Patent ID: 7648287

Claim:
An electro-optical receiver comprising: a substrate having a generally planar configuration including an upper surface, a lower surface and an edge between the upper and the lower surfaces, and having a recess therein with a bottom surface with at least one opening therein; a multi-port lens affixed to the bottom surface of the recess; an integrated circuit affixed to the bottom surface of the recess, a plurality of light sensing devices mounted to communicate optically with the multi-port lens, each of the plurality of light emitting devices being electrically coupled to the at least one integrated circuit; a set of electrical contacts disposed on the lower surface of the substrate for connection to external circuitry, the set of electrical contacts being coupled through the substrate to the at least one integrated circuit; a plurality of optical fibers coupled through the edge of the substrate to the multi-port lens, individual ones of the optical fibers being positioned to communicate optically with individual ones of the light sensing devices; wherein optical signals received on the plurality of optical fibers are converted to electrical signals to be supplied to the integrated circuit and wherein the electrical signals are provided to the lower surface of the substrate, heat is dissipated from the upper surface of the substrate, and optical signals are transmitted and received along the edge of the substrate.