Optical bench subassembly having integrated photonic device

Abstract

An optical bench subassembly including an integrated photonic device. Optical alignment of the photonic device with the optical bench can be performed outside of an optoelectronic package assembly before attaching thereto. The photonic device is attached to a base of the optical bench, with its optical input/output in optical alignment with the optical output/input of the optical bench. The optical bench supports an array of optical fibers in precise relationship to a structured reflective surface. The photonic device is mounted on a submount to be attached to the optical bench. The photonic device may be actively or passively aligned with the optical bench. After achieving optical alignment, the submount of the photonic device is fixedly attached to the base of the optical bench. The optical bench subassembly may be structured to be hermetically sealed as a hermetic feedthrough, to be hermetically attached to a hermetic optoelectronic package.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An optical bench subassembly for routing optical signal, comprising:
 an optical bench comprising:
 a base; 
 a structured surface defined on the base, wherein the structure surface has a surface profile that reshapes and bends an incident light; 
 an optical component; and 
 an alignment structure defined on the base, configured with a surface feature to position the optical component on the base in optical alignment with the structured surface to allow optical signal to be transmitted along a defined optical path between the structured surface and the optical component, wherein the optical path extends from the structure surface to outside the base; and 
 a photonic device assembly comprising a photonic device, wherein the photonic device assembly is attached to the base with the photonic device optically aligned to the structured surface along the optical path. 
   
     
     
         2 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 1 , wherein the optical component comprises an optical waveguide. 
     
     
         3 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 2 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises an array of optical fibers, and the structure surface comprises an array of structured reflective surfaces. 
     
     
         4 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 3 , further comprising a cover hermetically attached to the base to hermetically seal space around a section of the array of the optical fibers, wherein the cover does not extend to cover the structured surface, thereby to result in a hermetic feedthrough. 
     
     
         5 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 4 , wherein the photonic device assembly comprises a submount on which the photonic device is mounted, and wherein the submount is attached to the base of the optical bench with the photonic device in optical alignment with the structured surface. 
     
     
         6 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 5 , wherein photonic device comprises a transmitter, a receiver or a transceiver. 
     
     
         7 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 6 , wherein the photonic device is passively aligned to the structured surface. 
     
     
         8 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 6 , wherein the photonic device is actively aligned to the structure surface. 
     
     
         9 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 1 , wherein the structured surface and the alignment structure are integrally defined on the base by stamping a malleable material of the base 
     
     
         10 . The optical bench subassembly as in  claim 9 , wherein the base comprises:
 a main portion of a first material defining a first structured feature; and   an auxiliary portion of a second material defining a second structured feature on the second material, wherein the second material is dissimilar to the first material,   wherein the auxiliary portion is structurally coupled to the base to thereby form a composite structure comprising the main portion of the first material with the first feature defined thereon and the auxiliary portion of the second material with the second structured feature defined thereon, and wherein the first and second structured features define the optical path to route optical signals.   
     
     
         11 . A hermetic optoelectronic package, comprising:
 a housing;   electronic components populated within the housing; and   an optical bench subassembly as in  claim 4  hermetically attached to the housing.   
     
     
         12 . The hermetic optoelectronic package as in  claim 11 , wherein the optical bench subassembly is functionally test prior to hermetically sealing to the housing. 
     
     
         13 . A method of assembling an optical bench subassembly for routing optical signal, comprising:
 providing an optical bench, comprising:
 a base; 
 a structured surface defined on the base, wherein the structure surface has a surface profile that reshapes and bends an incident light; 
 an optical component; and 
 an alignment structure defined on the base, configured with a surface feature to position the optical component on the base in optical alignment with the structured surface to allow optical signal to be transmitted along a defined optical path between the structured surface and the optical component, wherein the optical path extends from the structure surface to outside the base; 
   providing a photonic device assembly comprising a photonic device;   optically aligning the photonic device to the structured surface along the optical path; and   attaching the photonic device assembly to the base upon optical alignment.   
     
     
         14 . The method as in  claim 13 , wherein the optical component comprises an array of optical fibers, and the structure surface comprises an array of structured reflective surfaces, and wherein the method further comprising providing a cover hermetically attached to the base to hermetically seal space around a section of the array of the optical fibers, wherein the cover does not extend to cover the structured surface, thereby to result in a hermetic feedthrough. 
     
     
         15 . The method as in  claim 14 , wherein the photonic device assembly comprises a submount on which the photonic device is mounted, wherein the submount is attached to the base of the optical bench with the photonic device in optical alignment with the structured surface. 
     
     
         16 . The method as in  claim 15 , wherein photonic device comprises a transmitter, a receiver or a transceiver. 
     
     
         17 . The method as in  claim 16 , wherein the photonic device is actively optically aligned to the structure surface. 
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 17 , wherein the optical bench assembly is functionally tested at a subassembly level, including burn-in tests. 
     
     
         19 . A method of forming a hermetic optoelectronic package, comprising:
 providing a housing;   populating electronic components within the housing; and   hermetically attaching the optical bench subassembly assembled as in  claim 14  to the housing.   
     
     
         20 . The method as in  claim 19 , wherein the optical bench subassembly is functionally test prior to hermetically sealing to the housing, including burn-in tests.