Opto-electronic chip package

• US 6,702,480 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2001
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AraLight, Inc. (Cubic Wafer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sparacino, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruce, David V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barber, Therese
• Application Number:
  US09/872,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,011 Days
• Field of Search: 385/39, 385/49, 385/50, 385/52, 385/88, 385/89, 385/90, 385/91, 385/92
• US Class Current: 385/88
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4201 Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4249 comprising arrays of active devices and fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

An opto-electronic chip package having a rigid L-shaped chassis to which a flexible circuit board is attached. A first region of the flexible circuit board receives an opto-electronic chip. An optical fiber sub-assembly places at least one optical fiber in optical communication with at least one surface normal opto-electronic device on the opto-electronic chip. The opto-electronic chip package further includes a housing that receives the chassis, the circuit board and the optical fiber sub-assembly. Before placing the chassis, circuit board and optical fiber sub-assembly in the housing, a second region of the circuit board is attached to the chassis. As the chassis and circuit board are placed in the housing, the first region of the circuit board engages a lip of the housing. The lip forces the first region of the circuit board against the chassis such that the first region is perpendicular to the second region of the circuit board. The housing is open at an end to allow a heat sink to be attached to the first end of the circuit board. The same fasteners that are used to attach the heat sink to the circuit board also advantageously attach the circuit board to the chassis, minimizing screw count in the circuit board.

Claims

1. In an opto-electronic package having:

a rigid chassis, said chassis having a first portion and a second portion, wherein said first portion is orthogonal to said second portion; and

a flexible circuit board, said circuit board having a chip-receiving region and a motherboard-interfacing region, wherein said motherboard-interfacing region is fixedly attached to said second portion of said rigid chassis;

wherein the improvement comprises;

a housing that receives said chassis and said circuit board, said housing having a physical adaptation that forces said chip-receiving portion of said circuit board against said first portion of said rigid chassis.

2. The opto-electronic package of claim 1 wherein said physical adaptation of said housing is a lip that engages said chip-receiving portion of said circuit board.

3. The opto-electronic package of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink, wherein:

said heat sink abuts said chip-receiving receiving of said circuit board such that said chip-receiving region is interposed between said first portion of said chassis and said heat sink, and

said heat sink is fixedly attached to said chassis thereby fixedly attaching said chip-receiving region of said circuit board against said first portion of said chassis.

4. The opto-electronic package of claim 3, wherein:

at least two holes are defined in said heat sink;

at least two holes are defined in said chip-receiving region of said circuit board that align with said two holes in said heat sink;

said chassis has at least two receivers that are aligned with said two holes in said circuit board and said heat sink; and

at least two fasteners that extend through said two holes in said heat sink and said two holes in said chip-receiving region of said circuit board and into said two receivers to fixedly attach said heat sink and said chip-receiving region of said circuit board to said chassis.

5. The opto-electronic package of claim 4 wherein said fasteners are machine screws.

6. The opto-electronic package of claim 3 further comprising an opto-electronic chip, wherein said opto-electronic chip is attached to said chip-receiving region of said circuit board.

7. The opto-electronic package of claim 6 wherein said opto-electronic chip comprises at least one surface emitting opto-electronic device.

8. The opto-electronic package of claim 7 wherein said surface emitting opto-electronic device is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

9. The opto-electronic package of claim 7 further comprising an optical fiber subassembly having at least one optical fiber, wherein:

said optical fiber assembly is received by said chassis;

said optical fiber is in optical communication with said surface normal opto-electronic device;

an optical axis of said optical fiber is perpendicular to an emitting/receiving surface of said opto-electronic device; and

an optical axis of said optical fiber is parallel to said motherboard-interfacing region of said circuit board.

10. An opto-electronic package comprising:

a rigid chassis, said chassis having a first portion and a second portion, wherein said first portion is perpendicular to said second portion;

a flexible circuit board, said circuit board having a chip-receiving region and a motherboard-interfacing region, wherein said motherboard-interfacing region is fixedly attached to said second portion of said rigid chassis;

an opto-electronic chip attached to said circuit board at said chip-receiving region;

a housing that receives said chassis and said circuit board, wherein said housing has a physical adaptation that forces said chip-receiving region of said circuit board against said first portion of said rigid chassis; and

a heat sink that is fixedly attached to said circuit board and said chassis by at least two fasteners that attach both said heat sink and said circuit board to said chassis.

11. The opto-electronic package of claim 10 further comprising an optical fiber subassembly having a plurality of optical fibers, wherein:

said optical fiber sub-assembly is received by said chassis;

said optical fibers are aligned with a plurality of opto-electronic devices that are disposed on said opto-electronic chip;

an optical axis of each said optical fibers is perpendicular to an emitting/receiving surface of said opto-electronic devices; and

said optical axis is parallel to said motherboard-interfacing region of said circuit board.

12. The opto-electronic package of claim 11 wherein said opto-electronic devices are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers.