Optical connector with reduced mechanical-alignment sensitivity

1. An optical connector, comprising:

an optical fiber; and

an optical spreader component, disposed on a substrate, configured to spatially segregate optical coupling between the optical fiber and an optical component, wherein the optical spreader component includes:

a first coupling region that is optically coupled to the optical fiber;

an optical waveguide that is optically coupled to the first coupling region; and

a second coupling region that is optically coupled to the optical waveguide, and which is configured to optically couple to the optical component, wherein a location of the second coupling region is different than a location of the first coupling region; and

a second optical connector that includes an optical spreader component that is disposed on a second substrate, wherein the second coupling region is optically coupled to a third coupling region of the second optical connector via a spherical optical ball that is disposed between the second coupling region and the third coupling region.

2. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical component includes an optical source.

3. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein a mechanical alignment tolerance of optical coupling between the optical connector and the optical component is larger than a carrier wavelength of an optical signal conveyed via the optical fiber.

4. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical component includes an optical detector.

5. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein mechanical coupling between the optical fiber and the optical spreader component is rigid.

6. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component is configured to re-matably mechanically couple to the optical component.

7. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the first coupling region includes an optical coupling component that optically couples an optical signal from the optical fiber to the optical waveguide.

8. The optical connector of claim 7 , wherein the optical coupling component includes a diffraction grating.

9. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component is a passive device.

10. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes routing from a first group of coupling regions, which includes the first coupling region, to second group of coupling regions, which includes the second coupling region.

11. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes one of: a wavelength-selective multiplexer and a wavelength-selective de-multiplexer.

12. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes optical switching of optical signals.

13. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes an optical monitor.

14. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes active optical amplitude equalization.

15. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the optical spreader component includes optical gain.

16. A system, comprising:

at least one integrated circuit;

an optical connector coupled to the at least one integrated circuit, wherein the optical connector includes:

an optical fiber; and

an optical spreader component, disposed on a substrate, configured to spatially segregate optical coupling between the optical fiber and an optical component, wherein the optical spreader component includes:

a first coupling region that is optically coupled to the optical fiber;

an optical waveguide that is optically coupled to the first coupling region; and

a second coupling region that is optically coupled to the optical waveguide, and which is configured to optically couple to the optical component, wherein a location of the second coupling region is different than a location of the first coupling region; and

a second optical connector that includes an optical spreader component that is disposed on a second substrate, wherein the second coupling region is optically coupled to a third coupling region of the second optical connector via a spherical optical ball that is disposed between the second coupling region and the third coupling region.

17. A method for spatially segregating optical coupling between an optical fiber and an optical component using an optical connector, comprising:

receiving an optical signal from the optical fiber at a first coupling region in an optical spreader component in the optical connector, wherein the optical spreader component is disposed on a substrate;

optically coupling the optical signal from the first coupling region to a second coupling region in the optical spreader component via an optical waveguide in the optical spreader component;

optically coupling the optical signal from the second coupling region to the optical component; and

optically coupling a third coupling region of a second optical connector to the second coupling region via a spherical optical ball that is disposed between the second coupling region and the third coupling region, wherein the second optical connector includes an optical spreader component that is disposed on a second substrate.

18. The optical connector of claim 1 , wherein the third substrate sits on top of the second substrate so that the third coupling region is opposite the second coupling region at a location for the spherical optical ball.

19. The optical connector of claim 18 , wherein a surface of the spherical optical ball is in direct contact with the second coupling region and the third coupling region.

20. The optical connector of claim 19 , wherein the substrate is different from the second substrate.