Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Optical or pre-photocell system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2001-10-23
Ham, Seungsook (Department: 2878)
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Optical or pre-photocell system
C250S227280, C385S090000, C385S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307197
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optoelectronic component, which includes a light emitter unit and/or a light receiver unit and a connection unit for coupling a fiber-optic wave guide. The invention also relates to a method for calibrating an optoelectronic component.
Fiber-optical components of this type are typically used as transmitting or receiving modules for optical transmission paths in telecommunications or data communications applications. A two-piece construction of the component with a light emitter/light receiver unit and a connection unit (also called a receptacle) has proved favorable, among other reasons because of its simple construction and its modularity. However, the required mutual alignment or calibration of the two units can cause difficulties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for calibrating an optoelectronic component which overcomes the disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods of this general type and which can be easily performed and results in a precise calibration of an optoelectronic component having a light emitter/light receiver unit and a connection unit provided for coupling a fiber-optic wave guide. It is a further object of the invention to provide an optoelectronic component whose structural configuration makes it possible to employ the method of the invention.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for calibrating an optoelectronic component, which comprises the steps of:
providing a light emitter unit having a light emitter for transmitting a beam of light along a first direction; providing a connection unit including a first part and a second part, the first part having a deflection mirror, the second part provided for mounting a fiber-optic wave guide and being displaceable toward and away from the deflection mirror relative to the first part;
providing an optical element disposed in a beam path between the light emitter and the second part;
turning on the light emitter;
setting an initial relative position between the first part and the second part;
calibrating the first part relative to the light emitter unit, while maintaining the initial relative position between the first part and the second part, by displacing the first part in a structurally predetermined reference plane intersecting the first direction, such that the beam of light strikes the deflection mirror and a deflected beam of light leaves the deflection mirror, the deflected beam of light striking an end face of the fiber-optic wave guide essentially centrally in a second direction extending essentially parallel to the reference plane;
fixing a relative position between the first part and the light emitter unit in a first calibrated position;
calibrating the second part relative to the first part by displacing the second part in the second direction relative to the first part such that a given condition with respect to a location of an optical image plane of the optical element relative to a location of the end face of the fiber-optic wave guide is met; and
fixing a final relative position between the first part and the second part in a second calibrated position.
With the objects of the invention in view there is also provided, a method for calibrating an optoelectronic component, which comprises the steps of:
providing a light receiver unit having a light receiver for receiving a beam of light running along a first direction;
providing a connection unit including a first part and a second part, the first part having a deflection mirror, the second part provided for mounting a fiber-optic wave guide and being displaceable toward and away from the deflection mirror relative to the first part;
providing an optical element disposed in a beam path between the light receiver and the second part;
turning on an external light emitter coupled to the fiber-optic wave guide at a free end thereof such that the beam of light leaves the fiber-optic wave guide along a second direction;
turning on the light receiver;
setting an initial relative position between the first part and the second part;
calibrating the first part relative to the light receiver unit, while maintaining the initial relative position between the first part and the second part, by displacing the first part in a structurally predetermined reference plane intersecting the first direction and being essentially parallel to the second direction, such that the beam of light strikes the deflection mirror and a deflected beam of light strikes substantially centrally an opening cross-sectional face of the light receiver in the first direction;
fixing a relative position between the first part and the light receiver unit in a first calibrated position;
calibrating the second part relative to the first part by displacing the second part in the second direction relative to the first part such that a given condition with respect to a location of an optical image plane of the optical element relative to a given location of the opening cross-sectional face of the light receiver is met; and
fixing a final relative position between the first part and the second part in a second calibrated position.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the structurally predetermined reference plane is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.
In accordance with yet another mode of the invention, an optical element with a lens is disposed in the beam path between the deflection mirror and the fiber-optic wave guide.
With the objects of the invention in view there is further provided, an optoelectronic component, comprising:
a light emitter unit and/or a light receiver unit containing a light emitter and/or a light receiver for transmitting and/or receiving a beam of light extending along a first direction;
a connection unit in contact with the light emitter unit and/or light receiver unit and having a first part at a first end and a second part at a second end thereof;
the first part being displaceable with respect to the light emitter unit and/or light receiver unit in a structurally predetermined reference plane intersecting the first direction;
the second part configured for mounting a fiber-optic wave guide such that the beam of light extends in a second direction substantially parallel to the structurally predetermined reference plane on entering and/or emerging from the fiber-optic wave guide;
a deflection mirror, mounted on the first part, for deflecting the beam of light between the fiber-optic wave guide and the light emitter and/or light receiver, the second part being displaceable relative to the first part in the second direction toward or away from the deflection mirror; and
an optical element disposed in a path of the beam of light between the fiber-optic wave guide and the light emitter and/or light receiver.
The two-part construction of the connection unit allows the calibration process according to the invention to be performed in two separate calibration steps and makes it possible to adapt the light emitter/light receiver to the fiber-optic wave guide both with regard to a desired beam path geometry and with regard to a desired focal condition of the deflected or reflected beam of light. In the first step, by a simple displacement of the first part relative to the light emitter/light receiver unit in a structurally given reference plane, it is achieved that the deflected beam of light—in the case of a light emitter unit—strikes an end face of the fiber-optic wave guide essentially centrally, or—in the case of a light receiver unit—essentially centrally strikes a cross-sectional area of an opening of the receiver. Because the deflected beam of light is coupled centrally, either into the fiber-optic wave guide or into the receiver, undesired adaptation losses from an inadequate beam path alignment are kept as small as possible.
The second calibration step, performed by a displacement of the second part relative to the first pa
Krug Joachim
Reill Joachim
Greenberg Laurence A.
Ham Seungsook
Lerner Herbert L.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Spears Eric
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