Abstract:
A female format connector, usable for connection with a male format connector having an alignment pin (3406) is described as having a high-precision piece coupled to a low precision piece. The low precision piece has an alignment opening (3402) positioned to accept the alignment pin of the male format device. The high-precision piece also has an alignment opening. The alignment openings are sized and positioned for accurate alignment between the pieces during coupling and, after coupling, the high-precision piece is modified such that the second alignment opening, after modification, is larger than it was prior to the coupling. A method of forming a female format ferrule involves coupling a high precision piece to a low precision piece, via alignment holes on each, the alignment holes are sized to accept a common alignment pin for maintaining accurate alignment between the pieces during coupling, and, after coupling, removing some of the alignment hole wall.
Abstract:
A commercial fiber optic connector of a style constructed to accept a ferrule-like unit therein has optical fibers, each having a first part and a second part separated by lengths, a low precision piece having a peripheral shape of a part of the ferrule like unit, two high precision slices each having fiber holes therein. A chamber separates the two high precision pieces defining a volume therebetween. The optical fibers have their first parts within the fiber holes in one of the high precision slices, their second parts within the fiber holes in the other of the high precision slices, and at least some of their length within the volume. The low precision piece and the two high precision slices collectively form the ferrule like unit and the ferrule like unit is contained substantially within the connector housing. A method of making a commercial optical connector involves making a first plate having holes, each larger than a cross sectional area of an optical fiber; making a second plate having holes each larger than the cross sectional area of the optical fiber; inserting an optical fiber in one of the holes in the first plate and one of the holes in the second plate, forming a ferrule component by connecting each of the first plate and the second plate to a chamber that separates the first plate from the second plate, and inserting the ferrule component in a ferrule location of the commercial optical connector.
Abstract:
A method for creating a hybridized chip having at least one bottom active device (1504) coupled to an electronic chip (1518) includes combining a bottom active optical device and an electronic chip when at least some of the bottom active optical device contacts are not aligned with at least some of the electronic chip contacts. The method involves adding an insulating layer (1506), having a thickness, a first side and a second side, to the bottom active optical device by affixing the first side of the insulating layer to the surface of the bottom active optical device opposite the substrate, forming openings in the insulating layer extending from the second side to the first side at points substantially coincident with the active contacts of the optical device and the electronic chip, making the sidewalls electrically conductive, and connecting the points with the bottom active optical device contacts and the electronic chip contacts with an electrically conductive material.
Abstract:
A method of integrating a topside optical device, having electrical contacts on a top side, with an electronic chip (324) having electrical contacts on a connection side, involves creating a trench (308), defined by a wall, from the top side of a wafer containing the topside optical device into a substrate (304) of the wafer, making a portion of the wall conductive by applying a conductive material to the portion; and thinning the substrate to expose the conductive material.
Abstract:
A method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall (3806) in a wafer material (3800), to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves treating the wall with a reactive gas, by exposing the wall to the reactive gas, to cause the wall to become a cladding material (3808) and expand outwards from the wall in a defined, uniform manner until a desired size for the feature is achieved. An alternative method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall in a wafer material, to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves depositing a base material on at least part of the wall to facilitate plating of a material on the wall, on top of the base material, in a defined, uniform manner, and plating the at least part of the wall with the material until a desired size for the feature is achieved.
Abstract:
A method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall in a wafer material, to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves treating the wall with a reactive gas, by exposing the wall to the reactive gas, to cause the wall to become a cladding material and expand outwards from the wall in a defined, uniform manner until a desired size for the feature is achieved. An alternative method of optimizing a feature, defined by a wall in a wafer material, to an accuracy of better than 1 micron involves depositing a base material on at least part of the wall to facilitate plating of a material on the wall, on top of the base material, in a defined, uniform manner, and plating the at least part of the wall with the material until a desired size for the feature is achieved.
Abstract:
An apparatus to accurately hold an optical fiber within a commercial fiber optic connector. The connector has a first high precision slice having multiple holes of a first area and a first alignment opening and a second high precision slice having multiple holes of a second area and a second alignment opening. The holes of the first high precision slice are arranged relative to the first alignment opening so that, when the second high precision slice and the first high precision slice are juxtaposed with one another and the first alignment opening and the second alignment opening are aligned, the holes of the first high precision slice and the holes of the second high precision slice will be offset relative to each other and will define an opening having an area less than a smaller of the first area and second area. The opening is capable of closely constraining an optical fiber inserted therethrough. A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least two high precision pieces, having misaligned holes relative to each other, together coupling the at least two high precision pieces to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit, terminating the fibers in the holes, and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing.
Abstract:
A method of forming a guide for light in a high refractive index material involves forming a guiding structure into a surface of the material, treating the material with a reactive gas to cause the wall to become a cladding material (3808) having a relatively low refractive index, and after treating, filling the cavity with an optically transparent material having a refractive index sufficiently above that of the cladding. A light guiding device is also described. The light guiding device has a slab having a high refractive index, a guide located within the slab. The guide has a wall surface covered with a material, derived from the slab, having a first refractive index lower than the high refractive index, and a filler material having a second refractive index sufficiently higher than the first refractive index such that light entering the guide will be directed towards the second end.
Abstract:
An apparatus to accurately hold an optical fiber within a commercial fiber optic connector. The connector has a first high precision slice (1300) having multiple holes of a first area and a first alignment opening and a second high precision slice (1302) having multiple holes of a second area and a second alignment opening. The holes of the first high precision slice are arranged relative to the first alignment opening so that, when the second high precision slice and the first high precision slice are juxtaposed with one another and the first alignment opening and the second alignment opening are aligned, the holes of the first high precision slice and the holes of the second high precision slice will be offset relative to each other and will define an opening having an area less than a smaller of the first area and second area. The opening is capable of closely constraining an optical fiber (1308) inserted therethrough. A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least two High precision pieces, having misaligned holes relative to each other, together coupling the at least two high precision pieces to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit, terminating the fibers in the holes, and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing.
Abstract:
A method of making a fiber optic connector (1500) adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least one high precision piece, having holes configured to accept an array of optical fibers, to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing, A commercial fiber optic connector of a style constructed to accept a ferrule-like unit therein has a connector housing, at least 36 optical fiber, a low precision piece and at least one high precision slice having at least 36 fiber holes each adapted to accept one of the optical fibers, the low precision piece and the at least one high precision slice being contained substantially within the connector housing and forming the ferrule like unit.