Intellectual Property Office

Non-Confidential Disclosures

“Integrated Optical Fiber Alignment Package”

PSU Inv. Disc. No 2007-3323

Field of the Invention:

Optical Component, Optical Packaging, Data Transmission and Integrated Active Alignment System

Inventors:

K. Uchino, S-H. Park, C.A. Randall, R.E. Eitel

Applications:

The optical component market is currently estimated at US$1.5 billion and is expected to grow to $2.4 billion by 2009. This growth is expected to be driven, in part, by the merging of phone call, television and Internet data transmission lines into optical network systems.

Background:

Currently, commercial optical packaging manufacturers are utilizing costly robotic alignment stations with complex computer algorithms to perform fiber alignment. The major technical challenge in optoelectronic packaging is laser - fiber, fiber - fiber and fiber - detector alignment, which requires high optical coupling efficiency, long term stability and special alignment tolerances of <100 nm. These conditions are very difficult to obtain with conventional packaging. Additionally, long term mechanical stress relaxation and thermal creep can be a time dependent loss of coupling efficiency. Stress relaxation in solders and epoxies used to attach aligned fibers and devices is a common source of premature failure in optoelectronic packages.

Invention description:

The subject invention is produced by a novel process that results in a stable structure, low production cost and compact size of less than 4 cm3. The two-degrees of freedom (active alignment) system rely on a highly precise, piezoelectric ultrasonic motor, which has the unique ability of possible re-alignment. The system has been engineered for strong robustness and long life time. The invention does not require soldering or gluing, which is a time consuming and high failure rate production step. The invention's resolution should be about 100 nm. The inventors believe that products incorporating the invention would be priced at a few hundred dollars per unit, which is priced close to the cost of passive alignment systems (@ $50.00) but dramatically below the cost of current active alignment systems. The invention has been designed to reduce the long-term maintenance cost of the optical network.

Contact:

Matthew Smith
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 863-1122
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail: mds126@psu.edu