Novel Manufacturing Process of Optoelectronic Transceiver Technology

The proposed program will develop OptiComp''s coarse WDM transceiver manufacturing technology.  This WDM optical transceiver technology is highly novel, emphasizing manufacturability, ruggedization, modularity, ease of upgrade and qualification, extensive built-in diagnostic monitoring and test capabilities, as well as superior performance with reduced manfacturing complexity.  The modular design of the modules enables easy upgrades from 4 to 8 or even 12 wavelengths, as well as straightforward insertion of higher bit rate electronics to upgrade from 2.5 Gbit/s to 10 Gbit/s with no additional changes.  The digital diagnostic monitoring interface electronics subassembly, optical transmitter subassembly, and optical receiver subassembly can be fully tested individually, improving manufacturability and yield.  The utilization of coarse WDM technology allows for lower fiber counts, improved size scalability, and reduced part counts.  In addition, the modules incorporate monolithic power monitoring detectors for the transmitter eliminating addition parts and alignment requirements.  All of the components incorporated in the module have been carefully chosen for their temperature tolerance, mechanical ruggedness, and ability to meet MIL-STD qualification.  Special emphasis has been placed on matching component coefficients of thermal expansion, making the modules compatible with extreme temperature cycling requirements. BENEFIT: The proposed development program will lead to substantially improved manufacturing techniques for WDM optical transceivers, with applications in aerospace, satellite, and terrestrial applications.  In particular, the modular packaging approach enables modules that can be modified for upgraded with very few changes in the design and with minimal requalification.  In addition, the transceivers have relatively few parts and will be assembled in a straightforward approach that greatly enhances ruggedness and testability.  This will provide greater yields and higher performance with less packaging effort and lower cost.