High speed optical subassembly with ceramic carrier

A multilayer ceramic carrier for containing an optical source coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces formed thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, and a terrace cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein, a first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, said first VCSEL capable of emitting light essentially orthogonal to said base surface and said top surface and directed through an aperture of said optical housing, said aperture retaining an optical transmission medium therein, such that light emitted by said VCSEL is propagated along said optical transmission medium, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls, the multilayer ceramic carrier further comprising a further VCSEL disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, each of said first VCSEL and said further VCSEL oriented to emit light along a direction generally orthogonal to said base surface and top surface and a photodetector mounted within said terraced cavity over said further VCSEL and capable of absorbing light omitted by said further VCSEL.

A multilayer ceramic carrier for containing an optical source coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces formed thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, and a terrace cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein, a first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, said first VCSEL capable of emitting light essentially orthogonal to said base surface and said top surface and directed through an aperture of said optical housing, said aperture retaining an optical transmission medium therein, such that light emitted by said VCSEL is propagated along said optical transmission medium, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls, the multilayer ceramic carrier further comprising a first photodetector disposed adjacent said VCSEL on said base surface and capable of monitoring light emitted by said VCSEL, wherein the first photoconductor is wire-bonded to a conductive trace which extends along one of said terraces and extends between at least two of said stacked ceramic layers and a second photodetector disposed adjacent said VCSEL on said base surface, each of said first photodetector and said second photodetector including a light absorbing surface oriented opposite said base surface.

A multilayer ceramic carrier for containing an optical source coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces formed thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, and a terrace cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein, a first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, said VCSEL capable of emitting light essentially orthogonal to said base surface and said top surface and directed through an aperture of said optical housing, said aperture retaining an optical transmission medium therein, such that light emitted by said VCSEL is propagated along said optical transmission medium, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls, the multilayer ceramic carrier further comprising a planar reflective/transmissive member supported by at least one terrace of said terraced cavity and disposed at an acute angle with respect to said base surface and not parallel to said base surface, said reflective/transmissive member capable of allowing at least some light emitted by said VCSEL disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, to be transmitted therethrough and further capable of reflecting at least some light emitted by said VCSEL to be reflected therefrom.

A multilayer ceramic carrier for containing an optical source coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a bottom surface and an opposed top surface, at least one of said plurality of ceramic layers including conductive traces formed thereon, such that said multilayer ceramic carrier therefore includes conductive traces interposed between at least a pair of adjacent stacked ceramic layers, and a terrace cavity extending down from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface therein, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) disposed on said base surface in said terraced cavity, said VCSEL capable of emitting light essentially orthogonal to said base surface and said top surface and directed through an aperture of said optical housing, said aperture retaining an optical transmission medium therein, such that light emitted by said VCSEL is propagated along said optical transmission medium, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior sidewalls, wherein maid multilayer ceramic carrier includes outer sidewalls and notches extending along at least one of said outer sidewall, said notches including conductive materials therein, said conductive materials coupled to conductive traces formed within said multilayer ceramic carrier.

An optical subassembly comprising a multilayer ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a top surface and an opposed bottom surface, and a terraced cavity extending downward from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior walls and an optical element disposed on said base surface, said optical element being one of a vertically emitting optical element and a vertically receiving optical element, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally parallel to said top surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light along a first direction being generally perpendicular to said top surface and through an aperture formed in said optical housing for retaining an optical transmission medium therein, said ceramic carrier including a plurality of external sidewalls, a first external sidewall of said external sidewalls being configured to be conterminously mounted on a mounting surface such that said first direction is generally parallel to said mounting surface wherein said optical housing includes a base section joined to said top surface, said base section including external sidewalls being generally orthogonal to said top surface and including a ledge extending outwardly therefrom, said ledge including an upper surface, and said optical housing secured to said top surface by an epoxy contacting said top surface, extending over said upper surface of said ledge, and contacting said external sidewalls.

An optical subassembly comprising a multilayer ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a top surface and an opposed bottom surface, and a terraced cavity extending downward from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior walls and an optical element disposed on said base surface, said optical element being one of a vertically emitting optical element and a vertically receiving optical element, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally parallel to said top surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light along a first direction being generally perpendicular to said top surface and through an aperture formed in said optical housing for retaining an optical transmission medium therein, said ceramic carrier including a plurality of external sidewalls, a first external sidewall of said external sidewalls being configured to be conterminously mounted on a mounting surface such that said first direction is generally parallel to said mounting surface wherein said optical housing includes a cylindrical portion formed of plastic and abase section joined to said cylindrical portion, formed of metal and further joined to said top surface.

An optical subassembly comprising a multilayer ceramic carrier coupled to an optical housing, said multilayer ceramic carrier formed of a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and including a top surface and an opposed bottom surface, and a terraced cavity extending downward from said top surface and including interior sidewalls and a base surface, said terraced cavity including at least one terrace formed on at least one of said interior walls and an optical element disposed on said base surface, said optical element being one of a vertically emitting optical element and a vertically receiving optical element, said optical element including an optical surface being one of a receiving surface and an emitting surface, said optical surface being arranged generally parallel to said top surface and capable of one of receiving and emitting light along a first direction being generally perpendicular to said top surface and through an aperture formed in said optical housing for retaining an optical transmission medium therein, said ceramic carrier including a plurality of external sidewalls, a first external sidewall of said external sidewalls being configured to be conterminously mounted on a mounting surface such that said first direction is generally parallel to said mounting surface, wherein said optical housing includes a cylindrical portion and said aperture essentially forms the core of said cylindrical section, and further comprising a ferrule including an optical fiber axially disposed within said core of said cylindrical section, said optical fiber oriented generally parallel to said mounting surface.