Multi-channel optical module and manufacture method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9768583-B2
Application number	US-201615209902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Provided herein is a multi-channel optical module including a plurality of laser diodes emitting light with different wavelengths, a thermoelectric cooling device including the plurality of laser diodes, a TO-can including the thermoelectric cooling device, and a holder combined with the TO-can and including a plurality of optical lenses focusing the light with different wavelengths and a multiplexer gathering focused light into a single optical fiber, wherein the holder has a shape in which the TO-can is cut along an axis of a path of the light with different wavelengths for active alignment of the plurality of optical lenses.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-channel optical module, comprising:
a plurality of laser diodes emitting lights with different wavelengths, respectively;
a thermoelectric cooling device including the plurality of laser diodes;
a TO-can having a first shape and including the thermoelectric cooling device; and
a holder combined with the TO-can and including a plurality of optical lenses focusing the lights with the different wavelengths and a multiplexer gathering the focused lights into a single optical fiber,
wherein the holder has a second shape in which the first shape is cut along optical axes of optical paths of the lights with the different wavelengths for active alignment of the plurality of optical lenses.

2. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , wherein the holder further comprises an optical lens mounting unit consisting of at least one groove formed in a surface of the holder so that the plurality of optical lenses are inserted thereto,
wherein the plurality of optical lenses are inserted into the optical lens mounting unit and actively aligned to be fixed at corresponding positions in which light power output from the multi-channel optical module is maximum.

3. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 2 , wherein the holder comprises a plurality of protecting units arranged in the optical lens mounting unit so that bonding material does not flow through adjacent optical lens when the plurality of optical lenses are fixed at the optical lens mounting unit consisting of a single groove.

4. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , wherein the TO-can has a cylindrical shape and the holder has a semi-cylindrical shape in which the TO-can is cut along the optical axes of the optical paths of the lights with the different wavelengths.

5. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of laser diodes are mounted on a single sub-mount or a plurality of sub-mounts, respectively.

6. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of laser diodes are passively aligned on a single sub-mount or a plurality of sub-mounts by using an indicator marked on the single sub-mount or the plurality of sub-mounts and fixed by flip-chip bonding with epoxy or solder.

7. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of laser diodes are metalized with Au-pattern on the thermoelectric cooling device.

8. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , wherein the TO-can comprises:
a TO-stem at which at least one aligning mark for passive alignment of the thermoelectric cooling device is formed and the thermoelectric cooling device aligned by using the at least one aligning mark is fixed; and
a TO-cap combined with the TO-stem to shield the thermoelectric cooling device from an external source and including a window in which the lights with the different wavelengths are transmitted.

9. The multi-channel optical module according to claim 1 , further comprising
a housing combined with the holder to shield the plurality of optical lenses mounted in the holder and the multiplexer from an external source.

10. A method of manufacturing a multichannel optical module, the method comprising:
mounting a plurality of laser diodes emitting lights with different wavelengths, respectively, into a thermoelectric cooling device;
mounting the thermoelectric cooling device into a TO-can having a first shape; and
combining a holder with the TO-can by a fitting method,
wherein the holder is configured to include a plurality of optical lenses focusing the lights with the different wavelengths and a multiplexer concentrating the focused lights into a single optical fiber, and
wherein the holder has a second shape in which the first shape is cut along optical axes of optical paths of the lights with the different wavelengths.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
actively aligning the plurality of optical lenses in a plurality of optical lens mounting units formed in a surface of the holder to have maximum light power output from the multi-channel optical module; and
bonding the plurality of optical lenses actively aligned with the plurality of optical lens mounting units.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the mounting of the plurality of laser diodes into the thermoelectric cooling device comprises:
passively aligning the plurality of laser diodes into a single sub-mount by using an indicator marked on the single sub-mount;
bonding the plurality of laser diodes passively aligned with the single sub-mount; and
bonding the single sub-mount with the thermoelectric cooling device.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the mounting of the plurality of laser diodes into the thermoelectric cooling device comprises:
passively aligning the plurality of laser diodes to corresponding sub-mounts, respectively, by using an indicator marked on each of the corresponding sub-mounts;
bonding the plurality of laser diodes with the corresponding sub-mounts, respectively; and
bonding the corresponding sub-mounts with the thermoelectric cooling device.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the mounting of the plurality of laser diodes into the thermoelectric cooling device comprises metalizing the plurality of laser diodes on the thermoelectric cooling device with Au-pattern.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the mounting of the thermoelectric cooling device into the TO-can comprises:
passively aligning the thermoelectric cooling device on a TO-stem by using at least one aligning mark formed on the TO-stem;
bonding the thermoelectric cooling device passively aligned with the TO-stem; and
combining a TO-cap for shielding the thermoelectric cooling device from an external source with the TO-stem.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the combining of the holder with the TO-can by the fitting method further comprises:
mounting the multiplexer into the holder; and
combining the holder including the multiplexer with the TO-can by the fitting method.

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising mounting the multiplexer into the holder after combining the holder with the TO-can by the fitting method.

18. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising mounting the plurality of optical lenses in an optical lens mounting unit having a groove shape formed in a surface of the holder after combining the holder with the TO-can by the fitting method.

19. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising combining a housing shielding the plurality of optical lenses mounted in the holder and the multiplexer from an external source with the holder.

Assignees

• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Inst

Inventors

• Kim Jeong Eun
• Kang Hyun Seo
• Kim Keo Sik
• Ryu Ji Hyoung
• Park Hyoung Jun
• Lim Kwon Seob
• Heo Young Soon

Classifications

• H01S5/02256

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01S5/02288

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01S5/02415

  by using a thermo-electric cooler [TEC], e.g. Peltier element · CPC title

• H01S5/02212 Primary

  Can-type, e.g. TO-CAN housings with emission along or parallel to symmetry axis · CPC title

• H01S5/0224

  Electricity · mapped topic