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Semiconductor Technology that Enabled
Mass Production of the World's First*1
Lens-less Optical Interconnection Modules
Semiconductor Process Technology for New Optical Interconnection Modules |
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Mass production of the world's first
lens-less optical interconnection |
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Optical packaging technology derived
from semiconductor technology |
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Cooperative design technology
involving lasers |
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Optical interconnection module
supporting the 4K era |
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*1: As of November, 2011 (based on Sony's
research) |
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Video technology is now about to progress
from High Definition video to the higher
resolution of 4K. Normally, electrical
transmission technology is used for short-range
transmissions (up to several tens of
centimeters) and there have been few projects
to look for technologies to replace it. That is
now about to change as greater volumes of
video data comes with higher resolutions.
Convinced that such tasks should be left to
optical interconnection that can handle high
transmission volumes, Sony started developing
optical interconnection modules that do not
contain lenses by combining its semiconductor
technology with optical communication
technology. Eliminating the lenses lowers
the number of components needed, simplifies
the structure, raises productivity and allows
low-cost manufacturing processes.
Thanks to these advances, we were able to mass produce the CXN2006, CXN2007
and CXN2300 optical interconnection
modules that offer a low-cost alternative to
conventional modules.
These products are also incorporated in the
"CineAlta"*2 camera F65, Sony's top of the
range high resolution digital motion picture
camera and the "SRMASTER"*3 portable
memory recorder SR-R4. This establishes
the world's first mass production technology
of lens-less optical interconnection modules
using Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser
(VCSEL).
This issue will describe the optical packaging
technology and high-frequency technology
that underpin these optical interconnection
modules.
*2: "CineAlta" is a registered trademark of Sony
Corporation.
*3: "SRMASTER" is a registered trademark of Sony
Corporation.
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 Semiconductor Packaging Technology Achieves a Lens-less Optical Coupling |
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In conventional optical interconnection
modules, optical components that include
condensing lenses or reflection mirrors are
usually used in an optical coupling section
between the optical devices like a laser (a
light emitting device) or a photodiode
(a light receiving device) and an optical
fiber. However, optical design with optical
components increases the number of parts
and the number of packaging assembly
processes thereby raising the price of optical
interconnection modules. To replace the long
distance optical interconnection module
technology with the electrical transmission
technology normally used for short-range
communications, productivity had to be
improved and low-cost processes had to be
built. One issue was optical-axis alignment
between an optical device and an optical fiber
cable. For example, on the sending side of the
optical coupling section, the outgoing beam
(having a divergence angle of several tens of degrees from the several micrometer long
output) of the laser has to be coupled with the
minimum of loss on the roughly 50 µm wide
core of the optical fiber that constitutes the
optical path. When focusing the beam using
a normal condensing lens, the tolerance of
alignment is a mere 10 µm or less.
In this development project, Sony applied
semiconductor packaging technology to
optical coupling technology and its strict
mounting conditions to develop a new optical
packaging technology. This technology
uses a silicon interposer to directly connect
an optical device to an optical fiber. Sony
succeeded in developing an optical packaging
process technology that does not rely on any
of the optical components normally used in
optical design. At the same time, the new
technology has produced a compact, low
profile and simple structure. Sony succeeded
in commercializing optical interconnection
modules boasting 40 Gbps (10 Gbps × 4
channels). (Basic research results in lens-less
optical packaging were obtained in a joint
development effort with Advanced Photonics,
Inc.)
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Figure : 3D Figure of Module Appearance
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 Optical Packaging Technology |
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See
all articles with figures and tables.  |
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Vol.68 |
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