International Business Machines Corporation

Urs H Bapst

Russell Alan Budd

Bert Jan Offrein

Peter Vettiger

Folkert Horst

Fritz R Gfeller

Christoph Berger

Heinz J Keller

Heinrich Meyr

Hans R Muller

Techniques for circuit board processing are provided. In one aspect, a method of processing a circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is provided. The method comprises the following steps. One or more etch stop layers in proximity to the one or more waveguides are provided, at least one of the etch stop layers comprising one or more fiducials therein. From a surface of the circuit board, the one or more etch stop layers are used to selectively remove material to provide openings having a defined positioning and depth in the circuit board. A circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is also provided.

Circuit board integrated optical coupling elements

In a ring communication system comprising selectively connectable data stations, each station has connecting circuitry including a phase-locked loop arrangement (111) which is frozen at its current frequency and phase in response to a signal interruption caused by a station insertion or removal operation. Control logic (113) generates a freeze control signal in dependence of the signal energy status on input lines (75). This control signal activates gates (149, 151) and switches (155, 157) to interrupt change control signals of the phase-locked loop circuitry and to keep an oscillator control voltage at a given value. The control logic also provides an auxiliary data signal during the freeze interval which is applied to the ring to keep stations downstream in synchronism. By this method and arrangement, undesired reactions and excursions of the phase-locked loop circuitry in response to a signal energy outage are prevented, and synchronization can be rapidly regained after station insertion or removal.

Method for connecting or disconnecting selected stations in a ring

An arrangement for separating disturbing ambient light from an optical data signal, comprising an interference filter (1), the passband of which matches the wavelength of the optical data signal, and further comprising two photodiodes which are so arranged that one photodiode receives the light (I.sub.S, I.sub.AT) transmitted through the interference filter, and that the other receives the reflected light (I.sub.AR). Adjusting means, e.g., in the form of a settable aperture (4) or an additional simple filter (5) are provided for adjusting the transmitted and reflected portions of the ambient light to each other. Output signal (S1, S2) of both photodiodes are subtracted from each other in compensation circuitry (6). This results in compensation of the ambient light components so that at the output a signal (SR) is available which depends only on the actual data signal (I.sub.S).

System for separating an optical signal from ambient light

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Zurich, Switzerland

Urs H Bapst