Oplink Communications, Inc.

Gigabit Optics Corporation

Steven J Benerofe

Jenkin Angelo Richard

Eric V Chamness

David F Moore

Ryan D Bruneau

George H Guan

Don A Clark

Qunwen Leng

Anjul K Katare

Cameron Dale Hinman

A packaged waveguide for passive connectivity includes waveguides packaged in a ferrule. The ferrule allows the waveguides to be passively aligned to other waveguides, fibers, or optical components, such as to align a first waveguide in the ferrule with a laser diode in a BiDi. In the exemplary embodiment, a second waveguide in the ferrule the BiDi is at a known and fixed distance apart from the first waveguide at an end face of the ferrule. A detector in the BiDi may be positioned so that when the first waveguide is aligned with the laser diode, the second waveguide is also aligned with the detector. Additional functions can be provided with the waveguide. The manufacturing of the BiDi with the waveguides packaged in the ferrule is cost efficient to manufacturer since alignment and connectivity is achieved passively. The cost efficiency can be further improved by using standard components.

Passive connectivity of waveguides for optical components

Improved methods and systems for routing and aligning beams and optical elements in an optical device include a multiplexing device and/or a demultiplexing device, which includes an optical alignment element (OAE). The OAE can be configured to substantially compensate for the cumulative alignment errors in the beam path. The OAE allows the optical elements in a device, other than the OAE, to be placed and fixed in place without substantially compensating for optical alignment errors. The OAE is inserted into the beam path and adjusted. This greatly increases the ease in the manufacturing of optical devices, especially for devices with numerous optical elements, and lowers the cost of manufacturing. The multiplexing and/or demultiplexing device can reside within a standard small form factor, such as a GBIC. The devices fold the paths of the traversing beams with a geometry which allows a small package.

System and method for optical multiplexing and/or demultiplexing

An optical subassembly utilizes a core with a first, second, and third faces. The first and second faces are coupled, non-parallel, and non-co-planar for changing a path of a beam, and their intersection defines an axis. Filters are coupled to the third face. The light path traverses between the first or second face and each filter such that, at each filter, no portion of the light path interferes with any other portion of the light path. The light path also traverses the core in a direction along the axis. This is facilitated by the light path traversing an external surface of a filter at an angle. The device includes adjustable ports residing at the same side of the device. Filters are coupled to the core and optically coupled to the adjustable ports. The light path travels down the core and exit or enter the device via the adjustable ports.

Optical subassembly with port configuration

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Steven J Benerofe