Patent Application
20250085495
The present disclosure relates generally to networking hardware, namely optical modules. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for enhanced optical module cooling with angled fins.
In networking, optical interfaces can be realized through optical modules (also referred to as modules, pluggable modules, pluggable transceivers, transceivers, plugs, pluggables, modems, and the like). Optical interfaces are a key component for connectivity between network elements, switches, routers, base stations, or simply any networked device. As described herein, the term “optical module” is used to cover any variant of an integrated device for providing an optical interface. The typical form-factor is a pluggable module, but other implementations are possible. To improve availability, reduce cost, support interoperability, etc., various vendors, consortiums, forums, etc. propagate specifications and standards for optical modules, e.g., so-called Multi-Source Agreements (MSAs). Example MSAs include, without limitation, Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP), 10 Gigabit small Form-factor Pluggable (XFP), Quad SFP (QSFP) and variants thereof, Octal SFP (OSFP) and variants thereof, C Form-factor Pluggable (CFP) and variants thereof, Analog Coherent Optics (ACO), Digital Coherent Optics (DCO), Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO), etc. Of course, optical modules can also be proprietary vendor implementations as well. Additionally, new MSAs and the like are continually emerging to address new services, applications, and advanced technology. The standards (e.g., MSAs) define the optical module's mechanical characteristics, management interfaces, electrical characteristics, optical characteristics, power consumption, and thermal requirements.
Additionally, the optical portion of an optical module can also be an integrated design, e.g., a Transmitter Optical Subassembly (TOSA), a Receiver Optical Subassembly (ROSA), and the like. As described herein, any device having a fiber exit therefrom is defined as an optical subassembly which is used in the optical module. Effort has been underway to similarly standardize the optical subassembly in MSAs as well, such as, e.g., Micro Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (uITLA), Nano Micro Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (nITLA), and the like. A typical optical module will include the optical subassembly, e.g., an nITLA, along with a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), circuitry, a host interface, etc., all contained in a housing.
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for enhanced optical module cooling with angled fins. Two competing aspects continue to define optical module design and operation, namely (1) higher bandwidth, power consumption, etc., and (2) reduced size. Components such as an nITLA will typically have a fixed size, MSAs such as QSFP-Double Density (QSFP-DD) will typically have size specifications as well, including specifications for the nITLA, or more specifically for the fiber exit requirements and the like, and the challenge is how to fit everything into a compact size while maintaining compliance to mechanical, optical, and thermal requirements. To address these challenges, the present disclosure includes an optical subassembly (e.g., an nITLA) in an optical module housing at an angle. The angle supports a fiber exit from a ferrule associated with the optical subassembly that meets bend radius requirements, and more importantly, the angle allows an angled heatsink which provided thermal dissipation improvement due to increased surface area of fins.
In an embodiment, an optical module includes a housing; an optical subassembly positioned within the housing at an angle relative to the housing; circuitry connected to the optical subassembly; and heat fins that are one or more of (1) located on the housing positioned near the optical subassembly, and (2) in contact with the optical subassembly. A top of the heat fins can be flat relative to one another and in a same plane as one another, and wherein, due to the angle, the heat fins can have a different length extending downward to the housing near the optical subassembly, such that the different length is based on a location of a given heat fin and the angle. The heat fins located at or near a faceplate of the housing can have less cross-sectional area than the heat fins located at or near a middle portion of the housing, based on the angle relative to the housing.
The housing can include a large volume portion at or near a faceplate, and wherein the optical subassembly is within the large volume portion. The heat fins can be on the housing over the large volume portion. The heat fins can be straight fins where airflow is front-to-back relative to a faceplate on the housing. The heat fins can be pins fins where airflow is both (1) front-to-back relative to a faceplate on the housing, and (2) side-to-side relative to sides of the housing where the sides are adjacent to the faceplate. The optical subassembly can connect to a ferrule that supports an optical fiber, wherein the angle is based on a bend radius of the optical fiber.
The housing can include a faceplate, a nose portion adjacent to the faceplate, and a middle portion that extends to an end, configured to engage a host device, wherein the optical subassembly is located substantially in the nose portion. The middle portion can engage one or more of a riding heatsink and a cooling plate in a host device for cooling thereof, and wherein the heat fins have a smaller area than the riding heatsink or the cooling plate. The optical subassembly can be a Nano Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (nITLA). The optical module can be a Quad Small Form Factor (QSFP) or variant thereof.
The optical module can be based on a first Multisource Agreement (MSA) and the optical subassembly can be based on a second MSA, each of the first MSA and the second MSA defining a plurality of characteristics of the optical module and the optical subassembly, respectively. The optical module can be a pluggable optical module configured to be inserted into a host device. The angle can be at least two degrees.
In another embodiment, a Quad Small Form Factor (QSFP) optical module includes a housing including a faceplate, a nose portion adjacent to the faceplate, and a middle portion adjacent to the nose portion; an optical subassembly positioned within the nose portion at an angle relative to the housing; circuitry connected to the optical subassembly; and heat fins that are one or more of (1) located on the nose portion positioned near the optical subassembly, and (2) in contact with the optical subassembly. A top of the heat fins can be flat relative to one another and in a same plane as one another, and wherein, due to the angle, the heat fins can have a different length extending downward to the housing near the optical subassembly, such that the different length is based on a location of a given heat fin and the angle. The QSFP module can be a QSFP Double Density (QSFP-DD) module, and the optical subassembly can be a Nano Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (nITLA).
In a further embodiment, a method includes providing an optical module that includes a housing; an optical subassembly positioned within the housing at an angle relative to the housing; circuitry connected to the optical subassembly; and heat fins that are one or more of (1) located on the housing positioned near the optical subassembly, and (2) in contact with the optical subassembly. A top of the heat fins can be flat relative to one another and in a same plane as one another, and wherein, due to the angle, the heat fins can have a different length extending downward to the housing near the optical subassembly, such that the different length is based on a location of a given heat fin and the angle.
The present disclosure is illustrated and described herein with reference to the various drawings, in which like reference numbers are used to denote like system components/method steps, as appropriate, and in which:
Again, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for enhanced optical module cooling with angled fins. The foregoing description is presented with respect to a QSFP-DD optical module with an nITLA optical subassembly, such as for supporting an 800 Gb/s ZR interface (800GZR plug). This is presented for illustration purposes and to show the advantages of the various design techniques described herein. While these techniques are presented in context of the QSFP-DD with an nITLA for an 800GZR, those skilled in the art will appreciate they are not limited to these types of optical modules, optical subassemblies, and network applications. That is, the angling of the optical subassembly and the associated heat fins can be in any optical module to gain the benefit of the improved thermal cooling.
This volume region 16 is used more and more for high power internal components but this means they are difficult to cool. The components in the front of the QSFP-DD optical module 10 rely on air flowing around the surface of the housing 14 or conduction through the housing 14 to the region 22 of the housing 14 in contact with the riding heatsink (not shown). The present disclosure can include short pin fins or straight fins 24 on the top surface of this volume region 16 (nose of the housing 14) to try to increase the surface area making it slightly more effective as a cooling surface.
In
Based on the particular nITLA optical subassembly 12 and the ferrule 30, to address the bend radius issue, one option includes moving the nITLA optical subassembly 12 and the ferrule 30 lower within the large volume region 16. In this manner, the fiber 34 is less bent coming out of the ferrule as it is closer to the same plane as the circuitry 32. Of course, the disadvantage here is the waste of space in the large volume region 16. As the volume inside the housing 14 is extremely limited, every millimeter matters and wasting space to solve fiber bend radius issues is not an ideal solution.
A second option was to develop or use smaller nITLA optical subassemblies 12 and/or to customize the ferrule 30 to reduce its length. The idea here is if the nITLA optical subassembly 12 and/or the ferrule 30 can have a reduced length (in
To overcome the disadvantages of the two aforementioned options, the present disclosure includes the nITLA optical subassembly 12 located within the large volume region 16 at an angle, relative to the housing 14.
The nITLA optical subassembly 12 is located in a top portion of the large volume region 16, avoiding the disadvantage of the first option, i.e., lowering the nITLA optical subassembly 12. To solve the bend radius issue, the nITLA optical subassembly 12 is located at an angle relative to the housing 14, such that the fiber 34 out of the ferrule 30 is not bent higher than a bend radius limit, avoiding the disadvantage of the second option. In particular, the large volume region 16 has a wall at the middle portion 20, and by angling the nITLA optical subassembly 12 and the ferrule 30, the fiber 34 does not need to bend unnecessarily. That is, by angling the optical subassembly 12, the fiber 34 is able to exit the QSFP-DD nose and connect to circuitry on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 40 in the housing 14 without violating any bend radius.
Accordingly, the angling of the optical subassembly 12 is advantageous with respect to the bend radius of the fiber 34. It was also determined this angling of the optical subassembly 12 has significant thermal improvement over the embodiment in
With
Also, an assessment was done to evaluate the thermal penalty of using the non-customized component. As it turned out, it was better thermally to use the standard component at an angle. The component temperature in
The nITLA optical subassembly 12 contains a thermo-electric cooler (TEC) which uses the least amount of power closest to a set operating point which is usually set based on the best performance of the laser it is cooling. As the nose of the plug increases in temperature above the optimal laser operating point, the TEC uses more power. Anything that helps to reduce the temperature of the nose of the plug will also reduce the power draw of the nITLA resulting in lower power of the optical plug. The nose of the plug also has the potential to be touched by a technician so keeping the nose of the plug cooler reduces the risk of exceeding the touch temperature limit of the plug.
Those skilled in the art will recognize there can be various values for the angle of the nITLA optical subassembly 12 and/or the ferrule 30. The value of the angle can be between two and ten degrees. In an embodiment, the angle is about four degrees. Those skilled in the art will recognize there can be different values with larger values increasing the fin size, but taking more volume in the large volume region 16. That is, the larger angle, the more area is wasted in the large volume region 16. For this reason, a smaller value of the angle is preferred, e.g., 15 degrees or less. Even having an angle in the single digits is valuable, e.g., two degrees to ten degrees, as this increase the fin height and relaxes the fiber bend. Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates any value for the angle greater than 1 degree.
In an embodiment, an optical module 10 includes a housing 14; an optical subassembly 12 positioned within the housing 14 at an angle relative to the housing 14; circuitry 32 connected to the optical subassembly 12; and heat fins 50, 64, 66 that are one or more of (1) located on the housing 14 positioned near the optical subassembly 12, and (2) in contact with the optical subassembly 12. A top of the heat fins 50, 64, 66 is flat relative to one another and in a same plane as one another, and wherein, due to the angle, the heat fins 50, 64, 66 have a different length extending downward to the housing 14 near the optical subassembly 12, such that the different length is based on a location of a given heat fin 50 and the angle.
The heat fins 50 located at or near a faceplate 18 of the housing 14 can have less cross-sectional area than the heat fins 50 located at or near a middle portion 22 of the housing 14, based on the angle relative to the housing 14.
The housing 14 can include a large volume portion 16 at or near a faceplate 18, and wherein the optical subassembly 12 is within the large volume portion 16. The heat fins 50, 64, 66 can be on the housing 14 over the large volume portion 16. In an embodiment, the heat fins 50, 66 can be straight fins where airflow is front-to-back relative to a faceplate 18 on the housing 14. In another embodiment, the heat fins 50, 66 can be pins fins where airflow is both (1) front-to-back relative to a faceplate 18 on the housing 14, and (2) side-to-side relative to sides of the housing 14 where the sides are adjacent to the faceplate 18.
The optical subassembly 12 can connect to a ferrule 30 that supports an optical fiber 34, wherein the angle is based on a bend radius of the optical fiber 34. The housing 14 can include a faceplate 18, a nose portion (which can be referred to as a large volume region 16) adjacent to the faceplate 18, and a middle portion 22 that extends to an end, configured to engage a host device, wherein the optical subassembly 12 is located substantially in the nose portion. The middle portion 22 can engage a riding heatsink, a coldplate, or the like in the host device for cooling thereof, and wherein the heat fins 50, 64, 66 have a smaller area than the riding heatsink, the coldplate, etc.
The optical subassembly 12 can be some variant of an Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (ITLA). The optical subassembly 12 can also be a Nano Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (nITLA). Of course, other implementations are contemplated, such as a pico ITLA and the like. The optical module 10 can be a Quad Small Form Factor (QSFP) or variant thereof. The optical module 10 can be based on a first Multisource Agreement (MSA) and the optical subassembly 12 can be based on a second MSA, each of the first MSA and the second MSA defining a plurality of characteristics of the optical module 10 and the optical subassembly 12, respectively, as well as integration therebetween. As described herein, the term MSA means any pre-defined standard or specification for the plurality of characteristics of the optical module 10 and the optical subassembly 12, the characteristics being anything such as mechanical characteristics, management interfaces, electrical characteristics, optical characteristics, power consumption, thermal requirements, housing design, etc. The optical module 10 can be a pluggable optical module configured to be inserted into a host device.
In another embodiment, a Quad Small Form Factor (QSFP) optical module 10 includes a housing 14 including a faceplate 18, a nose portion 16 adjacent to the faceplate 18, and a middle portion 22 adjacent to the nose portion 16; an optical subassembly 12 positioned within the nose portion 16 at an angle relative to the housing 14; circuitry 32 connected to the optical subassembly 12; and heat fins 50, 64, 66 that are one or more of (1) located on the nose portion 16 positioned near the optical subassembly 12, and (2) in contact with the optical subassembly 12. A top of the heat fins 50, 64, 66 is flat relative to one another and in a same plane as one another, and wherein, due to the angle, the heat fins 50, 64, 66 have a different length extending downward to the housing 14 near the optical subassembly 12, such that the different length is based on a location of a given heat fin 50 and the angle. In an embodiment, the QSFP module can be a QSFP Double Density (QSFP-DD) module; although other variants of QSFP and other types of modules are also contemplated.
In a further embodiment, a method includes providing the optical module 10, such as for use in a host device, e.g., a network element, switch, router, computing platform, or any type of equipment requiring optical connectivity therefrom.
Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims. Further, the various elements, operations, steps, methods, processes, algorithms, functions, techniques, modules, circuits, etc. described herein contemplate use in any and all combinations with one another, including individually as well as combinations of less than all of the various elements, operations, steps, methods, processes, algorithms, functions, techniques, modules, circuits, etc.
