Silicon-based optical ports, optical connector assemblies and optical connector systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9766418-B2
Application number	US-201514950064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Optical connector systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical port includes a substrate, a laser silicon chip, an interposer, and a receptacle housing. The laser silicon chip includes an optical source, a laser beam emitting surface, and a grating at the laser beam emitting surface. The laser silicon chip is coupled to the substrate such that the laser beam emitting surface is transverse to the mounting surface of the substrate. The interposer includes an interposer fiber support bore, and is coupled to the laser beam emitting surface of the laser silicon chip such that the interposer fiber support bore is substantially aligned with the grating of the laser silicon chip. The receptacle housing includes a receptacle mating surface and defines an enclosure operable to receive a fiber optic connector. The receptacle mating surface includes a receptacle fiber support bore aligned with the interposer fiber support bore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical connector system comprising:
an optical port comprising:
a substrate comprising a mounting surface;
a laser silicon chip comprising:
a laser beam emitting surface, wherein the laser silicon chip is coupled to the substrate such that the laser beam emitting surface is transverse to the mounting surface of the substrate; and
a grating at the laser beam emitting surface;

an interposer comprising an interposer fiber support bore, wherein the interposer is coupled to the laser beam emitting surface of the laser silicon chip such that the interposer fiber support bore is substantially aligned with the grating of the laser silicon chip; and
a receptacle housing comprising an receptacle mating surface and defining an enclosure, wherein:
the receptacle mating surface comprises a receptacle fiber support bore; and
the receptacle housing is coupled to the mounting surface of the substrate such that the receptacle fiber support bore is substantially aligned with the interposer fiber support bore; and

an optical connector assembly comprising:
a connector body comprising a connector mating surface and a connector fiber support bore, wherein the connector fiber support bore defines a connector fiber opening at the connector mating surface, and the connector body defines a fiber enclosure portion; and
an optical fiber disposed within the connector fiber support bore such that a portion of the optical fiber extends out of the connector fiber opening and beyond a plane defined by the connector mating surface,

wherein when the optical connector assembly is positioned within the enclosure defined by the receptacle housing, the optical fiber is disposed within the receptacle fiber support bore and the interposer fiber support bore such that an end of the optical fiber is offset from the grating of the laser silicon chip.

2. The optical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the grating is operable to cause a laser beam propagating in a direction parallel to the laser beam emitting surface to turn and be emitted from the laser beam emitting surface.

3. The optical connector system of claim 1 , wherein:
the grating is one of a plurality of gratings;
the interposer fiber support bore is one of a plurality of interposer fiber support bores;
the receptacle fiber support bore is one of a plurality of receptacle fiber support bores;
the connector fiber support bore is one of a plurality of connector fiber support bores that defines a plurality of connector fiber openings at the connector mating surface;
the optical fiber is one of a plurality of optical fibers that is disposed within the plurality of connector fiber support bores;
the plurality of interposer fiber support bores is substantially aligned with the plurality of gratings; and
the plurality of receptacle fiber support bores is substantially aligned with the plurality of interposer fiber support bores.

4. The optical connector system of claim 3 , wherein when the optical connector assembly is positioned within the enclosure defined by the receptacle housing:
the plurality of connector fiber support bores is substantially aligned with the plurality of receptacle fiber support bores; and
the end of each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers is offset from each grating of the plurality of gratings.

5. The optical connector system of claim 3 , wherein:
one or more optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers are non-signal optical fibers, and one or more of the optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers are signal optical fibers;
the non-signal optical fibers contact the laser beam emitting surface of the laser silicon chip; and
the one or more signal optical fibers are offset from the from the grating of the laser silicon chip.

6. The optical connector system of claim 3 , wherein each interposer fiber support bore of the plurality of interposer fiber support bores, each receptacle fiber support bore of the plurality of receptacle fiber support bores, and each connector fiber support bore of the plurality of connector fiber support bores are tapered.

7. The optical connector system of claim 1 , further comprising a shroud body comprising a shroud mating surface and defining a shroud enclosure, wherein:
the shroud mating surface comprises a shroud fiber support bore;
the optical fiber is disposed within the shroud fiber support bore; and
the connector body is disposed within the shroud enclosure such that:
when the optical connector assembly is in an unmated state, the shroud body is in an advanced position such that the end of the optical fiber does not extend beyond a plane defined by the shroud mating surface and movement of the shroud body with respect to the connector body is inhibited; and
when the optical connector assembly is in a mated state within the enclosure of the receptacle housing, the shroud body is in a retracted position such that the optical fiber extends beyond the plane defined by the shroud mating surface and is disposed within the receptacle fiber support bore and the interposer fiber support bore.

8. The optical connector system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shroud body defining a shroud enclosure, the shroud body comprising:
a shroud mating surface;
a shroud fiber support bore extending between the enclosure and the shroud mating surface; and
a first shroud actuator seat positioned proximate a first side of the shroud enclosure, and a second shroud actuator seat positioned proximate a second side of the shroud enclosure; and

a first shroud actuator pin and a second shroud actuator pin, each of the first and second shroud actuator pins comprising a shroud engagement portion at a first end and a locking feature at a second end.

9. The optical connector system of claim 8 , wherein:
at least a portion of the connector body is disposed within the shroud body; and
the first shroud actuator pin is disposed within the first shroud actuator seat and the second shroud actuator pin is disposed within the second shroud actuator seat such that movement of the shroud body with respect to the connector body is inhibited when the optical connector assembly is in an unmated state with respect to the optical port.

10. The optical connector system of claim 8 , wherein:
the connector body further comprises:
a flange portion, wherein the fiber enclosure portion extends from the flange portion, and the connector mating surface is on the fiber enclosure portion;
a first shroud actuation arm extending from the flange portion proximate a first side of the fiber enclosure portion, the first shroud actuation arm comprising a first locking notch; and
a second shroud actuation arm extending from the flange portion proximate a second side of the fiber enclosure portion, the second shroud actuation arm comprising a second locking notch;

the connector body is disposed within the shroud body such that the fiber enclosure portion is disposed within the shroud enclosure, the first shroud actuation arm is disposed within the first shroud actuator seat, and the second shroud actuation arm is disposed within the second shroud actuator seat; and
the first shroud actuator pin is pivotally disposed within the first shroud actuator seat and the second shroud actuator pin is pivotally disposed within the second shroud actuator seat.

11. The optical connector system of claim 10 , wherein:
when the optical connector assembly is in an unmated state with respect to the optical port, the shroud body is in an advanced position such that the end of the optical fiber does not extend beyond a plane defined by the shroud mating surface, and the shroud engagement porti

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Lewallen Christopher Paul
• Luther James Phillip

Classifications

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G02B6/4292

  the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements · CPC title

• G02B6/4249

  comprising arrays of active devices and fibres · CPC title

• G02B6/423 Primary

  using guiding surfaces for the alignment · CPC title

• G02B6/30

  for use between fibre and thin-film device · CPC title