Hermetic optical fiber alignment assembly having integrated optical element

Abstract

A hermetic optical fiber alignment assembly includes a ferrule portion having a plurality of grooves receiving the end sections of optical fibers, wherein the grooves define the location and orientation of the end sections with respect to the ferrule portion. The assembly includes an integrated optical element for coupling the input / output of an optical fiber to the opto-electronic devices in the opto-electronic module. The optical element can be in the form of a structured reflective surface. The end of the optical fiber is at a defined distance to and aligned with the structured reflective surface. The structured reflective surfaces and the fiber alignment grooves can be formed by stamping.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM[0001]This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 623,027 filed on April 11, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 699,125 filed on September 10, 2012. Further, this application claims the priority and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 786,448 filed on Mar. 5, 2013, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 606,885 filed on Mar. 5, 2012. These applications are fully incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. All publications noted below are fully incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to optical fiber ferrule structures, in particular a hermetic optical fiber alignment assembly including a ferrule for aligning optical fibers.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Given the increasing bandwidth requirements for modern day data transmi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is an improved assembly for aligning optical fibers and elements. It overcomes the problems of previous structures by improving optical alignment, manufacturability, ease of use, functionality, and reliability at lower costs. The assembly includes a first ferrule that holds an optical element and an optical fiber retention structure, which accurately aligns the optical fiber with the optical element. This ensures that output or input light from the optical fiber is directed to the outside of the ferrule or reflected towards it. The assembly also includes a second ferrule that is attached to the first ferrule, with the first ferrule having an extended portion on which the optical element is located. This allows for better optical alignment and reduces the size of the assembly.

Problems solved by technology

Given the large clearance between the sleeve and the optical fiber and the use of epoxy to seal such clearance (i.e., a layer of epoxy between the external fiber wall and the inside wall of the sleeve), the sleeve does not support the optical fiber with any positional alignment with respect to the sleeve.

The transmitters and receivers and associated optical elements and connection structures are therefore generally bulky, which take up significant space, thereby making them not suitable for use in smaller electronic devices.

Heretofore, opto-electronic modules containing transmitters and receivers are generally quite expensive and comparatively large in size for a given port count.

The above noted drawbacks of existing fiber optic data transmission are exacerbated in multi-channel fiber transmission.

However, these multi-fiber hermetic feedthrough configurations do not appear to resolve the drawbacks of the prior art noted above, and introduce additional complexity and cost at least from a manufacturability perspective.

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