Automated measurement of optical fibers in glass succeeds

Automated measurement of optical fibers in glass succeeds

The Fraunhofer Institute IZM has developed an automated system that characterizes the propagation losses of integrated optical waveguides. Glass as a component carrier in electronics production enables higher data transmission in areas such as automotive and telecommunications as well as AI applications through the transmission of optical signals.

In order to continue to increase the number of transistors per package in an economical manner in accordance with Moore's law and thus achieve a further increase in power density, attempts are increasingly being made not to place all transistors on one chip, but to distribute them over several so-called chiplets. This requires the chiplets to be effectively interconnected, which places high demands on the substrate on which they are placed. The current aim is to reduce the connections between the chiplets to 3 μm (line/space), which can no longer be reliably processed on organic substrates. Various companies are therefore relying on glass as a substrate material, including the IZM. This is because optical waveguides can also be integrated into glass. This means that an electro-optical circuit board can conduct optical signals as well as electrical signals, thereby significantly increasing data transmission. The institute has developed a process that produces low-attenuation single- and multi-mode waveguides in large-format (> 450 mm x 300 mm) thin glass using an ion exchange process. Since many hundreds of waveguides can be fabricated in one glass, the inspection of these glass panels is very challenging. This is also due to the fact that, unlike electrical cables, glass panels allow crossings and therefore complex layouts can be integrated into a single layer. The system developed by IZM as part of the 'Integrated electro-photonic panel systems' research project can automatically characterize the propagation losses of integrated optical waveguides. This also includes waveguides written using femtosecond lasers or waveguides in other substrate materials. The measurement procedure is always the same:

  1. A sample is inserted into the system
  2. The layout is uploaded, the waveguides to be measured are selected and the measurement is started
  3. The system automatically detects the edges of the substrate, any existing marks, the exact position of the measuring fiber, records a reference measurement and uses all this information to then automatically measure the insertion losses of all selected waveguides.

The system allows comprehensive process control for the production of optical fibers. Many thousands of parameter sets can also be examined to determine new parameters in the development of processes for fiber optic production.

  • Issue: Januar
  • Year: 2020
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