Optoelectronic packaging and polymer waveguides for multichip module and board-level optical interconnect applications

In this paper, we describe an effort in developing low-cost optoelectronic packaging and interconnect technologies for board-level optical interconnect applications. Specifically, our work includes (a) hybrid packaging of electrical and optical components, e.g., vertical-cavity surface-emitting-laser (VCSEL) devices using a thin-film embedded-chip MCM technology, (b) fabrication of optical polymer waveguides for board-level interconnect using standard planar processes, and (c) use of an adaptive interconnect process for waveguide patterning to accommodate alignment between optical device and waveguides. Our approach attempts to employ planar fabrication processes widely used in IC manufacturing and the existing packaging technology already developed in the electronic industry to optoelectronic packaging and interconnect for board-level applications. Our goal is to reduce both recurring and nonrecurring costs for the optical interconnect technology insertion