Bidirectional module for multichannel use

• US 6,493,121 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Fiber Optics GmbH (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Althaus, Hans-Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): NEGASH, KINFE MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/702,026
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 359/152, 359/159, 359/163, 359/173, 359/131
• US Class Current: 398/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4246 Bidirectionally operating package structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

A compact bidirectional module for multichannel use includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver combined in a transmission/reception unit installed in a common housing, and at least one further such transmission/reception unit or at least one additional transmission unit or one additional reception unit provided in the common housing. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission/reception unit is constructed in accordance with a bidirectional transceiver module which is described in German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 93 120 733 A1 and is also referred to as a TO-BIDI module, and additional transmission or reception units are likewise constructed by using the TO construction. Thus, a compact module that combines the assemblies of the known BIDI module and those of the TO-BIDI module, with their characteristics is provided.

Claims

1. A transmission and reception module for bidirectional optical message and signal transmission, comprising:

a common housing forming an opening and containing lens coupling optics and a fiber connection for an optical fiber with a longitudinal axis;

a first optical unit containing a transmitter disposed along the longitudinal axis;

a second optical unit disposed adjacent the longitudinal axis, at least one of said first optical unit and said second optical unit being a combined transmission/reception unit having a unit housing at least partially surrounding a transmitter and a receiver, the unit housing mounted in said opening in said common housing; and

a beam splitter in said common housing disposed on the longitudinal axis and at an oblique angle thereto, said beam splitter deflecting beams of light radiation from and to said second optical unit.

2. The transmission and reception module according to claim 1, wherein said combined transmission/reception unit includes a combined mirror/beam-splitter layer equally reflecting a radiation beam emitted from said transmitter and transmitting a received radiation beam to be detected by said receiver.

3. The transmission/reception module according to claim 2, further comprising:

a common substrate supporting said lens coupling optics and said transmitter, said transmitter being a laser chip having a light output side opposing a substrate part mounted on said common substrate, said common substrate holding said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer, said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer inclining at an angle of approximately 45°

to said light output side of said laser chip, such that a radiation beam emitted by said light output side is reflected on said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer toward said lens coupling optics; and

said substrate part and said common substrate transmitting a wavelength of the received radiation beam to be detected by the receiver, and said light receiver located on said outlet side of the received radiation beam from said common substrate.

4. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitter contains a selective-wavelength filter.

5. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, wherein said transmission/reception unit further includes:

a common substrate having a bottom face and a substrate part, said substrate part having a side surface with a mirror layer;

a laser chip below said optical coupling having a resonator surface emitting a radiation and, said laser chip disposed as a transmitter with said side surface adjacent said resonator surface, said resonator surfaces inclined at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees to said side surface for directing said radiation upwards perpendicularly from said common substrate to said lens coupling optics, said lens coupling optics attached to said substrate part, such that said mirror layer is adjacent said resonator surface;

said beam splitter reflecting the radiation emitted from said laser chip and passing radiation injected from said lens coupling optics such that said light receiver is provided underneath the beam splitter, on said bottom face of said common substrate.

6. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reception unit.

7. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission unit.

8. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a further transmission/reception unit.

9. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

two reception units.

10. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reception unit; and

a further transmission/reception unit.

11. The Transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

four reception units.

12. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

four transmission units.

13. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

four further transmission/reception units.

14. The transmission/reception module according to claim 1, further comprising:

2n further transmission/reception units, where n≧

2.

15. A transmission and reception module for bidirectional optical message and signal transmission, comprising:

a common housing forming at least two openings and containing lens coupling optics and a fiber connection for an optical fiber with a longitudinal axis;

a first optical unit containing a transmitter disposed along the longitudinal axis being mounted in one of said at least two openings in said common housing;

a second optical unit adjacent the longitudinal axis containing at least one of a transmitter and a receiver, at least one of said first optical unit and said second optical unit being a combined transmission/reception unit integrated in a common unit housing, said common unit housing being mounted in one of said at least two openings in said common housing; and

a beam splitter in said common housing disposed on the longitudinal axis and at an oblique angle thereto, said beam splitter deflecting beams of light radiation from and to said second optical unit.

16. The transmission/reception module according to claim 15, wherein said transmission/reception unit further includes:

a common substrate having a bottom face and a substrate part, said substrate part having a side surface with a mirror layer;

a laser chip below said optical coupling having a resonator surface emitting a radiation and, said laser chip disposed as a transmitter with said side surface adjacent said resonator surface, said resonator surfaces inclined at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees to said side surface for directing said radiation upwards perpendicularly from said common substrate to said lens coupling optics, said lens coupling optics attached to said substrate part, such that said mirror layer is adjacent said resonator surface;

said beam splitter reflecting the radiation emitted from said laser chip and passing radiation injected from said lens coupling optics such that an optical coupling for the light receiver is provided underneath the beam splitter, on said bottom face of said common substrate.

17. The transmission and reception module according to claim 16, wherein said combined transmission/reception unit includes a combined mirror/beam-splitter layer equally reflecting a radiation beam emitted from said transmitter and transmitting a received radiation beam to be detected by said receiver.

18. The transmission/reception module according to claim 17, further comprising:

a common substrate supporting said lens coupling optics and said transmitter, said transmitter being a laser chip having a light output side opposing a substrate part mounted on said common substrate, said common substrate holding said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer, said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer inclining at an angle of approximately 45°

to said light output side of said laser chip, such that a radiation beam emitted by said light output side is reflected on said combined mirror/beam-splitter layer toward said lens coupling optics; and

said substrate part and said common substrate transmitting a wavelength of the received radiation beam to be detected by the receiver, and an optical coupling for said light receiver located on said outlet side of the received radiation beam from said common substrate.

19. The transmission/reception module according to claim 15, wherein said beam splitter contains a selective-wavelength filter.

20. The transmission/reception module according to claim 15, further comprising a reception unit.