Claims
- 1. A multilayer ceramic carrier for containing an optical source and capable of being joined to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces formed thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, and a terraced cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein for accepting said optical source thereon, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls.
- 2. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, in which said terraced cavity includes terraces formed at different heights on opposed interior sidewalls.
- 3. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 2, in which at least one terrace includes an electronic device disposed thereon.
- 4. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, in which each of said top surface and said bottom surface are substantially parallel to said base surface.
- 5. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising said optical source disposed on said base surface and capable of emitting light along a direction generally orthogonal to each of said top surface and said base surface.
- 6. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, wherein said at least two of said stacked ceramic layers include apertures therethrough, said apertures having different sizes and wherein said respective apertures are aligned over one another to form said terraced cavity.
- 7. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, wherein at least a part of one of said conductive trace extends along a terrace of said terraced cavity and terminates within said terraced cavity.
- 8. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising said optical element disposed on said base surface and wire bonded to a conductive trace which terminates within said terraced cavity and extends between at least two of said stacked ceramic layers.
- 9. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising said optical source disposed on said base surface, said optical source comprising a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) capable of emitting light essentially orthogonal to said base surface.
- 10. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 9, further comprising a further VCSEL disposed on said base surface, each of said VCSEL and said further VCSEL oriented to emit light along a direction generally orthogonal to said top surface, and a photodetector mounted within said terraced cavity over said further VCSEL and capable of absorbing light emitted by said further VCSEL.
- 11. The ceramic carrier as in claim 10, in which said photodetector is mounted on said further VCSEL.
- 12. The ceramic carrier as in claim 10, wherein said photodetector is affixed to one of said terraces and includes an absorbing surface which faces said further VCSEL.
- 13. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 9, further comprising a photodetector disposed adjacent said VCSEL on said base surface and capable of monitoring light emitted by said VCSEL.
- 14. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 13, in which said photodetector is wire-bonded to a conductive trace which extends along one of said terraces and extends between at least two of said stacked ceramic layers.
- 15. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 13, further comprising a further photodetector disposed adjacent said VCSEL on said base surface, each of said photodetector and said further photodetector including a light absorbing surface oriented opposite said base surface.
- 16. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 13, wherein said photodetector comprises a photodiode.
- 17. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 9, further comprising an integrated circuit formed on said base surface and electrically coupled to said VCSEL.
- 18. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising a planar reflective/transmissive member supported by at least one terrace of said terraced cavity and disposed at an acute angle with respect to said base surface and not parallel to said base surface, said reflective/transmissive member capable of allowing at least some light emitted by an optical source disposed within said terraced cavity, to be transmitted therethrough and further capable of reflecting at least some light emitted by said optical source to be reflected therefrom.
- 19. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 18, in which said reflective/transmissive member hermetically seals said terraced cavity.
- 20. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising said terraced cavity being covered by a reflective/transmissive member formed over said top surface, said reflective/transmissive member capable of allowing at least some light emitted by an optical source disposed within said terraced cavity, to be transmitted therethrough and further capable of reflecting at least some light emitted by said optical source.
- 21. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 20, in which said reflective/transmissive member comprises glass and includes a glass frit having a metal seal ring formed on a bottom surface thereof and is coupled to a corresponding pattern formed on said top surface of said ceramic carrier, said corresponding pattern formed of one of kovar and metal and said reflective/transmissive member thereby hermetically sealing said terraced cavity.
- 22. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 20, in which said reflective/transmissive member is coated with an anti-reflective coating.
- 23. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 20, further comprising a solder preform interposed between said metal seal ring and said corresponding pattern.
- 24. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vias extending through at least a first ceramic layer of said ceramic layers and coupling a first conductive trace formed above said first ceramic layer to a second conductive trace formed below said first ceramic layer.
- 25. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising said optical source disposed on said base surface and capable of emitting light along a direction generally orthogonal to said base surface, and in which said ceramic carrier includes a recess formed in said top surface, said recess capable of receiving a base of an optical housing therein, said optical housing including an optical transmission medium adapted to propagate light emitted from said optical element.
- 26. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, in which said ceramic carrier includes a recess formed in said top surface, said recess capable of receiving a reflective/transmissive member disposed therein and covering said terraced cavity.
- 27. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising conductive traces formed on said bottom surface.
- 28. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 27, further comprising conductive leads extending from said bottom surface and capable of coupling said multilayer ceramic carrier to a mounting surface, said conductive leads coupled to said conductive traces formed on said bottom surface.
- 29. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further comprising conductive leads extending from said bottom surface and capable of coupling said multilayer ceramic carrier to a mounting surface.
- 30. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 29, in which said conductive leads are one of J-shaped and T-shaped.
- 31. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 29, in which said conductive leads are cylindrical pins and extend orthogonally from said bottom surface.
- 32. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 31, in which said cylindrical pins are disposed centrally in said bottom surface and allow for said ceramic carrier to be mounted adjacent an edge of a printed circuit board.
- 33. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 31, in which said cylindrical pins are disposed adjacent an external sidewall of said ceramic carrier and allow for said external sidewall to be mounted on a mounting surface.
- 34. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, further coupled to an optical housing, said ceramic carrier including a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed therein, said VCSEL capable of emitting light along a first direction and directed through an aperture of said optical housing, said aperture retaining an optical transmission medium therein, such that light emitted by said VCSEL is propagated along said optical transmission medium.
- 35. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 34, wherein said aperture of said optical housing comprises the core section of a cylinder.
- 36. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 34, wherein said optical housing is formed of plastic which is transmissive to light emitted by said VCSEL.
- 37. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 34, further comprising a lens formed integrally as part of said optical housing.
- 38. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 34, in which said optical housing includes a ferrule receptacle formed of plastic and including said aperture therein, and a metal base coupling said ferrule receptacle to said ceramic carrier.
- 39. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 1, in which said multilayer ceramic carrier includes outer sidewalls and notches extending along at least one of said outer sidewalls, said notches including conductive materials therein, said conductive materials coupled to conductive traces formed within said multilayer ceramic carrier.
- 40. A method for forming a multilayer ceramic carrier including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, a terraced cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein, comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of layers of ceramic tape, each having an aperture therethrough, at least two of said apertures having different sizes; providing a bottom layer of ceramic tape; aligning said plurality of layers of ceramic tape over one another such that said apertures are arranged over one another, and further aligning said plurality of aligned ceramic layers over said bottom ceramic layer to form a stack of ceramic layers; and joining said stack of ceramic layers.
- 41. The method as in claim 40, further comprising the step of forming conductive traces on at least one of said plurality of layers of ceramic tape, prior to said step of aligning.
- 42. The method as in claim 40, further comprising the step of forming conductive vias through at least one of said plurality of layers of ceramic tape, prior to said step of aligning, each conductive via positioned to couple conductive traces formed above and below said conductive via.
- 43. The method as in claim 40, in which said step of aligning includes bringing said plurality of layers of ceramic tape into contact with one another and heating at a first temperature, and said step of joining includes co-firing at a co-firing temperature, said first temperature being less than said co-firing temperature.
- 44. An optical element comprising a carrier containing an optical source therein and adapted to be joined to an optical housing, said carrier including a top surface and an opposed bottom surface being generally parallel to said top surface, a terraced cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, said terraced cavity including:
terraces formed at different heights on opposed interior sidewalls; said optical source disposed on said base surface, capable of emitting light along a direction generally orthogonal to said top surface, and wire bonded to a conductive trace formed along a terrace of said terraced cavity; and a photodetector disposed therein and being capable of detecting light emitted by said optical source.
- 45. The optical element as in claim 44, wherein said carrier is formed of one of a dielectric material and a polymeric material.
- 46. The optical element as in claim 44, wherein said carrier is formed of ceramic.
- 47. The optical element as in claim 44, wherein said optical source comprises a VCSEL.
- 48. A multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a photodetector therein, said multilayer ceramic carrier including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface being generally parallel to said bottom surface, a terraced cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, said photodetector disposed on said base surface and oriented to detect light directed into said terraced cavity and generally perpendicular to said base surface, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, at least a part of one of said conductive traces extending along a terrace of said terraced cavity and terminating within said terraced cavity.
- 49. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 48, wherein said photodetector is wire bonded to said part of one of said conductive traces which extends along said terrace of said terraced cavity and terminates within said terraced cavity.
- 50. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 48, further comprising a further electronic device disposed within said terraced cavity, said further electronic device being electrically coupled to said photodetector and wire bonded to at least one of said conductive traces.
- 51. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 50, wherein said further electronic device comprises one of a transimpedance amplifier and a limiting amplifier integrated circuit.
- 52. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 48, in which said photodetector includes an absorbing surface and further comprising an optical housing attached to said ceramic carrier, said optical housing retaining an optical fiber therein, said optical fiber oriented generally perpendicularly to said absorbing surface.
- 53. The multilayer ceramic carrier as in claim 48, wherein said photodetector comprises a p-i-n photodiode.
- 54. An optical component comprising a ceramic carrier including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface being generally parallel to said bottom surface, a cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, a VCSEL disposed on said base surface and capable of emitting light substantially orthogonal to said base surface, and a photodetector disposed within said cavity and capable of monitoring light emitted from said VCSEL.
- 55. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising a reflective/transmissive member disposed within said cavity, angled arcuately with respect to said base surface, and which allows at least some light emitted by said VCSEL to be transmitted therethrough, said photodetector capable of sensing light emitted from said VCSEL and reflected from said reflective/transmissive member.
- 56. The optical component as in claim 55, wherein said reflective/transmissive member comprises glass.
- 57. The optical component as in claim 56, wherein at least one surface of said glass is coated with a partially-reflective coating.
- 58. The optical component as in claim 54, wherein said VCSEL comprises a single mode VCSEL.
- 59. The optical component as in claim 54, in which said photodetector is disposed on said base surface and includes a light absorbing surface which faces upward.
- 60. The optical component as in claim 54, in which said photodetector and said VCSEL are integrally formed within a single substrate.
- 61. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising a further photodetector, each of said photodetector and said further photodetector including a light absorbing surface facing upward.
- 62. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising a reflective/transmissive member covering said cavity, and in which said photodetector is capable of sensing light emitted from said VCSEL and reflected from said reflective/transmissive member.
- 63. The optical component as in claim 62, in which said reflective/transmissive is formed of glass and hermetically seals said cavity.
- 64. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising a further VCSEL disposed on said base surface, each of said VCSEL and said further VCSEL oriented to emit light along a direction generally orthogonal to said base surface, said photodetector mounted within said cavity over said further VCSEL and capable of absorbing light emitted by said further VCSEL.
- 65. The optical component as in claim 64, in which said photodetector is mounted on said further VCSEL.
- 66. The optical component as in claim 65, in which said photodetector is mounted facing said further VCSEL and using a clear epoxy.
- 67. The optical component as in claim 54, wherein said photodetector is affixed to a ledge formed along one of said sidewalls of said cavity and includes an absorbing surface which faces said further VCSEL.
- 68. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising an integrated circuit disposed on said base surface.
- 69. The optical component as in claim 68, wherein said integrated circuit comprises a laser diode driver.
- 70. The optical component as in claim 54, in which said cavity includes terraces formed on said interior sidewalls thereof, and at least one of said photodetector and said VCSEL are wire bonded to a conductive trace formed on one of said terraces.
- 71. The optical component as in claim 54, in which said cavity comprises a terraced cavity and said ceramic carrier comprises a multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers, at least two of said ceramic layers including apertures therethrough, said apertures having a different size and wherein said respective apertures are aligned over one another to form said terraced cavity, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers.
- 72. The optical component as in claim 71, in which at least one of said conductive traces extends along a terrace of said terraced cavity and terminates within said terraced cavity, and further comprising a plurality of vias extending through at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers, each via electrically coupling conductive traces formed above and below said ceramic layer through which said via extends.
- 73. The optical component as in claim 54, further comprising an optical housing joined to said ceramic carrier, said optical housing including a hollow cylindrical portion for retaining an optical ferrule including an optical fiber therein, such that said optical fiber is positioned to propagate light emitted by said VCSEL.
- 74. The optical component as in claim 73, wherein said optical housing includes a lens therein.
- 75. The optical component as in claim 74, wherein said optical housing is formed of plastic and said lens is an integral part thereof, said plastic chosen to be transmissive to the wavelength of light emitted by said VCSEL.
- 76. The optical subassembly as in claim 75, wherein said lens is coated with a reflective coating such that said lens reflects some of said light emitted by said VCSEL, said photodetector capable of monitoring said reflected light.
- 77. The optical component as in claim 73, in which said hollow cylindrical portion is formed of plastic and said optical housing further includes a base section formed of metal and disposed between said cylindrical portion and said ceramic carrier.
- 78. An optical subassembly comprising a ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said ceramic carrier including a top surface and an opposed bottom surface, a cavity extending downward from said top surface and including a base surface and an optical element disposed on said base surface, said optical element being one of a vertically emitting optical element and a vertically receiving optical element, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally parallel to said top surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light along a first direction being generally perpendicular to said top surface and through an aperture formed in said optical housing for retaining an optical transmission medium therein, said ceramic carrier including a plurality of external sidewalls, a first external sidewall of said external sidewalls being configured to be conterminously mounted on a mounting surface such that said first direction is generally parallel to said mounting surface.
- 79. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said top surface of said ceramic carrier includes a recessed portion, and said optical housing includes a base portion which is received within said recessed portion.
- 80. The optical subassembly as in claim 79, wherein said recessed portion includes a generally planar reflective/transmissive member therein, said reflective/transmissive member covering said cavity, and said base portion extending peripherally around said reflective/transmissive member.
- 81. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said ceramic carrier includes a plurality of pins extending therefrom and said optical housing includes a base portion which is joined to said ceramic carrier and which includes a corresponding plurality of openings therein, each opening receiving a pin of said plurality of pins.
- 82. The optical subassembly as in claim 81, wherein said base portion comprises a plurality of legs, each leg including at least one opening of said plurality of openings.
- 83. The optical subassembly as in claim 81, wherein said openings of said plurality of openings, include epoxy therein.
- 84. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said top surface includes a glass member disposed thereon and covering said cavity, and said optical housing includes a plurality of legs which straddle said glass and are joined to said top surface.
- 85. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical housing includes a base section joined to said top surface, said base section including external sidewalls being generally orthogonal to said top surface and including a ledge extending outwardly therefrom, said ledge including an upper surface, and said optical housing secured to said top surface by an epoxy contacting said top surface, extending over said upper surface of said ledge, and contacting said external sidewalls.
- 86. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical housing includes a base section joined to said top surface, said base section including a metallized bottom surface being conterminously joined to said top surface of said ceramic carrier, said metallized bottom surface coated with one of a polymer and a dielectric to enhance thermal expansion compatibility between said ceramic carrier and said optical housing.
- 87. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical housing includes a cylindrical portion formed of plastic and a base section joined to said cylindrical portion, formed of metal and further joined to said top surface.
- 88. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical housing includes a cylindrical portion and said aperture essentially forms the core of said cylindrical section, and further comprising a ferrule including an optical fiber axially disposed within said core of said cylindrical section, said optical fiber oriented generally parallel to said mounting surface.
- 89. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical housing includes a lens therein.
- 90. The optical subassembly as in claim 89, wherein said lens is spherical.
- 91. The optical subassembly as in claim 89, wherein said lens is aspherical.
- 92. The optical subassembly as in claim 89, wherein said optical element comprises a VCSEL and said optical housing is formed of plastic and said lens is an integral part thereof, said plastic chosen to be transmissive to the wavelength of light emitted by said VCSEL.
- 93. The optical subassembly as in claim 89, wherein said optical element comprises a VCSEL and further comprising said cavity including a monitor photodetector therein and said cavity being covered by a reflective/transmissive member formed over said top surface, said reflective/transmissive member capable of allowing at least some light emitted by said VCSEL to be transmitted therethrough and further capable of reflecting at least some light emitted by said VCSEL, said monitor photodetector capable of detecting light reflected from at least one of said lens and said reflective/transmissive member.
- 94. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical element comprises a VCSEL.
- 95. The optical subassembly as in claim 78, wherein said optical element comprises a vertically receiving photodetector.
- 96. A method for forming an optical subassembly, comprising the steps of:
providing a ceramic carrier having a cavity extending from a top surface thereof, and including a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed within said cavity such that said VCSEL emits light out of said cavity and substantially perpendicular to said top surface; providing an optical housing having two opposed sets of legs and a cylindrical portion having an axis being substantially parallel to said legs and capable of retaining an optical transmission medium therein; covering said cavity with an optically transparent member having opposed edges, wherein said optically transparent member is optically transparent at a nominal emission wavelength of said VCSEL; placing said legs on said top surface such that said optical housing straddles said glass member, one set of said legs situated outside one edge of said optically transparent member and the other set of said legs situated outside the opposite edge of said optically transparent member; aligning said optical housing to said ceramic carrier; fixing said optical housing into position with respect to said ceramic carrier by applying a first epoxy and curing said first epoxy using one of uv-radiation and visible light; and securing said optical housing to said ceramic carrier by applying and curing a second epoxy, said second epoxy being one of a thermally curable epoxy, a-uv curable epoxy and a visible light-curable epoxy.
- 97. The method as in claim 96, in which said step of covering includes providing a metal pattern on said top surface and surrounding said cavity; providing a corresponding metal seal ring on said optically transparent member; introducing a solder preform having a size and shape corresponding to each of said metal seal ring and said metal pattern, between said top surface and said optically transparent member; aligning said metal pattern, said metal seal ring and said solder preform; and, soldering thereby joining said metal pattern to said solder preform and said metal seal ring.
- 98. The method as in claim 96, in which said step of placing includes a total spacing of about 500 microns between said optically transparent member and said opposed sets of legs and said step of aligning therefore allows for movement of 500 microns by said plastic housing along said top surface.
- 99. The method as in claim 96, in which said plastic housing includes an optical fiber retained therein, and said step of aligning includes aligning said optical fiber to light emitted from said VCSEL.
- 100. A method for forming an optical subassembly, comprising the steps of:
providing a ceramic carrier having a cavity extending from a top surface thereof, and including a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed within said cavity such that said VCSEL emits light out of said cavity and substantially perpendicular to said top surface; providing a plastic housing having a base portion and a further portion for securing an optical transmission medium therein, said base portion including external sidewalls and a ledge extending outwardly therefrom along the bottom of said base portion; placing said base portion on said top surface; applying an epoxy over said ledge and contacting each of said top surface and said external sidewalls; and curing said epoxy thereby securing said plastic housing to said ceramic carrier.
- 101. A method for forming an optical subassembly, comprising the steps of:
providing a ceramic carrier having a cavity extending from a top surface thereof, and including a vertically receiving optical element disposed within said cavity and having an absorbing surface substantially parallel to said top surface; providing a plastic housing having two opposed sets of legs and a cylindrical portion having an axis being substantially parallel to said legs, said cylindrical portion including an optical fiber therein; covering said cavity with a glass member having opposed edges; placing said legs on said top surface such that said plastic housing straddles said glass, one set of said legs situated outside one edge of said glass and the other set of said legs situated outside the opposite edge of said glass; aligning said plastic housing to said ceramic carrier such that said vertically receiving optical element is oriented to receive light directed substantially along said optical fiber; fixing said plastic housing into position with respect to said ceramic carrier by applying a first epoxy and curing said first epoxy using one of uv-radiation and visible light; and securing said plastic housing to said ceramic carrier by applying and curing a second epoxy, said second epoxy being one of a thermally curable epoxy, a uv-curable epoxy and a visible light-curable epoxy.
- 102. An assembly comprising:
an optical subassembly mounted on a mounting surface, said optical subassembly including a ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said ceramic carrier including an optical element being one of a vertically receiving optical element and a vertically emitting optical element therewithin, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally perpendicular to said mounting surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light propagating along an optical fiber arranged generally parallel to said mounting surface and retained within an aperture formed in said optical housing, said ceramic carrier including an outer sidewall being conterminously joined to said mounting surface.
- 103. The assembly as in claim 102, in which said ceramic carrier includes a cavity including a base surface being generally perpendicular to said mounting surface and generally parallel to said optical surface, said optical element disposed on said base surface.
- 104. The assembly as in claim 103, in which said cavity includes internal sidewalls being generally orthogonal to said base surface and including at least one terrace formed on one of said internal sidewalls, each terrace being generally parallel to said base surface and including a conductive trace formed thereon, said optical element being wire bonded to said conductive trace.
- 105. The assembly as in claim 104, in which said optical element comprises a VCSEL and further comprising a photodetector disposed on said base surface and further coupled to a further conductive trace formed on a further terrace of said at least one terrace.
- 106. The assembly as in claim 102, wherein said optical element comprises a VCSEL.
- 107. The assembly as in claim 102, wherein said optical element comprises a vertically receiving photodetector and said optical surface comprises an absorbing surface.
- 108. The assembly as in claim 102, in which said first outer sidewall includes metal castellations thereon, said castellations including conductive materials coupled to conductive traces on said mounting surface.
- 109. The assembly as in claim 102, in which said mounting surface includes relief features protruding therefrom and nested within corresponding apertures formed in said ceramic carrier.
- 110. The assembly as in claim 109, in which said apertures are tapered.
- 111. The assembly as in claim 102, further comprising a plurality of connectors affixed to each of said mounting surface and said ceramic carrier.
- 112. The assembly as in claim 111, in which said connectors are conductive and electrically couple components of said ceramic carrier to conductive traces formed on said mounting surface.
- 113. The assembly as in claim 111, in which said connectors are one of J-shaped and T-shaped.
- 114. The assembly as in claim 111, in which said connectors include brazed surfaces.
- 115. The assembly as in claim 111, in which said connectors comprise pins which extend orthogonally from said ceramic carrier and along said first outer sidewall, and are conterminously coupled to said mounting surface.
- 116. The assembly as in claim 111, further comprising external conductive traces formed on said ceramic carrier and coupled to said plurality of connectors.
- 117. The assembly as in claim 102, in which said ceramic carrier includes notches extending along said outer sidewall, said notches including conductive materials therein, said conductive materials coupled to conductive traces formed within said ceramic carrier, and further coupled to further conductive traces formed on said mounting surface.
- 118. An assembly comprising an optical subassembly mounted adjacent an edge of a board having a board surface,
said optical subassembly including an optical element being one of a vertically receiving optical element and a vertically emitting optical element therewithin, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally perpendicular to said board surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light along a first direction being substantially parallel to said board surface.
- 119. The assembly as in claim 118, in which said optical subassembly includes a ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said ceramic carrier including a plurality of pins extending therefrom and generally orthogonally with respect to said optical surface, said pins joined to said edge, and said light propagating along an optical fiber arranged generally parallel to said board surface and retained within an aperture formed in said optical housing.
- 120. The assembly as in claim 118, wherein said optical element comprises a VCSEL.
- 121. The assembly as in claim 118, wherein said optical element comprises a vertically receiving photodiode.
- 122. The assembly as in claim 118, wherein said board comprises a printed circuit board.
- 123. The assembly as in claim 118, in which said optical subassembly includes a multilayer ceramic carrier including a front surface and an opposed rear surface being generally parallel to said front surface, a terraced cavity extending inward from said front surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein being generally parallel to said front surface and including said optical element mounted thereon, said terraced cavity including a terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls.
- 124. The assembly as in claim 123, wherein said multilayer ceramic carrier is formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers.
- 125. The assembly as in claim 119, in which said pins are conductive pins which are joined to a corresponding plurality of conductive pads formed along said edge of said board surface.
- 126. The assembly as in claim 118, in which said board surface comprises an top surface and further comprising an opposed bottom surface and said optical subassembly includes a pair of parallel rows of conductive leads extending therefrom, a first row being joined to said top surface and the second row being joined to said bottom surface.
- 127. The assembly as in claim 119, in which said optical housing is formed of plastic and said optical fiber is retained within a cylindrical portion of said optical housing having an axis being generally orthogonal to said optical surface and parallel to said first direction.
- 128. The assembly as in claim 119, in which said ceramic carrier includes a front surface and an opposed rear surface being generally parallel to said front surface, a cavity extending inward from said front surface and including a base surface therein being generally parallel to said front surface and including said optical element mounted thereon, and said plurality of pins are conductive pins which extend perpendicularly from said rear surface.
- 129. The assembly as in claim 128, in which said ceramic carrier further includes at least one non-conductive pin extending from said rear surface, said at least one non-conductive pin mechanically joined to said board.
- 130. The assembly as in claim 129, in which said at least one non-conductive pin extends orthogonally from said rear surface.
- 131. The assembly as in claim 125, in which said rear surface includes conductive traces formed thereon and electrically coupled to said plurality of conductive pins.
- 132. The assembly as in claim 118, in which said optical subassembly includes a portion which extends above said board surface and a further portion which extends below said board surface.
- 133. A method for joining an optical subassembly including a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), to a printed circuit board such that said VCSEL emits light in a direction being substantially parallel to a surface of said printed circuit board, comprising the steps of:
providing an optical subassembly including a VCSEL therein such that said VCSEL emits light along a first direction, and a plurality of conductive pins extending from said optical subassembly substantially parallel to said first direction; providing a printed circuit board having a corresponding plurality of conductive pads formed on a surface thereof, said conductive pads extending inwardly from an edge of said printed circuit board; and joining said conductive pins to said corresponding conductive pads such that said optical subassembly is disposed adjacent said edge and said VCSEL emits light substantially parallel to said surface.
- 134. The method as in claim 133, in which said VCSEL is disposed within a box-shaped ceramic carrier attached to an optical housing such that a cylindrical portion of said plastic housing has an axis extending substantially parallel to said light and said optical housing includes an optical fiber retained within said cylindrical portion.
- 135. The method as in claim 133, in which said step of joining includes soldering said conductive pins to said corresponding conductive pads.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of provisional application Serial No. 60/237,341 filed on Sept. 29, 2000, entitled “High-Speed Optical Subassembly with Ceramic Carrier”, and provisional application Serial No. 60/304,925 filed on Jul. 11, 2001, entitled “Edge Mount, Leaded Ceramic Optical Subassembly”, the contents of each of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60237341 |
Sep 2000 |
US |
|
60304925 |
Jul 2001 |
US |