Study of optical coupling efficiency of passive optical alignment technologies applicable for high volume manufacturing

Abstract

Computational study of optical coupling efficiencies of selected passive optical alignment options has done. Passive placement of fiber array optical alignment in V-grooves, and high-precision pick & place aligners have immense potential applicable for high-volume manufacturing with the benefits of advancement of low-tolerance fabrication of Si-PIC, micro-optic parts, and fiber array. The tight 1dB-and 3dB-loss alignment tolerances in lateral direction of the fiber array in V-groove array and focusing lens & fiber array can be improved by using beam collimation approach. Combined optical packaging of passive alignment of micro optics such as micro lens array and active alignment of fiber array or refocusing lens-attached fiber array can compensate the cycle time achieving sufficient coupling efficiency. Dedicated design of passive optical alignment structure and process using Si-PIC, fiber array block, and micro optics is a homework of individual developer utilizing currently available techniques to mitigate tight acceptable tolerances.