Photoelectric coupler
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsMarcel Breval, Marc Prudhomme
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photo-electric coupler, or isolator, wherein a semiconductor light emitter and a semiconductor photodetector are enclosed in a light transmissive body having a surface covering of light reflective material for reflecting toward the photodetector, incident light from the emitter. The emitter and detector can be disposed face-to-face or side-by-side. The reflective cover can provide an external protective covering for the device or a conventional housing can be used.
Claims14
An opto-electric coupler device comprising semi-conductor light emitter means having an active surface, a semi-conductor photo detector means having an active surface disposed in spaced face-to-face relation with the active surface of said light emitter means, an electrically insulating light transmissive solid medium interposed between and imbedding the active surfaces of said light emitter means and said photo detector means, a light reflective surface layer on said light transmissive medium, surrounding said light emitter means and photo detector means and providing a concave curved surface extending approximately in the direction of propagation of light from said light emitter means toward said photo detector means for reflecting internally of said light transmissive medium and toward said photo detector means light from said emitter means that is incident on said curved surface, and a protective housing surrounding said light transmissive medium, said reflective layer providing electrical insulation between said light transmissive medium and said housing.
An opto-electric coupler device comprising semiconductor light emitter means disposed in side-by-side relation with a semiconductor photo detector means, said light emitter means and said photo detector means electrically and physically mounted on electrical strip-leads and each having an active surface facing in a commmon direction, an electrically insulating light transmissive single composition solid body surrounding and imbedding said light emitter means and said photo detector means to provide an encapsulating package for and integral with said light emitter means and said photo director means, said strip leads extending externally of said solid body as a coplanar array and transversely of said side-by-side light emitter means and photo detector means, and a light reflective layer on a surface area of said light transmissive medium facing said active surfaces for reflecting internally of said light transmissive medium light from said light emitter means toward said photo detector means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.