Publications Details

Current trends in the packaging of photonic devices

Carson, R.F.

Optoelectronic and photonic devices hold great promise for high data-rate communication and computing. Their wide implementation was limited first by the device technologies and now suffers due to the need for high-precision packaging that is mass-produced. The use of photons as a medium of communication and control implies a unique set of packaging constraints that are highly driven by the need for micron and even sub-micron alignments between photonic devices and their transmission media. Current trends in optoelectronic device packaging are reviewed and future directions are identified both for free-space (3-dimensional) and guided-wave (2-dimensional) photonics. Emphasis will be placed on the special needs generated by increasing levels of device integration.