Mechanically decoupled opto-mechanical connector for flexible optical waveguides embedded and/or attached to a printed circuit board

• US 7,454,098 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lamprecht, Tobias P., Horst, Folkert, Dangel, Roger F.
• Primary Examiner(s): HEALY, BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US12/113,480
• Time in Patent Office: 201 Days
• Field of Search: 385/14, 385/92, 385/52, 385/53, 385/31, 385/49, 385/76, 385/77, 385/88, 385/89, 385/94, 385/129, 385/130, 385/131, 385/50, 385/58, 385/101, 385/146, 438/22, 438/31, 257/432, 257/728
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/10 of the optical waveguide type G02B6/02, G02B6/24 take precedence; devices or arrangements for the control of light by electric, magnetic, electro-magnetic or acoustic means G02F1/00; transferring the modulation of modulated light G02F2/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4292 the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements
• 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: Y10T 156/1089 of discrete laminae to single face of additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/109 Embedding of laminae within face of additional laminae
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1092 All laminae planar and face to face

Abstract

Printed circuit boards that include optical interconnects include a flexible optical waveguide embedded or locally attached to the board having at least one end mechanically decoupled from the board during fabrication that can be fitted with a mechanical connector. Also disclosed are processes for fabricating the circuit board.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board including optical interconnects, the printed circuit board comprising:

a rigid substrate;

a flexible optical waveguide locally attached to the rigid substrate having at least one end mechanically decoupled from the rigid substrate such that the one end can be flexed away from the rigid substrate and fitted with a mechanical connector; and

an optical facet incorporated in the mechanical connector enabling an optical coupling to the one end mechanically decoupled from the rigid substrate, wherein the rigid substrate comprises a rigid upper board laminated to a stiffener board to define a stack, wherein the flexible optical waveguide is partially laminated to the first stack and is configured to provide fixation of the flexible optical waveguide to the stack except at the one end mechanically decoupled from the rigid substrate, and wherein the flexible optical waveguide further comprises alignment markers thereon.

2. The printed circuit board of claim 1, wherein the flexible waveguide comprises a flexible substrate and one or more layers of optical waveguides.

3. The printed circuit board of claim 1, wherein the flexible waveguide is configured to provide a bend in an optical path and enable a position tolerant connection to an arbitrary oriented component.