Patent ID: 8186892

Claim:
An optical subassembly comprising: a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) driver; a first substrate to which the TEC driver is structurally mounted; a second substrate; a laser temperature sensor structurally mounted on the second substrate, the laser temperature sensor being structurally coupled directly between a laser and the second substrate with the laser being in direct contact with the laser temperature sensor; a TEC thermally coupled to the second substrate; and a thermal resistance mechanism including a thermally insulating material, the thermal resistance mechanism structurally connecting the first substrate to the second substrate and providing thermal resistance between the first substrate upon which the TEC driver is structurally mounted and the combination of the second substrate, the laser and the laser temperature sensor such that heat that is generated by the TEC driver is restricted by the thermal resistant mechanism from being transferred to the laser and the laser temperature sensor, which allows the temperature of the laser temperature sensor to more closely track the temperature of the laser since the temperature of the laser and the laser temperature sensor is less susceptible to dynamic temperature fluctuations caused by the TEC driver and changes in the laser bias and modulation currents.