Passive Alignment Using Elastic Averaging In Optoelectronics Applications

A method of aligning components of an optoelectronic assembly comprising:

• providing an optical coupler having a first beam port along a first surface and having a second beam port along a second surface;
• providing a substrate having an optical element, said optical element being one of a light source and a light detector;
• and
• linking said optical coupler to said substrate using a fixed array of rigid alignment features and a compliant array of flexible alignment features, such that alignment is dependent primarily upon positional accuracy and frequency of said rigid alignment features and secondarily upon compliancy of said flexible alignment features when contacting said fixed array, said fixed and compliant arrays being on opposite ones of said optical coupler and said substrate.

An optoelectronic module comprising:

• a coupler block having a first face with a first array of lenses, said first face being configured for connection to an external member, said coupler block having a second face;
• a substrate having a plurality of optical elements aligned with said second face to exchange beams of light;
• and
• dedicated surface features of said coupler block and substrate specific to aligning said second face to said optical elements, said dedicated surface features including stationary alignment features and compliant alignment features which cooperate to achieve precise alignment via elastic averaging.