Optical taps for circuit board-mounted optical waveguides
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsMichael Renne Ty Tan, Paul Kessler Rosenberg, Terrel Morris, Shih-Yuan Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for installing an optical tap into an optical waveguide formed in a printed circuit board which comprises obtaining a printed circuit board having an optical waveguide formed therein, cutting a transverse groove that has a front plane and a back plane into the optical waveguide, such that the back plane of the groove forms an oblique angle relative to the incident beam of light, and inserting a pre-fabricated beamsplitter into the groove so that the beamsplitter is positioned at the oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light to enable a predetermined portion of the beam of light to be directed out of the waveguide.
Claims25
A method for installing an optical tap into an optical waveguide formed in a substrate comprising:
- obtaining a substrate having at least one optical waveguide formed therein, wherein the at least one optical waveguide is configured to carry a coherent beam of light;
- cutting a transverse groove having a front plane and a back plane into the at least one optical waveguide, wherein the back plane has an oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light;
- and
- inserting a pre-fabricated beamsplitter into the groove such that the beamsplitter is substantially positioned at the oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light to enable a predetermined portion of the beam of light to be directed out of the waveguide.
A method for installing an optical tap into an hollow metal waveguide integrally formed in a printed circuit board comprising:
- forming a hollow waveguide having a metallized interior on a printed circuit board, wherein the hollow waveguide is configured to carry a coherent beam of light;
- cutting at least one transverse groove having a front face and a back face into the hollow waveguide and wherein an angle of the back face of the groove relative to the beam of light has an oblique angle of incidence;
- and
- inserting at least one pre-fabricated pellicle beamsplitter into the groove such that the pellicle is positioned at the oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light to enable a predetermined portion of the beam of light to be directed out of the hollow waveguide.
A substrate-based optical interconnect comprising:
- a substrate having at least one optical waveguide formed therein, wherein the at least one optical waveguide is configured to carry a coherent beam of light;
- a transverse groove having a front plane and a back plane formed in the at least one optical waveguide, wherein the back plane has an oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light;
- and
- a pre-fabricated beamsplitter positioned in the groove such that the beamsplitter is substantially positioned at the oblique angle of incidence relative to the beam of light to enable a predetermined portion of the beam of light to be directed out of the waveguide.
The optical interconnect of claim 23, wherein the pellicle beamsplitter positioned in the transverse groove is covered with a transparent cover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.