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NPI (New Product Introduction)

Machine production (timelapse)

Technologies for production

The alignment and bonding (assembly) of opto-electronic components, free-beam optics and/or fiber-optic pigtails into finished photonic devices is commonly referred to as photonics assembly and packaging. Typical devices include telecom/datacom transceivers and TOSA/ROSA, stacked laser diode bars and high-power multi-emitter assemblies, micro-optical and optofluidic systems, camera modules, fiber-coupled devices, photonics-based sensors, automotive LIDAR, and much more.

Automating the assembly process steps requires multi-axis, sub-micron-accuracy component alignment (passive/active) and subsequent bonding using epoxy compounds, laser-induced soldering and/or laser welding. In particular, in adhering to standard manufacturing practices, all assembly steps need to be compliant stringent and often bespoke requirements for yield, process repeatability and performance reliability, while still enabling minimal process cycle time.

Devices also require testing. Testing encompasses burn-in, LIV tests, characterization, validation, verification and mass production ‘go’ / ’no go’ testing from early prototyping (with multi-project wafers, MPW) to mass market production. It is required for simple devices such as laser diode chips and VCSELs, all the way up to complex photonics transceivers, compact camera modules (CCM), sensors, and other opto-electronics.

And why ‘From Lab to Fab’? An increasingly important aspect in manufacturing is the current trend singulated chips toward in-line and even full wafer-level approaches. This transition for photonics component manufacturing is much as was the case for the integrated micro-electronics industry in the 1970’s.

Currently, system approaches and materials R&D initiatives still require flexible, automation-capable, multi-functional micro-assembly machines for low-volume testing of device concepts and packaging approaches. However, the growing in-line, and the proposed wafer-level manufacturing and testing schemes for high-volume ‘fab-type’ photonics applications require development of highly-automated assembly and packaging equipment.