PACKAGING AN ARCUATE PLANAR LIGHTWAVE CIRCUIT

摘要

A package for an arcuate planar lightwave circuit (PLC) chip includes a heater plate coupled to a base by a thick and soft support layer. The arcuate PLC is attached to the heater plate by soft adhesive. A hard adhesive is applied to a multi-waveguide end of the arcuate PLC, to additionally strengthen the attachment of the arcuate PLC to the heater plate. The structure allows the mechanical stress due to fiber pull/shock/vibration to be dissipated in the support layer without introducing large wavelength shifts in the arcuate PLC. The support layer also serves as a heat insulator, facilitating uniform heating of the arcuate PLC.

主权项

1. A PLC module comprising:
a base plate; a support layer on the base plate, the support layer having a thickness greater than 1 mm and a hardness of less than 40 Shore A; a heater plate on the support layer; and a planar lightwave circuit having a shape of an arcuate slab having an input port at a first end thereof, a plurality of output ports at a second opposed end thereof, wherein the planar lightwave circuit is adhered to the heater plate over an area spanning between the first and second ends with a first adhesive having a hardness less than 85 Shore A, and proximate the second end with a second adhesive having a hardness of greater than 70 Shore D.