Single-Sided Optical Collimator Structure With Stepped Tray
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical devices for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) face challenges in device complexity, high production costs, and assembly precision due to the need for double-sided collimator and fiber placement, which complicates the manufacturing process and requires laborious calibration.
Innovation Solution
A single-sided optical device design with a tray having a step structure and optical signal router, where collimators and filters are mounted on one side, allowing for passive assembly and beam shape correction using microlenses, reducing complexity and cost while maintaining alignment precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If double-sided collimator and fiber placement is used, then optical functionality is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the right-side collimator and fiber placement from the optical device, retaining only the left-side components. This single-sided design reduces device complexity while maintaining optical functionality by using the step structure to guide light paths that would otherwise require double-sided placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a step structure that creates vertical dimensionality in the tray design. This allows the optical components to be arranged in different elevation levels, enabling single-sided placement while maintaining the optical pathways that would traditionally require double-sided configuration.
2Ease of manufacture
If double-sided collimator and fiber placement is used, then optical functionality is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the right-side collimator and fiber placement components, reducing the number of parts that need to be manufactured, assembled, and calibrated. This extraction directly lowers manufacturing costs while the step structure ensures optical functionality is preserved through alternative light path guidance.
3Manufacturing precision
If double-sided collimator and fiber placement is used, then optical functionality is achieved, but assembly precision requires laborious calibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the right-side components that would require precise alignment and calibration, thereby reducing the calibration workload. The single-sided design with step structure maintains assembly precision by providing a simplified alignment reference system.
Solution Approach 2:
The step structure is pre-formed during tray manufacturing, creating built-in alignment references that guide the placement of optical components. This preliminary structural preparation eliminates the need for laborious calibration during assembly, improving both precision and productivity.
4Ease of manufacture
If single-sided design with step structure is used, then manufacturing is simplified and costs reduce, but beam shape correction is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces microlenses as intermediary elements between the optical fiber and the step structure. These microlenses correct the beam shape distortion caused by the step structure, enabling single-sided manufacturing while maintaining precise beam characteristics.
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 single-sided design simplifies manufacturing, reduces production costs, and enhances assembly precision by enabling passive assembly and precise alignment of collimators, improving the efficiency of multiplexing and demultiplexing operations.
Implementation Method 1
The ferrule includes a flat bottom surface that enables the optical collimator structure to be disposed on a tray with planar contact... beam shape correction using microlenses
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an optical device including a tray with a step structure, first filters, second filters, and an optical signal router. The step structure has a first portion and a second portion laterally connected to the first portion. The first portion has a first bottom surface and a first top surface. The second portion has a second bottom surface and a second top surface. The first bottom surface and the second bottom surface are substantially coplanar, and the first portion is thinner than the second portion. The first filters are mounted on the first top surface. The second filters are mounted on the second top surface. The optical signal router optically couples to the first filters and the second filters, and is configured to receive a light beam, transmissible to the tray, from one of the first filters or the second filters.