OPTICAL BENCH APPARATUS HAVING INTEGRATED MONITOR PHOTODETECTORS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING OPTICAL POWER USING SAME
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Abstract
Optical bench structure provides a platform for integrating optical transmitters, particularly Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs), with monitor photodetectors. A substrate with photodetectors on the front side is aligned with flip-chip bonding bumps so the emission of the transmitters is aligned with the monitor photodetectors and passes through the monitor photodetectors with a portion of the transmitted light absorbed by the monitor photodetectors. The photodetectors have a thin absorption region so the percentage of light absorbed may be relatively small, providing sufficient photocurrent to monitor the transmitted power having a minimal effect on the transmitted power. Microlenses are integrated on the backside of the substrate focus, steer and/or collimate the emitted optical beams from the transmitters. The structure enables photodetectors to be integrated on the optical bench allowing the received optical power to be monitored. The receiver photodetectors are integrated on the optical bench alone and/or in combination with the transmitters.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1-34. -34. (canceled)
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35. An optical bench apparatus comprising:
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a substrate having a first side and a second side, wherein the second side is located opposite the first side; an optical power monitor on the first side of the substrate; a photodetector configured to detect an optical input that passes through the substrate and the optical power monitor; first group of electrical interconnect lines located on the substrate, wherein the first electrical interconnect lines are configured to connect to the photodetector; second group of electrical interconnect lines located on the substrate and configured to connect to the optical power monitor; and a bonding site on the substrate configured to bond to the photodetector, wherein the bonding site is located to optically align the photodetector with the optical power monitor such that the optical input received through the substrate impinges on the optical power monitor, wherein the optical power monitor is configured to receive the optical input that passes through the substrate and absorb a portion of the received optical input so that the portion of the optical input received by the photodetector is less than all of the optical input that passes through the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. An optical bench apparatus comprising:
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a photodetector configured to detect an optical signal; a substrate configured to transmit at least a portion of the optical signal; an optical power monitor disposed on the substrate, wherein the optical power monitor is configured to receive the optical signal transmitted by the substrate and absorb a portion of the received optical signal so that less than all of the optical signal arrives at the photodetector; and a receiver substrate including a photodetector electrically connected to the substrate to align the photodetector with the optical power monitor so that the photodetector and the optical power monitor detect the optical input transmitted through the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A method of monitoring optical power in an optical link comprising:
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detecting, by an optical power monitor aligned with a photodetector in an optical bench apparatus, an optical input that impinges on the optical power monitor; absorbing, by the optical power monitor, a fraction of the detected optical input so that less than all of the optical input reaches the photodetector; converting, by the optical power monitor, the absorbed fraction of the detected optical input into a monitor photocurrent; and monitoring the optical power of the detected optical input based on the monitor photocurrent. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62)
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63. A method of manufacturing an optical bench apparatus, comprising:
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providing an optical bench apparatus having a substrate and an integrated optical power monitor photodetector; providing electrical interconnect lines on the substrate; integrating a photodetector with some of the electrical interconnect lines to the optical bench apparatus; connecting the optical power monitor with some other of the electrical interconnect lines to the optical bench apparatus; and aligning the photodetector with the optical power monitor such that an optical input is transmitted through the optical power-monitor and the photodetector, wherein the optical power monitor photodetector is integrated with the substrate to absorb a portion of the optical input so that less than all of the optical input passes through the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (64)
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Specification