Plastic packaged optoelectronic device

The invention is an optoelectronic device including an optical subassembly enclosed within a plastic housing. The housing includes a wall with an aperture and a lens mounted therein. A plastic receptacle is mounted to the wall. The receptacle includes an opening which is aligned with the lens and which is capable of receiving an optical fiber so that the fiber is aligned with light emitted from the optical assembly. The receptacle is preferably mounted to the wall by means of epoxy.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to optoelectronics and in particular to packaged optoelectronics devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of optoelectronics, it is common to form an optical subassembly including a laser and a ball lens on a silicon substrate. (See, e.g., Anigbo patent 5,881,193, which is incorporated by reference herein). Such an assembly is packaged so as to align the laser light with an optical fiber using another ball lens. (See, e.g., Osenbach et al., Electronics Components Testing Conference, Pg. 313-323, 1998.) The package is usually made of ceramic and/or metal, and the fiber is usually welded to the package. While generally adequate, such packages tend to be expensive, and the laser welding process is usually time-consuming.

It is, therefore, desirable to provide a low cost package with high speed active alignment between the optical devices and the optical fiber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an optoelectronic device including an optical subassembly enclosed within a plastic housing. The housing includes a wall with an aperture and a lens mounted therein. A plastic receptacle is mounted to the wall. The receptacle includes an opening which is aligned with the lens and which is capable of receiving an optical fiber so that the fiber is aligned with light emitted from the optical assembly. The receptacle is preferably mounted to the wall by means of epoxy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate in varying detail a typical optoelectronic device, 10 , in this example a transmitter, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a molded plastic housing, 11 , is provided. The housing is typically made of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or other suitable plastic exhibiting high temperature stability which is considerably less expensive than the standard metal and ceramic housings. The housing includes a plurality of thermal leads, 12 , extending out of the housing and thermally coupled to a heat sink, 13 , placed on the bottom of the housing. The thermal leads, 12 , and the heat sink are typically made of Au-plated Beryllium-Copper. A plurality of electrical leads, 14 , also extend out of the housing and are positioned within the housing to provide electrical contact to an optical subassembly, to be described. The electrical leads are also typically made of Au-plated Beryllium-Copper. The housing, 11 , also has a wall, 15 , on one end which includes a circular aperture, 16 , formed therethrough.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the housing populated with various optoelectronic components. In particular, an optical subassembly, 20 , is bonded to the heat sink, 13 , at the bottom of the housing, 11 . A typical subassembly, 20 , would include a silicon substrate, 21 , with a cavity, 22 , formed on one major surface. A semiconductor laser, 23 , is bonded to the top major surface of the substrate, and a first ball lens, 24 , is bonded in the cavity, 22 . Electrical connections for driving the laser, 23 , are provided by means of wire bonds (not shown) coupled to the leads, 14 , and bonding pads (not shown) on the surface of the substrate. A second ball lens, 25 , is press fit into the aperture, 16 , in the wall, 15 . The lenses, 24 and 25 , are independently aligned to couple light from the laser, 23 , to an optical fiber, 26 .

Alignment of the light from the laser, 23 , with the optical fiber, 26 , is accomplished by first mounting the fiber, 26 , within a plastic receptacle, 30 , which is typically PPS, into which a ceramic ferrule, 31 , typically made of cubic stabilized zirconia, is either press fit or insert molded. The fiber is inserted into the ferrule and held in place by the spring force of a standard connector (not shown). With the laser, 23 , turned on, the receptacle, 30 , is contacted to the outer surface of wall, 15 , so that the opening in the ferrule, 31 , is aligned with the opening, 16 , in the wall, 15 , and the fiber can receive the light from the laser. The receptacle, 30 , is then moved around until the appropriate signal is transmitted through the fiber as measured by a commercially available optical power meter (not shown). At this point, the receptacle is fixed in position by bonding to the wall, 15 , usually by means of an epoxy, 33 . Thus, laser welding of the fiber is avoided.

Since the housing, 11 , and receptacle, 30 , are made of plastic, the resulting package is generally less expensive than standard metal and ceramic packages. Further, applicants have discovered that the housing and receptacle are sufficiently stable to permit effective optical alignment of free space components even when two independently aligned lenses, 24 and 25 , are employed as part of the optical components.

FIG. 4 illustrates an additional embodiment comprising a transceiver, 40 . The transceiver, 40 , includes a transmitter, 10 , which may be identical to the transmitter previously described, and a receiver, 50 , which may be identical to the receiver described in U.S. Patent Application of Keska, case 2-2-2-1-28-1-3, filed on an even date herewith. The transmitter and receiver are mounted side-by-side in an additional plastic housing, 41 , which may also comprise PPS. As previously described, optical fibers (not shown) may be aligned with components of the transmitter and receiver. An integrated circuit board, 42 , including the electronics for operating the transmitter and receiver is also mounted within the outer housing, 41 . The electrical leads of the transmitter and receiver, e.g., leads 14 of the transmitter, are coupled to pads (not shown) on the circuit board, and the electronics on the circuit board are electrically coupled to components or power supplies outside the package by means of leads, e.g. 43 , which may extend through the bottom of the housing, 41 .