Patent ID: 7663210

Claim:
An optical assembly comprising: i) at least first and second optical components, each having an optical confinement region and an optical axis in use, and at least the first optical component having a substrate and one or more layers defining the optical confinement region; and ii) a shared substrate, wherein said first optical component comprises an optoelectronic device which is provided with a bonding surface and is flip chip mounted on the shared substrate by means of said bonding surface and the optoelectronic device and the second component are supported by the shared substrate such that their respective optical confinement regions are optically coupled in use, and wherein at least the optoelectronic device is provided with a spacing layer between the optical axis of the optoelectronic device and the bonding surface, additional to the optoelectronic device, which spacing layer provides the bonding surface for said flip chip mounting of the optoelectronic device, enables electrical contact to be made to the optoelectronic device, and determines the distance from the bonding surface to the optical axis of the optoelectronic device when mounted on the shared substrate, to achieve said optical coupling in use, said spacing layer comprising a glass material having both organic and inorganic components.