Packaging an arcuate planar lightwave circuit
AssigneeLumentum Operations LLC
InventorsQingjiu LIN, Wei WANG, Zhihua MAI, Zhongjian WANG
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A package for an arcuate planar lightwave circuit (PLC) chip includes a heater plate coupled to a base by a thick and soft support layer. The arcuate PLC is attached to the heater plate by soft adhesive. A hard adhesive is applied to a multi-waveguide end of the arcuate PLC, to additionally strengthen the attachment of the arcuate PLC to the heater plate. The structure allows the mechanical stress due to fiber pull/shock/vibration to be dissipated in the support layer without introducing large wavelength shifts in the arcuate PLC. The support layer also serves as a heat insulator, facilitating uniform heating of the arcuate PLC.
Claims20
A PLC module comprising:
- a base plate;
- a support layer on the base plate, the support layer having a thickness greater than 1 mm and a hardness of less than 40 Shore A;
- a heater plate on the support layer;
- and
- a planar lightwave circuit having a shape of an arcuate slab having an input port at a first end thereof, a plurality of output ports at a second opposed end thereof,
- wherein the planar lightwave circuit is adhered to the heater plate over an area spanning between the first and second ends with a first adhesive having a hardness less than 85 Shore A, and proximate the second end with a second adhesive having a hardness of greater than 70 Shore D.
An arrayed waveguide grating module comprising:
- a base plate;
- an adhesive tape having a thickness greater than 1 mm and a hardness less than 40 Shore A, adhered to the base plate;
- a ceramic heater plate adhered to the adhesive tape;
- and
- an arcuate arrayed waveguide chip having an input portion including an input waveguide, an output portion including a plurality of output waveguides, and a central portion therebetween having opposed concave and convex perimeter walls, wherein the input, central, and output portions of the arcuate arrayed waveguide chip are affixed to the ceramic heater plate with a contiguous adhesive layer having a hardness less than 85 Shore A;
- and
- wherein the output portion of the arcuate arrayed waveguide chip is affixed to the ceramic heater plate with an adhesive having a hardness of at least 70 Shore D.
A method of packaging a planar lightwave circuit, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a base plate;
- (b) affixing to the base plate a support layer having a thickness greater than 1 mm and a hardness of less than 40 Shore A;
- (c) providing a ceramic heater plate;
- (d) affixing the ceramic heater plate to the support layer;
- (e) epoxying to the ceramic heater plate a planar lightwave circuit having a shape of an arcuate slab having an input waveguide at a first end thereof, a plurality of output waveguides at a second opposed end thereof, over an area spanning between the first and second ends with a first epoxy having a hardness less than 85 Shore A;
- and
- (f) epoxying the second end of the planar lightwave circuit to the ceramic heater plate with a second epoxy having a hardness of greater than 70 Shore D.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.