Small form factor: higher density for fiber based high speed networking

Abstract

Using Small Form Factor transceiver components for increased port density on network system level also requires Small Form Factor packaging technologies for the optical subassemblies (OSA). Along with the broad acceptance of fiber optic data transmission in today's high speed networks comes the requirement of increased port density comparable to today's RJ-45 copper port configurations. An important factor for ensuring the continued rapid growth in market share (and thus volume) of fiber-optic technology is the increasing competitiveness of the available fiber-optic systems as against existing copper solutions such as CAT 5/6 cables. When evolving from backbone into fiber-to-the-desktop applications, fiber technology needs to meet certain requirement e.g. cost, ease of use, robustness while competing with copper solutions. The keys to low cost are platform concepts to generate volume in multiple kinds of applications. Today's main optical semiconductor packing platform, the TO Can, comes to its limits in new applications like Small Form Factor transceivers. New technology for the electro-optical subassemblies has been developed where today's TO-canned concepts broadly in use in today's optical transceiver generations provide design restrictions as well as limitations in volume production because of size and complexity, especially in Small Form Factor transceivers. Furthermore, these new packaging concepts must support different kinds of wavelength and speeds while applications reach from 10/100 Mbit/s 850 nm up to 2.5 Gbit/s 1300 nm or 1550 nm, single mode and multimode. Leadframe-based concepts for optical subassemblies provide clear advantages and will get access to the Small Form Factor (SFF) field of application.