Heat sink for an optical module
View Patent ↗An optical module includes a base and a plurality of cooling fins mounted to the back surface of a printed wiring board used to support a number of opto-electronic devices. To optimize heat removal; the fins are mounted on the back surface in alignment with the opto-electronic devices mounted on the front surface. The module also includes a number of fiber-optic management features which are mounted on the wiring board or materially integrated with the base and cooling fins. By combining fiber-optic management features with a heat sink, on the opposite side of board-mounted opto-electronic components, the optical module achieves increased packaging density and functionality on a per volume basis compared with its conventional counterparts.
1. An optical module, comprising:
a printed wiring board having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface forming a platform onto which at least one opto-electronic device is mounted; and
a heat sink attached to the back surface of said printed wiring board, said heat sink including a plurality of fins which dissipate heat generated from said at least one opto-electronic device.
2. The optical module of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one fiber-optic management device formed on the back surface of said printed wiring board.
3. The optical module of claim 2 , wherein said plurality of fins are located adjacent said at least one fiber-optic management device.
4. The optical module of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of fins cover an area on the back surface of said printed wiring board which is thermally coupled to said at least one opto-electronic device.
5. The optical module of claim 1 , wherein said heat sink is attached to said back surface of said printed wiring board by an adhesive.
6. The optical module of claim 2 , further comprising:
a heat sink surface is mounted adjacent said front surface of said printed wiring board.
7. The optical module of claim 6 , wherein said heat sink surface is substantially even with said front surface of said printed wiring board.
8. The optical module of claim 6 , wherein said heat sink and said heat sink surface are formed as a single integral piece.
9. The optical module of claim 6 , where said heat sink is attached to said heat sink surface.
10. The optical module of claim 6 wherein said heat sink, said heat sink surface and said fiber-optic management device are formed as a single integral piece.
11. An optical module, comprising:
a mounting plane for holding at least one opto-electronic device; and
a plurality of cooling fins attached to a back surface of the mounting plane which are thermally coupled to said at least one opto-electronic device.
12. The optical module of claim 11 , further comprising:
a fiber-optic management element mounted on said mounting plane.
13. The optical module of claim 12 , wherein said fiber-optic management element is mounted on said back surface of the mounting plane adjacent said cooling fins.
14. The optical module of claim 11 , further comprising:
a heat sink surface mounted adjacent a surface of said mounting plane on which said at least one opto-electronic device is mounted.
15. The optical module of claim 14 , wherein said heat sink surface is substantially even with said surface of said mounting plane.
16. The optical module, comprising:
a heat sink;
at least one fiber-optic management device located at a first region of the heat sink; and
a mounting plane on a second region of the heat sink, said mounting plane having a front surface containing at least one opto-electronic device wherein said heat sink includes a plurality of cooling fins, said cooling fins attached to a back surface of said mounting plane.
17. The optical module of claim 16 , wherein said cooling fins are thermally coupled to said at least one opto-electronic device on the front surface of said mounting plane.
18. The optical module of claim 16 , further comprising: at least one electronic device mounted on said mounting plane.
19. The optical module of claim 16 , wherein said heat sink further includes a heat sink surface mounted adjacent the front surface of said mounting plane.
20. The optical module of claim 19 , wherein said heat sink has a one-piece construction which includes said cooling fins and said heat sink surface.