System

1. A system having a carrier which is adapted to carry an optical fibre and an optical chip having a circuit element characterized in that the carrier and the optical chip are provided with co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier with the optical chip so that the optical fibre and the circuit element are optically coupled, wherein the carrier has a face which faces towards the optical chip when the alignment features are aligned, wherein the carrier has an open-ended passageway into which the optical fibre is insertable, one of the open ends of the passageway being in the face of the carrier, wherein the passageway meets the face of the carrier at an inclined angle thereto.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment features are adapted to engage with one another.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment features are complementary structural features of the carrier and the optical chip.

4. A system according to claim 3 , wherein the complementary structural features are male and female features.

5. A system according to claim 4 , wherein the male feature has a pair of guide pins on the carrier and the female feature has a guide channel for each guide pin in the optical chip.

6. A system according to claim 5 , wherein the guide channels are grooves formed in a surface of the optical chip.

7. A system according to claim 4 further having a retainer for retaining the male feature in the female feature.

8. A system according to claim 5 further having a retainer in the form of a bar which is adapted in use to bear on the guide pins in the guide channels for retaining the guide pins in the guide channels.

9. A system according to claim 8 , wherein the bar has a surface which has a pair of grooves which are adapted in use to register with the guide channels to form an enclosure about each guide pin.

10. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the guide and bar channels have a tapered profile so that, in use, each enclosure provides a 4-point contact on the associated guide pin.

11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier is adapted to carry a plurality of optical fibres.

12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the passageway is the first of a plurality of corresponding passageways, and wherein the carrier is adapted to carry a plurality of optical fibres, one in each passageway.

13. A system according to claim 12 , wherein the open ends of the passageways in the face of the carrier are arranged a row.

14. A system having a carrier which is adapted to carry an optical fibre and an optical chip having a circuit element characterized in that the carrier and the optical chip are provided with co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier with the optical chip so that the optical fibre and the circuit element are optically coupled, further having one or more further optical chips having a circuit element, wherein the carrier is adapted to carry an optical fibre for each optical chip and wherein the carrier and each optical chip have co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier so that when the optical chips are arranged into a stack the optical fibres are coupled with the circuit element of the respective optical chip in the stack, said system further having a retainer in the form of a bar which is adapted in use to bear on the guide pins in the guide channels for retaining the guide pins in the guide channels further having a further bar for each further optical chip, the bars adapted in use to space the optical chips in the stack.

15. A system having a carrier which is adapted to carry an optical fibre and an optical chip having a circuit element characterized in that the carrier and the optical chip are provided with co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier with the optical chip so that the optical fibre and the circuit element are optically coupled, further having one or more further optical chips having a circuit element, wherein the carrier is adapted to carry an optical fibre for each optical chip and wherein the carrier and each optical chip have co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier so that when the optical chips are arranged into a stack the optical fibres are coupled with the circuit element of the respective optical chip in the stack, wherein the carrier has a face which faces towards the optical chip when the alignment features are aligned, wherein the carrier has an open-ended passageway into which the optical fibre is insertable, one of the open ends of the passageway being in the face of the carrier, wherein the passageway is the first of a plurality of corresponding passageways, and wherein the carrier is adapted to carry a plurality of optical fibres, one in each, wherein the open ends of the passageways in the face of the carrier are arranged into a column for optically coupling the circuit element of each optical chip in the stack with one of the optical fibres received in the passageways when the alignment features are aligned.

16. A system having a carrier which is adapted to carry an optical fibre and an optical chip having a circuit element characterized in that the carrier and the optical chip are provided with co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier with the optical chip so that the optical fibre and the circuit element are optically coupled, further having one or more further optical chips having a circuit element, wherein the carrier is adapted to carry an optical fibre for each optical chip and wherein the carrier and each optical chip have co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier so that when the optical chips are arranged into a stack the optical fibres are coupled with the circuit element of the respective optical chip in the stack, wherein the carrier has a face which faces towards the optical chip when the alignment features are aligned, wherein the carrier has an open-ended passageway into which the optical fibre is insertable, one of the open ends of the passageway being in the face of the carrier, wherein the passageway is the first of a plurality of corresponding passageways, and wherein the carrier is adapted to carry a plurality of optical fibres, one in each passageway, wherein the open ends of the passageways in the face of the carrier are arranged into a row of columns for optically coupling the circuit element of each optical chip in the stack with one of the rows of the optical fibres received in the passageways when the alignment features are aligned.

17. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit element is at least one optical waveguide.

18. A system having a carrier which is adapted to carry an optical fibre and an optical chip having a circuit element characterized in that the carrier and the optical chip are provided with co-operable alignment features for aligning the carrier with the optical chip so that the optical fibre and the circuit element are optically coupled, wherein the carrier has a face which faces towards the optical chip when the alignment features are aligned, wherein the carrier has an open-ended passageway into which the optical fibre is insertable, one of the open ends of the passageway being in the face of the carrier, wherein the circuit element is an optical waveguide having an axis and the passageway in the carrier has an axis which, when the alignment features are aligned, is at an inclined angle to the axis of the optical waveguide.

19. A system according to claim 1 in an assembled state with the carrier carrying the optical fibre.