Air trench that limits thermal coupling between laser and laser driver
View Patent ↗An optical transmitter includes a header, a hybrid subassembly, a laser mounted on the header, a laser driver mounted on the hybrid subassembly, and an air trench formed between the header and the hybrid subassembly.
1. An optical transmitter comprising:
a header mounted on a first pedestal;
a hybrid subassembly mounted on a second pedestal;
a laser mounted on the header;
a laser driver mounted on the hybrid subassembly; and
an air trench formed between the first pedestal and the second pedestal;
wherein the air trench provides thermal decoupling of the laser driver from the laser; and
wherein the header includes a first material at a location adjacent to the laser, and the first pedestal includes a second material at a location adjacent to a lower portion of the air trench, wherein the second material has a higher thermal conductivity than the first material.
2. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid subassembly includes a third material at a location adjacent to the laser driver, and the second pedestal includes a fourth material at a location adjacent to the lower portion of the air trench, wherein the fourth material has a higher thermal conductivity than the third material.
3. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein energy is applied from the laser driver to the laser through a waveguide disposed remotely from the header.
4. The optical transmitter of claim 3 , wherein the waveguide is a path that directs energy transmitted from the laser driver to the laser.
5. The optical transmitter of claim 4 , wherein the path has a curvature that directs the energy at a concentrated region in the laser.
6. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the laser is a semiconductor laser.
7. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , further comprising an external cooler thermally coupled to the header.
8. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the air trench forms a sufficient vertical distance to limit thermal coupling between the laser driver and the laser via the first pedestal and the second pedestal.
9. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the first pedestal includes multiple layers of the first material.
10. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the hybrid subassembly includes multiple layers of the third material.
11. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the second material and the fourth material form a same layer of material with the air trench extending therein.
12. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the first material is selected from the group consisting of: Silicon, Sapphire, Aluminum Nitride, Diamond, and Alumina.
13. The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the first material is Silicon, and the second material is Copper Tungsten.
14. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the third material is selected from the group consisting of: Aluminum Nitride, Berylium Oxide, Silicon Carbide, Diamond, Sapphire, and Alumina.
15. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the third material is Aluminum Nitride.
16. The optical transmitter of claim 12 , wherein the third material is selected from the group consisting of: Aluminum Nitride, Berylium Oxide, Silicon Carbide, Diamond, Sapphire, and Alumina.
17. The optical transmitter of claim 13 , wherein the third material is Aluminum Nitride.
18. The optical transmitter of claim 17 , wherein the fourth material is Copper Tungsten.
19. The optical transmitter of claim 2 , wherein the fourth material is Copper Tungsten.