Gunnar Böttger

Strategies for glass based photonic system integration

There is a clear tendency to integrate more and more opto-electronic and micro-optical components like optical fibers, laser diodes, modulators, isolators, beam-splitting components and micro lenses in also increasingly dense and complex assemblies. The paper will discuss thin glass as a very promising base material for that kind of photonic packaging on interposer and board level including optical interconnection using fibers.

Fully automated hybrid diode laser assembly using high precision active alignment

Fraunhofer IZM, Technische Universität Berlin and eagleyard Photonics present various implementations of current micro-optical assemblies for high quality free space laser beam forming and efficient fiber coupling. The laser modules shown are optimized for fast and automated assembly in small form factor packages via state-of-the-art active alignment machinery, using alignment and joining processes that have been developed and established in various industrial research projects. Operational wavelengths and optical powers ranging from 600 to 1600 nm and from 1 mW to several W respectively are addressed, for application in high-resolution laser spectroscopy, telecom and optical sensors, up to the optical powers needed in industrial and medical laser treatment.

Frequency-modulated laser ranging sensor with closed-loop control

Advances in autonomous driving and robotics are creating high demand for inexpensive and mass-producible distance sensors. A laser ranging system (Lidar), based on the frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) method is built in this work. The benefits of an FMCW Lidar system are the low-cost components and the performance in comparison to conventional time-of-flight Lidar systems. The basic system consists of a DFB laser diode (λ= 1308 nm) and an asymmetric fiber-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a fixed delay line in one arm. Linear tuning of the laser optical frequency via injection current modulation creates a beat signal at the interferometer output. The frequency of the beat signal is proportional to the optical path difference in the interferometer. Since the laser frequency-to-current response is non-linear, a closed-loop feed-back system is designed to improve the tuning linearity, and consequently the measurement resolution. For fast active control, an embedded system with FPGA is used, resulting in a nearly linear frequency tuning, realizing a narrow peak in the Fourier spectrum of the beat signal. For free-space measurements, a setup with two distinct interferometers is built. The fully fiber-coupled Mach-Zehnder reference interferometer is part of the feed-back loop system, while the other - a Michelson interferometer - has a free-space arm with collimator lens and reflective target. A resolution of 2:0 mm for a 560 mm distance is achieved. The results for varying target distances show high consistency and a linear relation to the measured beat-frequency.

Electrical micro-heating structures on glass created by laser ablation

Addressing the need for fast design cycles and tooling in the assembly of small structures, a flexible approach to overcome the obstacles of current time-consuming manufacturing methods is needed. Additionally, assembly of small and especially optical structures is often limited concerning the application and curing of adhesives used for joining. Local heating structures can be seen as an ideal way of solving this issue. This paper shows the simulation and flexible laser structuring of miniaturized heating. Mask-based large panel physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes and subsequent laser processing appear to be economical and flexible, and are compared to standard panel level lithography processes.

Versatile thin-panel-glass-based assembly platform for electro-optical and micro-optical components

Fraunhofer IZM and Technische Universität Berlin in a collaboration show a versatile assembly platform for electro-optical and micro-optical components made from laser-structured thin glass with sizes of 18 × 24 inches (450 × 300 mm2) and larger for economical rapid prototyping as well as automated serial production.

Building blocks for actively-aligned micro-optical systems in rapid prototyping and small series production

In recent years there has been considerable progress in utilizing fully automated machines for the assembly of microoptical systems. Such systems integrate laser sources, optical elements and detectors into tight packages, and efficiently couple light to free space beams, waveguides in optical backplanes, or optical fibers for longer reach transmission. The required electrical-optical and optical components are placed and aligned actively in more than one respect. For one, all active components are actually operated in the alignment process, and, more importantly, the placing of all components is controlled actively by camera systems and power detectors with live feedback for an optimal coupling efficiency. The total number of optical components typically is in the range of 5 to 50, whereas the number of actors with gripping tools for the actual handling and aligning is limited, with little flexibility in the gripping width. The assembly process therefore is strictly sequential and, given that an automated tool changing has not been established in this class of machines yet, there are either limitations in the geometries of components that may be used, or time-consuming interaction by human operators is needed. As a solution we propose and present lasered glass building blocks with standardized gripping geometries that enclose optical elements of various shapes and functionalities. These are cut as free form geometries with green short pulse and CO2 lasers. What seems to add cost at first rather increases freedom of design and adds an economical flexibility to create very hybrid assemblies of various micro-optical assemblies also in small numbers.