Optical coupling module and manufacturing method of the same

A method of manufacturing an optical coupling module, having a semiconductor substrate having a mirror-finished surface and having mounted on said mirror-finished surface an optical functional element with an optical functional surface kept substantially parallel with said mirror-finished surface and with a reverse surface, opposite said optical functional surface, facing said mirror-finished surface;

• and an optical device, supported on said mirror-finished surface of said semiconductor substrate in such a way that said optical device is optically coupled to said optical functional element, said manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
• mounting a large number of said optical functional elements in high density on a semiconductor wafer as an aggregate of said semiconductor substrates;
• forming in high density a plurality of said optical devices in the form of a multi-layer structure including a plurality of said optical substrates including said optical elements;
• then collectively joining said semiconductor wafer with said multi-layer structure of the optical substrates such that said optical functional elements on said semiconductor wafer are optically coupled respectively to said optical elements on said multi-layer structure corresponding to said optical functional elements, thereby forming optical coupling modules in high density;
• and
• separating a plurality of optical coupling modules formed in high density into individual modules.

An optical coupling module comprising:

• an optical device formed as a multi-layer structure by laminating a plurality of optical substrates including at least one computer generated hologram, having at least one optical fiber joined to one end face of said structure, located in the direction of lamination, and having at the other end face thereof an output terminal or an input terminal for a light traveling from said optical fiber and passing through said computer generated hologram;
• a semiconductor substrate having a recess formed to accommodate said multi-layer structure of said optical device by being located sideways with the laminated direction thereof extending at right angles with the depth direction, also having a corresponding groove to accept and position said optical fiber formed on one side of the upper surface where the recess is open, and having alignment marks formed on the other side of the upper surface where said recess is open;
• and
• an optical functional element arranged at a predetermined position defined by the alignment marks on the upper surface of said semiconductor substrate and optically coupled to the output terminal or the input terminal of said multi-layer structure,
• wherein said groove and the alignment marks at the upper surface of said semiconductor substrate are formed by photolithography and etching with a single mask.

An optical coupling module, comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate having a mirror-finished surface and having mounted on said mirror-finished surface an optical functional element with an optical functional surface kept substantially parallel with said mirror-finished surface and with a reverse surface, opposite said optical functional surface, facing said mirror-finished surface;
• and
• an optical device, supported on said mirror-finished surface of said semiconductor substrate in such a way that said optical device is optically coupled to said optical functional element,
• wherein a recess for accommodating said optical functional element is formed in said semiconductor substrate, and
• wherein said optical function element accommodated in said recess is a light-detecting element whose optical functional surface is used as a light detection face.

An optical coupling module, comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate having a mirror-finished surface and having mounted on said mirror-finished surface an optical functional element with an optical functional surface kept substantially parallel with said mirror-finished surface and with a reverse surface, opposite said optical functional surface, facing said mirror-finished surface;
• and
• a laminated stack of substrates including computer-generated holograms to provide optical elements, said stack having a first end with an optical terminal and a second end to which said semiconductor substrate is connected, with said optical functional element being optically coupled to said second end of said stack,
• wherein said computer-generated holograms are oriented generally parallel to one another, with at least one of said computer-generated holograms being located between each pair of adjacent substrates in said stack.