Component and chip assembly structure for high yield parallelized fiber assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568682-B1
Application number	US-201615018734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2016
Priority date	Feb 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A component and chip assembly apparatus includes an assembly stage configured to support a chip, the chip including grooves defining a first pitch, the grooves including a first groove opening configured to receive a plurality of optical fibers and to align the plurality of optical fibers. A picker brings a fiber component including a plurality of optical fibers having a second pitch into contact with the chip such that each optical fiber is aligned with a respective groove. At least one of the assembly stage and the picker includes a comb having a plurality of teeth that define individual cavities therebetween, the cavities having a first cavity opening to receive the optical fibers and isolate each optical fiber from one another and pre-align the optical fibers so as to adjust the second pitch to substantially match the first pitch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A component and chip assembly apparatus, comprising:
an assembly stage configured to support a chip, the chip including grooves defining a first pitch, the grooves including a first groove opening configured to receive a plurality of optical fibers and to align the plurality of optical fibers; and
a picker configured to bring a fiber component including a plurality of optical fibers having a second pitch into contact with the chip such that each optical fiber is aligned with a respective groove,
wherein at least one of the assembly stage and the picker includes a comb having a plurality of teeth that define individual cavities therebetween, the cavities having a first cavity opening to receive the optical fibers and isolate each optical fiber from one another and pre-align the optical fibers so as to adjust the second pitch to substantially match the first pitch, and
wherein the first cavity opening is larger than the first groove opening, and a cavity width of each of the individual cavities at any vertical distance from the first comb opening is larger than a width of an opposing chip groove at any vertical distance from the first groove opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grooves extend into the chip at a first angle and the cavities extend into the comb at a second angle greater than the first angle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the comb is installed on the picker and adjusts the pitch of the optical fibers prior to bringing the plurality of optical fibers into contact with the chip.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of optical fibers each include a first end fixed to the fiber component and a second end configured to fit in a respective groove, and
wherein the comb is installed on the assembly stage separate from the chip, and is interposed between the chip and the first end of the optical fibers such that pre-alignment of the optical fibers exists upstream from the chip to adjust the pitch of the fibers and bring the pitch closer to the groove pitch on chip.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the picker further comprises:
a first picker head including a first vacuum port configured to direct a first vacuum force to a first surface of an optical fiber lid so as to support the optical fiber lid directly against first picker head; and
a second picker head including a second vacuum port configured to direct a second vacuum force so as to support the fiber component directly against the second picker head such that the optical fibers are disposed directly against a second surface of the optical fiber lid opposite the first surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the picker further comprises:
a first picker head including a vacuum port configured to deliver a vacuum force to a first surface of an optical fiber lid so as to support the optical fiber lid directly against first picker head; and
a second picker head including a mechanical gripping mechanism configured to grasp the fiber component such that the optical fibers are disposed directly against a second surface of the optical fiber lid that is opposite the first surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the picker further comprises a lip support including a base extending in a first direction from a first side of the picker and a stopper extending from the base in a second direction perpendicular from the first direction, the stopper configured to inhibit the fiber component from moving beyond the lip support.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the lip support further includes an elastic member coupled to the stopper, the elastic member configured to apply a bias forced against the fiber component.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the lip support further includes an electromechanical actuator coupled to the stopper, the actuator including a piston slidably disposed within an actuator housing, the actuator being in signal communication with an electronic controller and configured to apply a bias forced against the fiber component in response to an electronic control signal output by the controller.

10. A method of disposing optical fibers of a fiber component into respective grooves formed in a chip, the method comprising:
applying a first force via a first picker head to a first surface of an optical fiber lid so as to support the optical fiber lid to the first picker head prior to supporting the fiber component;
applying a second force via a second picker head to the fiber component after supporting the optical lid, the second force supporting the fiber component to the second picker head such that the optical fibers are loosely disposed against a second surface of the optical fiber lid opposite the first surface; and
moving the first and second picker heads along a vertical direction to bring the fiber component into contact with the chip such that the optical fibers freely move in response to contacting the grooves so as to align each optical fiber with a respective groove.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first force is a first vacuum force that supports the first surface directly against first picker head, and the second force is a second vacuum force.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first force is a first vacuum force that supports the first surface directly against first picker head, and the second force is a pressing force applied to sides of the fiber component.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising bring the fiber component into contact with a comb is installed on the picker so as to adjust the optical fiber pitch prior to bringing the plurality of optical fibers into contact with the chip.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sliding the optical fibers along the grooves in a horizontal direction opposite the vertical direction while inhibiting the fiber component from moving in a direction opposite the horizontal direction using a lip support.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising applying, via the lip support, a bias force in the horizontal direction to the fiber component so as to abut at least one optical fiber against a waveguide member disposed in a respective groove.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising moving a piston installed on the lip support so as to slide the optical fibers within the grooves along the horizontal direction, and stopping the movement in response to detecting a pressing force between at least one optical fiber and a wave guide disposed in a respective groove exceeds a force threshold.

17. A method of disposing optical fibers of a fiber component into respective grooves formed in a chip, the method comprising:
performing a first component transferring process that transfers an optical fiber lid from a picker head installed on an electronic chip assembly apparatus to an assembling stage;
after performing the first component transferring process, performing a second transferring process that transfers a fiber component from the picker head to the assembling stage such that a plurality of optical fibers included with the fiber component are loosely disposed against an exposed surface of the lid;
after performing the second component transferring process, performing a third transferring process that transfers a chip from the picker head to the assembling stage such that grooves formed in the chip are aligned with the optical fibers and receive the optical fibers therein.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first component transferring process includes bringing the optical fibers into contact with a comb having a

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Barwicz Tymon
• Boyer Nicolas
• Fortier Paul F
• Janta-Polczynski Alexander
• Martel Stephan L
• Morissette Jean-Francois

Classifications

• G02B6/3608

  Fibre wiring boards, i.e. where fibres are embedded or attached in a pattern on or to a substrate, e.g. flexible sheets (optical ribbon cables in support members G02B6/4401) · CPC title

• G02B6/3636 Primary

  the mechanical coupling means being grooves (G02B6/3652 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/362

  Vacuum holders for optical elements · CPC title

• G02B6/3652 Primary

  the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers · CPC title

• G02B6/4243

  Mounting of the optical light guide into a groove (mounting optical light guides into a groove in general G02B6/3636) · CPC title