Patent ID: 7454105

Claim:
An optoelectronic assembly comprising: a coupler having first and second coupling surfaces, said first surface having a first beam port and said second surface having a second beam port, said coupler defining a beam path between said first and second beam ports; a substrate having an active optical element; and an elastic averaging alignment arrangement for precisely locating said second beam port of said coupler relative to said active optical element, said elastic averaging alignment arrangement including (1) an array of fixed alignment features comprising electrically inactive solder bumps on one of said coupler and said substrate and (2) a plurality of flexible alignment features on another one of said coupler and said substrate, said fixed alignment features being dedicated to achieving elastic averaging alignment by contact with said flexible alignment features, said flexible alignment features comprising one of compliant plastic, an optically clear plastic, and a polyimide, wherein said flexible alignment features are flexures having a combined configuration based upon a combined configuration of said electrically inactive solder bumps that form said array of fixed alignment features, the flexures forming spaces dimensioned such that individual elements of the array of fixed alignment features have opposing sides contacted by adjacent said flexures.