Fiber optic packaging of surface normal device arrays

The WDM package allows 16 separate position adjustments on the optical components. This is convenient for laboratory use but impractical for manufacture and long-term stability. We show the next generation WDM package, retaining most of the original versatility while cutting the alignment to 4 orthogonal degrees of freedom (tip, tilt, rotation and focus). The design consists of: a device mount holding the fiber (or fiber array), the device (possibly including planar micro-optics), and a flextape electrical connection; a single collimation/focus lens; a quarter wave plate to cancel polarization dependent loss, and a planar Littrow grating. This package is intended to serve as a platform for a wide range of fiber-optic WDM components.