Transparent Spacer for Co-Packaged Optics Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circuit packages with co-packaged optics face manufacturing challenges due to the large size of optical interfaces and the need for precise alignment during encapsulation, which complicates the attachment of optical fibers and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a transparent spacer over optical couplers on the surface of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) facilitates access to waveguides through smaller openings and allows for the attachment of optical interfaces without obstructing other components in the package.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If optical interfaces are made large to facilitate fiber attachment, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension by placing the optical interface above the PIC surface rather than at the edge. This allows optical access from the top surface of the package, eliminating the need for large edge openings and complex side-attachment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a transparent window structure as an intermediary element between the optical fiber and the PIC. This window provides a dedicated optical access point that simplifies fiber attachment while maintaining precise alignment through its structured geometry.
2Manufacturing precision
If optical interfaces are attached during encapsulation, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity decreases due to complex alignment procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the optical interface and window structure to be pre-positioned and secured to the PIC before encapsulation. This preliminary attachment establishes precise alignment early in the manufacturing process, allowing subsequent encapsulation steps to proceed without additional alignment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the optical interface attachment process with the encapsulation process by designing the window structure to be integrated into the package body. This merging eliminates separate alignment and attachment steps, improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining precision.
3Device complexity
If smaller openings are used to access waveguides, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent window acts as an intermediary that provides a larger, more accessible opening for optical coupling while maintaining precise alignment through its structured design. This window structure mediates between the need for small openings and the need for easy alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
By moving the optical access point to the top surface through the window structure, the patent creates a new dimensional approach to accessing waveguides. This allows for controlled openings that are smaller and more precise than edge openings while maintaining ease of alignment through the vertical access path.
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 solution enhances manufacturing efficiency and reduces costs by simplifying the attachment of optical interfaces and maintaining precise alignment, while also improving the reliability of optical connections within the package.
Implementation Method 1
a transparent spacer over optical couplers in the surface of a PIC that couple light into waveguides in the PIC
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to circuit package implementations. The circuit package includes a PIC that allows for the transmission of data photonically between hardware coupled to the PIC. The circuit package further includes one or more spacers that are positioned above the PIC in a manner that allows light to pass through an optical path between the top surface of the circuit package and the PIC. Different spacers can be added to the package at different stages of the manufacturing process such that the optical path is maintained through the manufacturing of the circuit package. The circuit package having the optically accessible PIC may be implemented within the framework of a microelectronic package.