Double mold optocouplers
View Patent ↗An optoelectronic device comprises a light source, a generally coplanarly disposed detector, the detector receiving light from the light source, a light conductive inner encapsulate molded around the light source and the detector, an opaque light reflective outer encapsulate molded around and interfaced with a surface of the light conductive inner encapsulate, and a lens disposed above, and in a light path between, the light source and the detector.
1. An optoelectronic device comprising:
a light source;
a generally coplanarly disposed detector, said detector receiving light from said light source;
a light conductive inner encapsulate molded around said light source and said detector;
an opaque light reflective outer encapsulate molded around and interfaced with a surface of said light conductive inner encapsulate;
a lens disposed above, and in a light path between, said light source and said detector;
wherein said lens is defined in said light conductive inner encapsulate; and
wherein said lens is molded into said light conductive inner encapsulate.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said lens is generally centered between said light source and said detector to focus said light from said light source on said detector.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein said lens presents a concave surface in a direction of said light source and said detector.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein said lens is ellipsoidal extending, at least in part, from over said light source to over, at least in part, said detector.
5. A multichannel optocoupler comprising:
a plurality of light emitters;
a plurality of photodetectors, each of said photodetectors disposed generally coplanarly with a corresponding one of said light emitters providing an emitter and photodetector set, each of said photodetectors receiving light from said corresponding one of said light emitters;
a light conductive inner encapsulate molded to encapsulate said light emitters and said photodetectors; and
an opaque light reflective outer encapsulate molded to encapsulate said light conductive encapsulate and to interface with a surface of said light conductive, said outer encapsulate and inner encapsulate defining a plurality of walls, each of said walls disposed between each emitter and photodetector set.
6. The optocoupler of claim 5 further comprising a lens disposed above, and in a light path between said light emitter and said photodetector of each of said emitter and photodetector sets.
7. The optocoupler of claim 6 wherein said each lens is defined in said light conductive inner encapsulate.
8. The optocoupler of claim 6 wherein each lens is molded into said light conductive inner encapsulate.
9. The optocoupler of claim 6 wherein each lens is generally centered between a light emitter and corresponding photodetector of an emitter and photodetector set to focus said light from said light emitter of said emitter and photodetector set on said corresponding photodetector of said of said emitter and photodetector set.
10. The optocoupler of claim 6 wherein each lens presents a concave surface in a direction of a light emitter and corresponding photodetector of an emitter and photodetector set.
11. The optocoupler of claim 6 wherein each lens is ellipsoidal and extends, at least in part, from over a light emitter to over, at least in part, a corresponding photodetector of an emitter and photodetector set.
12. A method comprising:
molding a transparent inner encapsulate about at least one light emitter and at least one generally coplanar photodetector;
curing said inner encapsulate;
molding an opaque reflective outer encapsulate over said inner encapsulate;
disposing a lens above said light emitter and said photodetector, said lens focusing said light from said light emitter on said photodetector; and
wherein said disposing a lens comprises molding said lens into said inner encapsulate during said molding of said transparent inner encapsulate.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said disposing a lens further comprises generally centering said lens between said light emitter and said photodetector to focus said light from said light emitter on said photodetector.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein said disposing a lens comprises presenting a concave surface of said lens in a direction of said light emitter and said photodetector.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein said lens is ellipsoidal extending, at least in part, from over said light emitter to over, at least in part, said photodetector.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein said at least one emitter and at least one generally coplanar photodetector comprises a plurality of emitter and photodetector sets, and the method further comprises:
defining a wall between each said emitter and photodetector sets.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said wall comprises a portion of said opaque light reflective outer encapsulate molded to extend between adjacent emitter and photodetector sets.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said portion of said opaque light reflective outer encapsulate extends into a space molded into said transparent inner encapsulate to define said wall.
19. The method of claim 12 wherein said at least one emitter and at least one generally coplanar photodetector comprises a plurality of emitter and photodetector sets, said molding a transparent inner encapsulate further comprises defining a reverse wall shaped space in said transparent inner encapsulate between each of said emitter and photodetector sets, and said molding an opaque reflective outer encapsulate over said inner encapsulate results in an opaque reflective wall being disposed between each of said emitter and photodetector sets.