Light-based placement of optical components using pick-and-place machines

Abstract

To provide optical based placement of an optical component using a pick and place machine, capable of securing placement accuracy, further securing optical coupling, and efficiently placing the optical component.SOLUTION: An optical pick and place machine 105 that includes a self-calibrating optical controller for error feedback based optical placement of optical components using active alignment is described. The optical controller can include a loopback mode to generate a baseline value of light generated by a light source and measured by a photodetector within the optical controller. The optical controller can further include an active alignment mode in which the light is coupled from the pick and place machine to an optical device 130 on which the component 125 is placed. The optical coupling of the placed component can be evaluated against the baseline value to ensure that the optical coupling is within specification e.g., within a prespecified range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001]

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to optical circuits, and more particularly to the arrangement of optical components. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] Conventional pick-and-place machines can quickly pick up components and place them on a board (e.g., die, substrate). Conventional pick-and-place machines can be used to rapidly manufacture circuit structures, but they lack a mechanism for optimizing the placement of optical components.

[0003]

[0003] The following description includes a description of figures having illustrations given as examples of implementations of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings should be understood as examples and not as limitations. As used herein, reference to one or more "embodiments" should be understood as describing a particular feature, structure, or characteristic included in at least one implementation of the inventive subject matter. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment" or "in an alternative embodiment" appearing in this specification are intended to describe various embodiments and implementations of the inventive subject matter, and do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. However, they are also not necessarily mutually exclusive. To easily identify the description of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the number of the figure ("FIG.") in which the element or act is first introduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a general optical pick-and-place architecture, according to some example embodiments. [Diagram 2]

[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example optical transceiver for transmitting and receiving optical signals, in accordance with some example embodiments. [Figure 3A]

[0006] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an optical interconnect interface, according to some example embodiments. [Figure 3B]

[0007] 1 shows a side view of an optical interconnect interface illustrating one or more internal components of the optical interconnect interface, according to some example embodiments. [Figure 4]

[0008] 1 illustrates an example architecture of an optical controller box, according to some example embodiments. [Diagram 5]

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an opto-electrical device including one or more optical devices, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0010] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for active alignment calibration of an optical pick and place machine, according to some example embodiments. [Figure 7]

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for active alignment of optical components using a self-calibrating optical pick-and-place machine, in accordance with some example embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005]

[0012]

[0023] A description of specific details and implementations follows that describe other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein, as well as including illustrations of figures that may depict some or all of the embodiments described below. A summary of embodiments of the present disclosure is provided below, followed by a more detailed description with reference to the drawings.

[0006]

[0013] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the inventive subject matter. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In general, well-known instruction instances, structures, and techniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

[0007]

[0014] Pick-and-place machines can be used to manufacture circuit structures. For example, a placement surface (e.g., wafer, substrate, multi-chip module) is placed in a holder of the pick-and-place machine, and the pick-and-place machine uses an actuating arm and a picker (e.g., nozzle) to quickly pick up electronic components and place them on the board. Once placed, the components on the board can be held in place using temporary or permanent pastes (e.g., solder, temporary adhesives, glue). Although pick-and-place machines can quickly place parts (e.g., place dies, complete multi-chip modules), precision is important and the machine can be pre-calibrated for accurate placement of components. Additionally, some machines use imaging (e.g., CCD, CMOS camera) systems to ensure accurate placement of components. Although these approaches increase precision, they lack feedback-based optimization for placement of optical components (e.g., lenses, fibers, gratings) that may require high precision to function correctly. For example, some optical components are configured to operate with certain losses, and imprecise placement of these optical components can cause optical losses (e.g., improper alignment of butt-coupled fibers), which causes the optical device to function imprecisely during operation. Additionally, some optical devices have operational characteristics (e.g., polarization-sensitive PICs) that can increase the difficulty of precisely placing optical components on the optical device during the manufacturing stage. As such, pick-and-place machines (e.g., computer vision-based pick-and-place machines) are not optimized for error-feedback-based optical placement of optical components.

[0008]

[0015] To this end, the self-calibrating optical pick and place machine can include an optical placement controller system configured to self-calibrate its optical placement system for subsequent placement of the optical component using an active alignment process in which light is coupled between the optical component and an optical device on which the optical component is placed. In some example embodiments, the self-calibrating optical pick and place machine has a light source that generates light for the active alignment and a photodetector that detects light from the device or light source in a loop-back mode that can be used to generate a baseline value for accurate optical placement.

[0009]

[0016] In the loopback mode, the optical switch couples the light source to the photodetector and the optical placement controller system measures the detected light as a baseline or benchmark data value. To initiate an active alignment mode, the optical switch couples the light source to the placement head, which directs the light to the optical device (e.g., the board or device on which the component is to be placed). The optical switch further configures the placement head to receive light from the optical device and input the light to the photodetector for measurement. In an active alignment operation, light is input to the optical device, received by the optical device, and measured by the photodetector to generate a voltage control signal indicative of the optical power level it is receiving from the active alignment loop. The pick and place machine can receive the voltage control signal and use it as a control loop to maximize the optical coupling between the component being placed and the optical device on which the component is to be placed. For example, the pick and place machine can include instructions to move the optical component being placed in one or more dimensions (e.g., laterally, via one or more rotations) until a maximum optical power level is reached (e.g., as indicated by a voltage signal from a photodiode).

[0010]

[0017] Further, in some example embodiments, the optical placement controller can use the baseline value to ensure that the optical components placed via active alignment are within a predetermined range. For example, a pick-and-place machine can be used to place multiple optical components onto multiple corresponding optical devices using an active alignment process. The active alignment process can optimize the light value while a given component is being placed, but maximizing the light returned may not report a conclusive measurement of the optical loss for a given optical component-device combination. Additionally, in some example embodiments, the light source generates light at different levels due to various environmental factors or process variations. For example, a given light source may generate light at a certain power level on one day and another power level on another day, which can appear as an optical loss from the device itself, even though the less light received is actually due to the light source and not the component being placed.

[0011]

[0018] To this end, the baseline value can not only ensure that an optically positioned device is accurately positioned, but also further ensure that the optical coupling between the optical component and the device is within specifications. For example, at the beginning of a placement operation, a baseline value can be generated and stored. The optical component can then be placed via active alignment that maximizes the light detected by the photodetector. Furthermore, the optical power level of the placed component is checked against the stored baseline value to ensure that the measured value is within specifications (e.g., within 20% of the baseline value). In this way, the pick-and-place machine can efficiently place the optical component in a manner that ensures placement accuracy and further ensures optimized optical coupling that is within specifications.

[0012]

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a high level optical pick and place architecture 100 according to some example embodiments. In the illustrated example, an optical pick and place machine 105 is implemented to place an optical component 125 on an optical device 130. In some example embodiments, the pick and place machine 105 is a die or chip bonder pick and place machine that is configured to place electrical components (e.g., dies, chiplets) but is not natively configured for optimized feedback-based placement of optical components (e.g., optical connectors, couplers, gratings, lenses, optical heads / receptacles). In some example embodiments, an optics box 110 is integrated with the pick and place machine 105 to enable the pick and place machine 105 to efficiently place the optical components. The optics box 110 is an optical placement controller system with active alignment optics for precisely placing the optical component 125 on the optical device 130. In some example embodiments, the optical box 110 is physically attached to the pick-and-place machine 105 and is also coupled to the optical components 125 to be placed using optical connectors 115 (e.g., one or more fibers, fiber ribbons, fiber connectors (FC), output connectors 455, and input connectors 475 in FIG. 4 below).

[0013]

[0020] The pick and place machine 105 can releasably pick up the optical component using a manipulator head 127 (e.g., a bond head, a nozzle, a plastic assembly that can be configured or molded to be attached to the optical component to be placed). The optical device 130 is placed in a pick and place holder 133, and the pick and place machine 105 moves the manipulator head 127 to place the optical component 125 near the optical device 130 to enable optical coupling and positions the optical component 125 using dynamic active alignment based positioning. For example, the pick and place machine 105 can actuate the manipulator head 127 until the optical power level (e.g., detected by a photodetector) of the active alignment process is maximized.

[0014]

[0021] The optical box 110 may include a light source (e.g., a superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED), laser) for injecting light into the port 120 (e.g., a diffraction grating, lens, fiber cable end) of the optical device 130, and may further include a photodetector (e.g., a photodiode, photocell, photoresistor) for measuring light returned by the optical device 130 from the port 120. For example, the optical device 130 may be an optical transceiver that does not include a light source (e.g., the optical transceiver does not have an integrated light source or has one or more embedded light sources but is in a powered off state during the component placement stage of manufacturing). In some example embodiments, light launched into the optical device 130 is received by a receiver component of the optical device 130 (e.g., optical receiver 214 (FIG. 2), receiver optical subassembly (ROSA)), propagates through the optical device 130 to a transmit component (e.g., optical transmitter 212 (FIG. 2), transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA)), and returns to a photodetector in the optical box 110 (e.g., via propagation through the optical components 125 themselves and optical connector 115). In other example embodiments, the light is received by the transmitter component and propagates through the receiver component, or additionally propagates from an optical input port and is output from the transmitter and receiver assemblies, as described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0015]

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example optical transceiver 200 for transmitting and receiving optical signals, according to some example embodiments. The optical transceiver 200 is an example of an optical device 130 in which optical components are located. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the optical transceiver 200 processes data from an electrical device, such as an electrical hardware device 250, converts the electrical data to optical data, and transmits and receives the optical data to and from one or more optical devices, such as an optical device 275. For example, the electrical hardware device 250 may be a host board that "hosts" the optical transceiver 200 as a pluggable device that transmits and receives data to an optical switch network, and the optical device 275 may be another component of the optical switch network (e.g., an external transmitter 277). However, it should be appreciated that the optical transceiver 200 may be implemented to interface with other types of electrical and optical devices. For example, according to some illustrative embodiments, optical transceiver 200 may be implemented as a single chip on a hybrid "motherboard" that uses an optical network (e.g., waveguides, fiber) as an optical bus to interconnect on-board electrical chips that process the data after it is converted from light to binary electrical data.

[0016]

[0023] In some example embodiments, hardware device 250 includes an electrical interface for receiving and mating with an electrical interface of optical transceiver 200. Optical transceiver 200 may be a removable front-end module that can be physically received by and removed from hardware device 250 operating as a back-end module in a communication system or device. Optical transceiver 200 and hardware device 250 may be components of an optical communication device or system (e.g., a network device), such as, for example, a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system or a parallel fiber system (e.g., parallel single fiber (PSM)), according to some example embodiments.

[0017]

[0024] The data transmitter 205 of the optical transceiver 200 can receive an electrical signal, which is then converted to an optical signal via an optical transmitter 212 (e.g., modulator, heater) of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) 210. The PIC 210 can then output the optical signal via an optical link, such as a fiber or waveguide, that interfaces with the PIC 210. The output optical data can then be processed by other components (e.g., switches, end-point servers, other embedded chips in a single embedded system) via a network, such as a wide area network (WAN), an optical switch network, an optical waveguide network in an embedded system, etc.

[0018]

[0025] In receiver mode, optical receiver 214 (e.g., a photodetector) can receive high data rate optical signals over one or more optical links to optical device 275. The optical signals are converted from optical to electrical signals by optical receiver 214 for further processing by data receiver 215, such as demodulating the data to a lower data rate for output to other devices, such as electrical hardware device 250. Modulation used by optical transceiver 200 can include pulse amplitude modulation (e.g., 4-level PAM, such as "PAM4"), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), binary phase shift keying (BPSK), polarization multiplexed BPSK, M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), etc.

[0019]

[0026] In some example embodiments, light from the optical box 110 is launched and received via an internal loopback path within the PIC 210. For example, the optical transmitter 212 and the optical receiver 214 may be coupled by an integrated waveguide loopback path that can be activated or deactivated (e.g., via a semiconductor switch within the PIC). While activated, light from the optical box 110 is launched into the optical receiver 214 and output by the optical transmitter 212, or vice versa, and then detected by a photodetector within the optical box 110 to generate optical power levels for active alignment based positioning of the optical components and baseline optical coupling operation.

[0020]

[0027] In some example embodiments, PIC 210 includes a port 213 (e.g., a grating, lens, fiber) to receive light for modulation by optical transmitter 212. For example, optical transceiver 200 does not include a light source, and during operation, light is injected into port 213 and optical transmitter 212 and then output by the optical transmitter. According to some example embodiments, during deployment operation, light from optical box 110 is injected into port 213, goes to optical transmitter 212, and returns to optical box 110 for measurement by a photodetector.

[0021]

[0028] 3A illustrates a perspective view of an optical interconnect interface 300, according to some example embodiments. The optical interconnect interface 300 is operable to input and output light to the optical device 130 using light from the optical connector 115. In some example embodiments, the optical interconnect interface 300 comprises an optical interconnect head 125A (e.g., plug, ferrule) attached to an optical interconnect receptacle 125B. In some example embodiments, the optical component 125 to be positioned includes the optical interconnect head 125A and the optical interconnect receptacle 125B, where the optical interconnect receptacle 125B is positioned using an active alignment process and then epoxied to the optical device 130 for later use (e.g., later connection with the optical interconnect head 125A for receiving or transmitting light to the optical device 130 during operational use, calibration, testing, or manufacturing processes). In the illustrated example, optical interconnect head 125A and optical interconnect receptacle 125B have corresponding interlocking alignment features 305. For example, optical interconnect head 125A and optical interconnect receptacle 125B may be interlocked during installation of optical interconnect receptacle 125B to an optical device and then removed from optical interconnect head 125A. At a later point in time (e.g., during testing, calibration, or recalibration of the optical device), optical interconnect head 125A may interlock with optical interconnect receptacle 125B to input and output light to the optical device.

[0022]

[0029] 3B shows a side view of the optical interconnect interface 300 illustrating one or more internal components of the optical interconnect interface 300, according to some example embodiments. In the example of FIG. 3B, the optical interconnect head 125A is interlocked with the optical interconnect receptacle 125B for placement on the optical device 130 with light provided to the port 120 of the optical device 130. In the illustrated example, the optical connection within the optical interconnect head 125A includes a single mode fiber 320 that transmits light reflected off a lens 340 toward a beam path 325 (e.g., an internal waveguide, fiber). The beam path 325 transmits the light toward one or more lenses 335 (e.g., a microlens array) that direct the light to the port 120 (e.g., a diffraction grating, lens) of the optical device 130. Further details of the optical interconnect head 125A and the optical interconnect receptacle 125B and the test operations are described in 4213.129US1 and 4213.118US1, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Although Figures 3A and 3B show examples of optical components 125 that are placed using an optical pick and place system, it should be appreciated that other types of optical components may be picked and optically placed as well. According to some example embodiments, the optical component 125 that is placed may include any first optical component (e.g., fiber, lens, optical interconnect head) that can transmit light to and receive light from another second optical component with which the first optical component is placed using active alignment and baseline check operations.

[0023]

[0030] 4 illustrates an example architecture 400 of the optics box 110, according to some example embodiments. In the example of FIG. 4, the optics box 110 includes a controller interface 415 that electrically interfaces with the pick-and-place machine 105 for calibrated active alignment based placement of optical components.

[0024]

[0031] A power supply 420 provides power to the optical box components including, for example, a light source 405 (e.g., a superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED)), a switch 440, a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) 410, and a light source driver 435. In some example embodiments, light from the light source 405 is directed along a loopback path 445 to a photodetector 430 to generate a baseline value, and light from the light source 405 is further directed to an active alignment optical path 450 for active alignment based positioning of optical components and baseline value checking operations.

[0025]

[0032] In particular, according to some example embodiments, the optical switch 440 is configured to connect the optical path from the light source 405 to the photodetector 430 (e.g., photodiode, phototransistor). To enable the loopback mode, the controller interface 415 issues a loopback control signal to the switch 440 to activate the loopback path 445. The light source 405 then generates light that is depolarized by the depolarizer loop 465, according to some example embodiments in which the optical device 130 is highly polarization sensitive. For example, the optical device 130 may respond differently to different polarizations that may affect how much light is returned and measured by the photodetector 430. To avoid polarization effects that may cause improper alignment and coupling, the depolarizer loop 465 depolarizes the light from the light source 405 to ensure that the optical power is evenly divided across polarizations when the light reaches the optical device 130.

[0026]

[0033] The depolarized light is then split by power splitter 460 and directed to loopback path 445 and active alignment optical path 450. In loopback mode, a portion of the light from power splitter 460 propagates via loopback path 445 through switch 440 to photodetector 430. Photodetector 430 generates a baseline value, which is amplified by transimpedance amplifier 425 and electrically input to controller interface 415 for reference in subsequent active alignment based placement of components. In some example embodiments, the baseline value is stored as a data file or value in a database, memory of pick and place machine 105, and / or memory of optical device 130 for reference.

[0027]

[0034] After the baseline value is generated, the controller interface 415 controls the switch 440 to activate the active alignment optical path 450 (e.g., comprising a fiber or silicon waveguide path from the light source 405 to the output connector 455 and from the input connector 475 to the switch 440 and the photodetector 430). While in the active alignment mode, light originates from the light source 405 and propagates through the depolarizer loop 465 into the power splitter 460. A portion of the light from the power splitter 460 is coupled to the output connector 455 (e.g., a fiber connector). The light at the output connector 455 is then coupled to the optical component 125, and light returned from the optical component 125 (e.g., via the optical device 130) is received by the input connector 475.

[0028]

[0035] Light at input connector 475 propagates through switch 440 in an active alignment setting to photodetector 430, then is amplified by amplifier 425 and provided to controller interface 415. The pick-and-place machine 105 receives the signal and actuates manipulator head 127 to maximize the optical power level of the coupling (e.g., maximize the light detected by photodetector 430).

[0029]

[0036] In some example embodiments, a baseline coupling assessment is performed to ensure that the optical power levels of the connected components and devices are within the baseline value specifications. For example, stored instructions (e.g., an optical baseline assessment algorithm in the microcontroller of the controller interface 415, an optical baseline assessment algorithm in the pick-and-place machine 105, an optical baseline assessment algorithm in an external computer) can determine whether the current optical power level is within the baseline value specifications or range (e.g., within 10%, within 20%). In this manner, components are placed by active alignment in a manner that ensures that the optical coupling is within the predetermined parameters for a given light source during a given placement period (e.g., per day). For example, in some example embodiments, a new baseline value is generated at the start of each data and can be referenced during each placement of an optical component on an optical device using active alignment-based placement by the pick-and-place machine 105. In some example embodiments, the baseline value is generated before each active alignment-based component is placed or at other intervals (e.g., hourly, weekly, monthly).

[0030]

[0037] 5 is a diagram of an opto-electrical device 500 (e.g., optical device 130) including one or more optical devices, according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, the opto-electrical device 500 is a multi-structure chip package including a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 505, an organic substrate 560, an application specific integrated circuit 515 (ASIC), and a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) 520. In this embodiment, the PIC 520 may include one or more of the optical structures described above (e.g., PIC 210 of FIG. 2).

[0031]

[0038] In some example embodiments, the PIC 520 may include silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-based (e.g., silicon nitride (SiN)) devices, or may comprise devices formed from both silicon and non-silicon materials. The non-silicon materials (also called "foreign materials") may comprise one of III-V materials, magneto-optical materials, or crystalline substrate materials. III-V semiconductors include elements found in groups III and V of the periodic table (e.g., InGaAsP (Indium Gallium Arsenide Phosphide), GainAsN (Gallium Indium Arsenide Nitride)). Because the electron velocity of III-V semiconductors is much higher than that of silicon, the carrier dispersion effect of III-V based materials will be significantly higher than that of silicon based materials. In addition, III-V materials have a direct bandgap that allows for efficient creation of light from electrical pumping. III-V semiconductor materials thus enable more efficient photonic operation than silicon for both generating light and modulating the refractive index of light, and therefore when generating light from electricity and converting light back to electricity.

[0032]

[0039] Thus, the low optical loss and high quality of silicon oxide are combined with the electro-optical efficiency of III-V semiconductors in the heterogeneous optical devices described below, which in embodiments of the present disclosure utilize a low-loss heterogeneous optical waveguide transition between the device's heterogeneous waveguide and a silicon-only waveguide.

[0033]

[0040] Magneto-optic (MO) materials enable the heterogeneous PIC to operate based on the magneto-optic effect. Such devices may utilize the Faraday effect, where a magnetic field associated with an electrical signal modulates an optical beam to provide high bandwidth modulation and rotate the electric field of the optical mode to enable an optical isolator. The magneto-optic material may comprise, for example, materials such as iron, cobalt, or yttrium iron garnet (YIG). Furthermore, in some example embodiments, a crystalline substrate material provides the heterogeneous PIC with high electromechanical coupling, linear electro-optic coefficient, low transmission loss, and stable physical and chemical properties. The crystalline substrate material may comprise, for example, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) or lithium tantalate (LiTaO3). In the illustrated example, the PIC 520 exchanges light with fiber 530 via prism 525. The prism 525 is a misalignment tolerant device used to couple optical modes to one or more single mode optical fibers (e.g., to transmit light to and from an optical network), according to some example embodiments.

[0034]

[0041] In some example embodiments, the optical device of PIC 520 is controlled, at least in part, by control circuitry included in ASIC 515. Both ASIC 515 and PIC 520 are shown disposed on copper pillars 514, which are used to communicatively couple the ICs via an organic substrate 560. PCB 505 is coupled to organic substrate 560 via ball grid array (BGA) interconnects 516, which may be used to interconnect organic substrate 560 (and thus ASIC 515 and PIC 520) to other components of opto-electrical device 500, not shown, such as interconnect modules, power supplies, etc.

[0035]

[0042] 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 600 for generating an optical baseline value for an optical component arrangement, according to some example embodiments. In operation 605, a loopback mode is enabled on the optical box. For example, the controller interface 415 controls the switch 440 to direct light along the loopback path 445.

[0036]

[0043] In operation 610, a light source is activated on the optical arrangement box. For example, the controller interface 415 activates the light source 405 (e.g., an SLED) that is controlled by the driver 435 to stabilize the light output and is temperature managed by the TEC 410. The light generated from the light source 405 then propagates to the photodetector 430 via the loopback path 445 while in loopback mode.

[0037]

[0044] In operation 615, the optics box stores the optical baseline value. For example, according to some example embodiments, the photodetector 430 measures light received from the light source 405 via the loopback path 445, which is amplified (e.g., via the amplifier 425) and then stored as the baseline value.

[0038]

[0045] In operation 620, loopback mode is disabled on the optical box. For example, controller interface 415 controls switch 440 to switch from loopback path 445 to active alignment optical path 450 for active alignment based positioning of optical components. In some example embodiments, method 600 is performed periodically (e.g., daily) or after a set number of components placed (e.g., every 100 placements) to ensure up-to-date baseline values ​​and placements. For example, method 600 may be performed daily or hourly before optical components are placed. During placement of optical components, optical power levels of actively aligned placed components may be evaluated against the latest baseline values ​​to ensure optical losses are within specifications.

[0039]

[0046] 7 shows a flow diagram of a method 700 for active alignment based placement of optical components using a self-calibrating pick-and-place machine, according to some example embodiments. Method 700 may be performed after completion of method 600, where baseline or threshold data for the optical box is generated via a loopback path and stored for reference. Broadly, in active alignment mode, the optical box continuously transmits and receives light through the optical components to and from the optical device, measures the light through a photodetector to generate an optical power level signal, and then the pick-and-place machine actuates (e.g., direction, distance, rotates in different dimensions) the manipulator head to maximize until the photodetector generates a highest or maximum value.

[0040]

[0047] In operation 705, a baseline value is accessed, e.g., a baseline value generated from method 600 (e.g., in a memory or database of the optics box 110, the pick-and-place machine 105, or an external computer). In operation 710, an active alignment mode is enabled on the optics box. For example, the controller interface 415 controls the switch 440 to direct light along the active alignment optical path 450. In some example embodiments, the optics box is already configured for active alignment, and operation 710 is omitted.

[0041]

[0048] In operation 715, the optical components are positioned via active alignment of light through the optical components. For example, light from the light source 405 is coupled to the optical device 130 via the optical components 125 and received from the optical components 125. The received light is then measured by the photodetector 430 to generate an optical power level signal, which is then optimized by the pick and place machine 105 as described above.

[0042]

[0049] In some example embodiments, the optical component 125 is further secured onto the optical device 130. For example, in operation 715, the optical component is positioned and attached to the optical device 130 using a temporary adhesive, and an additional permanent fastening means (e.g., solder, heat / pressure, epoxy and UV cure) is applied to the bond interface to permanently secure the optical component onto the optical device 130.

[0043]

[0050] At operation 720, the optical power level is evaluated against the baseline value. For example, after the optical component 125 is placed on the optical device 130 via active alignment, the current optical power level from the optical detector 430 is evaluated against the stored optical baseline value to ensure that it is within specification (e.g., within a predetermined range, 10%, 20%). In some example embodiments, if the optical power level is not within specification, one or more adjustments are made and method 700 loops back to 720. For example, if the optical power level is not within specification, one or more adjustments are made to components in the optical box 110 (e.g., the light source 405) or the optical device 130, and then the optical power level is re-evaluated against the baseline value.

[0044]

[0051] At operation 725, the placement data is stored. For example, optical power levels and baseline values ​​received through the placed components are stored for later reference (e.g., to an external system for authentication / analysis of the optical device 130). In some example embodiments, once optimal placement is achieved, the placement data is not stored and instead the optical components are bonded (e.g., via epoxy and UV cure, solder, heat / pressure) into place on the optical device.

[0045]

[0052] In some example embodiments, method 700 loops to 710 for additional optical component placements. For example, on a given day, a baseline value may be generated and then the same baseline value is used as a reference for the next set of optical components placed using optics box 110 and pick and place machine 105 using active alignment through optical components 125 and optical device 130.

[0046]

[0053] One or more computer systems may be configured to perform particular operations or actions by installing software, firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof on the system that cause the system to perform actions during operation. One or more computer applications may be configured to perform particular operations or actions by including instructions that, when executed by a data processing device, cause the device to perform actions. One general aspect includes a method for placing optical components using a pick and place machine. The method may also include generating a baseline light value using a photodetector of the optical placement control circuitry electrically connected to the pick-and-place machine while the optical placement control circuitry is in a loopback mode in which a light source of the optical placement control circuitry couples light to the photodetector via a loopback optical path in the optical placement control circuitry; storing the baseline light value in a memory accessible to the optical placement control circuitry; setting the optical placement control circuitry to an active alignment mode for positioning an optical component on the optical device using light generated from the light source; actuating a manipulator head releasably attached to the optical component to optically couple the optical component to the optical device such that light from the light source is input by the optical component to the optical device and light returned by the optical device is received by the optical component and measured as an optical power level by the photodetector of the optical placement control circuitry; actuating the manipulator head to adjust positioning of the optical component to optimize the optical power level generated by the photodetector; determining that the optical power level is within a predetermined range of the baseline light value; and positioning the optical component on the optical device. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the method.

[0047]

[0054] Implementations may include one or more of the following features: The method of placing an optical component on an optical device attaches the optical component to the optical device using an adhesive. The optical placement control circuitry may include an optical switch that sets the optical placement control circuitry in a loopback mode or an active alignment mode. The optical placement control circuitry may include an active alignment optical path including an input path and an output path for coupling to the optical device and the optical component. The optical placement control circuitry is set to the loopback mode by switching from the active alignment optical path to the loopback optical path using the optical switch. The optical placement control circuitry is further set to the loopback mode by activating a light source to couple light to the photodetector via the loopback optical path. The optical placement control circuitry is set to the active alignment mode by switching from the loopback optical path to the active alignment optical path using the optical switch. The optical placement control circuitry is further set to the active alignment mode by activating a light source to couple light to the optical device using the active alignment optical path and to receive light from the optical device. The method may include releasing the optical component using the manipulator head. The manipulator head includes a nozzle that releasably picks up the optical component. The pick-and-place machine actuates the manipulator head to optimize the optical power level to maximize the optical power level generated by the optical detector while in the active alignment mode. The pick-and-place machine may include one or more robotic arms for actuating the manipulator head in one or more directions. Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, methods or processes, or computer software on a computer-accessible medium.

[0048]

[0055] One general aspect includes an optical pick and place machine for placing an optical component. The optical pick and place machine also includes a manipulator head releasably attached to the optical component for picking up and placing the optical component on an optical device using active alignment based placement, and optical placement control circuitry, which may include a light source, a light detector, and an optical switch, which sets the optical placement control circuitry in a loopback mode in which light propagates from the light source to the light detector to generate a baseline light value, and the optical switch further sets the optical placement control circuitry in an active alignment mode in which light from the light source is coupled to the optical device to generate an optical power level using the light detector, and receives light returned by the optical device. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the method.

[0049]

[0056] Implementations may include one or more of the following features: An optical pick and place machine, in which an optical component is placed on an optical device and attached to the optical device using an adhesive. An optical power level generated by the optical detector after the optical device is placed on the optical device is evaluated against a baseline light value and determined to be within a predetermined range of the baseline light value. The optical placement control circuitry is further set to a loopback mode by activating a light source to couple light to the optical detector via a loopback optical path. The optical placement control circuitry is further set to an active alignment mode by switching from the loopback optical path to an active alignment optical path using an optical switch. The optical placement control circuitry is further set to an active alignment mode by activating a light source to couple light to the optical device using the active alignment optical path and to receive light from the optical device. The manipulator head includes a nozzle to releasably pick up the optical component. The optical device is an optical transceiver having optical ports for inputting and outputting light. Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, methods or processes, or computer software on a computer-accessible medium.

[0050]

[0057] In the foregoing detailed description, the method and apparatus of the inventive subject matter has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be apparent, however, that various modifications and changes can be made therein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the inventive subject matter. The specification and figures are therefore to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. 1. A method for placing an optical component using a pick and place machine, comprising: generating a baseline light value using the photodetector of the optical placement control circuitry electrically connected to the pick and place machine while the optical placement control circuitry is in a loopback mode in which a light source of the optical placement control circuitry couples light to a photodetector via a loopback optical path in the optical placement control circuitry; storing said baseline light values ​​in a memory accessible by said optical configuration control circuitry; setting the optical positioning control circuitry in an active alignment mode for positioning the optical component on an optical device using light generated by the light source; actuating a manipulator head releasably attached to the optical component to optically couple the optical component to the optical device such that light from the light source is input by the optical component to the optical device and light returned by the optical device is received by the optical component and measured as an optical power level by the photodetector of the optical configuration and control circuitry; activating the manipulator head to adjust the position of the optical components to optimize the optical power level produced by the photodetector; determining that the optical power level is within a predetermined range of the baseline optical value; disposing the optical component on the optical device; A method for providing the above.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing the optical component on the optical device comprises attaching the optical component to the optical device using an adhesive.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical placement control circuitry comprises an optical switch that sets the optical placement control circuitry in the loopback mode or the active alignment mode.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the optical alignment control circuitry comprises an active alignment optical path comprising input and output paths for coupling to the optical devices and optical components.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the optical alignment control circuitry is set to the loopback mode by switching from the active alignment optical path to the loopback optical path using the optical switch.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the optical configuration and control circuitry is further configured to place the optical configuration and control circuitry in the loopback mode by activating the light source to couple light to the photodetector via the loopback optical path.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the optical placement control circuitry is set to the active alignment mode by switching from the loopback optical path to the active alignment optical path using the optical switch.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the optical alignment control circuitry is further configured to be in the active alignment mode by activating the light source to couple light to the optical device using the active alignment optical path and to receive the light from the optical device.

9. Releasing the optical component using the manipulator head. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the manipulator head includes a nozzle that releasably picks up the optical component.

11. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pick-and-place machine operates the manipulator head to optimize the optical power level to maximize the optical power level produced by the optical detector while in an active alignment mode.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pick and place machine comprises one or more robotic arms for actuating the manipulator head in one or more directions.

13. 1. An optical pick and place machine for placing optical components, comprising: a manipulator head releasably attached to the optical component for picking up the optical component and placing it on an optical device using active alignment based positioning; an optical arrangement control circuitry comprising a light source, a light detector, and an optical switch, the optical switch configuring the optical arrangement control circuitry in a loopback mode in which light propagates from the light source to the light detector to generate a baseline light value, the optical switch further configuring the optical arrangement control circuitry in an active alignment mode in which light from the light source is coupled to the optical device to generate an optical power level using the light detector, and light is received back by the optical device; An optical pick and place machine comprising:

14. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13 , wherein the optical component is placed on the optical device and attached to the optical device using an adhesive.

15. 14. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13, wherein the optical power level produced by the optical detector after the optical device is placed on the optical detector is evaluated against the baseline light value and determined to be within a predetermined range of the baseline light value.

16. 14. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13, wherein the optical placement control circuitry is further configured to be in the loopback mode by activating the light source to couple light to the photodetector via a loopback optical path.

17. 14. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13, wherein the optical placement control circuitry is set to the active alignment mode by switching from a loopback optical path to an active alignment optical path using the optical switch.

18. 20. The optical pick and place machine of claim 17, wherein the optical placement control circuitry is further configured to be in the active alignment mode by activating the light source to couple light to the optical device using the active alignment optical path and to receive the light from the optical device.

19. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13 , wherein the manipulator head includes a nozzle that releasably picks up the optical component.

20. 14. The optical pick and place machine of claim 13, wherein the optical device is an optical transceiver having an optical port for inputting and outputting light.

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