Packaging

Karin Zenth is responsible for this project!!!!
Before an integrated optical component can be used commercially it is necessary to pigtail optical fibers to the chips and package the device. The fiber attachment and packaging has become increasingly important because it alters the optical performance, determines the environmental resistance and increases the overall cost of the components. Normally the fiber pigtailing is done actively, which means that light is being sent through the component and the position of the fibers are optimized to get the lowest loss of the component. This method is both very time consuming and expensive. At COM an industrial PhD project is carried out together with IONAS A/S regarding a passive alignment method. During the processing of the optical components alignment structures are made which makes it possible to connect the optical fiber without sending light through the component. The goal is to obtain a robust and cheaper pigtailing process. Furthermore, in this project dicing and polishing methods have been investigated and suitable results have been obtained.