Abstract: A floating heat sink device is provided that attaches to a cage in a floating configuration that enables the heat sink device to move, or “float”, as the parallel optical communications device secured to the cage moves relative to the cage. Because the heat sink device floats with movement of the parallel optical communications device, at least one surface of the parallel optical communications device maintains continuous contact with at least one surface of the heat sink device at all times. Ensuring that these surfaces are maintained in continuous contact at all times ensures that heat produced by the parallel optical communications device will be transferred into and absorbed by the floating heat sink device.

Abstract: A laser diode driver IC of a transmitter or transceiver is provided with circuitry for monitoring the forward voltage of the laser diode or laser diodes of the transmitter or transceiver to enable the health of the laser diode or diodes to be assessed in real-time.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for launching light into an entrance facet of a multimode optical fiber (MMF) of an optical link in a way that excites one or more higher-order Hermite Gaussian (HMG) mode groups in the MMF. Exciting higher-order HMG mode groups in the MMF increases the bandwidth of the link while also providing reduced modal noise. In addition, selectively exciting one or more higher-order HMG mode groups in the MMF ensures that the launch will provide desirable results even in cases where the connector that connects the end of the MMF to the optical transceiver or transmitter is offset with respect to the receptacle of the optical transceiver or transmitter. This feature allows for greater manufacturing tolerances when manufacturing the connectors and receptacles because precise alignment between them is not critical to achieving a successful launch.

Abstract: A docking station is provided with a SerDes component, one or more peripheral device I/O ports, and at least one high-speed serial I/O port for interfacing the docking station with a high-speed serial communications link. A portable device that can be docked on the docking station is also provided with a high-speed serial I/O port. A high-speed serial communications link is provided between the high-speed serial I/O port of the docking station and the high-speed serial I/O port of the portable device to enable serial data to be communicated between the portable device and the docking station. Providing the serial communications link obviates the need for a large connector with a high pin count for interfacing the portable device with the docking station.

Abstract: A reflector for use in an optical transceiver module and methods for making and using the reflector are provided. The methods for making the reflector reduce the amount of processing and handling of the wafer that are required, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and increasing yield. The reflector may have a diffraction-inducing structure formed thereon such that light received from the light source is redirected in a plurality of directions, including toward a lens that couples light into an end of a transmit fiber and in at least one other direction for being sensed by a detector that converts the detected light into electrical energy.

Abstract: A method for making semiconductor chips having coated portions can include mounting the chips in lead frames, stacking the lead frames in an orientation in which a portion of one lead frame masks a portion of a chip mounted on another lead frame but leaves another portion of the chip mounted on the other lead frame exposed to receive a coating, and depositing a coating on the stacked lead frames using, for example, an evaporative coating machine. In this manner, the coating is deposited on exposed portions of chips, such as its edges, and is not deposited on masked portions of chips, such as bond pads.

Abstract: A half-duplex, single-fiber (S-F) optical transceiver module is provided in which a light source, such as a laser diode or a light-emitting diode (LED), is mounted on an edge region of a photodiode to increase the amount of surface area of the photodiode that is available for absorbing light received in the optical transceiver module. The S-F optical transceiver module has a relatively simple optical coupling system for coupling light between an end face of an optical fiber and the photodiode and laser diode or LED with high optical coupling efficiency and reduced optical crosstalk.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for performing jitter measurements in a transceiver module. Accordingly, there is no need to use expensive test equipment that must be inserted into and removed from the network in order to obtain these measurements. In addition, because the measurements can be obtained at any time without any interruption in communications over the network, jitter performance can be monitored more closely and more frequently to facilitate better and earlier diagnosis of problems that can lead to failures in the network.

Abstract: A small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver module and method for performing optical communications are provided. The SFP optical transceiver module has a housing to which a duplex receptacle is secured. The duplex receptacle has a C-shaped opening, the upper and lower portions of which are defined by upper and lower flexible retaining elements for receiving and retaining a duplex optical connector therein. An electrical assembly of the module is secured within the transceiver module housing. The electrical assembly comprises a PCB, the back end of which is configured as a plug end for removably plugging the PCB into a receptacle of an external communications management system.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include an active optical cable and method for controlling the operation of the active optical cable based on the detection of signal loss, e.g., due to fiber breakage, within the active optical cable. The active optical cable includes first and second optical transceivers, each with an open fiber control module coupled between the transmission side and the receiver side of the respective optical transceiver. The transmission side of each optical transceiver is coupled to the receiver side of the other optical transceiver via a plurality of transmission channels, such as a plurality of optical fibers. Each open fiber control module is configured to detect an optical power level of an optical signal received by the receiver side of the optical transceiver within which the open fiber control module resides and, based on such detection, control the operation of the corresponding transmission side of the optical transceiver.

Abstract: An integrated circuit is joined to a liquid container. The integrated circuit includes a passivation layer. A resistor is used as a heater to heat fluid in a liquid container. A mesa structure is formed over the passivation layer. The mesa structure is in contact with the resistor and is used to more effectively deliver heat from the resistor to the liquid container.

Abstract: Wirebonds are formed to couple an opto-electronic device chip having two or more opto-electronic devices to a signal processing chip. Two or more mutually adjacent wirebond groups, each corresponding to one of the opto-electronic devices, are formed. For example, each wirebond group can include a first wirebond coupling a P-terminal of the opto-electronic device of the wirebond group to the signal processing chip, a second wirebond coupling an N-terminal of the opto-electronic device of the wirebond group to the signal processing chip, and a third wirebond coupling the opto-electronic device chip to the signal processing chip.

Abstract: A parallel optical communications device is provided that has an OSA that includes at least one heat dissipation block having a slot formed in a lower surface thereof that contains a weldable insert. Likewise, an upper surface of the mounting device of the ESA has at least one slot formed therein that contains a weldable insert. After the OSA is placed in contact with the ESA and optically aligned with the ESA, the OSA is secured to the upper surface of the mounting device of the ESA by welding together the respective weldable inserts contained in the respective slots in the OSA and in the mounting device of the ESA. The welding process results in an extremely strong welded joint between the OSA and the ESA that prevents relative movement between the OSA and the ESA if external forces that are exerted on the OSA and/or on the ESA.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring and correcting data lane skews uses a predefined datum within data streams transmitted on different data lanes to determine the fastest data lane and to compute relative data lane skew values for the data lanes with respect to the fastest data lane. The relative data lane skew values are then used to compensate for the data lane skews.

Abstract: An integrated device includes two sections (A, B), such as a DFB laser (A) and an EAM modulator (B), having a semi-insulating (SI) separation region therebetween. The separation region (24) is of a material acting as a trap on electrons and configured to impede current flow between the two sections (A, B) due to holes. The separation region (24) may be of a material acting as a trap both on electrons and holes. Alternatively, the separation region (24) is of a material that acts as a trap on electrons and is provided over a p-type substrate (20) common to the two sections (A, B).

Abstract: An optical transmitter module and method for making the module utilizes a housing structure having an integrated lens. The housing structure includes an output opening, which has a central axis along a first direction, to receive an optical fiber. The optical transmitter module further comprises conductive pins that are attached to the housing structure such that the conductive pins extend from the housing structure in a second direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The optical transmitter module further comprises a light source mounted on one of the conductive pins such that light from the light source is emitted along the first direction toward the integrated lens of the housing structure to transmit the light into the optical fiber.

Abstract: An optical communications system and method are provided in which multiple parallel optical communications modules are mid-plane mounted on a PCB motherboard. Each module is connected to an optical fiber ribbon cable. The modules are configured to have very low profiles and/or to provide an angular coupling of the ribbon cable to the module. In both cases, the module configurations obviate the need to leave a significant amount of space between a module and the one behind it for the purpose of providing room for the ribbon cable to exit the module without the cable being bent beyond its minimum bend radius. This feature allows the module mounting density on the motherboard PCB to be very high and allows the modules to be mounted closer to their respective hub ICs, which increases mounting density and allows the modules to be mounted closer to their respective hub ICs.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for adaptively adjusting the impulse response of the optical output of the laser of the optical TX in a way that ensures that the optical waveform being transmitted from the optical TX into the optical waveguide of the optical link has a desired waveform shape that improves or optimizes the performance of the optical link across variations in temperature, power supply, laser process corners, IC process corners, component aging, mechanical manufacturing tolerances, and part alignment tolerances. Adaptively adjusting the impulse response of the optical signal output from the laser in this way allows the optical TX to dynamically adapt to and compensate for a wide range of factors that typically cause performance degradation and result in reduced product yields, increased testing times, and increased test complexity, and higher costs.

Abstract: In an optical transceiver module, the bottom surface of the lid is temporarily attached to the top surface of the submount assembly in a pre-alignment position prior to performing the solder flowing process in order to prevent the lid from shifting position during the solder flowing process. The solder flowing process is then performed to melt the solder. When the solder melts, the surface tension of the melted solder pulls the lid into its ultimate, or permanent, aligned position. The solder is then cooled, causing it to harden, thereby securing the lid to the submount assembly in its ultimate, permanently aligned position. The hardened solder between the top surface of the submount assembly and the bottom surface of the lid forms a hermetic seal that encloses components on the transmit side of the transceiver module in a hermetically-sealed environment.

Abstract: An EML assembly is provided that has and EAM and a DFB, with the DFB having an asymmetric ¼ wavelength phase shift positioned at a location that is in front of the center of the periodic structure of the DFB. In addition, the EML assembly has a tilted or bent waveguide that reduces reflections occurring at the front end facet, thereby enabling the EAM to produce a relatively high POUT level while also achieving reduced chirp and high single-mode yield in the DFB. By providing the EML assembly with a tilted or bent waveguide, the reflections at the front end facet are reduced without having to use an AR coating on the front end facet that has an extremely low reflectivity. By avoiding the need to use an AR coating on the front end facet that has an extremely low reflectivity, the AR coating that is used on the front end facet can be made using standard sputter deposition techniques to enable higher manufacturing yields to be achieved.