Utilization of electroplating to lock fibers for use in optical device packaging

An electroplating technique for permanently fixing single-mode fibers into position in optical device packages is described. In this technique, the fiber is mounted in a metal tube and aligned to an optical device mounted on a metal substrate. The fiber is in close proximity to the substrate and a flexible conductive gel is used to connect the two electrically. The fiber, gel, and substrate thus form the plating cathode. When immersed in a plating bath with an anode inserted, metal can be deposited across the gel, forming a strong metal bridge between the fiber and substrate, locking the fiber into position. Under appropriate conditions, misalignments within ±1 μm during the plating process have been observed. This technique was used to package a laser diode transmitter, which locked the laser-to-fiber alignment to within 0.7 μm, or 0.1 dB of the optimum coupled power