Patent Publication Number: US-11036009-B2

Title: Reconfigurable optical ferrule carrier mating system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of and claims priority to application Ser. No. 16/362,464, filed on May 22, 2019, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Fiber optic transmission and photonic systems are utilized in data communication architectures for connecting different systems. The interconnections between different systems generally utilized active optical cables, which have built in electrical-to-optical conversion (i.e., transceivers) to extend the transmission distance of data over traditional electrical cables. 
     For mesh networking (or all-to-all connectivity), every node within the system is directly connected to all other nodes within the system. A node has multiple ports to connect to other nodes within the system. Traditionally, each connection within the mesh network comprise individual connections. As the mesh network scales, the number of individual connections required increases tremendously. To provide the all-to-all connectivity, optical fiber shuffles or interconnects are used to separate out the optical fibers of each connector so that each connector may be coupled to multiple optical connectors of different systems. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The figures are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments. 
       Some of the figures included herein illustrate various embodiments of the invention from different viewing angles. Although the accompanying descriptive text may refer to elements depicted therein as being on the “top,” “bottom” or “side” of an apparatus, such references are merely descriptive and do not imply or require that the invention be implemented or used in a particular spatial orientation unless explicitly stated otherwise. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example of reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2A  is an example serial ferrule carrier (SFC) in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2B  is the example SFC of  FIG. 2A  in a closed position in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2C  is an example expanded view of ferrule bays of the SFC of  FIG. 2A  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2D  is an example expanded view of ferrule bays of an example parallel ferrule carrier (PFC) in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3A  is an example duplex ferrule connector in a serial orientation in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3B  is an example duplex ferrule connector in a parallel orientation in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example PFC in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 5A  is an example PFC-PFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 5B  is an example SFC-PFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 5C  is an example SFC-SFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 6A  is a front view of an example ROF carrier adapter in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 6B  is an expanded view of the interior of the example ROF carrier adapter of  FIG. 6A  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 6C  is a cross-sectional view of the ROF carrier adapter of  FIG. 6A  showing a ferrule retention feature in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 6D  is another cross-sectional view of the ROF carrier adapter of  FIG. 6A  showing the adapter mid-wall in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates an example ROF carrier adapter bracket in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates an example 2×2 matrix of ROF carrier adapters within a cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 8A  is an example receptacle ROF blind-mate connector in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 8B  is an example plug ROF blind-mate connector in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an example ROF blind-mate connector pair in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an example intra-system implementation in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an example method in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     The figures are not exhaustive and do not limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The need for individual connections to provide all-to-all connectivity in a mesh network hinder scalability. Active optical cables are expensive and bulky, having optical transceivers on each end of the cable, and also increase power consumption of the system as each cable draws power to operate the optical transceivers. As more nodes are added to the network, an even greater number of individual connections are required. One method of providing all-to-all connectivity is to convert parallel fiber ferrule cables (e.g., mechanical transfer (MT) connectors) to multiple duplex ferrule cables (e.g., Lucent Connector (LC) Duplex) within a fiber converter box. However, multiple fiber converter boxes are required to connect a large number of nodes, necessitating patch panels to be installed within a rack, or even one or more entire racks of boxes, all requiring multiple cable connections. 
     Additional optical fiber shuffles may also be required. An optical fiber shuffle is an assembly comprising multiple optical connectors on each end to provide many-to-many connectivity. Each optical fiber from an optical connector goes to multiple other optical connectors within the shuffle. Optical fiber shuffles may be manually constructed, requiring each fiber to be individually strung between the connectors. Other methods of constructing optical fiber shuffles include using a machine to perform the individual, one-by-one stringing method, programmatically laying down each fiber on an adhesive backing material to form an optical circuit assembly. Some implementations go so far as to provide robotic reconfiguration of connections. 
     All of these approaches, however, become less practical as the size of the network increases. Construction of the converter boxes, optical shuffles, or robotic management systems takes a long time to construct, requiring laying out fibers, cleaving ends, installing connectors, and other manufacturing steps. Moreover, each shuffle or converter box must be designed specifically for a given architecture. Not only does this add to the design process, but also results in large delays to the extent the configuration needs to change after the construction process has already begun. Converter boxes, optical fiber shuffles, and robotic management systems are all bulky, requiring a large amount of area. As discussed above, in some cases entire racks are required just to hold the connections required between the various converter boxes. Finally, each of these solutions are expensive. In some cases, an optical fiber shuffle may cost more than a node (e.g., network switch). 
     In addition to the scaling issues, requiring individual connections between components makes installation and maintenance costly and inefficient. Each separate connection requires its own cable, which (as mentioned above) are bulky. Not only is making all the connections time-consuming, but the size of the connectors can make installation difficult. This reduces the density capable within the system, requiring more racks and a greater physical area to implement the systems. 
     To address these issues, optical transceivers are increasingly being integrated into the systems themselves. Rather than requiring transceivers on the ends of each cable, the electrical-to-optical conversion is performed internally. However, this integration requires the passive fiber cables and optical fiber shuffles to also be integrated within the systems. Current internal cabling and fiber shuffles are relatively large, requiring several shuffle stages in order to connect properly with one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or other processing components of the system. These internal cabling solutions may be rather complex and expensive, increasing the cost of such implementations. Moreover, the current solutions get more complex when addressing inter-system connections (e.g., between rackmount devices), which require external, bulky optical fiber shuffles in additional boxes and rack cabinets, severely limiting density, as well as increasing the difficulty to install, service and reconfigure. Furthermore, additional connector stages may introduce degradation to overall system connection reliability and may limit high-speed optical signal performance. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure address many of the drawbacks of current optical interconnection solutions. As discussed in detail below, embodiments of the technology disclosed herein provide a reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system which may be used as building blocks to implement both inter- and intra-system all-to-all connectivity. A duplex ferrule carrier is provided that can be configured in a “serial” or a “parallel” ferrule orientation. Using an ROF carrier adapter, a plurality of duplex ferrule carriers can be coupled in a number of different configurations, allowing for in-line or orthogonal mating of ROF carriers to provide intra-system all-to-all connectivity. Use of ROF carrier connectors in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein enable modular installations providing easier all-to-all connectivity within data centers without the need for expensive, implementation-specific fiber shuffle assemblies. 
       FIG. 1  is an example of ROF carrier mating system  100  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. ROF carrier mating system  100  is one example configuration of various embodiments of the present disclosure, and is presenting to provide an overview of the technology disclosed herein, including identifying the general components of ROF carrier mating system  100 . Various different configurations and embodiments are discussed in greater detail below, and  FIG. 1  should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the subject matter to only the illustrated example. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , ROF carrier mating system  100  comprises an ROF carrier adapter  110 , which may be utilized with parallel ferrule carriers (PFCs)  120  and/or serial ferrule carriers (SFCs)  130  in various configurations. Each side of ROF carrier adapter  100  may be carrier-type independent, meaning that each side of ROF carrier adapter  100  may accept either PFCs  120  or SFCs  130 . In the illustrated example, ROF carrier adapter  110  is used to mate a plurality of SFCs  130  with a plurality of PFCs  120 . Although illustrated in an SFC-PFC configuration, various embodiments may be in an SFC-SFC configuration, a PFC-SFC configuration, or a PFC-PFC configuration. Each carrier, PFC  120  or SFC  130 , may be configured to house a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors  140  in respective orientations. The following description shall provide details about the different components of ROF carrier mating system  100 . 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates an example SFC  130  in a cover-open state in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Although discussed with respect to SFC  130 , the different components of the carrier discussed with reference to  FIGS. 2A-2C  apply equally to PFC  120 . ROF carrier mating system  100  is designed to make reconfiguration easier, enabling high-density, low-cost, low-loss all-to-all “perfect shuffle” connectivity for both inter- and intra-system implementations. As explained in greater detail below, the difference between SFC  130  and PFC  120  depends on how duplex ferrule connectors  140  are installed within the carrier. That is, in various embodiments the same carrier can be reconfigured to act as either SFC  130  or PFC  120  by rotating each of the duplex ferrule connectors  140  included therein. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, the description of  FIGS. 2A-2C  should also be applied to PFC  120 . 
     As illustrated, SFC  130  comprises a base  202  and a lid  204 . Base  202  comprises four sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  defining an interior of SFC  130 . In various embodiments, sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  may be extend upward from base  202  to a height equal to a height of duplex ferrule connector  140 . In various embodiments, base  202  may comprise a plurality of ferrule bays  208 . Ferrule bays  208  are configured to hold one duplex ferrule connector  140 . In various embodiments, each ferrule bay  208  may include a bay opening  208   a  in front wall  202   a  of the base  202 . A plurality of separators  208   b  may extend upwards from base  202  to separate each ferrule bay  208 . In various embodiments, two separators  208   b  may define an interior of each ferrule bay  208 , while side wall  202   b  may work with a separator to define the interior of the ferrule bay abutting side wall  202   b  and side wall  202   d  may work with a separator to define the interior of the ferrule bay abutting side wall  202   d.    
     In various embodiments, one or more separators  208   b  may extend upward from base  202  to a height equal to the height of sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  or a height equal to the height of duplex ferrule connector  140 . In other embodiments, one or more separators  208   b  may extend to height less than the height of sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  or a height less than to the height of duplex ferrule connector  140 . As a non-limiting example, one or more separators  208   b  may extend to a height above base  202  that is equal to half the height of sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  or half the height of duplex ferrule connector  140 . As another non-limiting example, one or more separators  208   b  may extend to a height above base  202  between 25%-75% of the height of sides  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c ,  202   d  or the height of duplex ferrule connector  140 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , one or more separators  208   b  may extend from front wall  202   a  to a position less than the width of base  202 . In other embodiments, one or more separators  208   b  may extend the width of base  202 , from front wall  202   a  to back wall  202   c.    
     SFC  130  further may include a plurality of carrier spring clips  210  disposed on back wall  202   c . Each ferrule bay  208  may have a corresponding rear opening  208   c  in back wall  202   c  configured to provide clearance for optical cable  142  of duplex ferrule connector  140 . Each carrier spring clip  210  on back wall  202   c  may provide a retention force to, a positive mating force for, and independent z-direction float for a duplex ferrule connector  140  within a ferrule bay  208 . In various embodiments, each carrier spring clip  210  may be a separate component, two such carrier spring clips  210  associated with one ferrule bay  208 . In other embodiments, one or more of carrier spring clips  210  may be connected to form a carrier spring clip pair  210   pair . In some embodiments, each carrier spring clip pair  210   pair  may be a separate component, in some embodiments two or more carrier spring clip pairs  210   pair  may be combined as a single component, while in still other embodiments all the carrier spring clip pairs  210   pair  may be combined as a spring clip pairs component stretching across the width of SFC  130  from side wall  202   b  to side wall  202   d . Carrier spring clips  210  may be made of various materials, including but not limited to copper, aluminum, sheet metal, plastic, or other suitable retention material. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , SFC  130  includes a lid  204  disposed on side wall  202   d . Lid  204 , when closed, serves to hold duplex ferrule connectors  140  within the interior of each ferrule bay  208 , preventing movement in the y-direction. In various embodiments, lid  204  may include a carrier latch  204   a  configured to mate with a latch socket  202   e  disposed on side wall  202   b . In other embodiments, lid  204  may be disposed on side wall  202   b  and latch socket  202   e  may be disposed on side wall  202   d . Lid  204  may also include tab  206  dispatched on an edge corresponding to back wall  202   c  of base  202 . In various embodiments, tab  206  may be a carrier securing feature configured to secure SFC  130  when installed in a socket. As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , tab  206  is a push-pull tab style latch utilized in the field. In other embodiments, tab  206  may be any low-profile latching device used for securing communication cables within a communication port currently known, or any developed now or in the future, for use in high-density cabling installations. In some embodiments, tab  206  may be disposed on back wall  202   c  of base  202 . 
     In various embodiments, lid  204  may have the same width and length of base  202 . Although shown as a rectangle, in other embodiments, lid  204  may be have a different design. As a non-limiting example, in various embodiments lid  204  may include one or more cutouts on one or more edges and/or disposed on the surface of lid  204 . Lid  204  may take on any design providing sufficient coverage of duplex ferrule connectors  140 , and in some embodiments providing sufficient area for a tab  206  to be disposed. In various embodiments, lid  204  may include notations identifying one or more of ferrule bays  208  within SFC  130 . As a non-limiting example, lid  204  may include a numeral (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) identifying each of the eight (8) ferrule bays  208  of the example SFC  130 . In some embodiments, the notations may include one or more symbols indicating one or more characteristics of the optical fiber and/or duplex ferrule connector  140  within each ferrule bay  208  (e.g., identifying duplex ferrule connectors  140  associated with different systems). 
       FIG. 2B  illustrates the example SFC  130  of  FIG. 2A  in a closed position, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 2B , hinge  212  may be disposed on side wall  202   d , coupling lid  204  to base  202  and allows lid  204  to pivot opened and closed. In the closed position, carrier latch  204   a  mates with the latch socket  202   e  disposed on side wall  202   b . In some embodiments, side wall  202   b  may also include a slot rail  202   f  configured to assist in installing SFC  130  into a slot of ROF carrier adapter  110 . A corresponding slot rail may also be disposed on side wall  202   d  in various embodiments. As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , each ferrule  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  of duplex ferrule connectors  140   α ,  140   β  extend out from each bay opening  208   a   1 ,  208   a   2  when SFC  130  is populated and lid  204  is closed. In some embodiments, ferrules  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  may be independently floated along the z-axis within each duplex ferrule connector  140   α ,  140   β . 
       FIG. 2C  is an expanded view of ferrule bays  208  of SFC  130  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As discussed earlier, each ferrule bay  208  is defined by bay opening  208   a , separators  208   b  (and side walls  202   b ,  202   d  in some cases), and rear opening  208   c . In various embodiments, each ferrule bay  208  may include one or more ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b . As discussed above, the difference between an SFC  130  and a PFC  120  is how each the duplex ferrule connectors  140  are installed within the carrier housing. Ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  may assist in ensuring that duplex ferrule connectors  140  are correctly installed for proper alignment for the intended nature of ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  (i.e., parallel or serial). In various embodiments, ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  may be configured to mate with one or more connector alignment feature  146  (as shown in  FIG. 2D ) of each duplex ferrule connector  140 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2C , ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a  may be configured to mate with at least one connector alignment feature  146  such that ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  are arranged in a serial arrangement and parallel to base  202  (i.e., creating an SFC  130  as illustrated in  FIG. 2C ), while ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b  may be configured to mate with the same or one or more different connector alignment features  146  such that ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  are arranged in a parallel alignment and perpendicular to base  202  (i.e., creating a PFC  120  as illustrated in  FIG. 2D ). In various embodiments, serial ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a  may be configured to mate with a different one or more connector alignment features  146  of duplex ferrule connectors  140  than parallel ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b . Ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  may be disposed anywhere within ferrule bays  208 , such as (but not limited to) the opposite separator  208   b , the length extending from bay opening  208   a  and rear opening  208   c , across the width of ferrule bay  208 , among others. In some embodiments connector alignment feature  146  may be a protruding rib and ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  may be recesses complimentarily shaped to accept connector alignment feature  146 . 
     In various embodiments, ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  and/or connector alignment features  146  may be configured to maintain polarity during reconfiguration. When two ferrule carriers are mated (as discussed below with respect to  FIGS. 5A-5C ), it is important that the transmit ferrule of each duplex ferrule connector  140  in a first ferrule carrier mates with the receive ferrule of the corresponding duplex ferrule connector  140  in a second ferrule carrier. That is, the polarity of ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  in the first ferrule carrier is complementary to the polarity of ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  in the second ferrule carrier (e.g., ferrule  144   a  is transmit, ferrule  144   b  is receive). In various embodiments, ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a  may be configured to ensure duplex ferrule connectors  140  are inserted to create an SFC  130  and that ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  of each duplex ferrule connector  140  are oriented consistently, and ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b  may be configured to ensure duplex ferrule connectors  140  are inserted to create an PFC  120  and that ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  of each duplex ferrule connector  140  are oriented consistently. In other embodiments, the nature of each ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a ,  214   b  may be switched (i.e., ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a  associated with PFC  120 , ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b  associated with SFC  130 ). As illustrated in greater detail with respect to  FIGS. 5A-5C , in this way the proper polarity is maintained when two ferrule carriers are mated. As a non-limiting example, a single ferrule bay alignment feature  214   a , and a single ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b , may be disposed within each ferrule bay  208 . 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrates the reconfiguration of a duplex ferrule connector  140  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, duplex ferrule connector  140  is configured such that, by simply rotating duplex ferrule connector  140  by 90° (as illustrated by dashed line  300 , and by moving from a serial orientation ( FIG. 3A ) to a parallel orientation ( FIG. 3B )) the same duplex ferrule connector  140  may be placed in a serial or a parallel configuration. Although illustrated as having a single connector alignment feature  146 , in other embodiments a plurality of connector alignment features  146  may be disposed on the surface of the housing  148  of duplex ferrule connector  140 . In some embodiments, duplex ferrule connector  140  may have a plurality of connector alignment features  146  disclosed on the same surface. As a non-limiting example, two connector alignment features  146  may be disposed on the same side of duplex ferrule connector  140 , one connector alignment feature  146  to mate with a first ferrule bay alignment feature  214   b , and the other connector alignment feature  146  to mate with a second ferrule bay alignment feature  214   c . Similarly, ferrule bar alignment feature  214   a  may comprise two sections, each section configured to make with one of the two connector alignment features  146  of the prior non-limiting example. 
     Connector alignment feature  146  may be configured to ensure that polarity is maintained during reconfiguration. In various embodiments, connector alignment feature  146  may be disposed only on one side of duplex ferrule connector  140 . As discussed above, ferrule bay alignment features  214   a ,  214   b  may be configured as complementary to connector alignment feature  146 . Where connector alignment feature  146  is disposed on only one side surface of duplex ferrule connector  140 , each duple ferrule connector  140  may only be installed in one position for a polarity for SFC or PFC configuration. In this way, the polarity orientation of each duplex ferrule connector  140  is consistent. 
     In various embodiments, each duplex ferrule connector  140  may comprise a housing  148  having a front opening  150  disposed on a front  152  of duplex ferrule connector  140 . Two ferrules  144  may extend out through the front opening  150  in a serial orientation ( FIG. 3A ) of a parallel orientation ( FIG. 3B ). Although described with reference to the example duplex ferrule connector  140  illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific construction illustrated. A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the technology of the present disclosure is applicable with any type of compact duplex ferrule designed to fit with ferrule bays  208 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example PFC  120  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As discussed above, in various embodiments PFC  120  differs from SFC  130  based on the orientation of duplex ferrule connectors  140  within a ferrule carrier. As illustrated SFC  130  in  FIG. 2B , ferrules  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  for each duplex ferrule connector  140   α ,  140   β  are arranged in a serial manner (i.e., all the ferrules are arranged in a straight line from side wall  202   b  to side wall  202   d  along axis XX). Each ferrule  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  for each duplex ferrule connector  140   α ,  140   β  has a particular polarity, either configured to transmit an optical signal (i.e., a transmit ferrule) or receive an optical signal (i.e., a receive ferrule). As a non-limiting example, ferrules  144   a   1 ,  144   a   2  of each duplex ferrule connector  140   α ,  140   β  may be set as a transmit ferrule and ferrules  144   b   1 ,  144   b   2  of each duplex ferrule connector  140   α ,  140   β  may be set as a receive ferrule. When installed in an SFC  130 , the straight line of ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  along axis XX comprises an alternating arrangement (e.g., transmit ferrule  144   a   1 , receive ferrule  144   b   1 , transmit ferrule  144   a   2 , receive ferrule  144   b   2 , etc.). 
     For PFC  120  in  FIG. 4 , ferrules  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  for each duplex ferrule connector  140   γ ,  140   δ  in PFC  120  are arranged in a parallel manner (i.e., the ferrules are arranged such that the polarity of all ferrules within a column along the direction of axis YY are the same). As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , each ferrule  144   a   1 ,  144   b   1 ,  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  for each duplex ferrule connector  140   γ ,  140   δ  extends out from ferrule bay opening  208   a   1 ,  208   a   2  in a stacked orientation (i.e. ferrule  144   a   1  is positioned in line with ferrule  144   b   1  along axis XX). Continuing the same non-limiting example discussed above with respect to  FIG. 2B , the example PFC  120  of  FIG. 4  illustrates that transmit ferrules  144   a   1 ,  144   a   2  of duplex ferrule connector  140   γ ,  140   δ  are arranged in a transmit polarity column  401 , and the receive ferrules  144   a   2 ,  144   b   2  of duplex ferrule connector  140   γ ,  140   δ  are arranged in a receiver polarity column  402 . 
     The arrangement of ferrules  144   a ,  144   b  allow for easy configuration of SFCs  130  and/or PFCs  120  to meet implementation requirements. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be arranged in a number of different configurations, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5A-5C .  FIG. 5A  illustrates an example PFC-PFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As illustrated, when two PFCs  120   a ,  120   b  are connected, a first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     a1  of first PFC  120   a  is configured to mate with a first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     b1  of the second PFC  120   b . In this way, transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     a1  mates with a receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     b1 , and receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     a1  mates with a transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     b1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5A , embodiments of the present disclosure implemented in a PFC-PFC configuration does not provide all-to-all connectivity. Rather, the PFC-PFC configuration results in in-line connectivity of each PFC  120 . In this way, embodiments in the PFC-PFC configuration provides a flexible system configuration to extend fiber connection points, while allowing some-to-some connectivity. 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates an example SFC-PFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, where an SFC  130  is connected to a PFC  120 . Although illustrated as an SFC-PFC configuration, the following description applies equally in a PFC-SFC configuration. As illustrated in  FIG. 5B , in an SFC-PFC configuration, a first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     1  of SFC  130  is arranged to mate with a first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     1  of PFC  120 . In this way, transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     1  mates with a receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     1 , and receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     1  mates with a transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5B , embodiments of the present disclosure implemented in an SFC-PFC configuration provides all-to-all connectivity. 
       FIG. 5C  illustrates an example SFC-SFC configuration in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As illustrated, when two PFCs  120   a ,  120   b  are connected, a first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     a1  of first PFC  120   a  is configured to mate with a first duplex ferrule connector  140   PFC     _     b1  of the second PFC  120   b . In this way, transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     a1  mates with a receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     b1 , and receive ferrule  144   b  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     a1  mates with a transmit ferrule  144   a  of first duplex ferrule connector  140   SFC     _     b1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5C , embodiments of the present disclosure implemented in a SFC-SFC configuration does not provide all-to-all connectivity. Rather, the SFC-SFC configuration results in in-line connectivity of each SFC  130 . In this way, embodiments in the SFC-SFC configuration provides a flexible system configuration to extend fiber connection points, while allowing some-to-some connectivity 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the ferrule carriers (i.e., PFC  120  and SFC  130 ) may be connected through ROF carrier adapter  110 .  FIG. 6A  is a front view of an example ROF carrier adapter  110  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As illustrated, ROF carrier adapter  110  may comprise a plurality of carrier keying features  602  along an interior of ROF carrier adapter  110 . In various embodiments, carrier keying features  602  may be configured to mate with a corresponding carrier alignment feature of PFC  120  and/or SFC  130 . Hinge  212  of PFC  120  and/or SFC  130  (discussed with respect to  FIG. 2A ) may comprise the corresponding carrier alignment feature configured to mate with a carrier keying feature  602  in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the carriers may include a separate carrier alignment feature (not shown in  FIGS. 2A-2D ) configured to mate with one or more carrier keying features  602  of ROF carrier adapter  110 . 
     In various embodiments, carrier keying features  602   a ,  602   b  may be disposed on both sides of an adapter mid-wall  612 . Adapter mid-wall  612  may serve to divide ROF carrier adapter  110  into two sides, each side comprising a carrier receptacle configured to accept a plurality of PFC  120  and/or SFC  130 . In various embodiments, adapter mid-wall  612  may comprise a  2 D array of ferrule mating sleeves  604 . Each ferrule mating sleeve  604  may be configured to accept a ferrule, enabling a final alignment feature for the ferrules from duplex ferrule connectors on either side of adapter mid-wall  612  to mate. In various embodiments, a pair of ferrule mating sleeves  604  may be configured to align with ferrules extending out from a ferrule bay opening of an ROF carrier (either SFC or PFC) such that, when the ROF carrier is inserted into ROF carrier adapter  110 , each ferrule is inserted into one of ferrule mating sleeves  604 . In some embodiments, individual simplex ferrule  144  may be floated within ferrule connector  140 . Individual simplex ferrules  144  in ferrule connectors  140 , installed in PFCs  120  and/or SFCs  130  with positive mating force provided by carrier spring clips  210  ( FIG. 2A ), mated with tight tolerances within ferrule mating sleeves  604  in ROF carrier adapter  110  enables low optical signal loss. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6D , adapter mid-wall  612  separates ROF carrier adapter  110  into two sides, a first carrier receptacle  618   a  and a second carrier receptacle  618   b . In various embodiments, first carrier receptacle  618   a  and second carrier receptacle  618   b  may be configured such as the carrier receptacle discussed above with respect to  FIG. 6A . As illustrated in  FIG. 6D , each carrier receptacle  618   a ,  618   b  is configured to accept a plurality of carriers (SFC or PFC) in one of two orientations. The front wall of each carrier couples to adapter mid-wall  612  such that the ferrules of the duplex ferrule connectors within the first carrier receptacle  618   a  are inserted within ferrule mating sleeves to mate with ferrules of duplex ferrule connectors within the second carrier receptacle  618   b . In various embodiments, adapter mid-wall  612  may have a width such that, when the ferrules are mated through the plurality of ferrule mating sleeves, a front wall of the carrier (SFC or PFC) and/or the front of each duplex ferrule connector abuts the adapter mid-wall  612 . In other embodiments, adapter mid-wall  612  may have a smaller width with one or more projections configured to abut the front wall of each carrier. 
     To facilitate reconfigurability, the interior (interior  616  illustrated in  FIG. 6B ) of ROF carrier adapter  110  may be open, lacking dividers between rows or columns of ferrule mating sleeves  604 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6A , a carrier (SFC or PFC) may be inserted into ROF carrier adapter  110  in a horizontal orientation  606   a  or a vertical orientation  606   b . In various embodiments, orthogonal mating between an SFC and a PFC is facilitated by inserting the SFCs in a horizontal orientation  606   a  on one side of ROF carrier adapter  110 , and inserting the PFCs in a vertical orientation  606   b  on the opposite side of ROF carrier adapter  110 . In this way, each PFC may have a connection with each of the SFCs in ROF carrier adapter  110 . Although illustrated as an 8×8 matrix (i.e., having eight horizontal orientation  606   a  slots or eight vertical orientation  606   b  slots), in other embodiments ROF carrier adapter  110  may include fewer slots configured to accept a carrier (i.e., PFC  120 , SFC  130 ) with accordingly fewer number of duplex ferrules. In some other embodiments, a greater number of slots may be included with accordingly greater number of duplex ferrules. As a non-limiting example, ROF carrier adapter  110  may comprise a 6×6 matrix, meaning that each side of ROF carrier adapter  110  may accept six carriers (in either PFC or SFC configuration) where each PFC  120  or SFC  130  holding six duplex connectors  140 . A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the subject matter is not limited to a particular size, but ROF carrier adapter  110  may be sized as required for a given implementation. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6B , a plurality of carrier retention features  610  disposed within the interior  616  of ROF carrier adapter  110 . Carrier retention features  610  may be configured to secure each ROF carrier (e.g., SFC  130  or PFC  120  discussed with respect to  FIGS. 1 and 2A -D). An example of how carrier retention feature  610  interacts with an example carrier (i.e., PFC  130 ) is illustrated in  FIG. 6C .  FIG. 6C  is a cross sectional view of ROF carrier adapter  110 . As shown, carrier retention feature  610  is configured to mate with a carrier securing feature  220  of PFC  120 . In various embodiments, carrier securing feature  220  may be disposed on base  202  and/or lid  204  of PFC  120 . Carrier retention features  610  may be disposed such that each carrier retention feature  610  is configured to mate with a carrier securing feature  220  on base  202  or lid  204  of PFC  120 . In various embodiments, carrier retention feature  610  may be a latch and carrier securing feature  220  may be an opening (as illustrated in  FIG. 6D ) such that, when installed into ROF carrier adapter  110 , carrier retention feature  610  couples to carrier securing feature  220 . Carrier retention features  610  may be configured to provide sufficient bias on PFC  120  to maintain PFC  120  properly installed within ROF carrier adapter  110 . In various embodiments, ROF carrier adapter  110  may include a carrier release (not shown in  FIG. 6C ) configured to uncouple carrier retention feature  610  from carrier securing feature  220  of PFC  120 . In some embodiments, a separate carrier release may be provided for each carrier retention feature  610  such that each carrier (e.g., PFC  120 ) may be decoupled from ROF carrier adapter  110  individually, while in other embodiments a carrier release may be configured to control one or more carrier retention features  610 . In some embodiments, tab  206  (not shown in  FIG. 6C ) may be configured to decouple carrier securing feature  220  of PFC  120  from carrier retention feature  610 . 
     As mentioned above, embodiments of the technology disclosed herein provides for modular installation for “perfect shuffle” providing “all-to-all” connectivity in a low-cost, low-loss, high density manner. In various embodiments, ROF carrier adapters  110  may be connected together, enabling more optical fibers to be communicatively coupled together in an easier to reconfigure arrangement. As illustrated in  FIG. 6A , ROF carrier adapter  110  may include an adapter mating surface  608  for mounting ROF carrier adapters  110  in the system. In various embodiments, adapter mating surface  608  may comprise a raised rim along the exterior of each ROF carrier adapter  110  (as illustrated by adapter mating surface  608  in  FIG. 6D ). Adapter mating surface  608  may include one or more gendered mounting structures, such as female mounting structure  608   a  and male mounting structure  608   b . Each gendered mounting structure may be configured to couple with a corresponding gendered mounting structure of an ROF carrier adapter bracket, such as example ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  illustrated in  FIG. 7A . When an ROF carrier adapter  110  is mounted using ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 , female mounting structure  608   a  of ROF carrier adapter  110  mates with male mounting structure  702   b  of ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 , and male mounting structure  608   b  of ROF carrier adapter  110  mates with female mounting structure  702   a  of ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 . In various embodiments, each ROF carrier adapter  110  may be mounted within a system using a separate ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 . 
     In various embodiments, ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  may include one or more system mounts  704 , configured to connect ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  to one or more structures of a system in which the ROF carrier mating system of the present disclosure may be implemented. Although illustrated in  FIG. 7A  as system mounts  704  being disposed on a base of ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 , the position of system mounts  704  should not be interpreted as being limited to only such an arrangement. A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the location of system mounts  704  would be determined based on the particular system in which the bracket  702  is to be connected. As a non-limiting example, one or more system mounts  704  may be disposed on a base of ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  (as illustrated in  FIG. 7A ) as well as on a side of ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 . Moreover, although ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  is illustrated in a square shape, other embodiments may take on different exterior shapes based on the form of the system to which ROF carrier adapter bracket  702  is to be connected. 
     The modular nature of embodiments of the technology disclosed herein enables multiple ROF carrier adapters  110  to be connected together to form a connection wall in a variety of different configurations. Each ROF carrier adapter  110  may be connected together in a similar manner as connecting an ROF carrier adapter  110  to ROF carrier adapter bracket  702 , with one or more mounting structures  608   a ,  608   b  of a first ROF carrier adapter  110  mating with corresponding one or more mounting structure  608   a ,  608   b  of a second ROF carrier adapter  110 . As a non-limiting example, four ROF carrier adapters  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d  connected together to form a cascading ROF carrier structure in a 2×2 matrix is illustrated in  FIG. 7B . As illustrated, the four ROF carrier adapters,  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d  essentially form a larger version of ROF carrier adapter  110 , providing four times the number of optical fiber connections in four all-to-all connected groups. By nodes having multiple ports, and each port connected to an all-to-all connected group, the number of node count can be multiplied for overarching all-to-all connected. In various embodiments, a cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket  706  may be used to mount the 2×2 matrix of ROF carrier adapters  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d  within the system. In various embodiments, cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket  706  may include system mounts  704 , similar to the system mounts  704  discussed with respect to  FIG. 7A . The size and shape of cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket  706  may vary depending on the number of ROF carrier adapters  110  connected together and the shape of the arrangement. As a non-limiting example, ROF carrier adapters  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d  may be arranged in an L-shape (e.g., ROF carrier adapter  110   c  may be connected to the right side of ROF carrier adapter  110   b , and ROF carrier adapter  110   d  may be connected to the bottom of ROF carrier  110   c ), and cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket  706  may have a similar shape to support ROF carrier adapters  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d.    
     ROF carrier adapter  110  provide intra-system or inter-system “all-to-all” connectivity by using duplex optical cables, but the technology disclosed herein is applicable for inter-system direct connectivity as well by using blind-mate connectors. 
       FIG. 8A  illustrates an example ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. Receptacle ROF blind-mate connector  802  has two sides—a mating side and a ferrule carrier side, separated by a dividing wall similar to the adapter mid-wall  612  discussed with respect to  FIGS. 6A and 6B . The ferrule carrier side is not presented to the viewer in the perspective view of  FIG. 8A . As illustrated, a plurality of ferrule carriers  850  are inserted into the ferrule carrier side (i.e., ferrule carriers  850  are connected in a manner similar to the connection method discussed with respect to  FIGS. 6A and 6B ). Ferrule carriers  850  may comprise a plurality of PFCs or a plurality of SFCs, depending on the design of the particular implementation. In various embodiments, the interior of the ferrule carrier side may be configured similar to the interior of  616  of ROF carrier adapter  110  discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 6A-6D . 
     Mating side of a ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  comprises a receptacle opening  802   a . In various embodiments, receptacle opening  802   a  may include one or more lead-in features (not shown in  FIG. 8A ), configured to accept a protrusion on a complementary plug (e.g., ROF blind-mate plug  804  discussed below with respect to  FIGS. 8C and 8D ). In various embodiments, the one or more lead-in features may be disposed along an interior surface of receptacle opening  802   a . In various embodiments, the lead-in features may be one or more lead-in features commonly used in the field. 
     In some embodiments, receptacle opening  802   a  may include a receptacle keying feature  802   e , disposed at a corner of receptacle opening  802   a . Receptacle keying feature  802   e  may be a feature on an inside surface of receptacle opening  802   a  configured to mate with a corresponding feature on a protrusion of the complementary plug, ensuring that the intended configuration is maintained, regardless of the rotational position of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  and its complementary plug (to be discussed with respect to  FIG. 8B ). In some embodiments, guide features  802   f  may be configured to assist in aligning the blind-mate connectors during installation (as illustrated in  FIG. 9 ). As illustrated, guide features  802   f  comprise two guide rods, each extending outward from face  802   a . In various embodiments, guide features may extend outward from another surface of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . 
     As illustrated, ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  may comprise a face  802   b  recessed within the receptacle opening  802   a . Receptacle opening  802   a  extends outward from face  802   b , forming an interior cavity  802   c . In various embodiments, face  802   b  may have a plurality of openings  802   d  configured to allow ferrules of the plurality of ferrule connectors (not shown in  FIG. 8A ) in ferrule carriers  850  to sit within sleeves  604 . Essentially, face  802   b  may be configured to in a manner similar to adapter mid-wall  612  discussed with respect to  FIGS. 6A-6D . Like adapter mid-wall  612 , face  802   a  may have a width W (not shown in  FIG. 8A ), allowing each ferrule of the inserted ferrule carriers  850  to sit recessed within face  802   b  and in a position for mating with the respective ferrules of the complementary plug (e.g., ROF blind-mate plug  804 ). 
     ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  may further include one or more mounting brackets  802   g  configured for securing ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  to a bulkhead of a system device. In various embodiments, mounting brackets  802   g  may be configured to allow various rotational positions for ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  within the system. By allowing rotational position changes, mounting brackets  802   g  enable alternate reconfiguration from a parallel orientation (e.g., SFC-SFC configuration, PFC-PFC configuration) to an orthogonal orientation (e.g., SFC-PFC configuration, PFC-SFC configuration). 
     As mentioned above, ROF blind-mate plug  804 , illustrated in  FIG. 8B , is configured to mate with ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . Like ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 , ROF blind-mate plug  804  also as two sides—the mating side and the ferrule carrier side. The ferrule carrier side is not presented to the viewer in the perspective view of  FIG. 8B . As illustrated, a plurality of ferrule carriers  860  are inserted into the ferrule carrier side (i.e., ferrule carriers  860  are connected in a manner similar to the connection method discussed with respect to  FIGS. 6A and 6B ). Ferrule carriers  860  may comprise a plurality of PFCs or a plurality of SFCs, depending on the design of the particular implementation. In various embodiments, the interior of the ferrule carrier side may be configured similar to the interior of  616  of ROF carrier adapter  110  discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 6A-6D . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8B , ROF blind-mate plug  804  may include a protrusion  804   a  extending outward from the plug housing  804   b . Protrusion  804   a  may be configured to mate with receptacle opening  802   a  of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . In various embodiments, protrusion  804   a  may interact with the lead-in features discussed above with respect to ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . In various embodiments, protrusion  804   a  may have a depth equal to or more than the depth of the interior of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  formed by receptacle opening  802   a  and face  802   b , for protrusion  804   a  to bottom-out within cavity  802   c , i.e., face  802   b  of ROF blind-mate receptacle can be viewed as a motion stop feature for protrusion  804   a  of ROF blind-mate plug  804 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8B , protrusion  804   a  has a plug opening  804   c . Plug opening  804   c  is configured to expose the ends of each ferrule carrier  860 . When inserted into ROF blind-mate plug  804 , the ferrules  804   d  contained within the duplex ferrule connectors inside each ferrule carrier  860  extends a distance past the protrusion  804   a , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . In some embodiments, protrusion  804   a  may include a plug keying feature  804   e , disposed on a corner of protrusion  804   a . Plug keying feature  804   e  may be configured to complement receptacle keying feature  802   e  of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 , to assist in ensuring that the intended configuration is maintained, regardless of the rotational position of ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . A plug keying feature  804   e  may be disposed at a corner of protrusion  804   a  that will allow ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  to be mated in one rotational position. When there is only one rotational position, SFC and PFC ferrule carriers can be populated in orthogonal orientations to allow SFC-PFC configuration for all-to-all connectivity within mated ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . 
     In other embodiments, two receptacle keying features  802   e  may be disposed at two corners of receptacle opening  802   a  that will allow ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  to be mated in two rotational positions. As a non-limited example, a first receptacle keying feature  802   e  may be disposed as illustrated in  FIG. 8A , and a second receptacle keying feature may be disposed on an adjacent corner of receptacle opening  802   a  (e.g., the corner to the left of receptacle keying feature  802   e , or the corner below of receptacle keying feature  802   e ). In this way, either first or second receptacle keying feature  802   e  may mate with the plug keying feature  804   e  in a first rotational position or a second rotational position (where ROF blind-mate plug  804  is rotated 90° from the first rotational position). ROF blind-mate plug  804  may include four cavities  804   g  disposed at each corner of plug housing  804   b , enabling two perpendicular cavities  804   g  are configured to mate with guide features  802   f  in the first rotational position, and the other two perpendicular cavities  804   g  are configured to mate with guide features  802   f  in the second rotational position. When there are two rotational positions, SFC and PFC ferrule carriers can be populated in an in-line orientation to allow SFC-SFC or PFC-PFC configurations for some-to-some connectivity within a mated ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . 
     In various embodiments, ROF blind-mate plug  804  may include mounting brackets  804   f , similar to mounting brackets  802   g  of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . One or more cavities  804   g  configured to mate with corresponding guide features, such as guide features  802   f  on ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 , discussed with respect to  FIG. 8A . In various embodiments, mounting brackets  804   f  may be disposed on plug housing  804   b  to assist in aligning both blind-mate connectors  802 ,  804 . In various embodiments, cavity  804   g  may be a recess etched into plug housing  804   b.    
       FIG. 9  shows an ROF blind-mate connector pair  802 ,  804  in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As illustrated, ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  is installed within a first device  902 , secured to first device  902  by a plurality of mounting brackets  802   g . As illustrated, mounting brackets  802   g  mate with an exterior face  902   a  of first device  902 , while in other embodiments mounting brackets  802   g  may be configured to mate with an interior face  902   b  of first device  902 . In various embodiments, first device  902  may be one of a variety of networking modules (e.g., fabric switches) or resource modules (e.g., computing, storage, memory). In various embodiments, when installed in first device  902 , a front portion  802   c  of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  may extend outward from front face  902   a . ROF blind-mate plug  804  may be installed in a second device  904  in a similar manner as that discussed with respect to ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  in various embodiments. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , guide feature  802   f  and cavity  804  are arranged such that, when ROF blind-mate plug  804  is coupled to ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 , guide feature  802   f  and cavity  804   g  are coupled first, receptacle keying feature  802   e  and plug keying feature  804   e  are coupled second, followed by protrusion  804   a  coupling with face  802   b  within the cavity of receptacle opening  802   a , and finally ferrules  804   d  of ROF blind-mate plug  804  are coupled to ferrules of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  (not shown in  FIG. 8B ). In some embodiments, the length of guide feature  802   f  is shorter than the depth of cavity  804   g , to allow face  804   c  of ROF blind-mate plug  804  to bottom-out on cavity  802   b  of ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 . When bottomed-out, the mated duplex ferrules are over-driven, i.e., pushed against each other, supported by the reactive force of carrier spring clips against duplex ferrule connectors within each ferrule carrier, as discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 2A-2D . In various other embodiments, each ferrule may have an independent reactive spring within ferrule connector  140 . The over-drive condition of ROF blind-mate plug  804  and ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  provides a positive mating force between the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in ROF blind-mate plug  804  against the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in ROF blind-mate plug  804 , for reliable optical signal coupling at minimum optical signal losses. 
     As discussed above, the technology disclosed herein provides a system for high-density, low-cost, low-loss “all-to-all” “perfect shuffle” connections between ASICs and other chips/components (i.e., intra-system connectivity), as well as between rack-mount devices, such as blades and other network devices (i.e., inter-system connectivity).  FIG. 10  is an example intra-system implementation  1000  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Intra-system implementation  1000  is provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the illustrated implementation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , intra-system implementation  1000  includes three chips  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030 . In various embodiments, chips  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030  may comprise one or more type of processing devices and/or hard-wired circuitry. For ease of discussion, chips  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030  will be considered ASICs as a non-limiting example. As illustrated, each chip  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030  may include a fan-out cable assembly  1040 . Fan-out cable assemblies  1040  are optical fiber cables containing several simplex optical fibers, packaged together within a larger cable. Each fan-out cable assembly  1040  comprises multiple duplex ferrule connectors  140 . The various duplex ferrule connectors  140  may be distributed throughout the system. Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein enable optical fibers from different chips  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030  to be combined within a carrier (e.g., SFC  130  illustrated in  FIG. 10 ). SFC  130  may be connected into one side of ROF carrier adapter  110 , with each duplex ferrule connector  140  being aligned with a pair of ferrule mating sleeves  604  disposed within adapter mid-wall  612 . For the orthogonal configuration illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a plurality of PFCs  120  may be inserted into the other side of ROF carrier adapter  110 . PFCs  120  may be connected to additional chips (not shown in  FIG. 10 ). Plurality of SFCs  130  on one side of an adapter  110  mating to plurality of PFCs  120  on the other side of the adapter  110  results in all-to-all connectivity among the chips. In other words, plurality of PFCs orthogonally mating to plurality of SFCs within an ROF carrier adapter  110  results in a perfect shuffle. The end result of all-to-all connections is like a traditional fiber shuffle assembly. 
     Unlike traditional approaches, the example implementation  1000  is not fixed, as it would be with current fiber shuffles. As discussed above, fiber shuffles are designed and built specifically for a given architecture, therefore requiring redesign when a change is desired. However, using the embodiments of the present disclosure allow for much easier reconfiguration. As opposed to being fixed, the plurality of PFCs  120  may be changed by assembling different sets of duplex ferrule connectors  140 , and the plurality of SFCs  120  may be changed by assembling another different sets of duplex ferrule connectors  140 , providing different PFC-SFC configuration without the need for building new, expensive, and bulky fiber shuffles. Moreover, the higher density of connections, compared to traditional fiber shuffles, enable by ROF carrier adapter  110  within the system reduces the number of stages through which optical signals need be routed. 
       FIG. 11  illustrated an example method  1100  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Method  1100  illustrates an example for reconfiguring a plurality of ferrule carriers from one configuration to another to change the orientation of an ROF carrier mating system, like the ROF carrier adapter  110  and/or the blind-mate connector system comprising ROF blind-mate receptacle  802  and ROF blind-mate plug  804 , discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 1-10 . Method  1100  is provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the subject matter to only the illustrated method. 
     At operation  1110 , a plurality of ferrule carriers in a first slot position are removed from a ferrule carrier receptacle. In various embodiments, the plurality of ferrule carriers may be a PFC  120  or an SFC  130 . The first slot position within the ferrule carrier may be a horizontal orientation, like horizontal orientation  606   b  discussed above with respect to  FIG. 6A , while in other embodiments the first slot position may be a vertical orientation such as vertical orientation  606   a  discussed with respect to  FIG. 6A . In various embodiments, the ferrule carrier receptacle may be one of the two sides of an ROF carrier adapter, such as ROF carrier adapter  110 . In other embodiments, the ferrule carrier receptacle may be part of an ROF blind-mate receptacle (e.g., ROF blind-mate receptacle  802 ) or an ROF blind-mate plug (e.g., ROF blind-mate plug  804 ). 
     At operation  1120 , each of the removed ferrule carriers are opened. In various embodiments, the ferrule carriers may be similar to the ferrule carriers PFC  120  and SFC  130  discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 1-5 . At operation  1130 , each of the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors of each removed ferrule carrier is rotated from its original orientation (i.e., a first orientation) to a new orientation (i.e., a second orientation). In various embodiments, the rotation of duplex ferrule carriers may be done in a manner similar to that discussed with respect to  FIGS. 2A-2D, 3A-3B, and 4 . In this way, the nature of the ferrule carrier (i.e., its configuration as either an SFC or a PFC) may be changed without the need to dissemble the duplex ferrule connectors. In various embodiments, the first orientation may be associated with a parallel configuration (i.e., when inserted, the duplex ferrule connectors result in a PFC), and the second orientation may be associated with a serial configuration (i.e., when inserted, the duplex ferrule connectors result in an SFC). In other embodiments, the first orientation may be associated with a serial configuration, and the second orientation may be associated with a parallel configuration. 
     At operation  1140 , each of the newly-configured ferrule carriers are closed, and at operation  1150  the plurality of newly-configured ferrule carriers are inserted into a second slot position in the ferrule carrier receptacle. In various embodiments, the second slot position may be similar to the vertical orientation  606   a  or the horizontal orientation  606   b  discussed with respect to  FIG. 6A . 
     Implementations of method  1100  enables easier reconfiguration of an optical interconnect without the need for an expensive and time consuming redesign of the duplex ferrule connectors, of any necessary optical fiber shuffles, or both. Rather, if an interconnect needs to be changed from providing all-to-all connectivity (i.e., SFC-PFC configuration) to providing some-to-some connectivity (e.g., PFC-PFC inline configuration), a data center administrator need only remove the ferrule carriers and rotate the duplex ferrule connectors within 90°. 
     As discussed above, example method  1100  is applicable for reconfiguring both intra- and inter-system optical interconnects. A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other method operations may be performed to implement the different configuration aspects discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 1-10 . As a non-limiting example, a person of ordinary skill in the art would know that the rotational keying discussed with respect to  FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9  may include an operation to identify a rotational position of ROF blind-mate receptacle and/or ROF blind-mate plug. 
     In common usage, the term “or” should always be construed in the inclusive sense unless the exclusive sense is specifically indicated or logically necessary. The exclusive sense of “or” is specifically indicated when, for example, the term “or” is paired with the term “either,” as in “either A or B.” As another example, the exclusive sense may also be specifically indicated by appending “exclusive” or “but not both” after the list of items, as in “A or B, exclusively” and “A and B, but not both.” Moreover, the description of resources, operations, or structures in the singular shall not be read to exclude the plural. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. 
     Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. Adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known,” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.