PCB007 Magazine

PCB007-Dec2024

Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1530610

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 79 of 105

80 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2024 three-dimensional structure; all the pieces fit together in any dimension. at applies even if the pieces are 30 years old or brand new. The LEGO Brick Principle Joe Fjelstad has also used the LEGO brick principle in his Flex007 columns to emphasize the flexibility of both components and high- density boards 1 . Order and predictability are leading factors in both MEMS and photonic assembly. Case's idea was to precisely align each optical element, such as a fiber, a lens, a filter, a mod- ulator, etc., and secure them to a standardized platform. e component platform is inserted into the optical printed circuit board (OCB), where the kinematic mounts are already posi- tioned. Figure 1 shows the kinematic and com- ponent mounts and their assembled keying alignment. e mounts in this new assembly system allow: 1. Submicron compensation for optical component variations, such as fiber core and lens focal positions. 2. A rapid method of securing mounts to the OCB. 3. Surface mounting or onsertion to use existing automated assembly equipment. is approach allows the infrastructure built up by the circuit board assembly industry to be applied to photonic assembly (Figure 2). Karl Dietz once estimated the optoelectronic component market to be $59 billion and the optoelectronic equipment market at $150 billion annually. 2,3 Why will optoelectronics grow so much? Photons are to optical conduits and wave- guides what electrons are to copper traces (wires), only they move 10,000 times faster. The current electrical protocol, Gigabit Ethernet, is a 1 Gbit/sec data stream at about 1.4 GHz. This already presents prob- lems for signal attenuation (losses) and noise (EMI, crosstalk, ground loops, power supply noise). While a high-speed electronic signal can be multiplexed to carry many signals, an optical signal multiplexed on a single laser beam can be mixed with- out interference with other frequencies of Figure 1: The two mounts of the optical building blocks that make up Surface Mount Optics™.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of PCB007 Magazine - PCB007-Dec2024