Optical Transmission Substrate With Cladding Member

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current optical transmission boards lack design flexibility due to restrictive mounting requirements and surface roughness issues, which hinder the placement of optoelectronic devices and affect electrical and high-frequency characteristics.

Innovation Solution

The optical transmission board features a substrate with a through hole containing a cladding member and a core member, where the cladding member has a smoother surface roughness than the substrate, allowing for precise placement of optoelectronic devices and improved electrical connectivity through an electrically conductive body on the cladding member, enhancing design flexibility and high-frequency performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the optical transmission board is constructed with mounting requirements conforming to wiring substrates, then the board can be mounted on existing substrates, but the design flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign flexibilityVSAvoidmounting structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the mounting structure into separate functional components: the substrate with through-holes, the cladding member filling the through-holes, and the optical waveguide hole within the cladding member. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, enabling greater design flexibility while maintaining compatibility with existing mounting substrates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces a vertical dimension by forming through-holes that penetrate the substrate thickness direction and placing cladding members within these holes. This three-dimensional arrangement allows the optical waveguide to be positioned independently from the substrate surface, providing additional design freedom without increasing planar complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If the substrate surface is used directly for mounting optoelectronic devices, then the structure is simple, but the surface roughness causes fluctuations in electrical and high-frequency characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical characteristics stabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces a cladding member as an intermediary component between the substrate and the optoelectronic devices. This cladding member provides a smooth mounting surface that eliminates the roughness issues of the substrate, ensuring stable electrical and high-frequency characteristics while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies different surface quality requirements to different regions: the substrate maintains its original structure, while the cladding member provides a locally optimized smooth surface specifically for mounting optoelectronic devices. This localized quality improvement targets the critical mounting area without unnecessarily complicating the entire structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If a smooth surface is created for optoelectronic device placement, then device positioning precision is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice placement precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing process simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention creates the smooth surface of the cladding member in advance, during the substrate preparation stage, before the optoelectronic devices are mounted. This preliminary creation of the smooth mounting surface ensures precise device placement while allowing the smoothing process to be integrated into the existing manufacturing workflow, minimizing additional complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 configuration enables greater flexibility in designing optical transmission boards, reduces electrical resistance, and improves high-frequency characteristics by allowing precise positioning of optoelectronic devices and minimizing surface roughness-related fluctuations.

Implementation Method 1

turning the photosensitive material into a cladding member having unexposed portions corresponding to regions in overlapping relation with the first light-shielding section and the second light-shielding section, respectively, by effecting light exposure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotopolymerization: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentEP2613188B1Optical transmission substrate and optical transmission module
Publication Date: 2019.01.23 KYOCERA CORP
  • EP2613188B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2613188B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2613188B1 patent drawingFigure 5(a)~5(b)

AI summary

An optical transmission board includes a substrate being provided with a through hole formed in a thickness direction of the substrate so as to penetrate from top to bottom of the substrate; a cladding member at least part of which locates inside the through hole, having an optical waveguide hole being inside the through hole and penetrating the cladding member in the thickness direction thereof, and having an upper surface having a surface roughness smaller than that of an upper surface of the substrate; a core member disposed inside the optical waveguide hole; an electrically conductive body disposed on the upper surface of the cladding member; and an optical element electrically connected to the electrically conductive body, having a light-receiving surface or a light-emitting surface opposed to an upper surface of the core member.