Electro-Optical Circuits and Manufacturing Techniques

This invention relates to the manufacture of electro-optical circuits and circuit elements and, in particular to techniques and structures which employ thin strip elements of light conducting plastic or glass to transmit light from an electrically energized light source to one or more light sensitive electrically energized elements.

It is known in the art to fabricate so-called light pipes of glass and plastic filaments which are formed by extruding or spinning these materials into round wires. These elements have been formed into so-called fiber optical cables which have been used in electro-optical transmission systems. A shortcoming in using such wires or cable is that they require fabrication techniques in applying same to electro-optical circuits and device which techniques are tedious and require substantial labor.

The instant invention is drawn to light pipe structures and methods for producing same from thin sheets, strips or film of light conducting material such as certain glasses and plastics having desired light transmission characteristics wherein light transmission circuits are formed directly on a substrate such as a sheet material or an electrical circuit board or chip. By employing such techniques, the cost of producing so call electro-optical circuits is substantially reduced and certain improvements in structure are derived.

Accordingly it is a primary object of this invention to provide new and improved methods for producing electro-optical circuits and circuit elements.

Another object is to provide a method for producing electro-optical circuits by forming at least certain components thereof directly on a substrate to eliminate one or more hand assembly operations.

Another object is to provide a method of producing new and improved light pipes by forming same in situ on a substrate.

Another object is to provide a method of producing a fiber optical cable by forming or otherwise providing a plurality of strip-like light pipes on a flexible substrate.

Another object is to provide a method of producing electronic circuits with light conducting elements and light emitting elements which are selectively deposited on a substrate.

Another object is to provide a method for producing electro-optical circuits containing a plurality of light conducting elements which are formed from a single sheet or layer of light conducting material laminated or otherwise provided on a substrate.

Another object is to provide a method for forming light conducting elements such as light pipes and the like by depositing thin films of light conducting material onto a substrate.

Another object is to provide a method for producing electronic circuits composed of electrical circuit interconnects, semi-conducting elements, light conducting elements and the like wherein the materials thereof are deposited onto a substrate and, in certain instances, are selectively processed on the substrate to complete the circuit or circuits thereon.

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereafter more fully apear, the invention consists of the novel methods, constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view in partical section of a portion of an electro-optical circuit board containing a thin sheet or layer of light transmisson material bonded to a surface of the board;

FIG. 2 is a side view in section of the board of FIG. 1 having portions of the light conducting sheet or layer removed by processing to form a plurality of strip-like light pipes or conducors thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side view in section of an extended portion of the board of FIG. 1 showing a plurality of electrical elements added to the assembly and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the circuit board of FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 illustrates a composite article 10 such as an electrical circuit board or an electrical component having a base or substrate 11 preferably made of an insulating material such as a plastic, glass, ceramic or laminates of these materials. The substrate 11 has a flat outer surface 12 against which is bonded a sheet or layer 13 of light transmitting material such as clear fused silica, borosilicate glass, a transparent polymer or other suitable material having a relatively high refractive index. The layer 13 may be formed as a thin sheet and bonded to the surface 12 or may be deposited thereon as sprayed particles, electrostatically deposited particles, a vapor or other suitable form employing any suitable means to deposit and retain the light transmitting material thereon.

In FIG. 2, one or more separate portions of the layer 13 have been removed from the substrate by mechanical erosion such as by abrasive particle blasting or by chemical etching, thus leaving space separated portions 14 and 16 thereof which may comprise narrow strips or otherwise configured formations defining respective light pipes. The strips 14 and 16 may extend in any desired configuration across the surface 12 and each preferably contains an end face, denoted respectively 15 and 17 which end faces are in alignment with and face each other. While the configurations of the strips 14 and 16 may be retained as formed during the material removal process, the end faces 15 and 17 which are adjacent to each other preferably have surfaces at right angles to the surface 12 and the upper major surface 13S of the strips which may be provided during the removal process or by means of an auxiliary operation such as by flowing abrasive bits thereagainst.

In FIG. 3, components have been added to the substrate 11 and bonded against either or both ends of the strips 14 and 16, preferably by deposition thereabove such as by sputtering, vapor deposition or plating one or more materials to form the components. Deposited or otherwise provided against the substrate 11 and the end face 15 of strip 14 is a small quantity of a first material which is a light transmitting material such as highly refractive glass or plastic as described above and hereafter which is shaped to define a window or lens for receiving light from the end of light pipe strip 14 and directing it toward the end of strip 16. Deposited against the end 17 of strip 16 is a second component 22 of material which may be similar to that forming window component 18 and is shaped to form a window or lens for receiving and properly directing light from the strip 14. Notation 19 refers to a light emitting device such as a galium arsenide junction laser which is either a preformed component secured to substrate 11 in optical coupling with the other end of strip 14 or is formed of a plurality of materials which are sequentially deposited adjacent to or against the other end of light conducting strip 14. A plurality of electrical conducting strips 20 and 21 are shown also deposited against or formed on the substrate by other known means and are connected to the terminal portions of the light emitting component or laser 19 for supplying variable electrical energy or signals for modulating the laser to generate pulses of light energy which are transmitted along the light pipe strip 14 to the end thereof and across the gap to the strip 16 after passing through the lens or window 21. Conducting strips 20 and 22 may be connected, for example, to an electronic driver circuit receiving code input signals from a time division multiplexer which receives encodes signals from an encoder connected to one or more sources of information such as one or more computing circuits, transducers or the like.

Deposited or otherwise secured against the other end of strip 16 and substrate 11 is a fourth component 23 which is a light sensitive cell such as a silicon photodetector. Like component 19, cell 23 may be preformed and bonded to the substrate 11 and strip 16 or may be formed in situ against the end of strip 16 or in coupling relation with the strip end by selectively depositing a plurality of materials including active and insulating layers of known materials which comprise the photodetector. Notations 26 and 27 refer to metal strip circuit elements connected to the terminal portions of photodetector 23 for energizing and transmitting the light modulated current therefrom which varies in accordance with variations in the light passed through the strip 16 from strip 14 as generated by the laser 19.

Notation 25 refers to a cladding material which is deposited on the surfaces of strips 14 and 16 and has an index of refraction which is substantially different from the index of refraction of the material of the strips 14 and 16. Material 25 may also be provided under the strips 14 and 16 by depositing or otherwise applying a layer thereof onto surface 12 prior to bonding layer 14 to the substrate so as to provide a clad layer which provides a highly reflective interface with the surface of the light transmitting material to which it is bonded which completely extends around each strip if such coverage is desirable and necessary to avoid or reduce light transmission loss in strips 14 and 16. Such application of cladding material will require the removal of same from the ends 15 and 17 of strips 14 and 16, as well as the opposite ends of said strips, prior to applying the described components 18, 22 and 23 and component 19 if it is applied directly to the end of strip 14. Conducting strips 20, 21, 26 and 27 as well as other electrical circuit interconnections and components which form such cooperating devices as encoders, decoders, multiplexers, amplifiers, preamplifiers, drivers and regenerators as well as the interconnections therefore may also be secured to or formed in situ on the substrate and or the light conducting material prior to or after the above described procedures.

In a particular method of forming light conducting circuits of the type described, the light conducting material originally disposed on surface 12 of substrate 11 may have the cladding material deposited as a layer on either or both of its outer surfaces prior to forming the strip elements 14 and 16 thereof or after such formation.

Material of substrate 11 forming the upper surface 12 thereof may be such as to serve the same purpose as a cladding material for the bottom surfaces of the strips 14 and 16 (e.g. to provide the bottom surfaces in a highly reflective condition for reflecting light directed along the strips back into the strip material.

In yet another form of the invention, it is noted that strips 14 and 16 as well as a plurality of others of such strips, may be deposited by sputtering the light conducting material thereof through openings in a mask having the shape of the strips, by vapor deposition through mask openings or by other means.

It is also noted that the cladding material may be sputtered against the exposed surfaces of the strips 14 and 16 as well as other similarly composed light conducting strips by sputttering thereon or by any suitable chemical or vapor deposition process.

The cladding material may also be eliminated from the described processes if the light conducting material is of such a characteristic or the surfaces thereof formed sufficiently light reflecting to maintain reflection losses within the light pipe strips at a predetermined minimum level.

Depending on the characteristics and areas of the light conducting strips 14 and 16, certain, if not all of the electrical components including computing circuits, encoders, decoders, multiplexers, drivers and regenerators may be formed by deposition directly on to said light conducting strips or may be deposited or otherwise formed on adjacent areas of the upper surface 12 of the substrate 11 after the portions of the light conducting material have been removed from said adjacent areas so as to provide a composite electro-optical circuit or computer having electrical components formed in situ on the substrate and associated optical components also formed, as described, on the substrate.

In addition to the single layer array of two or more electro-optical components of the type shown in FIG. 3, many additional optical components together with additional light generating and receiving electronic devices may be formed on a single substrate as a single layer of such components or as a plurality of layers thereof which are deposited, one upon the other wherein the components of adjacent layers may be optically and or electrically coupled to form a complex computer or computing circuit.

The described light transmitting and cladding materials may comprise such materials which are known in the art and are employed in the manufacture of separate light pipe wires and cables formed thereof. Electrical circuit components such as circuit interconnects, light emitting diodes and light sensitive elements, electrical circuit transistors and other devices associated with the described encoders, decoders, multiplexers, amplifers, drivers regenerators and the light which are associated with the described light pipes, may be formed of known materials by techniques which are known in the art and are modified in accordance with the requirements associated with forming the optical light pipes directly on the substrate as described. Such electrical circuit elements may be partly or totally formed adjacent to and/or on the upper surface of the the light transmitting material defining the described and illustrated strip-like light pipes.

While the drawings illustrate two strip-like light pipes in optical coupling relationship with each other, the invention may include a single light pipe with a light emitting diode or laser, such as a galium arsenide junction laser, at one end thereof and a light sensitive means such as a silicon photodetector at the other end thereof or may comprise a multitude of similar light conducting strip-like light pipes in any suitable array disposed against the surface of the substrate or against electrical circuit elements bonded to said substrate. For example, one thin strip-like pipe formation may have one end coupled to the output of a light emitting semiconducting material and the other end thereof connected or optically coupled to a plurality of other similar light conducting strips or integrally formed as a branch strip-like portion therewith.

While chemical etching has been proposed for removing portions of the light transmitting sheet or layer from the surface of the substrate to form the individual light pipes thereof, an intense radiation beam such as an electron beam or a laser beam may be employed to erode or vaporize the selected portions of the light conducting material from the substrate to form the light pipes thereof and/or otherwise fabricate same. The beam or beams may be selectively deflection controlled and/or the support for the substrate moved to effect selective scanning of the substrate thereby to remove just that light transmitting material required to form circuits thereof. The same beam may also be employed to form or fabricate portions of the electrical circuit elements disposed on the substrate and forming part of the electrical device of which the light pipes are a part.