Optical interconnect for mezzanine circuit boards

摘要

An optical interface is provided to supplement an electrical interface between a main circuit board (102) and a mezzanine circuit board (104) that is mounted above the main circuit board. The mezzanine circuit board is mounted generally parallel to, and above the main circuit board. In between the two circuit boards is provided an optical interface. A light source (200) is mounted to one of the circuit boards and a complementary photo detector (202) is mounted on the other circuit board in a manner such that the photo detector receives light from the light source. Two optical interfaces are preferred for two-way communication between the main circuit board and the mezzanine circuit board. The light source is preferably a laser and the photo detector is preferably a photo diode. The optical interface provides a high speed interconnect to increase conductivity and functionality between the main circuit board and the mezzanine circuit board.