Device for the Efficient Low-Profile Encapsulation of Photonic Integrated Circuits Vertically Coupled to a Fiber

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This patent describes a device designed for compact, low-profile encapsulation of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) that are vertically coupled to optical fibers. The main innovation is a mounting structure that holds the PICs and arranges the optical fibers in a horizontal orientation within the package, allowing both individual fibers and fiber arrays to connect efficiently. The device uses a flexible (or partially flexible) wiring layer for easy electrical connections between the photonic and electronic circuits, and it can be easily integrated into standard optoelectronic packaging formats, reducing volume and complexity.

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• Telecommunications: High-density optical transceivers and switches in data centers or networks.
• Data transmission: Packaging for photonic chips in high-speed data links.
• Sensing: Integration of photonic and electronic circuits for compact optical sensors in biosensing or environmental monitoring.
• Photonics research: Rapid prototyping and testing of PICs with flexible packaging solutions.
• Consumer electronics: Optical interconnection in advanced computing or wearable devices.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly reduces the physical volume and height of packaged photonic devices, supporting low-profile designs.
• Enables high-density optical and electrical interconnection (multiple fibers and circuits per package).
• Easily integrates with existing standard optoelectronic packaging (e.g., butterfly, DIL), facilitating industrial adoption.
• Flexible wiring layer allows simpler, more reliable electrical connections and can eliminate the need for additional packaging layers.
• Supports various package forms and scaling (planar and 3D) for more functions in a single compact assembly.
• Reduces packaging costs by using standard materials and established manufacturing processes.
• Improves alignment tolerances, resulting in lower optical loss and easier fiber-to-chip coupling.
• Allows direct electrical connection to external circuits or PCBs, making integration more straightforward.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the efficient low-profile encapsulation of photonic integrated circuits vertically coupled to a fiber, consisting of a device that enables the low-profile assembly and packaging of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), to which optical guidance means, mainly optical fibers, couple vertically to the integrated circuit, but with a lateral orientation for the optical fiber in the packaging. The optical fiber can be in the form of individual fibers or an array of fibers. The device mainly includes a mounting, a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) having an optical port and an array of optical guidance means constituting optical guidance means. Additionally, the mounting includes coupling means that carry out the coupling.