Lucent Technologies Inc.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Triquint Technology Holding Co.

Agere Systems Optoelectronics Guardian Corp.

William Baxter Joyce

Daniel Paul Wilt

Louis A Koszi

Bertram Schwartz

Ronald Edward Scotti

Philip J Anthony

Richard C Miller

Richard W Dixon

Ralph Salvatore Moyer

Disclosed is a laser module case having a snout disposed within a wall of the case, wherein the snout may allow alignment of a laser with an optical fiber after closure of the case. The snout has an inner end, outer end and longitudinal hollow. An optical fiber assembly, also with an inner end, outer end and longitudinal hollow, is disposed within the snout hollow. An inner flange secures the snout to the optical fiber assembly at their inner ends and an outer flange secures the snout to the optical fiber assembly at their outer ends. The optical fiber assembly is of a smaller cross-sectional diameter than the snout hollow so that it may move in an X and Y-direction. The optical fiber assembly may be aligned with a laser positioned within the case after the case is closed. The aligned fiber assembly may then be secured in position by the outer flange.

Externally aligned laser module

The invention is an assembly and method for bonding an optical component to a base member. The component is mounted to a block which includes a centerline extending between two opposing surfaces. A pair of stop members are included on the surface of the base member, and these members serve to pin the centerline during heating and cooling of the assembly so that the position of the component is controlled.

Soldering an optical component to a substrate

The present invention is directed to a novel wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) lightwave communication system having allocated wide bands of wavelengths within which the respective optical pump light employed to amplify the optical signals must stay. As the temperature of the pump laser varies, its lasing wavelength is allowed to wander anywhere within its allocated wavelength band. Preferably, the pump lasers are wavelength stabilized within its respective allocated wavelength band by means of a fiber Bragg grating having an appropriately wide spectral width. Extending the lasing wavelength range of the pump laser advantageously, in turn, may be used to extend the temperature range over which the pump laser can be operated or locked.

Lightwave transmission system having wide pump wavebands

A method for testing the reliability of fiber-optic laser modules by determining the change in position over time of the focal point of the fiber tip relative to the laser, wherein the coupling efficiency and influence coefficients of the laser module are used to determine whether the focal point of the fiber tip is moving relative to the laser at an unacceptable rate of displacement such that the laser module is likely to malfunction and is therefore unacceptable for use.

Method for quality assurance testing of fiber-optic laser modules

The present invention discloses a method for eliminating, or at least minimizing, the locking range variability of laser modules which employ external grating, such as fiber bragg gratings. It has been observed that the coupling efficiency between the laser and its output fiber is a highly variable property of the laser module, causing variations in the laser module's locking range. The laser module's locking range, however, can be readily reset to or near its nominal value by measuring the laser module's coupling efficiency, and then judiciously choosing a grating having a peak reflectivity which compensates for variations in the coupling efficiency by maintaining constant the effective reflectivity R,of the fiber/grating combination.

Method for minimizing locking range variability of a laser module

A method for nondestructively and accurately determining the stress of a fabricated semiconductor chip soldered, brazed or otherwise bonded to a submount using optical microscopy and finite element analysis. Deformations on a top surface of the semiconductor chip are first examined using optical microscopy. The deformations are then correlated using finite element analysis to the stress on the semiconductor chip caused by the soldering process. If the stress is determined to be within an acceptable range of measurement, then the semiconductor chip will have been properly soldered to the submount and can be used.

Method for nondestructively measuring the stress of fabricated semiconductor chips

The present invention disclose a method comprising the steps of fixing a first device to a first housing using a first manufacturing process and fixing a second device to a first housing using a second manufacturing process. The first device can be a laser and the second device an optical fiber. After the first and second device have been fixed to the first housing, the first device lies at a first position relative to the second device. The first device, the second device, and the first housing comprise a first sample. The first sample can be flexed by an amount y,. The first sample is next subjected to a deterioration process such as baking. After the deterioration process it is determined whether the first device lies within a range of the first position relative to the second device. The method may also comprise fixing a third device and a fourth device to a second housing using the same first and second manufacturing processes as for the first sample. The third and fourth devices may be the same type of devices as the first and second devices. The third device will lie at a second position relative to the fourth device in the completed second sample. The second sample can be flexed an amount y,which can be different from the amount y,. After flexing the second sample would be subjected to the deterioration process. The second position would be checked after the deterioration process to see if it lies within a range. This method can be repeated for any number of samples to determine the appropriate amount of flexing of a sample of a certain type needed to achieve the most reliable positioning results. The deterioration process is designed to simulate the stress, wear, and tear that will be experiences by a sample during its lifetime. If the positioning of the first device with respect to the second device remains fairly constant after a deterioration process it means that the sample will be more reliable for a longer time period. The flexing can be bending or twisting or any other manner of applying force to the sample.

Stabilized module

A method for maximizing the coupling efficiency of a fabricated fiber-optic laser module by deforming the module. In a first embodiment, the method can use a plurality of previously determined influence coefficients to determine how to deform the module, wherein such deformation aligns the focal point of the optical fiber and the laser to maximize the coupling efficiency. Alternatively, in a second embodiment of the present invention, the method is implemented without the use of influence coefficients, wherein the changes in the coupling efficiency resulting from deforming the module are observed to determine which deformations will maximize the coupling efficiency. Irrespective of which embodiment of the present invention is used, the module is deformed to account for its elastic properties by deforming the module beyond the final shape it attains when the coupling efficiency is maximized.

Method for aligning the optical fiber and laser of fiber-optic laser modules

A system is provided for mounting a fiber between locks by placing the locks at or near the natural inflection points of a sinusoidally curved fiber. This is accomplished by angularly offsetting the fiber exiting the locks at equal angles from an imaginary center line drawn between the locks, and by providing enough slack in the fiber between the locks to cause the inflection points to be positioned at or near the locks.

Fiber locking system

The present invention is directed to a method for adjusting the operating temperature range of a laser module such that it substantially covers or is coextensive with the span in temperatures for the desired application. In accordance with the principles of the invention, it has been found that the laser module's operating temperature range can be readily adjusted by judiciously increasing its thermal resistance so as to elevate, and thereby offset the laser's temperature from its ambient or surrounding temperature. As such, by judiciously impeding the laser module's heat flow, the laser module's operating locking temperature range can be made to be cover the span in temperatures for the desired application. Preferably, washers of a known thermal resistance are employed to increase the laser module's thermal resistance to accordingly impede heat flow from the laser to its surroundings, and thereby offset the laser's temperature.

Laser module with adjustable operating temperature range

An optical module that compensates for a stress induced displacement is realized by employing asymmetric ferrule and clip assemblies. In one embodiment, the optical module includes a ferrule and clip assembly having posts or vertical members joined thereto with welds positioned along the longitudinal or center axes of the posts. Importantly, however, the effective axis of rotation about which one of the welds rotates under an applied axial displacement is offset along the longitudinal axis. This offset causes the welds to rotate asymmetrically with respect to the rotational axes which are orthogonal to the stress induced displacement, and is advantageously used to compensate for any stress induced displacement of the fiber that is quadratic in nature. In another embodiment, the optical module includes an asymmetric ferrule and clip assembly wherein at least one weld is offset along from the post's longitudinal or center axis, breaking the left-right symmetry of the assembly. Likewise, the welds rotate asymmetrically with respect to the axes orthogonal to the stress induced displacement. This latter rotation is used to compensate for any stress induced displacement, but one that is linear and not quadratic in nature.

Optical module with stress compensated ferrule-clip assembly

A module which holds an optical fiber and a laser in alignment to couple light energy emitted from the laser to an end of the fiber. The fiber is held within a metal ferrule. The fiber and the laser are aligned by means of a metal platform to which both the ferrule and the laser are secured. Only the ferrule is secured to the outer box of the module, so that the platform, along with the alignment of the fiber and the laser, are isolated from mechanical stresses induced in the box.

Stress reduced laser module

A module which holds an optical fiber and a laser in alignment to couple light energy emitted from the laser to an end of the fiber. The fiber is held within a metal ferrule. The fiber and the laser are aligned by means of a metal platform to which both the ferrule and the laser are secured. The ferrule is secured to the platform by means of thin flexible washers which compensate for thermal expansion mismatch along the axis of the fiber. In addition, by using dissimilar metals to form the platform, transverse thermal expansion matching is attained.

Thermal stress reduction in a laser module

Semiconductor light emitting devices, lasers and LEDs, are described in which the current flow channel is narrower near the top surface of the device and wider at its bottom near the active region. Also, described are several attenuation masks for fabricating the channels of these devices by particle bombardment.

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Basking Ridge, NJ, United States of America

William Baxter Joyce