Optical Electrical Module Substrate Groove Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical electrical modules face issues with poor reliability due to small contact areas between light-emitting/receiving elements and pads, leading to easy detachment, and require skilled workers for accurate alignment and packaging, resulting in high costs and low process robustness.
Innovation Solution
The optical electrical module design features substrates with specifically patterned accommodating grooves, reflective grooves, and alignment features, allowing for secure bonding and alignment of optical elements, increasing contact area and reducing the need for precise manual alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the light-emitting element protrudes out of the pad to facilitate providing light signal to the reflective surface, then the light signal transmission is improved, but the contact area between the light-emitting element and the pad becomes small leading to poor reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension by forming an accommodating groove in the substrate. The groove provides vertical walls that contact the side surfaces of the light-emitting element, thereby increasing the attachment area from a single horizontal pad interface to multiple interfaces including pad bottom contact and groove wall contact. This dimensional change resolves the contradiction by maintaining the protrusion for light signal transmission while adding lateral support surfaces for improved reliability.
2Manufacturing precision
If skilled workers are used for accurate alignment and packaging of optical elements, then the alignment precision is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and process robustness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements self-alignment through the accommodating groove structure. The groove's position, shape, and dimensions are pre-designed on the substrate to automatically guide and constrain the light-emitting element into the correct position during assembly. This eliminates the need for skilled workers to perform manual alignment, as the structure itself provides the alignment function, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and improving process robustness while maintaining high alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The accommodating groove is pre-formed on the substrate before the light-emitting element is attached. This preliminary action of creating the alignment feature in advance allows the element to be automatically positioned correctly during assembly, eliminating the need for post-assembly adjustment by skilled workers. The pre-designed groove geometry ensures precise alignment is achieved through the assembly process itself rather than through manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an optical electrical module includes steps as follow. Forming first patterns on a first substrate by a first mask, wherein an angle between a primary flat of the first substrate and an arrangement direction having a maximum number of first pattern units of the first mask is (θ+90°*n), wherein θ is between 22° to 39°, and n is an integer. Subjecting the first substrate to a first patterning process using the first patterns as a mask to form accommodating grooves and a reflective groove connected with the accommodating grooves in the first substrate, wherein an extension direction of each of the accommodating grooves is perpendicular to an extension direction of the reflective groove.