ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLES

Abstract

In one embodiment, an optoelectronic assembly includes a housing having a cavity and an optoelectronic module disposed at least partially within the cavity of the housing. The housing is configured to support an electrical connection at a first end of the housing and an optical connection at a second end. The optoelectronic module includes an optoelectronic transceiver, an electrical interface for providing an electrical connection to the optoelectronic module through the first end of the housing, a ferrule, and a lens, wherein the ferrule and lens provide an optical connection to the optoelectronic module through the second end of the housing. The housing, optoelectronic module, optoelectronic transceiver, electrical interface, and ferrule have a magnetic permeability of less than 1.0 B / H, where B is the magnetic flux density and H is the magnetic flux.

Description

ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLES Field of Invention This description relates in general to the field of active optical products (e.g., wiring systems and assemblies, etc.) and, more particularly, to active optical products that include non-magnetic components. Background of the Invention Data transmission speeds between modules have increased, at least in the field of avionics, due to the desire to provide high-definition digital video for in-flight entertainment systems, cockpit displays, the AFDX (Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet) interconnection protocol, and similar applications. Consequently, avionics systems and aircraft manufacturers expect to take advantage of the extremely high bandwidth, light weight, ease of routing, and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) offered by the fiber optic transport medium. Therefore, avionics rack assemblies and associated modules are needed to accommodate fiber optic connections between them, for example, with active optical components. One approach that has been adopted on the module side in such systems employs Ref. 348344 an optical converter component within the module, which is mounted on a printed circuit board (fixed or flexible). The above example of avionics modules is intended to be non-limiting, and it is noted that the problems described in the present invention when making fiber optic interfaces in electronic modules pertain to applications in many other fields, and the usefulness of the embodiments described herein is not limited to the avionics industry. Summary of the Invention In one embodiment, an optoelectronic assembly includes a housing having a cavity and an optoelectronic module disposed at least partially within the cavity of the housing. The housing is configured to support an electrical connection at a first end of the housing and an optical connection at a second end. The optoelectronic module includes an optoelectronic transceiver, an electrical interface for providing an electrical connection to the optoelectronic module through the first end of the housing, a ferrule, and a lens, wherein the ferrule and lens provide an optical connection to the optoelectronic module through the second end of the housing. The housing, optoelectronic module, optoelectronic transceiver, electrical interface, and ferrule have a magnetic permeability of less than 1.0 B / H, where B is the magnetic flux density and H is the magnetic flux. Brief Description of the Figures The figures referenced illustrate exemplary models. The models and figures presented in this document are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of one modality of an optoelectronic contact produced according to the present description. Figure 2 is a diagrammatic and partially sectioned elevation view of one modality of a standard connector system that supports the optoelectronic contact of Figure 1 for blind coupling with an opposing connector. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic exploded view, in perspective, of one modality of contact 10 in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a barrel-shaped housing that may form part of the contact of Figures 1-3. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of an assembly that includes an optoelectronic converter and a flexible circuit board assembly that can be used in the contact modalities of the present description such as, for example, those in Figures 1-3. Figure 6 is another diagrammatic, perspective view of the assembly in Figure 5 shown as partially cropped to reveal details of its internal structure. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrammatic, perspective views showing details of a flexible circuit board assembly that can be used in contact modalities of the present description. Figure 9 is a diagrammatic, perspective exploded view of one modality of the flexible circuit board assembly described herein, shown herein to illustrate details regarding the use of a flexible circuit board substrate in an overall interleaved / layered structure. Figure 10 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of another modality of an optoelectronic converter according to the present description. Figure 11 is another diagrammatic, perspective view of another modality of an optoelectronic converter according to the present description. Figure 12 is a partially sectioned, perspective diagrammatic view showing the internal structure of the optoelectronic converter of Figure 11 in relation to selected external optical elements. Figure 13 is a partially sectioned, perspective diagrammatic view illustrating an assembled modality of an optoelectronic contact according to the present description, using, as a non-limiting example, the optoelectronic converter of Figures 11 and 12. Detailed Description of the Invention The following description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to carry out and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications of the described embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles taught herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, this description is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein, including modifications and equivalents, as defined in the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that the figures are not to scale and are diagrammatic in nature, intended to better illustrate the features of interest.Descriptive terminology may be used with respect to these descriptions; however, this terminology has been adopted to facilitate the reader's understanding and is not intended to be exhaustive. Furthermore, the figures are not to scale for the sake of illustrative clarity. The active optical cable (AOC) appliances and systems described herein include a non-magnetic, pluggable active optical transceiver product. This AOC product may include integrated optoelectronic converter modules with configurable cabling. Furthermore, an AOC product maintains optical interface coupling and features removable insertion characteristics that facilitate mating, indexing, and alignment with corresponding interconnect devices. In various configurations, the AOC product includes electronically integrated optical components designed to convert electrical signals into optical signals or vice versa. Several components of the AOC product may include metallic components, one or more of which may have a magnetic permeability value at which the respective metallic components are considered non-magnetic.In addition, the AOC product may include or provide a digital interface that allows real-time access to the device's operating parameters, and includes an alarm and warning flag system that alerts the host system when the operating parameters are outside the normal (factory-set) operating range. As an example, the AOC product or assembly described herein is deployed in an electronic rack assembly used in the field of avionics. An electronic rack assembly may define one or more positions, each configured to receive a module. The rack assembly may include a backplane such that each module has a complementary connection arrangement that mates seamlessly with the backplane when each module is installed. In this way, a large number of interface connections can be made or broken simultaneously, allowing each module to be conveniently installed and / or replaced. With reference now to the figures in which similar components may be designated by similar reference numbers throughout the various figures, attention is immediately drawn to Figure 1, which is a diagrammatic, perspective view illustrating one type of optoelectronic contact or AOC assembly, generally indicated by reference number 10 (note that the terms optoelectronic contact, contact, and AOC assembly are used interchangeably in this description). Contact 10 may be either a transmitting optical subassembly (TOSA) or a receiving optical subassembly (ROSA).In the first case, the contact may include, for example, a laser diode (e.g., a vertical cavity surface emission laser (VCSEL)) and the associated drive electronics, while in the second case, the contact may include, for example, a photodiode and the associated electronics. In some embodiments, contact 10 takes the form of a hot-pluggable network interface module, such as a small form factor pluggable (SEP) or SFP+ module. Generally, the contact 10 may include a barrel housing 20 having an elongated length that can define an elongation axis 22, illustrated by a dashed line. The housing may be formed with indexing features such as, for example, one or more flats 24 for use in configurations that benefit from indexing of rotational orientation, as discussed later. Although the housing and overall contact 10 may be described below in terms of conforming to standards to meet a particular type of specification, it should be understood that the assembly may be configured to meet any suitable connector specification, whether currently existing or yet to be developed. The housing 20 may be configured to receive an alignment sleeve retaining cap 26, for example, by means of a threaded coupling and with an O-ring groove receiving an O-ring 28.An opposite end of the housing 20 can support an external electrical connection interface 30, which, in this example, includes an arrangement of electrically conductive pins 32. As will be seen, the pins 32 can be arranged in any suitable geometric pattern. In other embodiments, the electrical interconnection can be accomplished using means other than electrically conductive pins. In the embodiment of Figure 1, straight electrical pins are shown for clarity, but it should be noted that some or all of the pins can be substituted by other high-speed electrical interconnection means, such as coaxial, two-way (twinax), or four-way (quadrax) interconnections, or a flexible circuit board, as appropriate for the type of signal being transmitted. In some embodiments, one or more components of assembly 10, for example, the housing 20, the faces 24, the cap 26, the O-ring 28, the interface 30, the bolts 32, may be or include a metal. Any metallic component of the contact assembly 10 may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, the coating metal layer, and the final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of non-magnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, copper-beryllium, non-magnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component of assembly 10 may have a non-magnetic magnetic permeability (μ) (for example, a value less than 1).0 B / H (or less than approximately 0). As used herein, magnetic permeability p may refer to the degree of magnetization of the material in response to a magnetic field. Magnetic permeability may be the ratio of magnetic flux density B to magnetic flux H, such that a value less than 1.0 is non-magnetic and a value equal to or greater than 1.0 is magnetic. The physical constant μβ may be the magnetic permeability in a vacuum. The relative permeability μr may be the ratio of μ to μβ. In addition, non-magnetic components may be treated by passivation processes to create a protective micro-coating against corrosion.AOC assembly can employ a number of printed circuit board (PCB) technologies applicable to the creation of non-magnetic solutions, including hot air surface leveling (HASL), electrodeless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium gold immersion gold (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP). With reference to Figure 2, along with Figure Figure 1 is a partially sectioned diagrammatic view illustrating a standard connector system, generally designated by reference number 60, which is suitable, by way of non-limiting example, for use in the avionics and aerospace industries. Specifically, system 60 can be conformed to the well-known ARINC 600 standard and includes a receptacle connector 64 that defines three bays (not shown) for receiving inserts that can support electrical and / or optical interconnections, although the original intent of the standard was to support electrical interconnections. According to the standard, a connector 66 can be received in each bay of connector 64 by means of a blind mating, with the connector mounted on a module and the connector 66 mounted in a bay of a rack. In the present example, the receptacle connector 64 can support a plurality of optoelectronic contacts or AOC 10 assemblies, of which only one is shown.In one embodiment, an insert in the receptacle connector can support eleven instances of optoelectronic contacts 10. The electrical connection interface 30 of each contact can support a plurality of optoelectronic contacts or AOC assemblies. The electrical connection interface 30 of each contact can be electrically connected, for example, to a printed circuit board 70, which may be located in a module such as an avionics module. The contact 10 is received in a cavity 74, which may be referred to, in this example, as a size 8 cavity that can conform to ARINC 801. As previously stated, this standard refers to passive optical connectors for blind-mating interfaces that have a diameter of approximately 8 mm. The optoelectronic contact 10 includes an annular back 80 that is seatable against an annular floor within the receptacle cavity.The contact can be inserted from the front or outside side 82 of the receptacle connector 64 (i.e., of the front-release type) so that an annular retaining clip 86 snaps removably into position over the backing plate 80 to retain the contact within the receptacle cavity. Other connector types may also make use of this type of contact, in either front- or rear-release configurations. Still with reference to Figure 2, connector 66 defines a cavity that can receive, by way of non-limiting example, an opposing contact 90. The opposing contact can be optical or optoelectronic. An optical opposing contact can be passive, as in an optical fiber ferrule. An optoelectronic opposing contact can be active, incorporating electronic and / or optoelectronic devices, for example, as taught herein. In the present example, the opposing contact supports an optical fiber cable 92 that is terminated by a ferrule 94 to support an optical fiber such that the tip of the ferrule can be directly angled in physical contact against a tip of the opposing ferrule to provide optical communication between two optical fibers as detailed, for example, in ARINC 801.It should be noted that, although contact 90 can be characterized as an optical fiber contact, a wide variety of physical contours and / or standards can be used for contact 90, which remain within the scope of this description, provided the contact is configured for optical coupling. In some embodiments, contact 90 may be an active contact, which may even be produced in accordance with the teachings that will be brought to light later. In the present example, contact 90 is configured to engage an opposing ferrule in receptacle connector 64 c«QQnn / C7n7 / e / YiAi, which is identified by reference number 100 and is supplied as part of contact 10, as will be described later. For the moment, it is sufficient to note that ARINC 801 sets out details regarding the positional relationship between opposing ferrules as the opposing contacts partially couple and then achieve full coupling.Other specifications, such as MIL-T-29504, MIL-C-28876, and others, also describe similar detailed relationships between opposing ferrules in optical contacts. In this example, ferrule 100 is not part of a passive fiber optic connection but rather part of optoelectronic contact 10, as will be described later in the following figures. In some embodiments, one or more components illustrated in Figure 2, for example, connector 64, plug connector 66, printed circuit board 70, clip 86, contact 90 (and its components), ferrule 94, and ferrule 100, may be or include a metal. Any of these metallic components may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, coating metal layer, and final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of nonmagnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt chromium, copper beryllium, nonmagnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component may have a magnetic permeability that is nonmagnetic (for example, a value of less than 1).0 B / H (or less than approximately). In addition, non-magnetic components can be treated using passivation processes to create a microlayer protection against corrosion. The AOC assembly can employ a number of PCB technologies applicable to creating non-magnetic solutions, including hot air surface level (HASL) processes, electrodeless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium gold immersion (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP). Attention is now drawn to Figure 3, which is a diagrammatic, perspective exploded view of a contact modality 10, provided to illustrate the various components that make up its overall structure. An optoelectronic converter 200 is suitably configured to generate light in the case of a TOSA modality or to receive light in the case of a ROSA modality, as described above. The converter, by way of example, may include electrical interface pins 202 for external electrical connection. The converter also includes the supported ferrule 100 for optical communication with an internally supported component shown in a later figure. The ferrule 100 may be formed, for example, as a molded ceramic of any suitable material.A precision alignment sleeve 204 may be provided in a split configuration to be slid into the ferrule 100, interposed between the alignment sleeve retaining cap 26 and the ferrule itself. The alignment sleeve may have a length along the elongation axis 22 (Figure 1) greater than the length protruding from the ferrule 100, such that the tip of the ferrule is housed and supported within the sleeve 204. In this respect, an outer end of the alignment sleeve 204 is longer than the length protruding from the ferrule. In this respect, an outer end of the precision alignment sleeve is identified by part number 210 in Figure 2.Therefore, the opposing ferrule 94 extends into the alignment sleeve 204 when contact 90 engages with contact 10, intending to physically contact ferrule 100 and thereby enabling optical communication between the tips of the respective ferrules. Figure 4 is an enlarged and partially cropped view of the barrel housing 20 shown herein to illustrate further details of its structure. In particular, the barrel housing defines an annular groove 214 configured to support the optoelectronic converter 200 in a manner that will be described later. In some embodiments, one or more components illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, for example, the converter 200, the bolts 202, and the sleeve 204, may be or include a metal. Any of these metallic components may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, coating metal layer, and final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of nonmagnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, beryllium copper, nonmagnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component may have a magnetic permeability that is nonmagnetic (for example, a value of less than 1.0 B / H (or less than approximately 1.0 B / H)).Furthermore, non-magnetic components can be treated using passivation processes to create a microlayer protection against corrosion. The AOC assembly can employ a range of PCB technologies applicable to creating non-magnetic solutions, including, but not limited to, hot air surface leveling (HASL), chemical nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium immersion gold (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP) processes. With reference now to Figure 5, attention is drawn to further details regarding the optoelectronic converter 200 and a flexible circuit board assembly 300 used to interconnect the optoelectronic converter with the outside world via the external electrical connection interface 30, which, in one modality, supports an arrangement of electrically conductive pins 32. In this respect, a particular pin 32' may include an enlarged diameter or other feature suitable for indexing purposes. The flexible circuit board assembly includes an internal electrical connection end 304 for connection to the electrical interface pins 202 of the converter and an external electrical connection end 310 for connection to the electrically conductive pins 32'.An intermediate section 314 may be supported transversely or orthogonally to an elongation axis 316, shown as a dashed line, of the converter using the flexible circuit board assembly. Generally, the elongation axis 316 of the converter may coincide with the elongation axis 22 of the barrel housing when the converter is installed in the barrel housing, although this is not a requirement. As will be described later, however, the mating contact 10 with the opposing contact 90 typically produces a misalignment between these two axes, since both the mating and opposing contacts are configured to float in a manner that provides relative movement or float that accommodates this misalignment to avoid damaging mating and / or opposing contact components.In the present embodiment, the flexible circuit board assembly includes a first flexible extension 320, extending from the internal electrical connection end 304 to the mid-section 314, and a second flexible extension 322 extending from the external electrical connection end 310 to the mid-section 314. The first flexible extension 320, in the present embodiment, includes two 180° bends such that the extension passes transversely through the elongation axis of the overall assembly, while the second flexible extension 322 defines a 180° bend, resulting in a total of 540° of bends. However, it should be noted that the flexible extensions can be configured in any suitable manner, and the configuration is not limited to the embodiment described. As shown in Figure 1, the optoelectronic converter and flexible circuit board assembly are configured to be received in the inner cavity of the barrel housing 20 such that the pins 32 extend outward from the barrel housing to form an external electrical connection. However, in other embodiments, this external electrical connection can be formed in different ways, as described later. When installed, the flexible circuit board assembly is fixed at the internal connection end 304 and the external connection end 310, allowing the converter 200 to move relative to the barrel housing 20. In this configuration, the external connection end 310 is fixed to the internal connection end 304.In this regard, the external connection end 310 can be securely attached to the electrical connection end of the barrel housing in a suitable manner, such as by using an adhesive or encapsulating compound that can also form an environmental seal between the barrel housing and the external electrical connection end. Suitable adhesives and / or encapsulating compounds include, but are not limited to, epoxy and RTV sealant, as well as suitable combinations thereof. Simultaneously, and as will be described later, the flexible extensions 320 and 322, and the intermediate section 314, depending on the extent of any encapsulating compound used, can move relative to the cylinder body in response to the relative movement of the converter 200.It should be appreciated that the flexible extension 320 can be configured, in one mode, to provide more than adequate relative movement even when the middle section 314 and an initial portion of the flexible extension 320 close to the middle section are encapsulated in encapsulation compound where the encapsulation compound 323 is indicated by a dashed line in Figure 5. With reference to Figures 3-5, the relative movement between the barrel housing 20 and the converter 200, as well as the use of the flexible circuit board assembly 300, is facilitated by the way the barrel housing supports the converter. In the present embodiment, a retaining clip 400 includes an annular configuration that can be received around a collar 402 (best seen in Figure 3) defined between a main body 408 of the converter and a flange 410 terminating the collar. An indexing feature 412, indicated by dashed lines, can be formed, for example, as part of a peripheral contour of the converter body to cooperate with a complementary feature that can be defined inside the barrel housing. Examples of suitable indexing features include, but are not limited to, one or more grooves or projections arranged around the periphery of the converter body.This indexing is useful, for example, when using an angle-polished (APC) ferrule as ferrule 100 to establish the rotational orientation of the converter, and therefore of the ferrule, within a certain tolerance of a known position. The indexing feature(s) 412 can cooperate with planes 24 (see Figures 1, 3, and 4) to ensure that the optoelectronic contact is placed in a known rotational orientation relative to the opposing contact 90, as shown in Figure 2. The retaining clip may be formed, for example, of a suitably elastic material such as spring steel or beryllium-copper in a C-shaped configuration such that the retaining clip can be installed in the collar by extending the C-shaped opening. The retaining clip is shown as installed in Figure 5 and is slidably received in the collar 402. The inside diameter of the retaining clip may be sized to provide a suitable amount of clearance from the collar so that the plane of the retaining clip can be twisted and form an angle with respect to the elongation axis 316 of the converter, for reasons that will become apparent. In the present embodiment, a coil spring 414 is also installed in the collar 402 such that the coil spring is captured between the collar 402 and the retaining clip 400. The converter 200 can be received in the collar 402.The converter 200 can be received in the barrel housing cavity 20 with the retaining clip 400 against the barrel housing shoulder 416 (Figure 4). This type of arrangement may be acceptable in situations where the opposing contact incorporates sufficient spring travel and force to cause effective physical contact of the opposing optical ferrules in the fully mated condition, under all conditions, including mechanical tolerances, thermal expansion, vibration, shock, and the like. In some arrangements, it may be necessary to perform life-cycle durability evaluations that measure the impact of changes in the spring material 414 on the optical ferrules and the housings themselves. The spring shoulders may be positioned on the projections of the optical ferrules that travel within the connector housing cavities, which must be requalified.Typical components of the requalification test plan would include vibration, shock, coupling durability, coupling strength, thermal cycling, and humidity cycling tests, among others. Figure 6 is another diagrammatic, perspective view of the optoelectronic converter 200 and flexible circuit board assembly 300 shown in Figure 5. In this case, however, the converter 200 is shown partially cut away to reveal details of its internal structure. Specifically, the converter 200 includes an optical converter element 460, such as a laser diode (e.g., a vertical cavity surface emission laser (VCSEL)) or a solid-state detector, which is supported in an internal housing 464 and conveniently interconnected electrically to the converter's interface pins 202. The housing 464, in one configuration, can be in the form of a packaged transistor scheme known as a TO-46 package supporting a lens 470.Although any suitable lens may be used (e.g., spherical and graded refractive index (GRIN) lenses), the present embodiment illustrates the use of a spherical lens with included ray traces 474 to illustrate the optical coupling and focusing between the optical converter element 460 and an opposing end of an optical fiber 480 supported by the ferrule 100. CRQonn / cznz / e / YiAi present modality, the distal / outer end of the 480 fiber and the 100 splint are polished flat while the inner end can be polished at an angle, for example, at a suitable angle such as at least approximately 8 degrees to direct reflections away from the overall optical path that is defined by the assembly. In some embodiments, one or more components illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, for example, the clip 400, the collar 402, the tab 410, the spring 414, the element 460, and the housing 464, may be or include a metal. These metallic components may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, coating metal layer, and final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of nonmagnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, copper-beryllium, nonmagnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component may have a magnetic permeability that is nonmagnetic (for example, a value of less than 1.0 B / H (or less than approximately 1.0 B / H)).In addition, non-magnetic components can be treated using passivation processes to create a micro-layer protection against corrosion. The AOC assembly can employ a number of PCB technologies applicable to the creation of non-magnetic solutions, including hot air surface leveling (HASL), electrodeless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium gold immersion (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP). In some configurations, the AOC assembly includes an enhanced Digital Diagnostic Monitoring Interface, which employs a general-purpose optical transceiver module or converter 200. The interface can be operationally connected to the optoelectronic converter 200 and / or the circuit board assembly 300. The interface allows real-time access to the device's operating parameters and includes an alarm and warning system that alerts the host system when operating parameters fall outside the normal (factory-set) operating range. The interface may use proprietary elements, such as an integrated microcontroller and non-volatile memory, as well as discrete electrical components to implement diagnostics, reporting, signal detection, and status information.Furthermore, the interface can enable subsystem adjustments, such as adjustable bias current control, based on real-time / runtime reported values, including but not limited to: receive power monitoring, transmit power monitoring, bias current monitoring, supply voltage monitoring, and temperature monitoring. The reporting mechanism can be designed for in-band and / or out-of-band (e.g., single-sideband) usage models. The transceiver generates this diagnostic data by digitizing internal analog signals. One of the design objectives will be to provide real-time system fault alarms and statistics for predictive maintenance. Attention is now turned to Figures 7 and 8, which are diagrammatic, perspective views of the flexible circuit board assembly 300. Each figure shows the opposing main surfaces of the assembly in a flat form to illustrate details of its structure. It should be noted that the first flexible extension 320 between the internal electrical connection end 304 and the intermediate section 314 is significantly longer than the second flexible extension 322 between the external electrical connection end 310 and the intermediate section 314 to accommodate the bending shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, although other bending arrangements may be suitable. The intermediate section 314 of the circuit can support an amplifier 500, as seen in Figure 7.In the case of the optoelectronic converter 200 that includes a light-emitting element such as a laser diode (e.g., a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)), the amplifier 500 can be a driving amplifier. On the other hand, in the case of the optoelectronic converter 200 that includes a light-detecting or receiving element such as a photodiode, the amplifier 500 can be a limiting amplifier. The center section on the opposite side of the amplifier 500, as shown in Figure 8, can support any suitable arrangement of electrical components 504, such as passive electrical components, for purposes including, but not limited to, decoupling or impedance matching of data transmission lines, biasing of the optoelectronic device, and electrical tuning or filtering.In the case of a driving amplifier, the electrical connection to the external connection end 310 may be by means of a differential drive, such that at least some of the passive components 504 may be used to terminate the differential drive arrangement at its characteristic impedance. For a laser diode intended to operate over a wide temperature range, at least some of the components 504 may be passive components designed to provide temperature compensation. The external electrical connection end 310 supports electrically conductive pins 32, which may be positioned in any suitable manner, as will be discussed later. In one embodiment, pin 32' may serve as a grounding pin and have a larger diameter or any other suitable shape / configuration relative to the other pins to fulfill an indexing function.As shown in Figure 8, the external electrical connection end can support electrical components 510, such as passive electrical components, for purposes that may include, but are not limited to, decoupling, tuning, and / or impedance matching of electrical data transmission lines, and filtering of electrical input power lines. The internal electrical connection end 304 is configured to mate with the electrical interface arrangement of the optoelectronic converter 200, such as the interface pins 202 (Figure 3) using a through-hole pattern 512, each of which may be surrounded by an electrically conductive trace. In one embodiment, the pins 202 may be soldered to the internal electrical interface arrangement 304.In some modalities, the internal electrical interface arrangement may support electrical components 514 (Figure 7) such as, for example, passive electrical components for purposes including, but not limited to, decoupling or impedance matching of data transmission lines, optoelectronic device biasing, and electrical tuning or filtering. Attention is now drawn to Figure 9, which is a diagrammatic, perspective exploded view of one embodiment of the flexible circuit board assembly 300, shown herein to further illustrate details of its structure. In particular, a flexible circuit substrate 520 includes an elongated length 522 that can extend the entire end-to-end length of the assembly. The flexible substrate 520 can be formed from any suitable material, such as polyimide or Kapton, and can support electrically conductive traces 524 (shown diagrammatically) arranged in a desired pattern to form electrical connections. In the present embodiment, a sandwich-type construction is used to form the internal electrical connection end 304, the external connection end 310, and the intermediate section 314. The internal connection end 304 can include a first end and a second end.The internal connection end 304 may include first and second circuit panels 530a and 530b arranged on opposite sides of the flexible substrate 520. Panels 530a and 530b are arranged on opposite sides of the flexible substrate 520. Panels 530a and 530b may be made of any suitable material, such as FR4, and have a pattern of electrically conductive traces for electrical communication with cooperative electrically conductive traces defined on the flexible substrate 520. Through-holes 534, with surrounding electrically conductive traces, may be aligned with through-holes 512 in the flexible substrate to receive the electrically conductive pins 202 of the optoelectronic converter. Panels 530a and 530b may be fixed to the flexible substrate, for example, by soldering and / or suitable adhesives.In another embodiment, the internal electrical connection end of the flexible substrate can be fixed to the 202 studs without using rigid circuit boards or using only one of the rigid circuit boards. In this respect, the flexible substrate 520 can directly support the electrical components 514. Furthermore, in another embodiment, the entire circuit board can consist solely of a flexible substrate, without rigid sections, onto which the electrical amplifier 500 and other electrical components 514 can be directly attached by soldering and / or suitable adhesives. Still with reference to Figure 9, the external connection end 310 can be configured with the inclusion of opposing rigid circuit boards 550a and 550b in the manner described above for the internal connection end. The openings 554 defined in the external connection end of the flexible substrate align with the openings 556 of panels 550a and 550b to receive pins 32 and 32' following the attachment of panels 550a and 550b to the flexible substrate. In one embodiment, pins 32 and 32' can be installed in the external connection end using a press fit. In such an embodiment, the pins may include an annular shoulder 558 and a patterned region 560, such as a grooved configuration that accommodates the press fit, or a press-fit construction. After the pins are press-fitted into the external connection end, soldering can be applied to electrically connect the pins to electrically conductive patterns on each of panels 550a and 550b, as well as to the pattern on the flexible substrate 520.It should be noted that the use of a press fit, in this configuration, establishes the bolt positions in a way that resists bolt displacement during welding. In this respect, maintaining the bolts in predetermined positions, or at least within a desired tolerance from such predetermined positions, can ensure ease of installation of the interface bolts 30 in circuit panel 70 of Figure 2, while also preventing damage to the bolts and / or circuit panel 70. Another advantage is the flexibility in the installation pattern of the interface bolts 30. Since the bolts are installed through the main surfaces of panels 550a and 550b, there are few restrictions on bolt placement. The intermediate section 314 can be configured with opposing rigid printed circuit boards 580a and 580b as described above for the internal and external connection ends. The printed circuit board 580a can be modeled based on the requirements of the amplifier 500, while the printed circuit board 580b can be modeled to support any additional electrical components that may be required, such as passive components including any suitable arrangement or combination of resistors, capacitors, and / or inductors 504 (see Figure 8). With continued reference to Figure 9, in other embodiments, one or both of the first flexible extension 320 and the second flexible extension 322 can be individually formed and electrically connected, for example, by soldering, to a rigid printed circuit board serving as any of the internal connection ends, the external connection end, and / or the intermediate section. In some embodiments, one or more of the components illustrated in Figures 7-9 and described above may be or include a metal. Any of these metallic components may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, coating metal layer, and final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of nonmagnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, copper-beryllium, nonmagnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component may have a magnetic permeability that is nonmagnetic (e.g., a value of less than 1.0 B / H (or less than approximately 1.0 B / H)).Furthermore, non-magnetic components can be treated using passivation processes to create a microlayer protection against corrosion. The AOC assembly can employ a range of PCB technologies applicable to creating non-magnetic solutions, including hot air surface level (HASL), electrodeless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium gold immersion gold (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP). Attention is now turned to Figure 10, which illustrates another modality of an optoelectronic converter, designated by the reference number 200', which can be used at contact 10 of Figures 1-3. Converter 200' is shown in a perspective diagram. The present discussion is limited to those features that differentiate converter 200' from the converter 200 described above, for the sake of brevity. The reader is referred to the description of converter 200 above for further details regarding the components and features shared by the two modality under immediate consideration. Converter 200' includes a retaining clip 400' installed on collar 402 without the use of an elastic polarizing element such as the helical spring 414 described above.Clip 400' may include an annular rim 600 that is configured to be received in the annular groove 214 (Figure 4) of the barrel housing 20, for example, by receiving clip 400' in groove 214. Clip 400' may include a skirt 602, which extends from the annular rim 600 and has a length along the converter axis based on the axial length of collar 402, such that predetermined tolerances are established between clip 400', collar 402, and flange 410. These tolerances allow movement of converter 200' relative to the barrel housing 20, so that the converter can float relative to the barrel housing when another contact, such as opposite contact 90 in Figure 2, is engaged.It should be noted that the opposite / front ends of the 400' clip, which define a space between them for the purpose of installing the clip on the 402 collar, can be separated by any suitable angular offset. The 400' clip can be made of any suitable material, such as tempered spring steel or beryllium copper. With reference to Figure 11, another embodiment of an optoelectronic converter, generally designated by the reference number 200 in a diagrammatic perspective view, is shown. Like converter 200', converter 200 can be used at contact 10 in Figures 1-3. Consequently, for the sake of brevity, the present discussion is limited to those features that differentiate converter 200 from the converters 200 and 200' described above. The reader is referred to the discussion of converters 200 and 200' above for further details regarding the shared components and features illustrated. Converter 200 may include the retaining clip 400 described above installed in collar 402. In the present embodiment, however, a wave spring 660 is received in collar 402 such that the wave spring is captured between the retaining clip 400 and the tab 410.The wave spring 660 can be installed in the collar 402 in the manner described above with respect to the coil spring 414 by separating the opposite ends of the wave spring to a degree that permits installation in the collar. As described above, the retaining clip 400 is resilient in the groove 214 (Figure 4) such that axial movement of the converter 200 can occur relative to the barrel housing 20 in the same manner as provided by the coil spring 414 described above. In response to compression that displaces the converter 200 further into the barrel housing, the opposite ends of the wave spring may move toward each other and / or overlap. In the present embodiment, a gap 664 between the opposite ends of the wave spring can align with a gap 668 between the opposite ends of the clip 400, although this is not a requirement.The wave spring, for a given axial length of collar 402, can provide a relative increase in the amount of axial movement available to the converter relative to the housing, since the wave spring can be compressed essentially to the thickness of the material from which it is formed, whereas a coil spring can only be compressed to the point where adjacent coils of the spring are in physical contact. In this respect, it should also be noted that the axial length of collar 402 can be customized depending on the type of spring used and the amount of axial movement required. The wave spring 660 can be formed from any suitable material, including, but not limited to, tempered spring steel or beryllium copper.The use of the wave spring provides the same relative movement of the converter with respect to the barrel housing, in addition to axial movement with elastic bias. For example, the converter can also move in any direction radially transverse to axis 22 (Figure 1) of the barrel housing. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, like ferrule 100, an optical communication end 670 can pivot or rotate to form the angle, α (Figure 5), defined between the elongation axis 316 of the converter and the elongation axis 22 of the barrel housing. It should be apparent through a comparison of Figures 10 and 11 that another difference from converter 200 lies in the configuration of the optical communication end 670, which internally supports ferrule 100 (Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, and 10), as will be described in more detail immediately following. In some embodiments, one or more of the components illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 and described above may be or include a metal. Any of these metallic components may consist of a base metal layer, a coating metal layer, and a final coating metal layer. The material of the base metal layer, coating metal layer, and final coating metal layer may be selected from the list comprising or consisting of nonmagnetic metals: aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, copper-beryllium, nonmagnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof. In some embodiments, any metallic component may have a magnetic permeability that is nonmagnetic (e.g., a value of less than 1.0 B / H (or less than approximately 1.0 B / H)).Furthermore, non-magnetic components can be treated using passivation processes to create a microlayer protection against corrosion. The AOC assembly can employ a range of PCB technologies applicable to creating non-magnetic solutions, including hot air surface level (HASL), electrodeless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), copper palladium gold immersion gold (CPIG), immersion silver (IS), and organic solder preservation (OSP). Figure 12 is a perspective view of a diagrammatic cutaway illustrating additional details of the converter 200 in Figure 11. Initially, it is noted that the converter 200 in Figure 3 is supported in such a way that the end face or tip of ferrule 100 can physically contact the tip of an opposing ferrule to provide optical communication between them.The converter 200, however, is configured for use in a free-space collimated configuration having a collimating lens 700 in contact, or nearly in contact, with the tip of the ferrule 100 such that light 702, which can be collimated to a degree sufficient for optical coupling, can travel through an empty cavity between the collimating lens 700 and an opposing collimating lens 704, shown on a phantom using dashed lines, which is in turn in optical communication with an opposing ferrule 706, the latter only partially shown and illustrated on a phantom using dashed lines. It should be appreciated that light 702 can travel in any direction and that the collimating lens 704 and the opposing collimating lens 700 are generally selected to couple to and from the collimated light beam 702 of predetermined characteristics.Therefore, they can be lenses of identical construction, or different ones, depending on the type of fiber used on each side of the 702 light beam, or other design limitations. In one modality, these lenses can be spherical lenses. In another modality, these lenses can be graded index lenses (GRINs) or any suitable type of lens. With reference to Figure 13 in conjunction with the Figures 11 and 12. The first is a schematic elevation view of contact 10 supporting the optoelectronic converter 200 of Figure 12. The second is an elevation view of contact 10 supporting the optoelectronic converter 200 of Figure 13. It should be noted that the contact varies little in appearance when converter 200 or converter 200' is installed; hence, these additional views have not been provided for the sake of brevity. Exceptions to the appearance shown in these figures would involve omitting the collimating lens 700 and modifying the appearance of the precision alignment sleeve 204, as well as changing the appearance of the retaining clip and associated spring used, depending on the particular modality. Note that the assembly is shown in an uncoupled state, with the retaining clip 400 pressed elastically against the shoulder 416 (see also Figure 4) by the wave spring 660.Simultaneously, flange 410 rests against shoulder 416 (see also Figure 5). At the same time, flange 410 is received against an inner surface 720 of the retaining cap 26 of the alignment sleeve. The mating contact 10 with an opposing contact typically causes some combination of axial movement in the direction indicated by an arrow 704, lateral / radial movement orthogonal to the axial movement, and angular torsion indicated by an arc 710. The combined movement provides substantially reduced exposure of the components of contact 10, as well as the opposing contact, to damage. Components that may be sensitive to damage include any precision alignment sleeve in use. Damage to these components can compromise the performance of the optical coupling, for example, by increasing coupling losses.Consequently, contact 10 provides a radical improvement over prior art contacts, such as those taught, for example, in patent '849. DDMI may be present within the AOC assembly. DDMI can be useful for diagnosing various performance problems within AOC cabling and / or within the larger system where the AOC connection is used. However, DDMI can be prone to causing increased EMI noise in industrial applications. This increased noise reduces the signal-to-noise ratio, which can lead to artifacts when AOC cabling is used in imaging applications such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. This lower signal-to-noise ratio reduces the length of cabling that can be used in the system, since longer cables also reduce the signal-to-noise ratio, and the combined noise from monitoring and cable length necessitates the use of shorter cabling. This requirement to use Shorter cabling can make DDMI imaging applications inconvenient to use. Having previously described several modalities, it should be noted that the present description has brought to light a previously unpublished optoelectronic contact, an associated method, and a connection system. This contact may include an active optoelectronic converter comprising a converter length extending between the first and second opposite ends to define a converter shaft, the first end of which is configured for removable optical coupling with an opposite contact.A housing, such as a barrel housing, may define an internal cavity with an elongated length extending between the first and second opposing barrel openings to define an elongation axis. The optoelectronic converter is captured within this internal cavity for external optical coupling to the opposite contact via the first barrel opening. This allows for relative movement of the converter shaft along, transverse to, and oblique to the elongation axis to accommodate coupling tolerances that respond to the coupling of the opposite contact. In one embodiment, a flexible circuit board assembly includes an internal electrical connection end, an external electrical connection end, and an elongated length extending between them.The inner end of the connection electrically engages the converter and the outer end of the connection can be fixedly positioned near the second opening of the barrel for external electrical connection to the optoelectronic contact such that the outer end of the connection is placed on the axis of the elongation at a distance from the second end of the optoelectronic contact that is less than the elongated length of the flexible circuit board and the elongated length is captured within the inner cavity of the barrel housing. The foregoing description has been presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes. Accordingly, this application is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form or forms described, and other embodiments, modifications, and variations may be possible in light of prior teachings in which those skilled in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions, and subcombinations thereof. It is hereby stated that, as of this date, the best method known to the applicant for putting the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention. retaining clip, wherein the retaining clip includes an annular configuration that is permissible around a collar that is defined between a main body of the optoelectronic connector, and a tab, wherein the tab terminates the collar. - The optoelectronic connector according to claim 14, characterized in that the retaining clip is slidably received in the collar, and wherein an inner diameter of the retaining clip is dimensioned to provide an adequate amount of clearance with respect to the collar, so that a plane of the retaining clip can rotate and form an angle with respect to an elongation axis of the optoelectronic connector. - The optoelectronic connector according to claim 14, characterized in that it further comprises a wave spring positioned to be captured between the retaining clip and the tab, wherein the housing further comprises a shoulder, wherein the retaining clip is positioned to be pressed against the shoulder by the wave spring, and wherein the tab is configured to be received against an inner surface of a retaining cap of the alignment sleeve. - The optoelectronic connector according to claim 14, characterized in that each of the retaining clip, collar and tab includes the metallic component according to claim 2. - The optoelectronic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the lens is a collimating lens, and wherein the collimating lens is in contact or almost in contact with the splint. - The optoelectronic connector according to claim 17, characterized in that it further comprises an opposing collimating lens, wherein the collimating lens is in optical communication with an opposing ferrule, and wherein the optoelectronic connector is configured so that light can travel through an empty cavity between the collimating lens and the opposing collimating lens. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, an optoelectronic assembly includes a housing having a cavity and an optoelectronic module disposed at least partially within the cavity of the housing. The housing is configured to support an electrical connection at a first end of the housing and an optical connection at a second end. The optoelectronic module includes an optoelectronic transceiver, an electrical interface for providing an electrical connection to the optoelectronic module through the first end of the housing, a ferrule, and a lens, wherein the ferrule and lens provide an optical connection to the optoelectronic module through the second end of the housing. The housing, the optoelectronic module, the optoelectronic transceiver, the electrical interface, and the ferrule have a magnetic permeability of less than 1.0 B / H, where B is the magnetic flux density and H is the magnetic flux.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic connector characterized in that it comprises: a housing having a cavity, the housing configured to support an electrical connection at a first end of the housing and to support an optical connection at a second end of the housing; an optoelectronic module disposed at least partially in the cavity of the housing; the optoelectronic module includes an optoelectronic transceiver, an electrical interface for providing an electrical connection to the optoelectronic module through the first end of the housing, a ferrule and a lens, wherein the ferrule and the lens provide an optical connection to the optoelectronic module through the second end of the housing, wherein the housing, the optoelectronic module, the optoelectronic transceiver, the electrical interface and the ferrule have a magnetic permeability of less than 1.0 B / H, where B is the magnetic flux density and H is the magnetic flux.

2. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the housing, the optoelectronic module, the optoelectronic transceiver, the electrical interface and the ferrule includes a metallic component selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt chromium, copper beryllium, non-magnetic stainless steel and various combinations of alloys thereof.

3. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the metallic component includes a base metal layer selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt-chromium, copper-beryllium, non-magnetic stainless steel and various combinations of alloys thereof.

4. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that the metallic component further includes a metallic coating layer selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt chromium, copper beryllium, non-magnetic stainless steel and various combinations of alloys thereof.

5. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 4, characterized in that the metallic component further includes a final metallic plating layer selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, tin, phosphor bronze, brass, copper, gold, lead, titanium, silicon bronze, cobalt chromium, copper beryllium, non-magnetic stainless steel, and various combinations of alloys thereof.

6. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the optoelectronic transceiver includes a laser diode. 7.- The optoelectronic connector according to claim 6, characterized in that the laser diode includes a vertical cavity surface emission laser (VCSEL).

8. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the optoelectronic transceiver includes a photodiode.

9. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 7, characterized in that the optoelectronic connector is configured as a small form factor (SEP) or SFP+ pluggable module.

10. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a flexible circuit board assembly, the flexible circuit board assembly comprising: an internal electrical connection end; an intermediate section; an external electrical connection end; a first flexible extension, extending from the internal electrical connection end to the intermediate section; and a second flexible extension extending from the external electrical connection end to the intermediate section.

11. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 10, characterized in that the first flexible extension comprises a first bend, and in which the second flexible extension comprises a second bend.

12. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 11, characterized in that the flexible circuit board assembly is configured to be received in the cavity, and wherein the flexible circuit board assembly is fixed at the internal connection end and at the external connection end.

13. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 12, characterized in that the external connection end is fixedly supported at the first end.

14. The optoelectronic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a

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