International Business Machines Corporation

William D Brewer

Ismail C Noyan

Sampath Purushothaman

David Lee Rath

Raymond R Horton

Michael J Palmer

Kurt R Grebe

Linda C Matthew

Mark B Ritter

Mitchell S Cohen

Glen Walden Johnson

Modest M Oprysko

Dennis L Rogers

Mark F Bregman

Jeanine M Trewhella

A direct optical connector (DOC) comprised of first and second members, each including a plurality of light emitting and light detecting locations, operative in combination with energy transfer media to form direct optical connections between the light emitting locations and the light detecting locations, wherein said first and second members are adapted for reclosable connection to each other whereupon the light emitting locations on one member are aligned with the light detecting locations on the other member. The first and second members of the preferred DOC are modular. Alternative forms of energy transfer media are used in various embodiments of the invention including lenslet arrays, imaging fiber plates (IFPs), and energy transfer fiber plates (ETFPs). These media have differing alignment criteria, differing degrees of immunity from crosstalk, differing degrees of transfer efficiency, different manufacturing costs, etc., thereby permitting the fabrication and/or use of a connector most suited to meet the requirements of a particular application. A modular half of a DOC can be used in conjunction with a remote optical connector (ROC) to channel light over relatively long distances. The invention also encompasses processes for fabricating ROCs.

Electro-optical connectors

The present invention comprises the use of a copper/nickel containing alloy composition or application of a protective nickel alloy coating to copper current-carrying leads to prevent electrolytic migration between tape automated bonding (TAB) package leads.

Composition and coating to prevent current induced electrochemical

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Berlin, Germany

William D Brewer