Planar optical component, and a coupling device for coupling light between a planar optical component and an optical assembly

• US 20040033016A1
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSI Technology Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kropp, Jorg-Reinhard
• Granted Patent: US 6,973,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/31
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/30 for use between fibre and thin-film device
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4214 the intermediate optical element having redirecting reflective means, e.g. mirrors, prisms for deflecting the radiation from horizontal to down- or upward direction toward a device G02B6/4246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4249 comprising arrays of active devices and fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/43 Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 385/901 Illuminating or display apparatus

Abstract

A multilayer planar optical component has a multiplicity of optical conductors. Each optical conductor is assigned a deflecting device that launches or couples out light at an angle to a longitudinal direction of the respective optical conductor, and the deflecting devices form a two-dimensional grid in the projection onto a plane parallel to the surface of the planar optical component. A coupling device for coupling light between such a planar optical component and an optical assembly has a lens array with a multiplicity of lenses disposed along a two-dimensional grid.

Claims

1. A planar optical component, comprising:

a surface;

a multiplicity of optical conductors having light-guiding core regions running in at least two layers disposed parallel to one another; and

deflecting devices disposed in a two-dimensional grid in a projection onto a plane parallel to said surface, each of said optical conductors associated with one of said deflecting devices, said deflecting devices launching or coupling out light at an angle to a longitudinal direction of said optical conductors.

2. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting devices assigned to a respective one of said layers are disposed along a straight line.

3. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting devices disposed in different ones of said layers are disposed offset from one another.

4. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting devices have reflection regions reflecting the light guided in said optical conductors in a direction of said surface.

5. The optical component according to claim 4, wherein said reflection regions of said deflecting devices are disposed in each case at an angle of substantially 45°

to the longitudinal direction of a respective one of said optical conductors.

6. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting devices are formed by separate mirrors embedded in a respective one of said layers.

7. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said layers of said optical conductors form a planar structure, said planar structure having cutouts formed therein such that the light respectively coupled out by said deflecting devices traverses a free beam region up to said surface.

8. The optical component according to claim 1, further comprising a structure with said optical conductors disposed in said structure, said structure with said optical conductors having a wedge-shaped cutout formed therein and functioning as said deflecting devices, said wedge-shaped cutout having a silvered boundary surface running at an angle of substantially 45°

to the longitudinal direction of said optical conductors, the light reflected at said silvered boundary surface transilluminating said layers situated there-above in each case.

9. The optical component according to claim 8, wherein said wedge-shaped cutout is formed by milling, etching or laser ablation of said structure.

10. The optical component according to claim 1, further comprising a structure having said optical conductors disposed therein said structure having a cutout formed therein, and said deflecting devices are constructed as a separate component disposed one of in said cutout and adjoins an edge region of said structure.

11. The optical component according to claim 1, further comprising aligning devices for passive alignment of the optical component.

12. The optical component according to claim 11, wherein said deflecting devices of each of said layers are aligned with said aligning devices.

13. The optical component according to claim 11, further comprising a structure having said optical conductors disposed thereon, said structure having bores formed therein and said bores functioning as said aligning devices by receiving and holding guide pins.

14. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said layers are produced separately in each case and then connected to one another.

15. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said multiplicity of optical conductors form a multilayer optical printed circuit board.

16. The optical component according to claim 15, wherein said multilayer optical printed circuit board is a backplane of a rack cabinet.

23. The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein said lens array has a first aligning device that lines up with a second aligning device of the planar optical component.

24. The coupling device according to claim 23, wherein said lens array has two bores formed therein that line up with bores of the planar optical component, and said lens array and the planar optical component can be aligned with one another via guide pins inserted into the bores.

17. A coupling device for coupling light between a planar optical component and an optical assembly having a multiplicity of optical coupling faces that form a two-dimensional grid, the planar optical component containing a surface, deflecting devices disposed in a two-dimensional grid in a projection onto a plane parallel to the surface, and a multiplicity of optical conductors having light-guiding core regions running in at least two layers disposed parallel to one another, each of the optical conductors associated with one of the deflecting devices, the deflecting devices launching or coupling out the light at an angle to a longitudinal direction of the optical conductors, the coupling device comprising:

a lens array having a multiplicity of lenses disposed along a two-dimensional grid, said lenses of said lens array in each case coupling the light between one of the deflecting devices for one of the optical conductors of the planar optical component and one of the optical coupling faces of the optical assembly.

18. The coupling device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said lens array is constructed such that there is implemented a different projection of the light onto a respectively assigned one of the optical coupling faces, which equalizes different spacings of the deflecting devices of individual ones of the layers of the planar optical component from the surface of the planar optical component.

19. The coupling device according to claim 17, wherein said individual ones of said lenses have equivalent projecting behaviors, an optical projection of an end face of a coupled optical assembly being positioned approximately at a mean depth of the layers.

20. The coupling device according to claim 17, wherein said lenses are disposed in rows, said lenses in each of said rows assigned to a specific one of the layers have a focal position adapted to a spacing of a respective layer from the surface of the planar optical component.

21. The coupling device according to claim 17, wherein said lenses are disposed in rows, said lenses in each of said of rows assigned to a specific one of the layers have, by comparison with said lenses of other rows, a different spacing from the surface of the planar optical component such that a beam path from said lenses is parallel in each case.

22. The coupling device according to claim 21, wherein said lenses are disposed in rows, said lenses of each of said rows have a different lens thickness by comparison with said lenses of other rows in such a way that equal scale ratios are obtained for all the layers.

25. The coupling device according to claim 17, further comprising a plug receptacle, and said lens array is mounted in said plug receptacle.

26. The coupling device according to claim 25, wherein plug receptacle forms latching elements for latching an optical plug.

27. The coupling device according to claim 17, wherein said lens array can be connected permanently to the planar optical component by one of soldering, bonding and latching elements.

28. A configuration, including:

a planar optical component containing;

a surface;

a multiplicity of optical conductors having light-guiding core regions running in at least two layers disposed parallel to one another; and

deflecting devices disposed in a two-dimensional grid in a projection onto a plane parallel to said surface, each of said optical conductors associated with one of said deflecting devices, said deflecting devices launching or coupling out light at an angle to a longitudinal direction of said optical conductors; and

a coupling device containing a lens array having a multiplicity of lenses disposed along a two-dimensional grid, said coupling device connected to said planar optical component such that in each case one of said deflecting devices of said planar optical component being assigned to one of said lenses of said lens array of said coupling device.