e.g., integer M) optical devices 231-233 coupled to each of multiple (e.g., integer N) optical fibers 205 via optical line fiber terminals. As shown, the fiber multiplexing system 300 includes multiple (e.g., integer N) photonic device components 200, wherein each photonic device component 200 is substantially as described above. In this example, a collection of optical lines 221-223 terminates each optical fiber core 205 to one of the optical devices 231-233. Thus, spanning λ1-λ n WDM transmitters and / or receivers for a central wavelength range of may be implemented on each of any number of optical fibers 205 .

[0055] As mentioned above, an optical line fiber terminal can multiplex the optical fiber to any number of optical devices. Figure 4A-4D The figures illustrate cross-sectional profile views of an optical fiber end face and a plurality of optical lines overlapping individual portions of the optical fiber core end face according to some embodiments having different optical line counts. Figure 4A Three different portions of the optical fiber core end face 203 are shown terminated by three cross sections associated with three optical lines 221-223. Figure 4B Four different portions of the optical fiber core end face 203 are shown terminated by four cross sections associated with four optical lines 221-224. Figure 4C Five different portions of the optical fiber core end face 203 are shown terminated by five cross sections associated with five optical lines 221-225. Figure 4DSix different portions of the fiber core end face 203 are shown terminated by six cross sections associated with six optical lines 221-226. Although not depicted, 8, 16, 32 or even 64 optical lines may terminate the fiber similarly as a function of the fiber core diameter and the optical line diameter(s).

[0056] Optical lines according to embodiments herein may maintain a substantially constant cross-section between the fiber endface and the optical device aperture, or the cross-section of the optical line may vary significantly in shape and / or size between the two end points of the optical line. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an optical line extending from an optical transmitter to an optical fiber core end face according to some embodiments. Figure 5 2 , a plan view corresponding to the xz plane of FIG. 2 of a first end of the optical line 221 intersecting the optical device 231 is shown. Figure 5 Further illustrated is a plan view corresponding to the xy plane of FIG. 2 of a second end of the optical line 221 intersecting the optical fiber end face 203 .

[0057] Figure 5 The figure shows some exemplary embodiments in which the optical device 231 is a transmitter. The optical line 221 has a first line diameter D1 OW , the first line diameter D1 OW Advantageously slightly larger than the transmit aperture diameter D 发射器 , to efficiently couple light from the emitter. For example, for an emitter with an aperture diameter D of about 10 μm 发射器 Example of VCSEL, line diameter D1 OW The optical wire 221 may maintain the first wire diameter D1 throughout its entire length. OW In this case, it is feasible to connect 2-6 such wires to the fiber end face 203 with a diameter of 50 μm. For the case where the wire diameter tapers to a second wire diameter D2 at the fiber end face 203 OW In the embodiment of the present invention, even more transmitter-coupled optical lines can be multiplexed to the fiber end face 203. Line diameter D2 OW It can be chosen to have an overlap area that enables all other optical devices multiplexed to the fiber end face 203 to have an interface area of ​​similar size to the fiber end face 203, assuming that this area is sufficient to launch light into the fiber core 205 with sufficient power for a given WDM application.

[0058] Fig. 6A 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment in which the optical device 231 is a photodetector. Fig. 6A 2 , a plan view corresponding to the xz plane of FIG. 2 of a first end of the optical line 221 intersecting the optical device 231 is shown. Fig. 6AFurther illustrated is a plan view of a second end of an optical line 221 intersecting the optical fiber end face 203 corresponding to the xy plane of FIG. 2 . As shown, the optical line 221 has a first line diameter D1 OW , the first line diameter D1 OW Advantageously slightly smaller than the collection aperture diameter D PD , to efficiently couple light into the photodetector. As an example, for a collection aperture diameter D of 20-30 μm PD Some PD embodiments, wire diameter D1 OW The optical line 221 may maintain the first line diameter D1 throughout its entire length. OW In this case, it is feasible to connect 2-6 such cables to the optical fiber end face 203 with a diameter of 50 μm. However, a certain degree of coupling loss can be expected at the interface between the end face 203 and the optical line 221, for example due to area mismatch. Fig. 6A As shown in FIG. , the optical line 221 can be formed from a line diameter D1 OW The optical fiber gradually widens upward to reach a larger second line diameter D2 at the optical fiber end face 203. OW For a given number of photodetectors multiplexed to the fiber end face 203, the diameter D2 OW can be maximized, where larger diameters suffer less coupling losses. Fig. 6A and Figure 5 For comparison, for detector multiplexing, D2 OW Can advantageously be larger for transmitter multiplexing.

[0059] In some embodiments, at least some of the optical lines used for the multiplexing optical fiber have a non-circular cross-section for at least a portion of their length. Optical lines of arbitrary cross-sectional shapes can be directly printed in substantially the same manner as optical lines of circular cross-section. In fact, the optical line can have a substantially circular cross-section at a first end and transition to a non-circular cross-section near a second end of the optical line. This change in cross-sectional shape can also be combined with a change in cross-sectional area.

[0060] Figure 6B 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment in which both optical devices 231 and 232 are photodetectors. Figure 6B 2 , a plan view corresponding to the xz plane of FIG. 2 of the first ends of the optical lines 221 , 222 intersecting the optical device 231 is shown. Figure 6B The figure shows how two multiplexed optical lines 221, 222 are connected from the diameter D1 OW The associated circular cross section tapers to a non-circular polygonal cross section 422 having an area that is maximized for a pair of lines constrained to the fiber end face 203 .

[0061] As mentioned above, in addition to multiplexing optical fiber to multiple emitters or multiple detectors, optical fiber can also be similarly multiplexed to emitter and photodetector pairs, and such an architecture is well suited for bidirectional data links. Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional profile view of a bidirectional fiber multiplexing system 700 according to some embodiments. In the system 700, previously introduced reference numerals are retained for elements that may have any characteristics as previously described.

[0062] System 700 includes an optical fiber length 201 having a first optical fiber end face 203, which is coupled to a first optical device 231 and a second optical device 232 through a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal 202. In an exemplary embodiment, optical device 231 is a first emitter having a first emission center wavelength of λ1, and optical device 232 is a first detector. Optical devices 231 and 232 can operate together as a first bidirectional optical transceiver. Optical fiber length 201 has a second optical fiber end face 703, which is coupled to optical devices 731 and 732 through a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal 602, and optical devices 731 and 732 can similarly operate together as a second bidirectional optical transceiver.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, optical device 731 is a first emitter having a second emission center wavelength of λ2, and optical device 732 is a second detector. Optical device 731 may be substantially the same as optical device 231 (e.g., both are VCSELs), or may have a different emitter architecture than optical device 231 (e.g., one is a VCSEL and the other is a μLED). In some exemplary embodiments, the center wavelengths λ1 and λ2 are both in the IR band (e.g., 850 and 880, respectively). For embodiments in which both detectors 232 and 732 have a wideband device architecture, the two detectors may have substantially the same responsivity. For example, neither detector 232 nor detector 732 need to be wavelength selective. In other embodiments, such as where detectors 232 and 732 have a narrowband architecture, detector 232 may be tuned to have a peak response for a first band including λ2, while detector 732 may be tuned to have a peak response for a second band including λ1.

[0064] The optical line fiber terminal 602 can be substantially the same as the optical line fiber terminal 202 and include a set of optical lines 221 and 222 or a pair of optical lines 221 and 222, which can have any of the characteristics described elsewhere herein. The set of optical lines 221, 222 intersects different portions of the fiber end face 703, for example, in substantially the same manner as the set of optical lines 221, 222 that include the fiber terminal 202. The fiber end face 703 can have substantially the same characteristics as the fiber end face 203 (e.g., fiber diameter, shape, flatness, etc.).

[0065] As described elsewhere herein, optical line cross-section may vary between lines interfaced with the same optical fiber end face. Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view through an optical fiber end face 203 according to some embodiments. Figure 7C 703 according to some further embodiments. To reduce coupling losses, the detector-coupled optical line 222 overlaps or intersects a greater portion of the end face 203 and the end face 703 than the emitter-coupled optical line 221 overlaps. In the illustrated example, the optical line 222 has a line diameter D greater than the optical line 221. OW,1 At least 30% larger wire diameter D OW,2 .

[0066] The photonic device components and systems described herein can be implemented in a wide variety of applications and platforms. Figure 8 The figure shows a mobile computing or data server platform 805 that employs an optical link with a multiplexed optical line fiber terminal, such as described elsewhere herein. The platform 805 can be any commercial server, for example, including any number of high-performance computing platforms that are arranged in a rack and networked together for electronic data processing. The platform 805 can also be any portable device configured for each of electronic data display, electronic data processing, wireless electronic data transmission, etc. For example, the platform 805 can be any one of a tablet computer, a smart phone, a laptop computer, etc., and can include an integrated or separate system 810 and a power supply 815.

[0067] As shown in the expanded view, the package substrate 860 is coupled to one or more of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 830 or an RF (wireless) integrated circuit (RFIC) 825 including a broadband RF (wireless) transmitter and / or receiver. The PMIC 830 can perform battery power regulation, DC-DC conversion, etc., and has an input coupled to the power supply 815 and an output that provides current supply to other functional modules. The RFIC 825 has an output coupled to an antenna (not shown) for implementing any of a variety of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 series), WiMAX (IEEE 802.18 series), IEEE 802.20, long term evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSUPA+, EDGE, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Bluetooth and its derivatives, and any other wireless protocols known as 3G, 4G, and higher generations.

[0068] Integrated system 810 further includes memory and / or processes 850, one or more of which are coupled to an optical data link including fiber MUX 300 to transmit and / or receive optical communications over an optical line multiplexing fiber, such as described elsewhere herein.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a cryogenically cooled computing device 900 according to some embodiments. For example, one or more components of the computing device 900 may include any of the optical devices or fiber multiplexing structures discussed elsewhere herein. Fig. 9 900, but any one or more of these components may be omitted or duplicated as appropriate for the application. In some embodiments, some of the components included in computing device 900 may be attached to one or more printed circuit boards (e.g., a motherboard). In some embodiments, individual components of these components may be manufactured on a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) die, or implemented using separate multiple chiplets or slices packaged together. Additionally, in various embodiments, computing device 900 may not include Fig. 9900, but the computing device 900 may include interface circuitry for coupling to the one or more components. For example, the computing device 900 may not include the display device 903, but may include display device interface circuitry (e.g., connector and driver circuitry) to which the display device 903 may be coupled.

[0070] The computing device 900 may include a processing device 901 (e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term processing device or processor indicates a device that processes electronic data from registers and / or memory to convert the electronic data into other electronic data that can be stored in registers and / or memory. The processing device 901 may include a memory 921, a communication device 922, a refrigeration / active cooling device 923, a battery / power regulation device 924, a logic 925, an interconnect 926, a thermal regulation device 927, and a hardware security device 928.

[0071] The processing device 901 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific ICs (ASIC), central processing units (CPU), graphics processing units (GPU), cryptographic processors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms in hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices.

[0072] The processing device 901 may include a memory 902, which itself may include one or more memory devices, such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or a hard drive. In some embodiments, the processing device 901 shares a package with the memory 902. The memory may be used as a cache memory and may include an embedded dynamic random-access memory (eDRAM) or a spin transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-M RAM).

[0073] The computing device 900 may include a thermal conditioning / cooling device 923. The thermal conditioning / cooling device 923 may maintain the processing device 901 (and / or other components of the computing device 900) at a predetermined low temperature during operation. The predetermined low temperature may be any temperature discussed elsewhere herein.

[0074] In some embodiments, the computing device 900 may include a communication chip 907 (e.g., one or more communication chips). For example, the communication chip 907 may be configured to manage wireless communications for transferring data to and from the computing device 900. The term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc. that can transfer data through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation.

[0075] The communication chip 907 can implement any one of a plurality of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to: Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards, including Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 series), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE802.16-2005 revision); Long-Term Evolution (LTE) project and any modifications, updates and / or revisions (e.g., advanced LTE project, ultramobile broadband (UMB) project (also known as "3GPP2"), etc.). Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks compatible with IEEE 802.16 are generally referred to as WiMAX networks, which is an acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and is a certification mark for products that have passed compliance and interoperability testing for the IEEE 802.16 standard. The communication chip 907 can operate according to the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA) or LTE network. The communication chip 907 can operate according to Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN).The communication chip 907 can operate according to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), their derivatives, and any other wireless protocols designated as 3G, 4G, 5G and higher generations. In other embodiments, the communication chip 907 can operate according to other wireless protocols. The computing device 900 may include an optical data link, which includes an optical fiber MUX 300 for sending and / or receiving optical communications through an optical line multiplexing optical fiber, such as described elsewhere herein.

[0076] In some embodiments, the communication chip 907 may manage limited communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocol (e.g., Ethernet). As described above, the communication chip 907 may include multiple communication chips. For example, the first communication chip 907 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and the second communication chip 907 may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, or others. In some embodiments, the first communication chip 907 may be dedicated to wireless communications, and the second communication chip 907 may be dedicated to wired communications.

[0077] Computing device 900 may include battery / power circuitry 908. Battery / power circuitry 908 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and / or circuitry for coupling components of computing device 900 to an energy source separate from computing device 900 (e.g., AC line power).

[0078] Computing device 900 may include display device 903 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Display device 903 may include, for example, any visual indicator (such as a heads-up display, a computer monitor, a projector, a touch screen display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode display, or a flat panel display).

[0079] Computing device 900 may include audio output device 904 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Audio output device 904 may include, for example, any device that generates an audible indicator (such as a speaker, a head-mounted device, or earbuds).

[0080] The computing device 900 may include an audio input device 910 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio input device 910 may include any device that generates a signal representing sound, such as a microphone, a microphone array, or a digital instrument (e.g., an instrument with a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) output).

[0081] Computing device 900 may include a global positioning system (GPS) device 909 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). GPS device 909 may communicate with a satellite-based system and may receive the location of computing device 900, as is known in the art.

[0082] Computing device 900 may include another output device 905 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples include an audio codec, a video codec, a printer, a wired or wireless transmitter for providing information to other devices, or an additional storage device.

[0083] The computing device 900 may include another input device 911 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an image capture device, a keyboard, a cursor control device (such as a mouse), a stylus, a touchpad, a barcode reader, a Quick Response (QR) code reader, any sensor, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.

[0084] The computing device 900 may include a security interface device 912. The security interface device 912 may include any device that provides security measures for the computing device 900, such as intrusion detection, biometric authentication, security encoding or decoding, management access lists, malware detection, or spyware detection.

[0085] The computing device 900 or a subset of its components may have any suitable form factor, such as a handheld or mobile computing device (e.g., a cellular phone, a smart phone, a mobile Internet device, a music player, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra-mobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop computing device, a server or other networked computing component, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, an in-vehicle control unit, a digital camera, a digital video recorder, or a wearable computing device.

[0086] Although certain features set forth herein have been described with reference to various implementations, this description is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. Therefore, various modifications and other implementations of the implementations described herein that are obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0087] It will be appreciated that practice of the disclosed techniques and architectures is not limited to the embodiments thus described, but may be modified and varied without departing from the scope of the appended claims.For example, the embodiments described above may include specific combinations of features as further provided below.

[0088] In a first example, a photonic device assembly includes a first optical device and a second optical device, both coupled to a substrate. The assembly includes an optical fiber coupled to the substrate, wherein an end face of the optical fiber has a cross-sectional core area associated with a core diameter of the optical fiber. The assembly includes a first optical waveguide having a first end coupled to the first optical device and a second end coupled to the end face of the optical fiber through a first portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber. The assembly includes a second optical waveguide having a first end coupled to the second optical device and a second end coupled to the end face of the optical fiber through a second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber.

[0089] In a second example, for any of the first examples, the first optical device includes an emitter that outputs at a first central wavelength or a photodetector that responds to the first central wavelength. The second optical device includes an emitter for outputting at a second central wavelength or a photodetector that responds to the second central wavelength. The second central wavelength differs from the first central wavelength by at least 5 nm.

[0090] In a third example, for any of the second examples, the first optical device includes an emitter for outputting at a first central wavelength. The second optical device includes an emitter for outputting at a second central wavelength, and both the first central wavelength and the second central wavelength are within the 850nm-940nm band.

[0091] In a fourth example, for any of the second examples, the first optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to the first center wavelength. The second optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to the second center wavelength, and both the first center wavelength and the second center wavelength are within the 850nm-940nm band.

[0092] In a fifth example, for any of the second examples, the first optical device includes an emitter for outputting at a first central wavelength. The second optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to a second central wavelength. The first central wavelength and the second central wavelength are within a band of 850 nm-940 nm.

[0093] In a sixth example, for any one of the first to fifth examples, a first portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber is smaller than a second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber.

[0094] In a seventh example, for any one of the first to sixth examples, the optical fiber includes a glass core having a cross-sectional core area, and the first optical line and the second optical line include a polymer material.

[0095] In an eighth example, for any of the first to seventh examples, the cross-sectional core area is associated with a core diameter of no greater than about 62 μm. A first portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber has a diameter no greater than 25 μm, and a second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber has a diameter no greater than 25 μm.

[0096] In a ninth example, for any of the eighth examples, the first optical device is an emitter having an emission aperture with a first diameter less than 25 μm, and the first end of the first optical waveguide has a diameter greater than the first diameter.

[0097] In a tenth example, for any of the eighth examples, the first optical device is a photodetector having a collection aperture with a first diameter less than 25 μm, and wherein the first end of the first optical waveguide has a diameter less than the first diameter.

[0098] In an eleventh example, for any of the eighth examples, the first optical device is a photodetector including a wavelength filter.

[0099] In a twelfth example, for any one of the first to eleventh examples, the assembly includes one to sixteen additional optical devices and one to sixteen additional optical waveguides coupled to the substrate. Each of the additional optical waveguides has a first end coupled to a corresponding one of the additional optical devices and a second end coupled to an end face of the optical fiber through a corresponding portion of a cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber.

[0100] In a thirteenth example, for any one of the first to twelfth examples, the optical fiber is one of a plurality of optical fibers coupled to a substrate. Each of the optical fibers has a cross-sectional core area associated with a core diameter of the corresponding optical fiber. The first optical device and the second optical device are a pair of a plurality of optical device pairs, each of the optical device pairs being coupled to separate portions of the cross-sectional core area of ​​a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

[0101] In a fourteenth example, a fiber multiplexing system includes a first fiber array unit including first ends of N optical fibers. The system includes a first array of M first optical devices. The first optical devices include N first optical device groups, and the first optical device group further includes two or more first optical devices. Each of the first optical devices within one of the first optical device groups is coupled to an optical waveguide that intersects a portion of the first end of a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

[0102] In a fifteenth example, for any of the fourteenth examples, each of the first optical device group includes an emitter that outputs at a first central wavelength and a photodetector that responds to a second central wavelength different from the first central wavelength.

[0103] In a sixteenth example, for any of the fifteenth examples, the system further includes a second optical fiber array and a second array of M second optical devices, the second optical fiber array including second ends of the N optical fibers. The second optical device includes N second optical device groups, the second optical device group further including two or more second optical devices. Each of the second optical devices within one of the second optical device groups is coupled to an optical line that intersects a portion of the second end of a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

[0104] In a seventeenth example, for any of the sixteenth examples, each of the second optical device groups includes an emitter output at the second central wavelength and a photodetector responsive to the first central wavelength.

[0105] In an eighteenth example, a method includes attaching an optical fiber core to a substrate, attaching two or more optical devices to the substrate. The method includes printing a first optical waveguide in free space that spans a first distance between a first optical device in the optical devices and a first portion of an end of the optical fiber core. The method includes printing a second optical waveguide in free space that spans a second distance between a second optical device in the optical devices and a second portion of an end of the optical fiber core.

[0106] In a nineteenth example, for any of the eighteenth examples, attaching the optical fiber core to the substrate includes attaching an optical fiber array unit to the substrate, the optical fiber array unit orienting the optical fiber core to be substantially parallel to the plane of the substrate. Attaching the optical device to the substrate includes attaching a first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and attaching a second VCSEL or a vertical photodetector. Printing the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide includes extruding a polymeric precursor from the print head as the print head passes through a distance between each of the optical devices and a corresponding portion of an end of the optical fiber core.

[0107] In a twentieth example, for any of the nineteenth examples, the first VCSEL transmits at a first center frequency, the second VCSEL transmits at a second center frequency, or the vertical photodetector responds to the second center frequency.

[0108] However, the above embodiments are not limited thereto, and in various implementations, the above embodiments may include employing only a subset of such features, employing a different order of such features, employing a different combination of such features, and / or employing additional features in addition to those features explicitly listed. Therefore, the scope of the disclosed techniques and architectures should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A photonic device assembly comprising: a first optical device and a second optical device, both coupled to a surface of a substrate; an optical fiber coupled to the substrate, wherein an end face of the optical fiber has a cross-sectional core area associated with a core diameter of the optical fiber; a first optical waveguide having a first end coupled to the first optical device and a second end coupled to the end face of the optical fiber through a first portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber; as well as a second optical waveguide having a first end coupled to the second optical device and a second end coupled to the end face of the optical fiber through a second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber, wherein at least a portion of the length of the first optical waveguide is suspended above the surface of the substrate.

2. The photonic device assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: substantially all of the length of the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide between the optical fiber and the optical device are spaced apart from the surface of the substrate; The first optical device includes an emitter for outputting at a first central wavelength or a photodetector responsive to the first central wavelength; The second optical device comprises an emitter for outputting at a second central wavelength or a photodetector responsive to the second central wavelength; and The second center wavelength differs from the first center wavelength by at least 5 nm.

3. The photonic device assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first optical device comprises an emitter for outputting at the first central wavelength; The second optical device comprises an emitter for outputting at the second central wavelength; and The first central wavelength and the second central wavelength are both within the 850nm-940nm band.

4. The photonic device assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The first optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to the first central wavelength; The second optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to the second center wavelength; and The first center wavelength and the second center wavelength are in the 850nm-940nm band.

5. The photonic device assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The first optical device comprises an emitter for outputting at the first central wavelength; The second optical device includes a semiconductor photodetector responsive to the second center wavelength; and The first center wavelength and the second center wavelength are in the 850nm-940nm band.

6. The photonic device assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber is smaller than the second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber.

7. The photonic device assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber comprises a glass core having the cross-sectional core area; and The first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide include a polymer material.

8. The photonic device assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cross-sectional core area is associated with a core diameter of no greater than about 62 μm; said first portion of said cross-sectional core area of ​​said optical fiber has a diameter no greater than 25 μm; and The second portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber has a diameter no greater than 25 μm.

9. The photonic device assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that The first optical device is an emitter having an emission aperture having a first diameter less than 25 μm, and wherein the first end of the first optical waveguide has a diameter greater than the first diameter.

10. The photonic device assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that The first optical device is a photodetector having a collection aperture having a first diameter less than 25 μm, and wherein the first end of the first optical waveguide has a diameter less than the first diameter.

11. The photonic device assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The first optical device is a photodetector including a wavelength filter.

12. The photonic device assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: one to sixteen additional optical devices coupled to the substrate; as well as one to sixteen additional optical waveguides, each of the additional optical waveguides having a first end coupled to a corresponding one of the additional optical devices and a second end coupled to the end face of the optical fiber through a corresponding portion of the cross-sectional core area of ​​the optical fiber, and each of the additional optical waveguides being suspended above the surface of the substrate.

13. The photonic device assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The optical fiber is one of a plurality of optical fibers coupled to the substrate, wherein each of the optical fibers has a cross-sectional core area associated with a core diameter of the corresponding optical fiber; and The first optical device and the second optical device are one of a plurality of optical device pairs, each of the optical device pairs being coupled to separate portions of the cross-sectional core area of ​​a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

14. An optical fiber multiplexing system, comprising: A first optical fiber array unit, wherein the first optical fiber array unit comprises first ends of N optical fibers; a first array of M first optical devices, wherein the first optical devices include N first optical device groups, the first optical device groups further including two or more first optical devices, and wherein each of the first optical devices within one of the first optical device groups is coupled to an optical line that intersects a portion of the first end of a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

15. The optical fiber multiplexing system according to claim 14, characterized in that: Each of the first optical device groups includes an emitter that outputs at a first central wavelength and a photodetector that responds to a second central wavelength different from the first central wavelength.

16. The optical fiber multiplexing system according to any one of claims 14 to 15, further comprising: a second optical fiber array, the second optical fiber array comprising second ends of the N optical fibers; a second array of M second optical devices, wherein the second optical devices include N second optical device groups, the second optical device groups further including two or more second optical devices, and wherein each of the second optical devices within one of the second optical device groups is coupled to an optical line that intersects a portion of the second end of a corresponding one of the optical fibers.

17. The optical fiber multiplexing system according to claim 16, characterized in that: Each of the second optical device groups includes an emitter that outputs at the second central wavelength and a photodetector that responds to the first central wavelength.

18. A method comprising: attaching the optical fiber to the substrate; attaching two or more optical devices to the substrate; printing in free space a first optical waveguide spanning a first distance between a first one of the optical devices and a first portion of an end of the optical fiber; as well as A second optical waveguide is printed in free space spanning a second distance between a second one of the optical devices and a second portion of the end of the optical fiber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein: Attaching the optical fiber core to the substrate includes attaching an optical fiber array unit to the substrate, the optical fiber array unit orienting the optical fiber substantially parallel to the plane of the substrate; Attaching the optical device to the substrate includes attaching a first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and attaching a second VCSEL or vertical photodetector; and Printing the first and second optical waveguides includes extruding a polymeric precursor from a print head as the print head traverses a distance between each of the optical devices and a corresponding portion of the end of the optical fiber.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: The first VCSEL transmits at a first center frequency and the second VCSEL transmits at a second center frequency, or the vertical photodetector is responsive to the second center frequency.

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