Nortel Networks Corporation

Northern Telecom Limited

Paul S Ertl

Richard P Hughes

Keith D Anderson

Masamichi Yataki

Glen W Dack

An apparatus is disclosed for the aligning of ceramic carrier substrates on base substrates. The apparatus is a gripper having angled faces lined with soft metallic pads embedded with diamonds that engage in a vertical direction with microfeatures in the ceramic carrier of a semiconductor, providing a secure grip throughout alignment and bonding to a base substrate and providing a gentle release upon disengagement. The gripper is typically detachably affixed to a micromanipulator to provide controlled motion and is spring mounted to provide self adjustment to variations in ceramic carrier substrate thickness and angle.

Apparatus for gripping ceramic substrates

To mount two semiconductor optical devices together such that a coupling face of one is aligned with and close to the coupling face of the other the devices are mounted on two different carriers. One of the carriers is flat and has a vertical edge and carries the optical device such that its coupling face is flush with the vertical edge. The other carrier is wedge-shaped and has a vertical edge and carries the other optical device such that its coupling face is flush with that vertical edge. A flat baseplate supports the flat carrier. The wedged carrier is supported on an inclined plane which may be formed on a separate wedge supported on the baseplate or which may be formed as an inclined surface portion on the baseplate. By sliding the flat carrier relative to the wedged carrier and sliding the wedged carrier up or down the inclined plane the coupling faces may be aligned. The application of liquid adhesive facilitates the sliding action and permits easy securing after alignment by curing the adhesive.

Alignment method for semiconductor optical devices upon carriers

Optical fiber wound onto a take-up reel after production is invariably tensioned such that results of characterization tests performed on the wound fiber are markedly different from such results obtained when the fiber is untensioned. Doubly winding the fiber to minimize tension is a laborious procedure. The invention covers a reel which has an adjustable hub circumference. Adjustment can be made with the fiber wound onto the hub so allowing rapid characterization of the fiber prior to restoring the fiber and the hub to their normal storage positions for fiber shipment.

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Nepean, Canada

Paul S Ertl