US 6953291 B2
A hermetically sealed, opto-electronic array housing assembly having a ceramic base, electrical connectors, a metal can, and a glass window. The glass window can support a micro-lens array. The metal can receives the glass window. The electrical impedance of the electrical connectors is beneficially carefully controlled to enable high-speed data communications. A multi-element optical fiber connector can provide for optical communications to and/or from an opto-electronic array contained within the housing.
1. An opto-electronic housing, comprising:
a substantially planar submount having a plurality of conductive traces on a planar surface thereof;
a metallic can attached to the planar surface of said submount forming a cavity having the planar surface of said submount on a first surface thereof and said can on at least a second surface thereof, said cavity having an opening for light to pass through; and
a transparent window in or covering said opening and attached to said can;
wherein said plurality of conductive traces extend along the planar surface of the submount from inside the cavity to beyond the can; and
wherein said cavity is hermetically sealed and comprises said window on a first surface, said submount on an opposing second surface, and said can on the surfaces interconnecting said window and said submount.
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9. An opto-electronic device, comprising:
a substantially planar submount comprising substantially planar surface;
a plurality of thru-via conductive contacts passing through said planar surface;
a plurality of opto-electronic devices mounted directly or indirectly on said submount, wherein each of said plurality of opto-electronic devices is in communication with at least one of said conductive contacts;
a metallic can attached to the planar surface of said submount and forming a cavity, wherein said can includes an opening for light to pass through, and wherein said cavity extends over said opto-electronic devices and said conductive contacts; and
a transparent window in or covering said opening and attached to said can;
wherein said cavity is hermetically sealed and comprises said window on a first surface, said submount on an opposing surface, and said can on the surfaces interconnecting said window and said submount.
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16. An opto-electronic housing, comprising:
a substantially planar submount holding an opto-electronic array having a plurality of opto-electronic devices;
a metallic support comprising a central body, parallel legs, and guide pins, wherein said support is attached to said substantially planar submount and forms a cavity with an opening for light to pass through; and
a transparent window in or covering said opening and attached to said support, wherein a hermetic seal is formed, and wherein a cavity is formed, said cavity comprising said window on a first surface, said submount on an opposing surface, and said support on the surfaces interconnecting said window and said submount;
wherein a flexible ribbon-type optical cable having a plurality of optical fibers and openings that align with the guide pins can be mounted between said parallel legs, said guide pins fitting into said openings when the flexible ribbon-type optical cable is attached to said support.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the packaging of opto-electronic devices and arrays, specifically including vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays and photo detector arrays, that couple to optical fibers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) represent a relatively new class of semiconductor lasers. While there are many variations of VCSELs, one common characteristic is that they emit light perpendicular to a wafer's surface. Advantageously, VCSELs can be formed from a wide range of material systems to produce specific device characteristics. In particular, the various material systems can be tailored to emit different wavelengths, such as 1550 nm, 1310 nm, 850 nm, 670 nm, and so on.
VCSELs include semiconductor active regions, distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors, current confinement structures, substrates, and contacts. Because of their complicated structure, and because of their material requirements, VCSELs are usually grown using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).
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In operation, an external bias causes an electrical current 21 to flow from the p-type electrical contact 26 toward the n-type electrical contact 14. The insulating region 40 and the conductive central opening 42 confine the current 21 such that it flows through the conductive central opening 42 to the active region 20. Some of the electrons in the current 21 are converted into photons in the active region 20. Those photons bounce back and forth (resonate) between the lower mirror stack 16 and the top mirror stack 24. While the lower mirror stack 16 and the top mirror stack 24 are very good reflectors, some of the photons leak out as light 23 that travels along an optical path. Still referring to
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While individual VCSELs are of great interest, some applications can benefit from arrays of VCSEL elements, while other applications can benefit from arrays of photo detectors. For example,
While generally successful in serial module applications based on a discrete VCSEL and Photo-Detector (PD), applications with VCSEL arrays and photo detector arrays have many more challenges. One particular problem is interconnecting VCSEL arrays and/or photo detector arrays with higher-level systems. Such interconnections often require electrical attachment to another structure (such as a printed circuit board) that provides electrical signals and optical coupling to optical fibers. To assist electrical attachment, VCSEL/photo detector array substrates are usually relatively large, which adds significantly to their cost. Furthermore, the tab bonding that is conventionally used for electrical attachment does not meet the design challenges of high-speed data and telecommunication applications. Such design challenges include well-controlled impedances and low parasitic capacitances.
Many of today's high volume commercial applications of VCSELs involve high data rate (multiple gigabytes per second), serial fiber optic transceiver applications. To provide the required reliability, such applications require hermetically sealed packages. To take advantage of existing investments in device packaging and assembly tooling, it is beneficial to use package configurations that are similar to TO-type hermetic packages for parallel transmitter and receiver components. However, most emerging parallel fiber transceiver implementations for VCSELs use non-standard, non-hermetically sealed packages. This creates problems for system designers, particularly when high reliability in high temperature, high humidity environments is required. Optically coupling arrays to paralleled ribbon optical fiber connectors can be very difficult to do in a package that provides good electrical signal integrity, high optical coupling efficiency, and hermiticity.
Furthermore, optically coupling VCSEL and/or detector array substrates to optical fibers requires precise physical alignment. Such alignment is difficult to achieve, particularly when parallel optical fiber connectors are used.
Therefore, a new technique of packaging semiconductor arrays would be beneficial. Even more beneficial would be a new technique of packaging semiconductor arrays in a hermetically sealed package. Still more beneficial would be a new technique of packaging and hermetically sealing a semiconductor array such that the individual elements of the semiconductor array can be optically coupled to optical fibers. Even more beneficial would be an electrically connectable package that facilitates electrical connections between a hermetically packaged opto-electronic array and external circuitry, while providing for interfacing of individual optical elements with optical fibers.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is directed to a novel, compact housing package that provides for opto-electronic array (such as VCSEL arrays and photo detector arrays)-to-optical fiber cable connections.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a novel compact housing package that incorporates micro lens arrays made from optical epoxy. Such micro lens arrays can be produced at a low cost by using techniques such as ink jet ejection.
An advantage of the present invention is a technique of interconnecting a VCSEL array with parallel optical fiber ribbon.
Another advantage of the present invention is a submount that supports a VCSEL array and that employs a vertical-walled housing.
Another advantage of the present invention is a submount that supports, for example, a VCSEL array and includes an insulating glass slide cover.
Another advantage of the present invention is a VCSEL array employing a micro inkjet lens array and a multi-layer ceramic housing.
A opto-electronic housing package according to the principles of the present invention includes a submount having a plurality of conductive traces on a surface, and a plurality of opto-electronic elements attached to the submount. Furthermore, the submount has a plurality of walls extending up from the submount to support a glass slide. Additionally, a plurality of bonding wires electrically connects the individual opto-electronic elements to a plurality of conductive traces on the upper portion.
An alternative opto-electronic housing package according to the principles of the present invention includes a submount having a plurality of conductive traces on a lower portion, an upper portion over the lower portion, and a plurality of conductive vias that pass through the submount's body. A plurality of opto-electronic elements are attached to the submount with the individual opto-electronic elements electrically connected thorough the lower portion to the conductive vias. Furthermore, bonding wires electrically connect the individual opto-electronic elements to the conductive traces.
In either of the above embodiments, an opto-electronic housing package according to the principles of the present invention employs a plurality of opto-electronic elements, for example, a 1×4 or 1×12 VCSEL array that operates in conjunction with a micro lens array that is supported over the VCSEL array.
The micro lens array may be supported by the glass slide that in turn rests on at least two of the vertical walls extending up from the submount. The micro lens array may be made from optical-grade epoxy whereby the epoxy is ejected onto the glass slide by an inkjet ejection method. The optical-grade epoxy that forms the micro lens array may also be used secure the glass slide to the at least two vertical wall sections.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the drawings:
Note that in the drawings that like numbers designate like elements. Additionally, for explanatory convienence this document uses directional signals such as up and down, top and bottom, and lower and upper. Those signals are derived from the relative positions of the elements as illustrated in the drawings. Such signals are meant to aid understanding the present invention, not to limit it.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The principles of the present invention provide for robust opto-electronic device packages that (a) can be hermetically sealed; (b) can be implemented in a TO-like package; (c) can incorporate glass windows on a metal can, (d) can enable robust electrical input-output schemes for operation at 10 G+ data rates, (e) can optically interface with ribbon-type optical fiber connectors, (f) can optically couple to the external environment via mirrors and lenses, (g) can incorporate low-cost, high performance micro-optics, and that (h) can leverage existing die mounting, can-welding, alignment and assembling practices and techniques.
The VCSEL array 72 is attached to a ceramic chip carrier 302 having metal ground thermal plugs 304. The VCSEL array die 72 is attached via a thermally conductive epoxy, solder, or similar bonding agent. The ceramic chip carrier 302 is beneficial because of its structural stability, reasonable cost, and wide availability. An alternative chip carrier material is silicon.
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As shown, the metal can 312 retains a glass window 340 that supports a micro lens array 342. While
However, if used the micro lens array 342 is beneficially comprised of individual micro lens made of a nonconductive, optical grade epoxy. The micro lens array 342 is beneficially created by ejecting an optical grade epoxy onto the glass window 340 via a micro inkjet nozzle (not shown), and then curing that epoxy under ultra violet light. This production method provides a fast, easy, low cost method of large scale manufacturing of lens arrays. Furthermore, the production parameters for a micro lens array 342 may be changed without changing the production line equipment since a simple, computerized program may be used to produce an array of micro lens 342. A desirable micro lens 342 having particular optical characteristics may be created by micro inkjet ejection of a predetermined amount of a particular optical epoxy or similar optical material. Additionally, micro inkjet ejection fabrication can precisely produce the desired pattern, with the individual micro lenses 342 being positioned to ensure that the micro lens array will be in proper optical alignment with the corresponding VCSEL elements.
After the array of micro lens 342 has been fabricated on the glass window 340, the glass window 340 is inserted into the metal can 312 and sealed in place, beneficially using solder or an epoxy compound. The metal can 312 is then welded or otherwise bonded to the ceramic chip carrier 302, producing a sealed package.
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Additionally, the electrical characteristics of the ceramic chip carrier 302, the conductive patterns 306, the VCSEL array 72, and the bonding wires 308 should be carefully controlled. In high-speed data communication applications the conductive patterns 306 should present accurately controlled input impedances. This will enable a reduction in electrical reflections on incoming data lines. Furthermore, the impedance of the conductive patterns 306 should carefully match the input impedances of the VCSEL array 72 and the length of the bonding wires 308 should be minimized. To assist controlling the input impedances of the conductive patterns 306 it may be beneficial to locate the conductive patterns 306 over a ground plane. Smooth, accurately located bends in the bonding wires 308 may be helpful.
The photo-detector array 74 is attached to a ceramic chip carrier 402 having metal ground thermal plugs (not shown in
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As shown, the metal can 420 retains a glass window 440 that supports an array of micro lens 442. While
However, if used the array of micro lens 442 is beneficially comprised of and formed as previously discussed with reference to the array of micro lens 342. After the array of micro lens 442 has been fabricated on the glass window 440, the glass window 440 is inserted into the metal can 420 and sealed in place, beneficially using an epoxy compound. The metal can 420 is then welded to the ceramic chip carrier 402, producing a sealed package.
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Additionally, the electrical characteristics of the ceramic chip carrier 402, bottom contacts 404, photo-detector array 74, and bonding wires 412 should be carefully controlled. In high-speed data communication applications the conductive patterns bottom contacts 404 should present accurately controlled input impedances. This reduce electrical reflections on incoming data lines. Furthermore, the impedance of the bottom contacts 404 should carefully match the input impedances of the photo-detector array 74. The length of the bonding wires 408 should be minimized. To assist controlling the input impedances of the bottom contacts 404 is may be beneficial to locate the bonding wires 408 over a ground plane. Smooth, accurately located bends in the bonding wires 408 may be helpful.
While the foregoing has described two different opto-electronic device package embodiments that are in accord with the principles of the present invention, those embodiments are starting points for numerous variations. In general, the packages of an opto-electronic array mainly concern over the optical device itself and two interfaces between the optical device and the external medias that complete the application such as an optical high-speed communication system. The two interfaces are electrical and optical interfaces. Thus, variations on the packages of such an opto-electronic array focus on improving the characteristics of the two interfaces. The optical interface describes means controlling how optical output from optical devices such as VCSELs or PDs is coupled into (or from) external medias such as optical fibers, which includes air, glass windows, and optical lenses. The features of the optical interface that are in accord with the teachings of the present invention includes 1) a glass window in the optical path that forms a hermetic seal for the package, 2) optional use of micro-lens elements on either side of the glass window or on both sides of the glass window for optical beam collimation or focusing, and 3) an extended distance between the optical device and an external media (such as optical fibers) that further allows new packaging approaches. The electrical interface describes the path that electrical signals pass between optical devices and external electrical devices, which includes wire-bonds, impedance controlled lines, thru-via, flex circuits, and leads. The features of the electrical interface that are in accord with the teachings of the present invention includes 1) the use of a chip carrier or a substrate with impedance controlled traces for electrical inputs/outputs, 2) the use of thru-via in a ceramic substrate for electrical inputs/outputs, and the use of flexible circuits for the interface between the component substrate and other external electrical modules such as Printed Circuit Boards or ICs. Therefore, variations of the package that is in accord with the present invention are any combinations of the interface features described above. A sample of particularly useful variations will be described.
As previously discussed, the principles of the present invention are directed to opto-electronic device packages. As such, they include a transparent (glass) window that enables light to pass into or out of the opto-electronic device package.
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The embodiments and examples set forth herein are presented to explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and utilize the invention. Those skilled in the art, however, will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purpose of illustration and example only. Other variations and modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art, and it is the intent of the appended claims that such variations and modifications be covered. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims. It is contemplated that the use of the present invention can involve components having different characteristics. It is intended that the scope of the present invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
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