Optoelectronic transducer with integrally mounted thermoelectric cooler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9983371-B2
Application number	US-201615064108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 8, 2016
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and method of assembly are described that provide improved mechanisms for cooling an optoelectronic transducer in a fiber optic system. The apparatus includes a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) secured to the optoelectronic transducer for removing heat from the optoelectronic transducer in response to instructions from a TEC driver, as well as a microcontroller electrically connected to the TEC driver for monitoring temperature and communicating with the TEC driver to selectively activate and deactivate the TEC at least partially based on the monitored temperature and/or other measured/detected data to effect a more efficient cooling mechanism for optoelectronic transducers, such as VCSELs. In addition, the user may be able to configure the system to maintain the optoelectronic transducer within a user-defined range of temperatures. In this way, a longer life and better performance of the optoelectronic transducer may be achieved, and datacenter costs related to cooling and/or maintenance may be minimized.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a printed circuit board assembly;
an optoelectronic transducer supported on the printed circuit board assembly and configured to convert between optical signals and corresponding electrical signals for respectively transmitting or receiving optical signals through a fiber optic cable;
a thermoelectric cooler secured to the optoelectronic transducer and configured to remove heat from the optoelectronic transducer;
a thermoelectric cooler driver supported on the printed circuit board assembly and comprising driving circuitry configured to activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler; and
a microcontroller configured to monitor a temperature of the printed circuit board assembly and to communicate with the thermoelectric cooler driver to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the monitored temperature so as to regulate a temperature of the optoelectronic transducer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a photodetector (PD).

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a VCSEL and a PD, and wherein the thermoelectric cooler is secured to at least one of a planar surface of the VCSEL or a planar surface of the PD.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is directly secured to the optoelectronic transducer via epoxy.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is configurable by a user to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler to maintain the optoelectronic transducer within a user-defined range of temperatures.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a thermal sensor, wherein the microcontroller is configured to communicate with the thermal sensor to monitor the temperature of the printed circuit board assembly.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an optoelectronic transducer driver supported on the printed circuit board assembly, wherein the optoelectronic transducer driver comprises driving circuitry configured to control operation of the optoelectronic transducer, wherein the optoelectronic transducer driver is configured to detect a current of the optoelectronic transducer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to determine a temperature of the optoelectronic transducer based on the current detected by the optoelectronic transducer driver, wherein the microcontroller is configured to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the temperature of the optoelectronic transducer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler driver is configured to receive a voltage drop detected across the thermoelectric cooler and to communicate the detected voltage drop to the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is configured to communicate with the thermoelectric cooler driver to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the voltage drop.

11. A method of assembling an optoelectronic interface comprising:
mounting an optoelectronic transducer onto a printed circuit board assembly, wherein the optoelectronic transducer is configured to convert between optical signals and corresponding electrical signals for respectively transmitting or receiving optical signals through a fiber optic cable;
securing a thermoelectric cooler to the optoelectronic transducer, wherein the thermoelectric cooler is configured to remove heat from the optoelectronic transducer;
mounting a thermoelectric cooler driver to the printed circuit board assembly and connecting the thermoelectric cooler driver to the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the thermoelectric cooler driver comprises driving circuitry configured to activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler; and
mounting a microcontroller to the printed circuit board assembly and connecting the microcontroller to the thermoelectric cooler driver, wherein the microcontroller is configured to monitor a temperature of the printed circuit board assembly and to communicate with the thermoelectric cooler driver to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the monitored temperature so as to regulate a temperature of the optoelectronic transducer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a photodetector (PD).

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the optoelectronic transducer comprises a VCSEL and a PD, the method further comprising securing the thermoelectric cooler to at least one of a planar surface of the VCSEL or a planar surface of the PD.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is directly secured to the optoelectronic transducer via epoxy.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the microcontroller is configurable by a user to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler to maintain the optoelectronic transducer within a user-defined range of temperatures.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising mounting a thermal sensor to the printed circuit board assembly and connecting the thermal sensor to the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is configured to communicate with the thermal sensor to monitor the temperature of the printed circuit board assembly.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising mounting an optoelectronic transducer driver to the printed circuit board assembly, wherein the optoelectronic transducer driver comprises driving circuitry configured to control operation of the optoelectronic transducer, wherein the optoelectronic transducer driver is configured to detect a current of the optoelectronic transducer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to determine a temperature of the optoelectronic transducer based on the current detected by the optoelectronic transducer driver, wherein the microcontroller is configured to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the temperature of the optoelectronic transducer.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler driver is configured to receive a voltage drop detected across the thermoelectric cooler and to communicate the voltage drop to the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is configured to communicate with the thermoelectric cooler driver to selectively activate and deactivate the thermoelectric cooler at least partially based on the voltage drop.

Assignees

• Mellanox Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Ghandour Morees
• Mentovich Elad
• Kalifa Itshak
• Rockman Sylvie
• Kimhi Dalit
• Webman Alon

Classifications

• G01J1/0252

  Constructional arrangements for compensating for fluctuations caused by, e.g. temperature, or using cooling or temperature stabilization of parts of the device; Controlling the atmosphere inside a photometer; Purge systems, cleaning devices (protection against electromagnetic interferences G01J2001/0276) · CPC title

• G01J1/0425

  using optical fibers · CPC title

• G02B6/4271 Primary

  with thermo electric cooling · CPC title

• H01S5/02415

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

• H01S5/183

  having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL] · CPC title