Low-cost plastic micro-optics for board level optical interconnections

Abstract

One of the grand challenges in solving the interconnection bottlenecks at the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Multi-Chip-Module (MCM) level, is to adequately replace the PCB and intra-MCM galvanic interconnects with high-performance, low-cost, compact and reliable micro-photonic alternatives. In our labs at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel we are therefore focusing on the continuous development of a rapid prototyping technology for micro-optical interconnect modules, which we call Deep Proton Writing (DPW).The special feature of this prototyping technology is that it is compatible with commercial low-cost mass replication techniques such as micro injection moulding and hot embossing. We will address more specifically in this paper the following components: 1) out-of-plane couplers for optical wave-guides embedded in PCB, 2) peripheral fiber ribbons and two dimensional single- and multimode fiber connectors for high-speed parallel optical connections, and 3) intra-MCM level optical interconnections via free-space optical modules. We furthermore give special attention to the optical tolerancing and the opto-mechanical integration of the components. We use both a sensitivity analysis to misalignment errors and Monte Carlo simulations. It is our aim to investigate the whole component integration chain from the optoelectronic device to the micro-opto-mechanical components constituting the interconnect module.