Zygo Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

John L Sullivan

Jeffrey E LeClaire

Robert Brown

Huizong Lu

Benny Michael Harper

Pieter J M Kerstens

Jon Rowlan Shumate

A method of aligning fibers on a substrate includes placing a grooved substrate on a base next to an opening formed through a top surface of the base, flowing air through the opening to draw the plurality of fibers down towards the top surface of the substrate or base, placing a set of fibers to extend over the substrate or base and over the opening and bonding the plurality of fibers to the substrate.

Fiber array alignment

An apparatus for placing a fiber on a substrate, the apparatus including a base, a supporting member attached to the base, a first placement head attached to the support member, the first placement head having an extendable plunger slidably coupled to the first placement head, the first placement head having an airflow channel formed proximate to a tip of the plunger, a substrate carrier attached to the base, wherein, during operation of the apparatus, the substrate carrier holds a substrate beneath the plunger mechanism, and wherein, during operation of the apparatus, a vacuum source is connected to the placement head to draw a flow of air through the airflow channel, and wherein, during operation of the apparatus, the placement head picks up and holds a fiber against the plunger tip using forces associated with the flow of air.

Automated placement of optical fibers

An apparatus includes a substrate having at least one opening through a top surface to a bottom surface, the substrate also having a first plurality of aligned grooves formed in the top surface and a plurality of fibers, where each of the plurality of fibers are positioned over the opening and in contact with the substrate within a corresponding one of the first plurality of grooves. In another aspect, a method of manipulating fibers includes placing a plurality of fibers on a substrate to extend over an opening formed through a top surface of the substrate to a bottom surface of the substrate, and flowing air through the opening to draw the plurality of fibers down towards the top surface of the substrate, and positioning each of said plurality of fibers in substantial alignment.

Fiber array alignment substrate

An apparatus for aligning a fiber to an optical device includes a base, a fiber holder mounted on the base, the fiber holder holding the fiber during operation of the apparatus, a first movable stage mounted on the base, the first movable stage holding the optical device during operation of the apparatus, a second movable stage mounted on the base, wherein the second movable stage is configured to move parallel to the first movable stage, a fiber positioner attached to the second movable stage, and a processor programmed to control the movement of the first movable stage and the second movable stage, wherein, during operation of the apparatus, the processor moves the first movable stage and the second movable stage towards the fiber.

Fiber to optical device alignment

An inspection station for determining the characteristics of a visible overlay pattern on a ceramic substrate includes an electronic camera unit directed at each corner of the overlay pattern. The inspection station is calibrated using a calibration substrate having a known pattern, portions of which are viewed by the cameras. The cameras remain stationary during both the calibration process and during the subsequent inspection of one or more substrates. In a first version of the station, a holder holding the substrate in place is split into quadrants, which are moved with associated camera units to accommodate varying sizes of rectangular substrates. In a second version, a lens is added to increase the magnification of the optical path to the camera units.

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Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

John L Sullivan