Compact micro bench for optical transceiver sub-assembly

1. An optical transceiver sub-assembly integrated with a silicon photonic platform having a folded optical path for transmitting and detecting a plurality of optical signals, the sub-assembly comprising:

a housing chamber;

a top cover configured to engage with the housing chamber to enclose elements in the optical transceiver sub-assembly other than the housing chamber and the top cover;

a bottom housing module accommodating an optical micro integration;

a transparent optical window to establish an optical communication with outside surroundings;

one or more slots are configured at electrical inlet and/or electrical outlet points on the housing chamber and the top cover; wherein the one or more slots are epoxy slots configured to hermetically seal the optical micro integration;

a plurality of fixing features at a bottom of the housing chamber to fix the bottom housing module;

a carrier configured to hold and provide support to the optical micro integration;

a thermoelectric temperature controller (TEC) deposited on the carrier for cooling heating elements in the optical transceiver sub-assembly;

the optical micro integration comprising:

an optical micro bench configured to deposit a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), a light source, a plurality of passive optical components and an inner printed circuit board (PCB), wherein a cooling surface of the TEC is placed towards the optical micro bench;

the light source emitting an output light signal and being a laser source;

the PIC manipulating a light beam to form and emit the plurality of optical signals to one of the plurality of passive optical components as an output passive optical component; and

a prism configured to fold the output light signal from the light source in a reverse direction from an original path;

wherein the optical transceiver sub-assembly is operably configured to establish an optical-electrical communication with the outside surroundings.

2. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laser source is positioned at one side of the PIC.

3. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laser source emits light in a reverse direction from the PIC.

4. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing chamber is secured with the bottom housing module ( 115 ) by a hard fixing method.

5. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrier is secured to the housing chamber by a soft fixing method.

6. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical micro integration is fixed to the housing chamber by a soft epoxy.

7. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrical connection is made by a flexible PCB and the transparent optical window for light beam.

8. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the optical micro bench and the PIC is similar.

9. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of passive optical components include a lens or a lens array.

10. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output passive optical component includes a circulator and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS).

11. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a flexible PCB is configured to establish a signal connection between the inner PCB on the optical micro bench and an outer PCB on the bottom housing module.

12. The optical transceiver sub-assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner PCB includes a transimpedance amplifier to sense and analyze the plurality of optical signals.

13. A method for transmitting and detecting an optical signal by an optical transceiver sub-assembly integrated with a silicon photonic platform having a folded optical path, wherein the method comprising steps of:

positioning a laser source aside of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) on an optical micro bench, wherein the laser source emits light in a reverse direction from the photonic integrated circuit (PIC);

folding of a light beam from the laser source by a prism in a reverse direction from an original path;

guiding the light beam folded by the prism and a plurality of passive optical components to an input of the PIC;

manipulating the light beam by the PIC to form a plurality of optical signals;

emitting the plurality of optical signals to an output passive optical component;

distributing the light beam received by a circulator to “Rx” input of the PIC;

sensing and analyzing the plurality of optical signals by a transimpedance amplifier of an inner printed circuit board (PCB); and

wherein the optical transceiver sub-assembly establishes an optical-electrical communication with outside.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the method comprises:

depositing the PIC, a light source, a plurality of passive optical components and the inner PCB on an optical micro bench; and

soft fixing an optical micro integration to a housing chamber using a soft epoxy.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:

clamping a flexible PCB at an edge of the housing chamber and a top cover;

filling one or more slots at electrical inlet and/or electrical outlet points on the housing chamber and the top cover with epoxy; and

curing one or more slots ( 140 ) to form a hermetic sealing to seal the optical transceiver sub-assembly.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the method includes fixing the housing chamber to a bottom housing module by a hard fixing method.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the plurality of passive optical components include a lens or a lens array and the output passive optical component includes a circulator and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS).

18. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein a flexible PCB is configured to establish a signal connection between the inner PCB on a micro-optical bench and an outer PCB on a bottom housing module.