Patent ID: 7794156

Claim:
An optical transceiver for converting and coupling an information-containing electrical signal with a plurality of parallel optical fibers comprising: an optical fiber ribbon; a housing permanently attached to the optical fiber ribbon, said housing including a top portion and a bottom portion and an aperture for entry for the optical fiber ribbon, wherein the aperture is defined by the top and bottom portions when mated; an electrical connector extending from the housing; an electro/optical converter disposed within the housing and coupled to the fiber ribbon and to the electrical connector, the electro/optical converter including an array of VCSELs and an array of photodiodes rigidly coupled to a ferrule supporting respective fibers of the fiber ribbon, said electro/optical converter converting between the information-containing electrical signal of the electrical connector and modulated optical signals corresponding to the electrical signal for transport over the optical fibers in the optical fiber ribbon; a strain relief bushing disposed on an outer surface of the housing adjacent to the aperture that resists sharp bending of the optical fiber ribbon where the optical fiber ribbon exits the housing through the aperture; and a resilient, electrically conductive washer disposed around the optical fiber ribbon within the aperture and between the optical fiber ribbon and housing, wherein the washer further comprises a two-piece assembly including an upper portion disposed within the top portion of the housing and a lower portion disposed within the bottom portion of the housing, wherein the washer blocks leakage of electromagnetic radiation from the housing when the top and bottom portions of the housing are mated together.