Optical Package Assembly

Author: Hermann Moos

Abstract: Optical packages typically consist of optical (lenses, couplers, prisms, apertures, filters, etc.) and electronic components (laser diodes, photo diodes, amplifiers, driver ICs, passive components, etc.). Applications can be found in communication technologies (telecom and datacom), where optical signals are converted into electrical signals, and vice versa. In order for a package to work properly, the optical and electronic components must be aligned to each other with the highest precision and accuracy. For some package designs, the task becomes even more complex, as these packages are actively tempered by means of thermo-electric coolers (TEC), which need to be integrated into the assembly as well.

This technical paper describes the assembly of popular printed circuit board (PCB) based optical transceiver modules (40 Gbit/s) to 400 Gbit/s) in Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) used for data communication.