Optical Bench Aligning Fiber Stubs to Photonic Chips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical assemblies face challenges in aligning fiber stubs to lenses on optical chips, often requiring thermal pads that apply unbalanced pressure, leading to misalignment and reduced thermal coupling.
Innovation Solution
An optical bench with a defined alignment plane is used to align the fiber stub and photonic chip, eliminating the need for thermal pads by ensuring direct tangential contact and precise alignment, thereby maintaining optical coupling and improving thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If thermal pads are used to absorb offset between receptacle and optical assembly, then alignment tolerance is improved, but thermal coupling efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the thermal pad component entirely from the system. Instead of using a thermal pad to absorb offset, the design directly couples the optical assembly to the heat sink through mechanical mounting features that provide both alignment and thermal pathways, eliminating the intermediate thermal pad layer that caused thermal resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the alignment function and thermal coupling function into a single integrated mounting structure. The optical assembly is mounted directly to the heat sink with features that simultaneously ensure proper alignment and maintain thermal contact, merging what were previously separate functions performed by different components
2Ease of operation
If thermal pads are used to provide room for alignment, then ease of assembly is improved, but thermal conductivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal pad is extracted from the assembly, removing the need for manual placement and compression of thermal materials. The direct mounting structure provides inherent alignment features that simplify the assembly process while maintaining thermal pathways without requiring additional thermal interface materials
3Adaptability or versatility
If unbalanced pressure is applied by thermal pads, then alignment flexibility is improved, but optical coupling precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an equipotential mounting surface where the optical assembly contacts the heat sink at multiple defined points that distribute pressure evenly. This eliminates the unbalanced pressure conditions that occur with thermal pads, ensuring uniform force distribution that maintains both alignment flexibility and optical coupling precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method ensures precise alignment of the fiber stub and photonic chip within the required tolerance, enhancing optical coupling and thermal performance while reducing costs by eliminating the need for thermal pads.
Implementation Method 1
a fiber stub contacting the surface such that an optical path in the fiber stub is parallel with the alignment plane
Implementation Method 2
the thermal pads also establish a thermal connection between the assembly and the shell which permits heat to be carried away from the assembly
Data Source
AI summary
An optical device may include an optical bench used align a photonic chip to a receptacle. In one embodiment, a surface of the optical bench defines an alignment plane. When a fiber stub in the receptacle is disposed on the surface, an optical path in the stub is parallel with the alignment plane. By disposing the photonic chip on the same surface, the chip and the stub can be aligned such that optical signals can be transmitted between the stub and an optical component (e.g., light source or waveguide) in the photonic chip. In one embodiment, the optical path in the stub and the optical component may have the same height relative to the optical bench. Moreover, the optical device may include a direct thermal connection between the assembly and the heat sink, and thus, have better thermal coupling relative to using thermal pads.