| Avago Technologies Fiber IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120104240 | FIBER OPTIC TRANSCEIVER (FOT) MODULE HAVING A MOLDED COVER IN WHICH AN OPTICAL BEAM TRANSFORMER IS INTEGRALLY FORMED - An FOT module is provided that has a molded cover in which an optical beam transformer is integrally formed. The molded cover includes at least a nontransparent molded part that is secured to a mounting structure, such as a molded leadframe or a PCB, on which at least one active optical device is mounted. The material of which the nontransparent molded part is made has a CTE that matches, or nearly matches, the CTE of the body of the mounting structure. Consequently, exposure of the FOT module to temperature variations will not result in delaminations at the interface of the mounting structure and the nontransparent molded part. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120063725 | LOW-PROFILE OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS MODULE HAVING TWO GENERALLY FLAT OPTICAL CONNECTOR MODULES THAT SLIDINGLY ENGAGE ONE ANOTHER - A low-profile optical communications module is provided that has two generally flat optical connector modules that slidingly engage one another to allow optical signals to be coupled between the optical connector modules. Because of the generally flat shapes of the optical connector modules and the manner in which they slidingly engage on another, the optical communications module has a very low profile that makes it well suited for use in thin devices, such as laptop and notebook computers and other electronics devices. | 03-15-2012 |
| 20120063721 | TWO-PART OPTICAL COUPLING SYSTEM HAVING AN AIR GAP THEREIN FOR REFLECTING LIGHT TO PROVIDE OPTICAL FEEDBACK FOR MONITORING OPTICAL OUTPUT POWER LEVELS IN AN OPTICAL TRANSMITTER (TX) - A two-part optical coupling system is provided for use in an optical transmitter (TX) module. The two-part optical coupling system has first and second optical parts and an air gap at the interface between the two optical parts. A portion of the light produced by a laser diode of the optical TX module is refracted at the air gap and is coupled by the optical coupling system into an end of an optical fiber. A second portion of the light produced by the laser diode is reflected by the air gap and is coupled by the optical coupling system onto a monitor photodiode of the optical TX. The electrical signal produced by the monitor photodiode may be used to monitor and adjust the optical output power level of the laser diode. Because the air gap is formed at the interface between the first and second optical parts, the process of forming the air gap can be incorporated into the optical coupling system manufacturing process without increasing the cost of the manufacturing process. | 03-15-2012 |
| 20120043984 | Test Adapter and Method for Achieving Optical Alignment and Thermal Coupling Thereof With a Device Under Test - Independent assemblies are compliantly mounted to a force transfer mechanism to optically align and thermally couple a device under test (DUT) to a test apparatus. A first assembly includes an optical connector. The first assembly has an alignment feature and a first compliant interface. A second assembly includes a thermal control member and force transfer members coupled to a structure. A passage permits a portion of the arm of the first assembly to extend through the structure. The force transfer members provide respective seats for an additional compliant interface. The alignment feature engages a corresponding feature to align the optical connector with the DUT before the compliant interfaces compress under an external force. Compliant mounting of the assemblies accommodates manufacturing tolerances in the DUT so that contact forces on the DUT are relatively consistent and thereby enable consistent optical and thermal coupling between the test apparatus and the DUT. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120027362 | DELATCH DEVICE HAVING BOTH PUSH AND PULL OPERABILITY FOR USE WITH AN OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE, AND A METHOD - An optical transceiver module is provided with a delatch device that is configured for pushing and pulling an optical transceiver module into and out of a cage. The delatch device includes an elongated handle having at least one strength member integrally formed therein or secured thereto that provides the handle with a sufficient moment of inertia to prevent the handle from bending or buckling when a force is being applied to the elongated handle to push an optical transceiver module into a cage. The elongated handle allows a module to easily be inserted into a cage by a user without the user having to directly access the front face of the module. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120020610 | Optoelectronic Modules and a Method for Manufacturing an Array of Optical Devices - An array of optical devices includes singlets diced or separated from a first diced surface and a second diced surface of a semiconductor wafer. Each singlet includes a single optical emitter or a single photosensitive semiconductor device. The singlets are identified as operationally fit before being arranged in corresponding features in a receiving region of a submount. The corresponding features of the submount are arranged to align and precisely control the pitch or separation distance between optical portions of a desired number of singlets. The use of operationally fit singlets dramatically increases production efficiency as it is no longer necessary to identify N contiguous operational optical devices in a semiconductor wafer to produce a precisely aligned array of N operational optical devices. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120007005 | OPTO-ISOLATOR THAT USES A NONTRANSPARENT HOLLOW TUBE AS THE OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER MODULES OF THE OPTO-ISOLATOR - In an opto-isolator, a nontransparent hollow tube having a smooth inner surface with mirror-like qualities is used as the optical waveguide for coupling optical signals between the transmitter module and the receiver module and for providing electrical transient isolation. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120002284 | OPTICAL BEAM SPLITTER FOR USE IN AN OPTOELECTRONIC MODULE, AND A METHOD FOR PERFORMING OPTICAL BEAM SPLITTING IN AN OPTOELECTRONIC MODULE - An optical beam splitter for use in an optoelectronic module and method are provided. The optical beam splitter is configured to split a main beam produced by a laser into at least first and second light portions that have different optical power levels. The first light portion, which is to be coupled into an end of a transmit optical fiber of an optical communications link, has an optical power level that is within eye safety limits and yet has sufficient optical power to avoid signal degradation problems. The optical power level of the first light portion is less than the optical power level of the second light portion. The optical beam splitter is capable of being implemented in a unidirectional or a bidirectional optical link. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20110311188 | MODULAR CONNECTOR SYSTEM HAVING ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL LINKS - An opto-electronic module connector system is mountable on a system substrate, such as a printed circuit board, in a variety of configurations or orientations and includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI)-shielding enclosure, a connector assembly, and a socket. The connector assembly includes a connector body, a connector printed circuit board, a substantially planar contact holder, electrical contact fingers mounted on the contact holder, and an opto-electronic module. When the EMI-shielding enclosure and socket are mounted on the system substrate, a user can readily insert the connector assembly into the EMI-shielding enclosure and plug it into the socket. A user can likewise readily remove the connector assembly from the EMI-shielding enclosure and socket for maintenance, cleaning, repair or other purposes. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110311187 | HYBRID 8P8C RJ-45 MODULAR PLUG CONFIGURED WITH BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS FOR PROVIDING BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES, AND A METHOD - A hybrid RJ-45 plug is provided that has both an electrical coupling configuration and an optical coupling configuration. The electrical coupling configuration is an 8P8C electrical wiring configuration that complies with the RJ-45 electrical wiring standard. The optical coupling configuration includes an optics system that provides the plug with optical communications capabilities. The hybrid RJ-45 plug is backwards compatible with an existing RJ-45 jack that implements an RJ-45 electrical wiring standard. However, the hybrid RJ-45 plug is also configured to mate with an optical jack that has only optical communications capabilities and to mate with a hybrid RJ-45 jack that has both optical and electrical communications capabilities. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110311182 | OPTO-ELECTRONIC ALIGNMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD - Alignment of one or more lenses with one or more opto-electronic devices in an opto-electronic system is aided by an aligner device having a substantially cylindrical body with a base and an outer ring. The base has one or more openings, one of which is a first opto-electronic device opening. The first opto-electronic device opening has a substantially circular shape coaxial with the outer ring and coaxial with a central axis of the aligner device. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110305417 | CONNECTOR SYSTEM HAVING ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL LINKS WITH OPTICAL LINK CLEANER - In a connector system, a first connector is mechanically and optically mateable with a second connector to form one or more optical signal communication links A wiping cleaner is included on at least one of the first and second connectors for cleaning an optical port of the other of the first and second connectors when the connectors are plugged together. The first and second connectors can further be electrically mateable to provide both optical and electrical signal communication links | 12-15-2011 |
| 20110299815 | OPTICAL FIBER CABLE CONNECTOR WITH INTEGRATED CABLE SPLITTING - An optical cable connector is disclosed herein. The optical cable connector includes a housing; an aperture on a side of the housing for receiving unsplit duplex optical cable; a sharp edge, disposed within the housing and positioned to split a portion of the optical cable into two optical fibers when the cable is inserted into the aperture, the fibers for carrying optical signals; and electro-optical transceivers, disposed within the housing and aligned with the two optical fibers to receive the optical signals, the transceivers configured to convert the optical signals into electrical signals. Integrating the sharp edge within the connector precludes a user from having to manually split optical cable prior to inserting the cable into the connector, thereby making the connector relatively easy to use and reducing the likelihood the user will be injured. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110293221 | CONSUMER INPUT/OUTPUT (CIO) OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE FOR USE IN AN ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLE, AN ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLE THAT INCORPORATES THE CIO OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE, AND A METHOD - A consumer input/output (CIO) optical transceiver module, an active optical cable that incorporates a CIO optical transceiver module, and a method for using a CIO optical transceiver module in an active optical cable are provided. In contrast to optical transceiver modules currently used in active optical cables, which utilize parallel arrays of laser diodes and parallel arrays of photodiodes, the CIO optical transceiver module includes two singlet laser diodes and two singlet photodiodes for providing two high-speed transmit channels and two high-speed receive channels, respectively. Because the singlet laser diodes and photodiodes of the CIO optical transceiver module are less costly than the parallel arrays of laser diodes and parallel arrays of photodiodes that are used in known active optical cables, the CIO optical transceiver module can be manufactured at relatively low costs with high quality, and therefore is well suited for consumer applications. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110272188 | MID-BOARD MODULE RETENTION AND EMI CAGE - A module retention and electromagnetic interference (EMI) cage has a substantially flat, rectangular metal frame with retaining clip portions and EMI-shielding contact fingers. The frame has surface-mount legs to facilitate surface mounting the cage to the circuit board. An array connector is mounted on the circuit board within a central region of the cage. An electronic module can be inserted or plugged into the cage in conjunction with connecting the module to the array connector. As the module is inserted into the cage, the module resiliently deflects the EMI-shielding contact fingers. At approximately the same time as the connector of the electronic module mates with the array connector, the retaining clip portion mates with a portion of the housing to retain the module in this position. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110268397 | PROTECTIVE SOCKET FOR USE WITH A PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE FOR PROTECTING COMPONENTS OF THE MODULE FROM AIRBORNE MATTER - A protective socket is provided for use with a parallel optical transceiver module. When the parallel optical transceiver module is seated within a receptacle of the protective socket, the side walls and bottom that define the receptacle of the protective socket protect the internal components of the parallel optical transceiver module from dirt, dust, gases, and other airborne matter. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110268390 | ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLE THAT IS SUITED FOR CONSUMER APPLICATIONS AND A METHOD - An active optical cable is provided that is well suited for consumer applications. In contrast to known Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) active optical cables, the active optical cable incorporates at least one consumer input/output (CIO) optical transceiver module that is well suited for consumer applications. The plug housing of the known QSFP active optical cable has been modified to house at least one CIO optical transceiver module that utilizes laser diode and photodiode singlets, rather than the parallel laser diode and photodiode arrays used in the known QSFP active optical cables. These features reduce the overall cost of the active optical cable and make it well suited for consumer applications. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110249947 | OPTO-ELECTRONIC TRANSCEIVER MODULE WITH CASTELLATED ELECTRICAL TURN - An opto-electronic communication module includes a module body and a circuit board having an edge with conductive castellations extending between opposing surfaces of the circuit board. At least one opto-electronic communication device, such as an opto-electronic light source or an opto-electronic light receiver, is mounted on a surface of the circuit board in an orientation in which its optical signal communication axis is normal to the surface of the circuit board and aligned with an optical signal communication port of the module body. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110243567 | MODULAR CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY CONFIGURED WITH BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS FOR PROVIDING BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES, AND A SYSTEM THAT INCORPORATES THE ASSEMBLY - A modular connector assembly is provided that has both an electrical coupling configuration that complies with the RJ-45 wiring standard and an optical coupling configuration that provides the assembly with optical communications capabilities. In addition, the modular connector assembly is configured to have backwards compatibility with existing 8P8C jacks and plugs that implement the RJ-45 wiring standard. Consequently, the modular connector assembly may be used to communicate optical data signals at higher data rates (e.g., 10 Gb/s and higher) or to communicate electrical data signals at lower data rates (e.g., 1 Gb/s). | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110243509 | OPTO-ELECTRONIC TRANSCEIVER MODULE SYSTEM - An opto-electronic module system includes an opto-electronic module having an optics engine module mounted on an opto-electronic module substrate. The optics engine module includes an opto-electronic light source and an opto-electronic light receiver mounted on an optics engine module substrate. The opto-electronic module substrate has an aperture that is aligned with the opto-electronic light source and the opto-electronic light receiver. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110243505 | ADAPTER CONFIGURED WITH BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS FOR PROVIDING BOTH OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES - An adapter is provided that has both an electrical coupling configuration that complies with the RJ-45 wiring standard for electrical communications and an optical coupling configuration for optical communications. The adapter is configured as an interface for at least two modular connector assemblies to enable the modular connector assemblies to communicate with each other either optically or electrically, depending on whether the plugs of the assemblies are configured to have optical or electrical communications capabilities. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110236028 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR OPTICAL CROSSTALK IN AN OPTICAL OUTPUT POWER FEEDBACK MONITORING SYSTEM OF A PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSMITTER - A method and an apparatus are provided for use in a parallel optical transmitter or transceiver to compensate for variations in optical crosstalk in an optical output power monitoring system that are caused by lasers being enabled and/or disabled. In particular, the method and apparatus cause adjustments to be made to the reference value of each optical channel based on determinations of whether one or more lasers of the other optical channels have been disabled or enabled. By making these adjustments, the average optical output power level of each laser of each channel can be maintained at a desired or required level even if one or more of the lasers of one or more of the other channels is enabled or disabled. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110229093 | NARROW, PLUGGABLE OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER SYSTEM - A transceiver module includes a housing assembly, a single optical cable receptacle, an electronics subassembly in the housing assembly having a generally planar substrate, and an optics subsystem. The optics subsystem redirects an optical beam between the surface of the substrate and an optical axis of the receptacle. The structure of the housing assembly promotes airflow through the transceiver module. The transceiver module can be plugged into a chassis or cage of an electronic system. A latching mechanism can be included to secure the transceiver module in the cage. A tab can be included to facilitate un-latching and removal of the transceiver module from the cage. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110222567 | OPTOELECTRONIC TRANSISTOR OUTLINE (TO)-CAN HEADER ASSEMBLY HAVING A CONFIGURATION THAT IMPROVES HEAT DISSIPATION AND REDUCES THERMAL RESISTANCE - A TO-can header assembly is provided that has improved heat dissipation and thermal resistance characteristics. The TO-can header assembly includes a relatively large ceramic heat dissipation block that functions as both a carrier for the laser diode and as a heat dissipation device. The ceramic heat dissipation block is in contact with the upper mounting surface of the header to allow a relatively large amount of heat to quickly pass from the laser diode through the heat dissipation block and into the upper mounting surface of the header. The cylindrical side wall of the header is smooth, rather than notched, and at least a substantial portion of the smooth cylindrical side wall is in continuous contact with an external heat sink device. Heat moves rapidly from the header into the external heat sink device where it is dissipated, thereby reducing the thermal resistance of the header. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110211832 | 2-TO-1 OPTICAL COUPLER THAT UTILIZES D-SHAPED PLASTIC OPTICAL FIBERS (POFs), A BI-DIRECTIONAL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS LINK THAT EMPLOYS THE 2-TO-1 POF OPTICAL COUPLER, AND A METHOD - D-shaped POFs are used to form a 2-to-1 optical coupler. The D-shaped POFs are produced via an extrusion process that is relatively inexpensive to perform and that can be performed with relatively high manufacturing throughput. The D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form a coupler end face having a generally circular cross-sectional area. The coupler end face is interfaced with an end face of a main POF that is generally circular in cross-sectional shape. The resulting D-shaped 2-to-1 optical POF couplers have relatively low insertion loss and relatively high optical coupling efficiency. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20110207344 | ARRAY CONNECTOR FOR OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE - A connector having a Ball-Grid Array on one side of a connector circuit board and a socket recess on the other side of the connector circuit board can be used to mate an opto-electronic transceiver module to a system circuit board. A base portion of the transceiver module can be received in the socket recess. Within the socket recess, an exposed portion of the connector circuit board has an array of resilient conductive contacts corresponding to an array of conductive pads on the lower surface of the base portion of the transceiver module. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110206326 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING AND POSITIONING PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULES IN A MID-PLANE MOUNTING CONFIGURATION WITH IMPROVED MOUNTING DENSITY AND ALIGNMENT ACCURACY - An optical communications system is provided in which module locating pins of the system mate with inwardly-shaped corners formed on parallel optical transceiver modules of the system when the parallel optical transceiver modules are mounted on a mid-plane mounting structure of the system. The inwardly-shaped corners of the parallel optical transceiver modules are complementary in shape to portions of the module locating pins. The mating of the module locating pins with the inwardly-shaped corners of the modules operates to passively position the modules at intended spatial locations relative to each other and relative to the mid-plane mounting structure. The inwardly-shaped corners consume very little space in the modules and the pins consume very little space in the optical communications system. Consequently, the pitch between adjacent parallel optical transceiver modules can be kept very small and the mounting density of the modules on the mid-plane mounting structure can be very high. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110123144 | UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) CONNECTOR HAVING AN OPTICAL-TO-ELECTICAL/ELECTRICAL-TO-OPTICAL CONVERSI0N MODULE (OE MODULE) AND HIGH-SPEED ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS INTEGRATED THEREIN - A USB connector is provided that has an OE module and high-speed electrical connections integrated therein. The OE module includes an optical module, at least one laser diode, at least one photodiode, an optical transceiver IC, and a PCB. The optical module, the laser diode, the photodiode, and the IC are mounted on a surface of the PCB. The OE module is secured within the USB connector. The PCB includes conductive traces and electrical contact pads. The conductive traces electrically connect the IC with the contact pads. The contact pads are electrically connected via through holes formed in the PCB to the high-speed electrical connections, which, in turn, are electrically connected to conductive traces of a motherboard or a computer. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110116744 | 2-TO-1 PLASTIC OPTICAL FIBER (POF) OPTICAL COUPLER, A BI-DIRECTIONAL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS LINK THAT EMPLOYS THE 2-TO-1 POF OPTICAL COUPLER, AND A METHOD FOR PERFORMING 2-TO-1 OPTICAL COUPLING - A 2-to-1 POF optical coupler, a bi-directional link that employs the coupler, and methods for performing 2-to-1 optical coupling are provided, wherein the 2-to-1 POF optical coupler is configured to provide a carefully-selected amount of cross-sectional overlap at the interface between the end face of a main POF or POF pigtail and the end face of the coupler. The amount of overlap is selected to ensure that optical coupling losses are reduced and optical efficiency is increased in both directions in a bi-directional optical communications links. Consequently, signal integrity is improved, limitations on link length are relaxed, and overall link performance is improved while, at the same time, overall link costs are reduced. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110096382 | MULTI-BEAM, HIGH EFFICIENCY DIFFRACTIVE OPTICS SYSTEM FORMED IN A SINGLE SUBSTRATE - An optics system is provided that is made up of a single diffractive optical element that performs beam collimating, beam splitting, and light blocking functions. The diffractive optical element is made up of a substrate having a first surface comprising an entrance facet and a second surface comprising an exit facet. The first surface comprising the entrance facet performs at least the functions of collimating the beam of light produced by the light source and of tilting the collimated beam in a particular direction. The second surface comprising the exit facet performs at least the functions of splitting the tilted collimated beam into at least two collimated light beams and of blocking unintended light (i.e., one or more mode order groups that are not intended to be used for imaging purposes). By performing all of these functions on different surfaces of a single substrate, an extremely compact optics system having very high optical efficiency and a very high signal-to-noise ratio is realized. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110085800 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING RECEIVED OPTICAL POWER IN AN OPTICAL RECEIVER OVER A WIDE RANGE OF RECEIVED POWER WITH HIGH ACCURACY - A method and apparatus for use in an optical receiver are provided for monitoring the received optical power in the optical receiver over wide range of optical power levels with high accuracy. An adjustable resistor circuit of the apparatus has a first resistor and one or more second resistors that may be switched into and out of parallel with the first resistor to vary the resistance of the adjustable resistor circuit. A controller of the optical receiver controls the switching of the one or more second resistors into and out of parallel with the first resistor. Varying the resistance of the adjustable resistor circuit in this manner causes the value of the analog voltage signal representing the received optical power to be varied prior to being input to the ADC of the controller. In this way, the amplitude of the analog voltage signal is reduced when it is at the high end of the received power range so as not to exceed the input range of the ADC of the controller IC. When the amplitude of the analog voltage signal is at the lower end of the input range of the ADC, the amplitude of the analog voltage signal is not reduced. In this way, a wide range of received power is monitored with high accuracy. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110073818 | PULLING TORPEDO HAVING A MATING FEATURE THEREON THAT MATES WITH A MATING FEATURE FORMED ON A CABLE BOOT - A torpedo is provided for use in pulling an optical communications device through ducts, vents, pipes, and the like. The torpedo has at least one mating feature formed thereon that mates with at least one mating feature formed on a boot of an optical fiber cable when the torpedo is attached to the boot. The mating feature formed on the torpedo is typically a key and the mating feature formed on the boot is typically a keyway having a shape that is complementary to the shape of the key. The mating of the key and keyway eliminate the need to use a clamping force to ensure that the grip between the torpedo and the cable will not be lost or compromised when the torpedo is being pulled. The boot of the optical fiber cable may be a standard boot of a standard optical fiber cable, and therefore does not need to be a specialized boot designed specifically for the purpose of attaching to a torpedo. The boot of the optical fiber cable is attached in the normal manner to the strain relief device of the optical fiber cable. Consequently, pulling forces that are exerted by the torpedo on the boot are translated through the boot into the strain relief device of the cable, thereby preventing forces from being exerted on the cable that could possibly damage it. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110051373 | CAGE HAVING A HEAT SINK DEVICE SECURED THERETO IN A FLOATING ARRANGEMENT THAT ENSURES THAT CONTINUOUS CONTACT IS MAINTAINED BETWEEN THE HEAT SINK DEVICE AND A PARALLEL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE SECURED TO THE CAGE - A floating heat sink device is provided that attaches to a cage in a floating configuration that enables the heat sink device to move, or “float”, as the parallel optical communications device secured to the cage moves relative to the cage. Because the heat sink device floats with movement of the parallel optical communications device, at least one surface of the parallel optical communications device maintains continuous contact with at least one surface of the heat sink device at all times. Ensuring that these surfaces are maintained in continuous contact at all times ensures that heat produced by the parallel optical communications device will be transferred into and absorbed by the floating heat sink device. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110044580 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A LINEAR PHASE MODE-MATCHED LAUNCH OF LIGHT INTO AN END OF A MULTIMODE OPTICAL FIBER - A method and an apparatus are provided for launching light into an entrance facet of a multimode optical fiber (MMF) of an optical link in a way that excites one or more higher-order Hermite Gaussian (HMG) mode groups in the MMF. Exciting higher-order HMG mode groups in the MMF increases the bandwidth of the link while also providing reduced modal noise. In addition, selectively exciting one or more higher-order HMG mode groups in the MMF ensures that the launch will provide desirable results even in cases where the connector that connects the end of the MMF to the optical transceiver or transmitter is offset with respect to the receptacle of the optical transceiver or transmitter. This feature allows for greater manufacturing tolerances when manufacturing the connectors and receptacles because precise alignment between them is not critical to achieving a successful launch. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110026919 | HALF-DUPLEX, SINGLE-FIBER (S-F) OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND METHOD - A half-duplex, single-fiber (S-F) optical transceiver module is provided in which a light source, such as a laser diode or a light-emitting diode (LED), is mounted on an edge region of a photodiode to increase the amount of surface area of the photodiode that is available for absorbing light received in the optical transceiver module. The S-F optical transceiver module has a relatively simple optical coupling system for coupling light between an end face of an optical fiber and the photodiode and laser diode or LED with high optical coupling efficiency and reduced optical crosstalk. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110024885 | METHOD FOR MAKING SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS HAVING COATED PORTIONS - A method for making semiconductor chips having coated portions can include mounting the chips in lead frames, stacking the lead frames in an orientation in which a portion of one lead frame masks a portion of a chip mounted on another lead frame but leaves another portion of the chip mounted on the other lead frame exposed to receive a coating, and depositing a coating on the stacked lead frames using, for example, an evaporative coating machine. In this manner, the coating is deposited on exposed portions of chips, such as its edges, and is not deposited on masked portions of chips, such as bond pads. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110019998 | SMALL FORM FACTOR PLUGGABLE (SFP) OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND METHOD - A small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver module and method for performing optical communications are provided. The SFP optical transceiver module has a housing to which a duplex receptacle is secured. The duplex receptacle has a C-shaped opening, the upper and lower portions of which are defined by upper and lower flexible retaining elements for receiving and retaining a duplex optical connector therein. An electrical assembly of the module is secured within the transceiver module housing. The electrical assembly comprises a PCB, the back end of which is configured as a plug end for removably plugging the PCB into a receptacle of an external communications management system. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110013905 | ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING OPTICAL FIBER BREAKAGE - Embodiments of the invention include an active optical cable and method for controlling the operation of the active optical cable based on the detection of signal loss, e.g., due to fiber breakage, within the active optical cable. The active optical cable includes first and second optical transceivers, each with an open fiber control module coupled between the transmission side and the receiver side of the respective optical transceiver. The transmission side of each optical transceiver is coupled to the receiver side of the other optical transceiver via a plurality of transmission channels, such as a plurality of optical fibers. Each open fiber control module is configured to detect an optical power level of an optical signal received by the receiver side of the optical transceiver within which the open fiber control module resides and, based on such detection, control the operation of the corresponding transmission side of the optical transceiver. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110008005 | PARALLEL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE HAVING WELDABLE INSERTS - A parallel optical communications device is provided that has an OSA that includes at least one heat dissipation block having a slot formed in a lower surface thereof that contains a weldable insert. Likewise, an upper surface of the mounting device of the ESA has at least one slot formed therein that contains a weldable insert. After the OSA is placed in contact with the ESA and optically aligned with the ESA, the OSA is secured to the upper surface of the mounting device of the ESA by welding together the respective weldable inserts contained in the respective slots in the OSA and in the mounting device of the ESA. The welding process results in an extremely strong welded joint between the OSA and the ESA that prevents relative movement between the OSA and the ESA if external forces that are exerted on the OSA and/or on the ESA. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20100303423 | MID-PLANE MOUNTED OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING HIGH-DENSITY MID-PLANE MOUNTING OF PARALLEL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS MODULES - An optical communications system and method are provided in which multiple parallel optical communications modules are mid-plane mounted on a PCB motherboard. Each module is connected to an optical fiber ribbon cable. The modules are configured to have very low profiles and/or to provide an angular coupling of the ribbon cable to the module. In both cases, the module configurations obviate the need to leave a significant amount of space between a module and the one behind it for the purpose of providing room for the ribbon cable to exit the module without the cable being bent beyond its minimum bend radius. This feature allows the module mounting density on the motherboard PCB to be very high and allows the modules to be mounted closer to their respective hub ICs, which increases mounting density and allows the modules to be mounted closer to their respective hub ICs. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100290489 | ELECTRO-ABSORPTION MODULATED LASER (EML) ASSEMBLY HAVING A 1/4 WAVELENGTH PHASE SHIFT LOCATED IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE DISTRIBUTED FEEDBACK (DFB) OF THE EML ASSEMBLY, AND A METHOD - An EML assembly is provided that has and EAM and a DFB, with the DFB having an asymmetric ¼ wavelength phase shift positioned at a location that is in front of the center of the periodic structure of the DFB. In addition, the EML assembly has a tilted or bent waveguide that reduces reflections occurring at the front end facet, thereby enabling the EAM to produce a relatively high P | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100289160 | LENS SUPPORT AND WIREBOND PROTECTOR - A wirebond protector has an elongated shape that corresponds to the elongated array of wirebonds along the edge of a microelectronic device that connect a semiconductor die to electrical conductors on a substrate. In making the microelectronic device with wirebond protection, wirebonds are first formed in the conventional manner The wirebond protector is then attached to the device in an orientation in which it extends along the array of wirebonds to at least partially cover the wirebonds. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100284698 | TRANSCEIVER SYSTEM ON A CARD FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING INFORMATION AT A RATE EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN APPROXIMATELY ONE TERABIT PER SECOND - An optical transceiver system is provided that comprises multiple parallel transceiver modules that are mounted on a card. The transceiver card is small in terms of spatial dimensions, has very good heat dissipation characteristics, and is capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving data at a rate equal to or greater than approximately one Tb per second (1 Tb/s). A plurality of the transceiver systems may be interconnected to achieve a communications hub system having even higher bandwidths. In addition, the transceiver system may be configured such that each card has a routing controller mounted thereon for performing router functions. The router functions include, for example: causing signals received by one transceiver module on the card to be routed to and transmitted by another of the transceiver modules; causing signals received by one transceiver module on the card to be retransmitted by the same transceiver module over one of it's optical transmit channels; and causing signals received by one transceiver module on the card to be routed to and transmitted by a transceiver module on a different card. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20100272403 | FIBER CONNECTOR MODULE INCLUDING INTEGRATED OPTICAL LENS TURN BLOCK AND METHOD FOR COUPLING OPTICAL SIGNALS BETWEEN A TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND AN OPTICAL FIBER - Embodiments of the invention include a fiber connector module and method for coupling optical signals between an optical transceiver module and an optical fiber described herein involve the coupling to or overmolding of a fiber connector module to an optical transceiver module or other optical source, and a fiber lens coupled to for formed into an angled surface of the fiber connector module housing. The angled surface and the fiber lens are configured in such a way that the fiber lens focuses collimated light from the transceiver module to the receiving end of an optical fiber or other optical detector positioned within the fiber connector module housing. Fiber connector modules according to embodiments of the invention allow for relatively low profiles compared to conventional arrangements and configurations, especially with multi-channel, parallel lane configurations. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100266236 | OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE HAVING A MOUNTING CORE AND METHOD - A parallel optical communications device is provided that has a mounting core that functions as a mounting system for mounting core components of the parallel optical communications device. In addition, the mounting core functions as a heat dissipation system for the core components of the parallel optical communications device, and also protects the core components and other elements of the communications device from dust and damage that can be caused by handling and other factors. In addition to performing the aforementioned functions, the mounting core is configured to enable the parallel optical communications device to be made extremely small in size while also protecting signal integrity. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100254717 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE OPTICAL OUTPUT POWER OF A LASER IN AN OPTICAL TRANSMITTER (TX) - A semi-open feedback loop optical output power control apparatus and method are provided for use in an optical TX. The apparatus and method enable input data signals having content frequencies that are below the cutoff frequency of the optical output power monitoring and control feedback loop to be utilized. This is accomplished at least in part by opening and closing (i.e., is disabling and enabling) the feedback loop based on whether or not one or more transitions in the input data signal to the optical TX from a logic 0 to a logic 1, or vice versa, are detected within a predetermined timing interval. In addition, the apparatus and method provide these and other advantages without causing the optical TX to have an increased link startup settling time period. The feedback loop has a low pass filter (LPF) that has a selectable bandwidth. The bandwidth of the LPF is set to a high bandwidth at startup to enable shorter link startup settling time periods to be achieved by the TX and is set to a low bandwidth at a later time to enable the feedback loop to cause more accurate adjustments to the optical output power of the laser to achieve a better bit error rate (BER). | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100254711 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING DIRECT CURRENT (DC) OFFSET CANCELLATION IN AN OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE - An apparatus and method are provided that enable a direct current (DC) offset cancellation (OC) feedback control loop of an optical TX or optical RX to be opened and closed and the bandwidth (BW) of the loop to be adjusted based on a status of an input signal to the RX or TX. Opening and closing the loop and adjusting the BW of the loop allows lower data rates to be achieved and allows relatively long patterns of consecutive 1s or 0s to be transmitted or received without being cancelled out due to the low cutoff frequency of the loop. In addition, opening and closing the loop and adjusting its BW allows the foregoing advantages to be realized without causing an increase in the startup settling time period or in the signal detection time period of the optical TX or RX. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100247034 | Passive Alignment Using Elastic Averaging In Optoelectronics Applications - In an optoelectronic assembly in which one or more beam paths are to be aligned with a corresponding number of active optical elements, the cooperation between flexible alignment features and fixed alignment features achieves elastic averaging so as to provide the target accuracy. By averaging dimensional and positional errors over a large number of localized couplings of the flexible and fixed alignment features, elastic averaging provides the same accuracy as the more costly and complex kinematic alignment techniques. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100232800 | PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE HAVING A HEAT DISSIPATION SYSTEM THAT DISSIPATES HEAT AND PROTECTS COMPONENTS OF THE MODULE FROM PARTICULATES AND HANDLING - A parallel optical transceiver module is provided that has a heat dissipation system that dissipates large amounts of heat, while also protecting the laser diodes, ICs and other components of the module from particulates, such as dust, for example, and from mechanical handling forces. The heat dissipation system is configured to be secured to the optical subassembly (OSA) of the module such that when the OSA is secured to the upper surface of the leadframe of the module, the OSA and the heat dissipation system cooperate to encapsulate at least the laser diodes and laser diode driver IC in a way that protects these components from dust and other particulates and from external mechanical forces. The heat dissipation system of the module is disposed for coupling with an external heat dissipation system, e.g., with a heat dissipation system that is provided by the customer. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100232749 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE PROVIDING EMI SHIELDING AND ELECTRICAL ISOLATION BETWEEN A SIGNAL GROUND AND A CHASSIS GROUND - A transceiver module includes a receptacle assembly that isolates the signal ground potential at which an opto-electronic subsystem operates from the chassis ground potential at which the transceiver module housing is maintained, while also helping maintain optical alignment of the system elements. The receptacle assembly can include a receptacle made of metal, a coupling made of metal, and a connector made of a dielectric material. The connector is interposed between the receptacle and the coupling to electrically isolate the signal ground potential of the opto-electronic subsystem from the chassis ground potential of the housing and receptacle. As the metal receptacle is mounted in an opening of the housing, it helps shield the housing against EMI. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100226406 | SILICON OPTICAL PACKAGE WITH 45 DEGREE TURNING MIRROR - An optical package includes a sub-mount, an edge-emitting laser mounted on the sub-mount, a collimating ball lens mounted on the sub-mount adjacent to the edge-emitting laser, a mirror mounted on the sub-mount adjacent to the collimating ball lens. The sub-mount is made of a bottom wafer. A lid is bonded to the sub-mount to form the laser package. The lid is made of a middle wafer bonded to a top wafer. The middle wafer defines an opening that accommodates the edge-emitting laser, the collimating ball lens, and the mirror. The opening is defined by vertical sidewalls. The top wafer further includes a lens above the mirror. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100215320 | MOLDED INTERCONNECT DEVICE (MID) OPTICAL CONNECTOR WITH METAL RETAINING CLIP - A molded interconnect device (MID) optical connector includes a molded plastic body and a metal retaining clip. The body has a receptacle portion shaped to receive and guide a mating optical fiber ferrule into a connected position. In the connected position, the end of a fiber retained in the ferrule is in optical alignment with an opto-electronic device in the MID optical connector. The retaining clip has one or more contact portions that extend into the receptacle portion of the body and exert a spring force upon the ferrule to retain and stabilize it in the connected position. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20100213566 | REDUCED-CROSSTALK WIREBONDING IN AN OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - Wirebonds are formed to couple an opto-electronic device chip having two or more opto-electronic devices to a signal processing chip. Two or more mutually adjacent wirebond groups, each corresponding to one of the opto-electronic devices, are formed. For example, each wirebond group can include a first wirebond coupling a P-terminal of the opto-electronic device of the wirebond group to the signal processing chip, a second wirebond coupling an N-terminal of the opto-electronic device of the wirebond group to the signal processing chip, and a third wirebond coupling the opto-electronic device chip to the signal processing chip. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20100172652 | FIBER OPTIC TRANSCEIVER (FOT) MODULE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN FOT MODULE - A fiber optic transceiver (FOT) module is provided that has a circuit board attached to the FOT leadframe. The circuit board, which is typically a printed circuit board (PCB), provides several advantages over typical FOT module designs in that it provides additional surface area for mounting additional components, enables components to be moved from the motherboard into the module, allows the I/O pin count of the FOT module to be increased without increasing the width or footprint associated with the module, allows bond wires to be shortened, provides improved performance over changes in temperature, allows manufacturing yield to be improved, and enables improvements in signal integrity to be realized. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100146181 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A HIGH-SPEED COMMUNICATIONS LINK BETWEEN A PORTABLE DEVICE AND A DOCKING STATION - A docking station is provided with a SerDes component, one or more peripheral device I/O ports, and at least one high-speed serial I/O port for interfacing the docking station with a high-speed serial communications link. A portable device that can be docked on the docking station is also provided with a high-speed serial I/O port. A high-speed serial communications link is provided between the high-speed serial I/O port of the docking station and the high-speed serial I/O port of the portable device to enable serial data to be communicated between the portable device and the docking station. Providing the serial communications link obviates the need for a large connector with a high pin count for interfacing the portable device with the docking station. In addition, the inclusion of the SerDes component in the docking station eliminates the need for a southbridge IC on the motherboard of the portable device, or at least enables a southbridge IC having less complexity to be used on the motherboard of the portable device. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100142882 | OPTOELECTRONIC SURFACE-MOUNTED DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FORMING AN OPTOELECTRONIC SURFACE-MOUNTED DEVICE - An optoelectronic surface-mounted device is provided comprising a premolded casing having a first cavity and a second cavity and a leadframe to which a first electrooptical element and a second electrooptical element are mounted. The leadframe is embedded in the premolded casing. The first cavity is adapted for providing a first electromagnetic radiation path between a first waveguide and the first electrooptical element, wherein the second cavity is adapted for providing a second electromagnetic radiation path between a second waveguide and the second electrooptical element. The first cavity and the second cavity are formed in the premolded casing to decouple electromagnetic radiation propagating along the first electromagnetic radiation path from electromagnetic radiation propagating along the second electromagnetic radiation path. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100129083 | PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE THAT UTILIZES A FOLDED FLEX CIRCUIT THAT REDUCES THE MODULE FOOTPRINT AND IMPROVES HEAT DISSIPATION - A parallel optical transceiver module is provided that uses a folded flex circuit arrangement that reduces the footprint of the transceiver module while also providing the module with improved heat dissipation characteristics. In addition, the manner in which components are mounted on the flex circuit facilitates assembly of the module, reducing the overall cost of the module while improving manufacturing yield. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100128748 | MONITORING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING A FORWARD VOLTAGE OF A LASER DIODE IN A LASER DIODE DRIVER INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) - A laser diode driver IC of a transmitter or transceiver is provided with circuitry for monitoring the forward voltage of the laser diode or laser diodes of the transmitter or transceiver to enable the health of the laser diode or diodes to be assessed in real-time. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100098147 | EQUALIZER AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING EQUALIZATION - An FFE/DFE equalizer is provided that uses unclocked FIR filters. At least one of the unclocked FIR filters has tunable delay cells that can be tuned to adjust their respective time delay time periods. Because the FIR filters of the FFE/DFE equalizer are unclocked, the complexity and die area associated with clocking circuits are avoided, thereby enabling costs to be reduced. Because the delay cells of at least one of the FIR filters are tunable to enable their respective time delay periods to be adjusted, very good equalizer performance is achieved without having to use clocked circuits. In addition, because clocked circuits are not used in the FIR filters, the need for clocking circuits to control the timing of clocked circuits is obviated, which leads to a reduction in the amount of power consumed by the FFE/DFE equalizer. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100081237 | Integrated Circuit Assemblies and Methods for Encapsulating a Semiconductor Device - A seal is formed by compressing a cured layer of a composition applied on a substrate. The composition is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic, which, after application to a surface, is converted or cured to a compressible solid film. The composition includes a flexible polymer as a binding material. The layer on the substrate eliminates the need for a gasket on a contact surface of a mold. The contact surface of the mold compresses the layer during an encapsulation process. The layer remains on the substrate in a finished product. A minimum separation or wall thickness of the mold is defined by the material properties of the mold. The seal eliminates yield loss due to leakage of an encapsulant and reduces maintenance costs associated with the procurement and repeated installation of gaskets on mold tooling. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100080567 | PARALLEL OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE HAVING A BALANCED LASER DRIVER ARRANGEMENT - A parallel optical transceiver module is provided that has a balanced laser driver arrangement. The balanced laser driver arrangement of the invention includes at least two laser diode driver ICs, which preferably are located on opposite sides of a laser diode IC. Each laser diode driver IC drives a subset (e.g., half) of the total number of laser diodes of the laser diode IC. Because each laser diode driver IC drives a subset of the total number of laser diodes of the laser diode IC, the pitch (i.e., distance) between the high-speed signal pathways within the laser diode driver ICs can be increased. Increasing the pitch between the high-speed signal pathways provides several advantages, including, for example, reducing the potential for electrical cross-talk and inductive coupling between adjacent wire bonds that connect the output driver pads on the driver IC to the respective input pads on the laser diode IC. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100054754 | BI-DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM USING A DUAL-PURPOSE PIN - A signal transmission system in accordance with the invention is implemented using a dual-purpose pin of an optical sub-assembly. The dual-purpose pin is used to propagate an analog signal out of the optical sub-assembly and also for providing an access point where an external element may be coupled to the optical sub-assembly for modulating the analog signal. The optical sub-assembly houses a photodetector, a signal transmitter circuit, and a signal receiver circuit. The photodetector receives light and generates a corresponding electrical signal indicative of the light intensity. The signal transmitter circuit converts the electrical signal received from the photodetector into the analog signal that is transmitted out of the dual-purpose pin. The signal receiver circuit located inside the optical sub-assembly is configured to monitor the modulated analog signal from the dual-purpose pin and generate therefrom, a control signal inside the optical sub-assembly. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100020837 | SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMISSION DEVICE HAVING AN IMPROVED CURRENT CONFINEMENT STRUCTURE, AND METHOD FOR CONFINING CURRENT IN A SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMISSION DEVICE - A semiconductor light emission device is provided that has a current confinement region that comprises a diffusion accommodation layer located adjacent the active region. The diffusion accommodation layer comprises a material that has a higher bandgap than the bandgap of the material in the active region. Diffusion of dopants into portions of the diffusion accommodation layer forms p+/n junctions on each side of the p/n junction that exists in the active region. The material of the diffusion accommodation layer has a bandgap that is higher than the bandgap of the material of the active region, which ensures that the p+/n junctions turn on at a threshold voltage level that is higher than the threshold voltage level at which the p/n junction turns on. Because of this, the p+/n junctions are effectively turned off while the p/n junction is turned on, which causes the electrical current to be channeled away from the p+/n junctions and into the p/n junction, thereby confining the current to a particular area in the active region. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100007034 | LENS SUPPORT AND WIREBOND PROTECTOR - A wirebond protector has an elongated shape that corresponds to the elongated array of wirebonds along the edge of a microelectronic device that connect a semiconductor die to electrical conductors on a substrate. In making the microelectronic device with wirebond protection, wirebonds are first formed in the conventional manner The wirebond protector is then attached to the device in an orientation in which it extends along the array of wirebonds to at least partially cover the wirebonds. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20090323751 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR USING OPTICAL FEEDBACK TO OVERCOME BANDWIDTH LIMITATIONS CAUSED BY RELAXATION OSCILLATION IN VERTICAL CAVITY SURFACE EMITTING LASERS (VCSELS) - A semiconductor device is provided that includes an optical feedback structure that is monolithically integrated with a VCSEL device and which extends the speed of the VCSEL device beyond the speed to which it would otherwise be limited due to relaxation oscillation. The optical feedback structure does not rely on light emissions from the VCSEL substrate material to produce optical feedback. Consequently, extension of the bandwidth of the semiconductor device through the use of optical feedback is not limited by the absorption threshold wavelength of the substrate material. Furthermore, because the optical feedback structure does not include the substrate, the ability to use optical feedback to extend the bandwidth of the device is independent of the precision with which the substrate thickness can be controlled. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20090297103 | OPTICAL SUBASSEMBLY FOR AN ELECTRO-OPTICAL ASSEMBLY - Various embodiments of optical subassemblies, and arrangements and methods for manufacturing same, for an electro-optical assembly are disclosed. One embodiment comprises an optical subassembly for an electro-optical assembly. The optical subassembly comprises a printed circuit board, an optical semiconductor device, and an optical element. The printed circuit board has a first surface, a second surface, and an aperture therethrough. The optical semiconductor device is attached to the first surface with an active region exposed to the aperture. The optical element is attached to the second surface with an optical axis exposed to the aperture and optically aligned with the active region. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20090296177 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING A HOLOGRAM TO CONTROL THE OPTICAL FIELD DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT GENERATED BY A LIGHT SOURCE AND LAUNCHED INTO AN END OF AN OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE - A diffractive coupling element based on a computer-generated hologram is used in an optical coupling system of a transmitter to control the launch of laser light from a laser light source onto an end of an optical fiber. The diffractive coupling element controls the launch of the laser light such that a desired optical intensity distribution pattern is provided that substantially avoids the center and edge refractive index defects contained in the optical fiber. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20090290672 | Circuits and Methods for Clock and Data Recovery - A clock-data recovery circuit includes a phase rotator, a phase detector and a charge pump. The phase rotator receives first and second reference clocks and differential control signals. The phase rotator generates a modified clock signal responsive to the first and second reference clocks and the control signals. The phase detector receives a data signal and the modified clock signal. The phase detector generates a modified data signal and a phase error signal responsive to the data signal and the modified clock signal. The charge pump receives the phase error signal and generates the differential control signals, which direct the phase rotator to interpolate between select clock phases. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20090240456 | Circuits and Methods for Calibrating a Delay Element - A controllable delay element is coupled in parallel with a calibration circuit. The calibration circuit receives a periodic reference signal and generates a series of sample voltages responsive to a time-varying analog voltage, the periodic reference signal, and the delayed periodic signal at the output of the controllable delay element. The calibration circuit distributes the series of sampled voltages for determining the components of a first vector. The first vector components are used to calculate the phase that results from a control signal applied to the controllable delay element. After the control signal is modified, a second vector is used to calculate the phase that results from the control signal. The delay can be determined by the product of the period of the reference signal and the difference in phase. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090238560 | Systems and Methods for Determining an AC/DC Cross-Calibration Coefficient - A first signal shaper generates a first signal having a first asymmetry. A second signal shaper generates a second signal having a second asymmetry different from the first asymmetry. The first and second signals have approximately the same peak-to-peak amplitude. An AC measurement element acquires a first scaled representation of the shape of the first signal and a second scaled representation of the shape of the second signal. A DC measurement element receives the first signal and the second signal and generates a first value responsive to the first signal and a second value responsive to the second signal. A processor calculates a first factor responsive to the shape of the first signal and a second factor responsive to the shape of the second signal. The processor applies the first and second factors and the first and second values in a function that generates the AC/DC cross-calibration coefficient. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090220227 | SMALL FORM FACTOR PLUGGABLE (SFP) OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND METHOD - A small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver module and method for performing optical communications are provided. The SFP optical transceiver module has a housing to which a duplex receptacle is secured. The duplex receptacle has a C-shaped opening, the upper and lower portions of which are defined by upper and lower flexible retaining elements for receiving and retaining a duplex optical connector therein. An electrical assembly of the module is secured within the transceiver module housing. The electrical assembly comprises a PCB, the back end of which is configured as a plug end for removably plugging the PCB into a receptacle of an external communications management system. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090220200 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND DUPLEX FIBER OPTIC CONNECTOR - Various embodiments of duplex fiber optic connectors and optical transceiver modules are provided. One embodiment comprises an optical transceiver module comprising: an integrally-formed housing having a duplex front port with a pair of alignment holes for receiving a pair of ferrules from a duplex fiber optic connector, the duplex front port having an upper flexible retaining element and a lower flexible retaining element for retaining the pair of ferrules from the duplex fiber optic connector; an opto-electronic assembly contained within the housing; and an electrical interface extending from the integrally-formed housing. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090220198 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE AND DUPLEX FIBER OPTIC CONNECTOR - Various embodiments of duplex fiber optic connectors and optical transceiver modules are provided. One embodiment comprises an optical transceiver module comprising: an integrally-formed housing having a duplex front port with a pair of alignment holes for receiving a pair of ferrules from a duplex fiber optic connector, the duplex front port having an upper flexible retaining element and a lower flexible retaining element for retaining the pair of ferrules from the duplex fiber optic connector; an opto-electronic assembly contained within the housing; and an electrical interface extending from the integrally-formed housing. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090196008 | ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE (EMI) COLLAR AND METHOD FOR USE WITH A PLUGGABLE OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER MODULE - An EMI collar is provided that is configured to be secured about a housing of a pluggable optical transceiver module. The configuration of the EMI collar and the method by which the collar is attached to the housing of the transceiver module ensures that the collar will not be damaged when the transceiver module housing is inserted into a cage. Ensuring that the collar will not be damaged during insertion ensures that electrically conductive contact points on the collar will not be eliminated by insertion of the housing into a cage. In addition, dimples, or indentations, formed on the spring fingers of the EMI collar result in additional electrically conductive contact points on the fingers that result in a reduction in the size of the maximum EMI aperture dimension of the collar. Reducing the maximum EMI aperture dimension of the collar greatly improves the ability of the collar to attenuate EMI signals, even EMI signals having high frequencies. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090190370 | MOVING LIGHT SPOTS IN ILLUMINATION FIBERS - An electronic display includes a light source system and a light guide system, where the light guide system emits light features laterally, i.e., from the side, at selected positions along its length. The light source system includes one or more electronically controllable light sources and further includes optical switches or other arrangements for coupling the light sources to the optical fibers or other light guides of the light guide system. The light source system can sequentially or progressively increase the selected longitudinal position at which the light feature is emitted, resulting in the appearance of movement of the light feature along the length of the light guide system. | 07-30-2009 |
| 20090116784 | LARGE TOLERANCE FIBER OPTIC TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER - An optical transmitter relaxes the tolerance between a source assembly and a fiber receptacle to facilitate passive alignment. The source assembly includes a light source and a lens. The lens is held at a fixed distance away from the light source using precise support structures typically formed by photolithographic processes. The fiber receptacle includes an optical element. The fiber receptacle is adapted to hold an optical fiber at a fixed distance from the optical element. The lens substantially collimates light from the light source into the form of collimated light. The optical element focuses the collimated light onto the aperture of the optical fiber. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090097143 | METHOD OF FORMING AND MOUNTING AN ANGLED REFLECTOR - In a method of forming a device so as to include a reflective surface at a specific angle to an incident optical axis, a region of a first major surface of a substrate is exposed to an anisotropic etchant to form a surface having the specific angle with respect to the first major surface, but the etched surface is then used as a mounting surface. That is, rather than anisotropically etching a reflective surface, the etching provides the mounting surface and the second major surface of the substrate functions as the reflective surface when the fabricated device is properly mounted. The substrate may be a <100> silicon wafer having a 9.74 degree off-axis cut. Then, a 45 degree mirror is formed by the process. When the reflector is used in an optical device, the <111> crystalline plane will be generally parallel to the surface of the support. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090070987 | Use of Mesa Structures for Supporting Heaters on an Integrated Circuit - An integrated circuit is joined to a liquid container. The integrated circuit includes a passivation layer. A resistor is used as a heater to heat fluid in a liquid container. A mesa structure is formed over the passivation layer. The mesa structure is in contact with the resistor and is used to more effectively deliver heat from the resistor to the liquid container. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090068778 | Buried Heterostructure Device Having Integrated Waveguide Grating Fabricated By Single Step MOCVD - The device is an optoelectronic device or transparent waveguide device that comprises a growth surface, a growth mask, an optical waveguide core mesa and a cladding layer. The growth mask is located on the semiconductor surface and defines an elongate growth window having a periodic grating profile. The optical waveguide core mesa is located in the growth window and has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. The cladding layer covers the optical waveguide core mesa and extends over at least part of the growth mask. Such devices are fabricated by providing a wafer comprising a growth surface, growing an optical waveguide core mesa on the growth surface by micro-selective area growth at a first growth temperature and covering the optical waveguide core mesa with cladding material at a second growth temperature, lower than the first growth temperature. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090040628 | LENS STRUCTURE, OPTICAL TRANSMITTER, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME - In one embodiment, a lens structure has an object surface, an image surface, and an axicon mirror. The axicon mirror is defined by an inner diameter, an outer diameter, and a tilt angle, with the tilt angle being defined by a plane of the axicon mirror and the surface of the axicon mirror. The image surface is positioned within the inner diameter of the axicon mirror. The lens structure may be incorporated into an optical transmitter having a light source and a photodetector. The light source is positioned to transmit light toward the object surface of the lens structure, and the photodetector is positioned to receive light reflected from the axicon mirror. A method for producing lens structures with different optical attenuation properties is also disclosed. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090028506 | Passive Alignment Using Elastic Averaging In Optoelectronics Applications - In an optoelectronic assembly in which one or more beam paths are to be aligned with a corresponding number of active optical elements, the cooperation between flexible alignment features and fixed alignment features achieves elastic averaging so as to provide the target accuracy. By averaging dimensional and positional errors over a large number of localized couplings of the flexible and fixed alignment features, elastic averaging provides the same accuracy as the more costly and complex kinematic alignment techniques. | 01-29-2009 |
| 20080291450 | Wavelength Monitoring Method and Apparatus and Method of Making Same - A wavelength of an optical source is monitored by first and second adjacent detectors on a common base. A bulk reflective component has first and second partially reflective surfaces that respectively direct first and second portions of energy from the source to the first and second detectors. A wavelength discriminator is positioned between the first detector and first surface. An optical isolator downstream of the reflective component prevents radiation from the source and exiting the component from being coupled to the detectors and back to the source. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080278228 | CONTROL DEVICE WITH A SWITCHABLE BANDWIDTH - A control device with a switchable bandwidth including: an integrating element with a first capacitance, which is charged and discharged by at least one current; at least one second capacitance, which can be connected in parallel with the first capacitance via a first switch; and at least one voltage follower, via which the voltage present at the first capacitance can be fed to the second capacitance. In this case, the first switch is open if the voltage present at the first capacitance is fed to the second capacitance by means of the voltage follower. The first switch is closed if the second capacitance is connected in parallel with the first capacitance. The invention enables a further capacitance to be supplementarily connected without a disturbance signal arising. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20080267234 | APPARATUS FOR DISSIPATING HEAT IN ELECTRO-OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS - A laser mounted in a casing is driven by and mounted close to its driving circuit. To reduce the effect on the laser of heat generated by the driver circuit, the casing includes a passive heat sink element on which the driver circuit is mounted whereby heat generated by the driver is dissipated by the passive heat sink element. | 10-30-2008 |
