Electrical sub-assembly design for parallel optics modules

An electrical subassembly for use in fiber optic communications, comprising:

• a rigid flex PCB which is folded in three dimensions for supporting a three dimensional configuration of photoactive devices, signal lines and electrical connectors, including:
• a rigid front-facing mounting surface having one or more front-facing semiconductor IC chips mounted thereon containing photoactive devices,
• a pair of adjoining side-facing flex sections at right angles to said front face having a plurality of signal lines running through them, and
• a pair of adjoining downward-facing rigid bottom boards adjoining said side flex sections at right angles to said flex sections and front mounting surface having a downward-facing electrical connector mounted on each board which is coupled to said IC chips via said signal lines in said flex sections.

In an electrical subassembly for use in fiber optic communications, a mounting medium for presenting a plurality of IC chips including photoactive devices to a plurality of optical fibers supported within arrays in an MT ferrule, comprising:

• a planar rigid flex PCB board;
• a plurality of first semiconductor IC chips including linear arrays of photoactive components, said chips mounted alongside and parallel with one another so that said arrays are aligned in parallel with one another;
• a plurality of second semiconductor IC chips adapted for driving said photoactive components, said chips mounted alongside and parallel with the said first semiconductor IC chips and electrically coupled to said first chips;
• and
• a plurality of signal lines extending through said rigid flex PCB board for conducting signals to and from said first and second IC chips.

A by-pass capacitor for use in conjunction with a VCSEL driver chip in an optical communications subassembly in which a VCSEL IC chip and driver IC chip are mounted on a rigid flex PCB board, comprising:

• a planar layer of rigid flex PCB substrate material which is integral with and a part of said PCB rigid flex board;
• a first planar metal layer running along one of said PCB substrate material on said PCB board;
• and
• a second planar metal layer running along the other side of the said PCB substrate material on said PCB board opposite said first metal layer.