Silicon Sub-Mount Platform for Optical Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional light receiving and emitting modules suffer from high manufacturing tolerance in their components, leading to poor alignment and low optical coupling efficiency with optical fibers, resulting in low yield and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A light receiving and emitting module with a sub-mount platform made of silicon-based material, featuring a staircase-shaped design with controlled manufacturing tolerance, where the photoelectrical conversion component and lens are precisely aligned, reducing cumulative tolerance and enhancing optical coupling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional mechanical processing is used for the base, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but manufacturing tolerance becomes overly large (±50 μm), causing poor alignment between lens and photoelectrical conversion component
Solution Approach 1:
The base material is changed from conventional mechanically processed metal to silicon-based material, which enables precise control of manufacturing tolerance (reducing from ±50 μm to within ±3 μm). This parameter change in material selection directly improves the alignment precision between lens and photoelectrical conversion component while maintaining ease of manufacture through standard semiconductor fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional mechanical processing method for the base is replaced with semiconductor fabrication processes. Instead of using traditional mechanical machining to create the base, the patent employs silicon-based material processing techniques that inherently provide tighter tolerance control, substituting mechanical systems with precision semiconductor manufacturing systems.
2Productivity
If multiple mounting steps are used (component on sub-mount, sub-mount on base), then assembly flexibility is improved, but cumulative tolerance increases, preventing effective optical fiber coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is segmented into a sub-mount platform made of silicon-based material with high precision, which is then integrated with the base. This segmentation allows the critical alignment functions to be concentrated in the high-precision sub-mount platform, while the base provides structural support. The staircase-shaped design of the sub-mount platform further segments the mounting surfaces to accommodate different component heights, reducing cumulative tolerance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-mount platform acts as an intermediary between the photoelectrical conversion component and the base. By making this intermediary component from high-precision silicon-based material with a staircase-shaped design, it mediates the alignment requirements, ensuring precise positioning of both the photoelectrical conversion component and lens relative to each other, thereby reducing cumulative tolerance across the assembly.
3Productivity
If base with high manufacturing tolerance is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but optical coupling efficiency decreases due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing tolerance parameter of the base is changed from conventional ±50 μm to within ±3 μm by using silicon-based material. This parameter change directly improves alignment tolerance, ensuring that the lens and photoelectrical conversion component are precisely aligned, thereby increasing optical coupling efficiency and manufacturing yield.
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
The solution improves the precision of assembly and optical coupling, significantly increasing yield and miniaturizing the module by reducing the optical coupling space, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency and productivity of the light receiving and emitting module.
Implementation Method 1
a light emitting component for converting electrical signals into light signals, and then the light signals undergo focusing with a lens before being transmitted toward the end of optical fiber
Data Source
AI summary
A light receiving and emitting module includes a sub-mount platform, a photoelectrical conversion component, a lens and a base. The sub-mount platform is made of silicon-based material and has first and second contact surfaces. The photoelectrical conversion component is disposed on the first contact surface. The lens is disposed on the second contact surface. The sub-mount platform is disposed on one side of the base. The first contact surface and second contact surface have therebetween a height difference, such that the photoelectrical conversion component matches the center of the lens. Further provided is a light receiving and emitting device including the light receiving and emitting module, a printed circuit board and a plurality of conducting wires. The conducting wires are electrically connected to the photoelectrical conversion component and printed circuit board. The conducting wires are disposed on at least two sides of the light receiving and emitting module.