Abstract: An example fiberoptic connector has a plug portion including a FALA connected to optical fibers and a socket portion including a PCLA optically coupled to a PIC. The connector also includes a coarse alignment feature having complementary components in the plug and socket portions and a fine alignment feature including a sphere attached to one of the FALA and PCLA and further including a groove in another one of the FALA and PCLA. The components operate to bring the sphere into a capture range of the groove when the plug portion is inserted into the socket portion. When within the capture range, the groove operates to guide the sphere into a stable position within the groove to achieve an optically aligned state for the FALA and the PCLA in which the optical fibers are optically coupled to corresponding vertical grating couplers in the PIC.

Abstract: A method for making a horn antenna array includes the steps of making planar boards with surface conductor or metallization defining a plurality of side-by-side horns, and with horn feed conductors extending to an edge of the boards. The edges of the board are metallized in a pattern to define feed pads in contact with the feed conductors. Slots are cut in the boards on the axes of the horns so that two orthogonal boards can be joined together for “radiation” in mutually orthogonal planes. A surface-conducive dielectric support defines surface pads in a pattern that matches the pattern of feed pads in a set of joined boards, and through vias connect from the surface pads to lower layers, which may include a beamformer, for making individual connections to the horns.

Abstract: A method for making a horn antenna array includes the steps of making planar boards with surface conductor or metallization defining a plurality of side-by-side horns, and with horn feed conductors extending to an edge of the boards. The edges of the board are metallized in a pattern to define feed pads in contact with the feed conductors. Slots are cut in the boards on the axes of the horns so that two orthogonal boards can be joined together for “radiation” in mutually orthogonal planes. A surface-conducive dielectric support defines surface pads in a pattern that matches the pattern of feed pads in a set of joined boards, and through vias connect from the surface pads to lower layers, which may include a beamformer, for making individual connections to the horns.