The present invention relates to an optical transceiver subassembly and, more particularly, to the use of flex connections between a pair of vertically disposed transmitter and receiver circuit boards and a base circuit board to reduce the size of the overall subassembly, while also reducing crosstalk and improving the optical/electrical connection in the subassembly.
While significant progress has been made in the field of fiber optics, more widespread use is dependent on the availability of a low cost and efficient optical transmitter and receiver module to link fiber optics to various electronic devices and components such as computers and routers. A critical aspect of such a module is the accurate alignment and attachment of the individual optical fibers to the electronic devices that transmit and receive light streams to and from the optical fibers. These electronic devices, known as optoelectronic devices, convert electrical signals into optical radiation and transmit the radiation into optical fibers. Other optoelectronic devices receive optical radiation from optical fibers and convert it into electrical signals for processing.
The state of the art has developed to provide what is defined as an “optical transceiver subassembly”, which includes the optoelectronic devices (i.e., laser and photodiode) and optical connectors for mating with a pair of optical fibers, and a printed wiring board (PWB) for providing the electronic transmitter and receiver components, with electrical connections between the PWB and the optoelectronic devices. In order to increase the efficiency and utilization of an optical transceiver subassembly, it is desired that the subassembly be “pluggable” into a module housing various other components/elements used in a larger communication system, thus requiring that certain overall physical limitations be adhered to, as well as the electrical pin-out from the transceiver matching the electrical contacts on the module.
Pluggable optical transceivers have been the subject of various industry standards and sourcing agreements between common vendors. In particular, a number of vendors have entered into a multi-source agreement (MSA), setting forth common standards and specifications for small form factor pluggable (SFP) tranceivers. The pluggable transceiver includes a first end with a fiber connector and a second, opposing end with an electrical connector. The electrical connector is defined as a PWB card edge connector, which is then being received into a female electrical connector housed inside a receptacle. The receptacle assembly is mounted on a daughter card of a host system. A common mechanical and electrical outline for the SFP transceiver is defined by the MSA. However, each individual manufacturer (vendor) is responsible for its own development and manufacturing of the SFP transceiver including developing an arrangement for interconnecting the electronic printed wiring board (or boards) to the optoelectronic devices.
In some pluggable transceiver arrangements, a single circuit board containing transmitter and receiver circuits is used, with separate connections to the optical transmitter and receiver devices. One problem with this arrangement is the presence of electrical crosstalk, deteriorating the signal quality. Many arrangements have thus been proposed that utilize a pair of vertically disposed circuit boards, one board for the transmitter electronics and a separate board for the receiver electronics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,651 issued on Apr. 10, 2001 to Jiang et al. discloses one such arrangement. In the Jiang et al. arrangement, the pair of vertical circuit boards is mated with slots formed in a horizontal support board, with a plurality of contact pins on each vertical board then mated with an associated set of pin holes on the horizontal board. The required edge connector is then formed on the horizontal support board.
The formation of these slots and pin holes needs to be well-controlled to provide the required stability in the overall arrangement. Indeed, over time, the stability of this type of rigid interconnection may become problematic. Moreover, the issue of electrical crosstalk between the vertical boards needs to be addressed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,565 issued on Dec. 9, 2003 to C-D Shaw et al. addresses the crosstalk problem by proposing an arrangement that utilizes perpendicularly disposed boards (i.e., the “back” of the vertical board is positioned against the edge of the horizontal board), thus preventing crosstalk while also eliminating the need for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Problems remain with these and other arrangements, however, in terms of providing a robust connection between the optical devices and their associated circuit boards, the connections requiring an orthogonal connection be made between the optoelectronic devices and the circuit boards.
One proposed solution to the connection problem is to use a flexible PWB connection between the optical and electronic assemblies. U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,656 issued on Dec. 9, 2003 to J. R. Brezina et al. discloses one such arrangement, with a flexible circuit board used to provide a connection between a pair of horizontal electronic circuit boards and vertical optoelectronic devices.
A remaining problem with all of the prior art arrangements is the physical separation between the optical and electrical components, which is thought as necessary to meet the requirements of the MSA, yet leads to signal distortion between the components.
The need remaining in the prior art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to an optical transceiver subassembly and, more particularly, to the use of flex connections between the vertical transmitter/receiver circuit boards and a base circuit board to reduce the size of the overall subassembly, while also reducing crosstalk and improving the optical/electrical connections within the subassembly.
In accordance with the present invention, a fixed connection is made between the optoelectronic transmitting module and its associated electrical circuit board, the board being disposed in the vertical plane of the packaged subassembly. Similarly, a fixed connection is made between the optoelectronic receiving module and its associated electrical circuit board. A pair of flex connectors is then used to interconnect the vertical transmitter and receiver circuit boards with a base circuit board, the base board including the edge connector required to carry the signal paths for interconnection to a host board. The use of flex connections is seen to overcome the prior art problems associated with a rigid connection between the vertical boards and the horizontal host board. In this arrangement, therefore, the optical signal path is associated only with the vertical transmitter and receiver boards, and the electrical input/output signals are coupled only to the horizontal host board.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, an additional flexible PWB and rigid PWB combination may be added to the above-described arrangement, providing the ability to supplement the electronic circuitry that may be included within the small form factor pluggable optical transceiver. In particular, the additional flexible PWB is connected to either the transmitter or receiver PWB (in opposition to the location of the first flexible PWB), with the additional rigid PWB then connected to the flexible PWB. The additional flexible PWB is then “bent” to fold the additional rigid PWB over the top of the vertically disposed boards, so as to be parallel with the base PWB.
Other and further advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements:
The important aspect of transmitter optical assembly 24 is the use of a set of relatively short electrical leads 32 to provide the electrical connection between optical assembly 24 and transmitter PWB 12. As mentioned above, some prior art arrangements utilize a flexible PWB to provide this connection, particularly in situations where the connection is required to make a 90° turn. In contrast, the arrangement of the present invention allows for a fixed, short set of leads to be used for this connection. Advantageously, the mechanical stability of this arrangement is improved over that of the prior art, while also using relatively short leads (allowing for higher transmission data rates to be employed). In a similar fashion, receiver optical assembly 26 includes a receiver module 34 housing the necessary electronics and optics, and an optical connector 36 for ultimate connection to an incoming optical fiber (not shown). A set of leads 38 is used to electrically couple receiver module 34 to receiver PWB 14.
In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, the use of flexible PWBs 18 and 20 allows for transmitter PWB 12 and receiver PWB 14 to be rotated from a horizontal position into a vertical position with respect to base PWB 16, as indicated by the arrows in
As mentioned above, there is a need to minimize the presence of crosstalk in an arrangement using vertical circuit boards.
One advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is the ability to change out either (or both) of the optical transmitter and optical receiver devices, as needed, as a result of the increased availability of space for additionally required components. For example, the arrangement of the present invention may be used with an avalanche photodiode (APD) as the optical receiving device, where the APD is known as requiring DC-to-DC converting circuitry to provide the higher voltage required to bias the APD. The utilization of both vertical boards and a horizontal host board allows for the addition of more circuitry, such as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), which is important in situations where laser cooling is required. One such situation, for example, is a small form-factor DWDM pluggable transceiver arrangement, where the laser in this arrangement requires cooling. Other components that may be located on the host board include elements such as, for example, TEC driver circuitry, a micro-controller, power supply filters, etc.
The use of vertical circuit boards with the flex connection to the main horizontal board in accordance with the present invention allows for the electronics required to power and drive the optical modules (i.e., transmitter and receiver) to be incorporated into the design of the vertical boards, allowing for these elements to be placed relatively close to the optical modules themselves. Indeed, the ability to minimize this separation allows for the high frequency operation of the transceiver to be optimized. Additionally, the use of vertical circuit boards allows for both sides of the boards to be populated with necessary components. Undesired fiber movements are also minimized by separating the optical and electrical signal paths onto separate boards.
Another advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is the ability to utilize optoelectronic components of different physical sizes (for example, different optical transmitter and receiver modules), since the optoelectronic components are attached by way of fixed, relatively short electric connections to their associated vertical boards, with no need for additional mechanical relief. The use of relatively short connections further improves the ability of the transceiver to operate at high speeds, as compared to the use of flexible connections between the optical and electrical modules.
It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.