Optical circuit on printed circuit board
First Claim
1. Apparatus for mounting fiber optic circuits upon a printed circuit board that includesa printed circuit board containing both electrical and optical circuitry on the upper surfaces of said board,bend members each containing an arcuate guide surface having a predetermined radius of curvature that is within the bend tolerance of optical fibers used in said optical circuitry,mounting means for selectively attaching said bend members at predetermined spaced apart locations on the upper surface of the board,support members attached to the upper surface of said board for mounting optical circuit components between spaced apart bend members,a pair of spaced apart mandrels mounted upon the upper surface of said board about which spliced sections of said fiber optic circuitry are wound, each mandrel being formed by a plurality of circumferentially aligned bend members,said bend members and said support members being formed of a material that has a thermal coefficient of expansion that is about equal to that of said optical fibers.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for packaging a fiber optic device along with electronic and opto-electronic components upon a printed circuit board. Bend members having arcuate shaped guide surfaces for directing fibers between various components are strategically mounted upon the top surface of the board. Passive fiber optic components are also mounted upon support means between bend members so that the fibers entering and exiting the passive component run tangent to the bend radius of the bend members. The radius of curvature of the bend members is within the bend tolerance of the fibers used in the device. The bend members and support members are formed of a material having a thermal coefficient of expansion that is about equal to that of the board material whereby thermally induced stresses on the board mounted components are minimized.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. Apparatus for mounting fiber optic circuits upon a printed circuit board that includes
a printed circuit board containing both electrical and optical circuitry on the upper surfaces of said board, bend members each containing an arcuate guide surface having a predetermined radius of curvature that is within the bend tolerance of optical fibers used in said optical circuitry, mounting means for selectively attaching said bend members at predetermined spaced apart locations on the upper surface of the board, support members attached to the upper surface of said board for mounting optical circuit components between spaced apart bend members, a pair of spaced apart mandrels mounted upon the upper surface of said board about which spliced sections of said fiber optic circuitry are wound, each mandrel being formed by a plurality of circumferentially aligned bend members, said bend members and said support members being formed of a material that has a thermal coefficient of expansion that is about equal to that of said optical fibers.
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9. Apparatus for mounting a fiber optic circuit upon a printed circuit board that includes
a printed circuit board, bend members each containing an arcuate guide surface having a predetermined radius of curvature that is within the bend tolerance of optical fibers used in the optic circuit, mounting means for selectively attaching the bend members at predetermined spaced apart locations on the upper surface of the board; -
support members attached to the upper surface of said board for mounting passive optical circuit components between two spaced apart bend members, said bend members and said support members being formed of a material that has a thermal coefficient of expansion that is about equal to that of said board, wherein said optical circuits include coupler means for optically connecting active optical circuit components that are mounted on said board to said fiber optic circuit and run means on said board for electrically connecting the active component to an electrical header mounted on said board, and a pump laser that is coupled to the fiber optic circuit and the electrical header. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for mounting a fiber optic circuit upon a printed circuit board that includes
a printed circuit board, bend members each containing an arcuate guide surface having a predetermined radius of curvature that is within the bend tolerance of optical fibers used in the optic circuit, wherein said arcuate shaped guide surfaces of said bend members subtend an arc of 90° - or less,
mounting means for selectively attaching the bend members at predetermined spaced apart locations on the upper surface of the board. support members attached to the upper surface of said board for mounting passive optical circuit components between two spaced apart bend members, said bend members and said support members being formed of a material that has a thermal coefficient of expansion that is about equal to that of said board, and a pair of spaced apart mandrels mounted upon said board about which spliced sections of the fiber optic circuit are wound, each mandrel being formed by a plurality of circumferentially aligned bend members. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. Apparatus for mounting fiber optic circuitry upon a printed circuit board that includes
a printed circuit board having a flat planar upper surface containing electrical circuitry thereon, support members attached to the upper surface of the circuit board for mounting optical components containing optical fibers for carrying optical signals into and out of said components, bend members mounted upon the upper surface of said board containing arcuate guide surfaces for physically engaging the optical fibers on the inside of each bend and directing said optical fibers toward and away from said optical components, each guide surface having a radius of curvature that is within the bend tolerance of the optical fibers, and said bend members and said support members being formed of a material that has a thermal coefficient of expansion about equal to that of the optical fibers.
Specification