In package micro-aligner for fiber-optic packaging

We describe and demonstrate a 3-axis MEMS active fiber-optic micro-aligner, which will enable in-package alignment of fiber-optic and micro-optic components. The micro-aligner is a wafer level fabricated device, based on an integration of silicon micromachining and LIGA technology. The electrically controllable actuators demonstrate the high force and displacement necessary to overcome fiber-optic bending stiffness, counterforce springs, friction, and wirebonds, to perform active alignment of an optical fiber inside an optoelectronic package housing. We have demonstrated movement of >30 microns in all three axes in an in-package configuration. The first prototype devices are currently small enough (4×4×0.5 mm³) to fit into a standard optoelectronic package. In the future we expect that micro-aligner devices with the same forces and displacements can be made smaller than 1×1×0.5 mm³ thus allowing for multiple singlemode fiber-optic attachments inside standard optoelectronic package housings