Optical fiber array with optical passthrough

An optical assembly, comprising:

• a first photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprising first waveguides;
• and
• a second PIC removably coupled to the first PIC, the second PIC comprising second waveguides optically aligned with the first waveguides, wherein the second PIC comprises at least one active device comprising a photonic and/or electronic device.

A method of manufacturing an optical assembly, comprising:

• bonding a fiber array chip comprising first optical connections arranged along a first edge of the fiber array chip and second optical connections arranged along a second edge of the fiber array chip to a printed circuit board (PCB);
• and
• coupling optical fibers to the first optical connections of the fiber array chip, wherein coupling the optical fibers to the first optical connections further comprises coupling the optical fibers to at least one active device disposed on the fiber array chip, the at least one active device comprises a photonic and/or electronic device.