Floating Frame Aligner for PIC Optical Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing technology for aligning fiber optics in co-packaged optical systems is cumbersome and prone to damage, especially when dealing with hundreds of fibers, and is costly due to the risk of entire structures becoming unusable if a single fiber is broken.
Innovation Solution
A frame-based structure that supports optical alignment by using a pair of arm sections to create a floating state within the package structure of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip, allowing for secure alignment of fiber array unit (FAU) connectors with the PIC chip using aligners and shelves with alignment features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pigtailing fiber optic cables is used for optical alignment, then optical connections can be established, but the structure becomes unwieldly and hard to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the optical connection system into modular components: a fiber array unit (FAU) connector with multiple fiber optic cables arranged in an array, an aligner for precise positioning, and a frame for structural support. This segmentation transforms the unwieldly pigtailed structure into organized, manageable modules that can be aligned and secured systematically.
Solution Approach 2:
The aligner acts as an intermediary component between the FAU connector and the photonic integrated circuit. It provides a standardized interface with alignment features (such as alignment rods and V-grooves) that mediate the connection, enabling precise optical alignment without the complexity of manual pigtailing while maintaining connection reliability.
2Reliability
If traditional fiber alignment structure is used, then optical connections can be made, but the structure is prone to damage during solder reflow and quality tests
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure provides beforehand cushioning and protection for the fiber optic cables. The frame with its support surfaces and alignment features creates a robust mechanical structure that cushions the delicate fibers during solder reflow and quality tests, preventing damage before it can occur while maintaining connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs curved or rounded alignment features such as V-grooves in the aligner and rounded alignment rods. These curved geometries provide mechanical compliance and stress distribution, reducing concentration of forces that could damage the fiber optic cables during thermal and mechanical stress tests while maintaining precise alignment.
3Reliability
If fiber optic cables are accidentally broken in pigtailed structure, then the whole structure becomes useless, but using a modular structure can prevent this
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber array unit connector divides the fiber optic cables into a structured array within a single connector body. This segmentation means that if one fiber is broken, only that individual fiber is affected while the other fibers in the array remain functional. The modular FAU connector design prevents total system failure while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized arrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The aligner serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the FAU connector, enables precise optical alignment through alignment features, and protects the fiber optic cables. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective and alignment components, managing overall structural complexity while enhancing system robustness.
4Manufacturing precision
If aligners are placed in a fixed state, then alignment is stable, but thermal expansion may affect alignment precision
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is designed to transition from a fixed state to a floating state through thermal expansion. The expansion parameters are controlled so that the frame expands uniformly, maintaining the relative positions and alignment of the aligners and FAU connector. This parameter change allows the structure to accommodate thermal effects while preserving alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating state creates a thermally compensated system where all components (frame, aligners, FAU connector) expand together uniformly. This equipotential expansion maintains the relative geometric relationships and alignment features, ensuring that alignment precision is preserved despite temperature changes affecting all components equally.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for supporting two fiber array unit (FAU) connectors in alignment with respective lenses of a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) includes a frame with a pair of arm sections joined with two side sections of a bottom section. The pair of arm sections is configured to parallelly insert in a package structure associated with a PIC chip to make the frame in a floating state. The bottom section provides a first support surface to support two aligners disposed respectively along the two side sections from top. Each aligner provides a semi-confined open space to receive a shelf extended out from a side edge of a PIC chip. The shelf is characterized by an alignment feature associated with a lens of the PIC chip. The semi-confined open space allows a body of a FAU connector to be loaded from top onto the shelf and be aligned with the lens based on the alignment feature.