Newport Corp. has introduced what it claims is the world's first, commercially available automated system for the assembly of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) transceivers, designed to align and bond VCSELs and VCSEL arrays to fiber arrays or other waveguide components.
The Newport system consists of a pick and place robot for part loading and unloading, a machine vision-based alignment engine, and a bonding/attachment system. The bonding/attachment system is typically an automated epoxy dispenser with fiber-delivered, UV curing light. Other attachment technologies are available as well.
The Newport automated VCSEL assembly system is designed for flexibility and ease of integration into the high volume, photonics production environment. According to the company, the system uses machine vision to register parts, rather than dedicated tooling fixtures, enabling the standard system to accommodate the diverse range of VCSEL geometries presently in use. The assembly product can also handle incoming parts in a wide variety of packages or carriers, such as waffle packs or Auer boats.
The VCSEL system utilizes INTEGRA, Newport's Photonic Test & Assembly Automation Software. INTEGRA, enables easy integration with third-party instruments through LabView, Visual Basic, C++, or other programming environments. The report generation tool allows process data extracted from the user-defined INTEGRA database to be utilized by for many purposes, such as Statistical Process Control, device traceability, and production report generation.
"The metro and access markets presently represent strong growth segments of the telecommunications market," contends Kevin Crofton, vice president and general manager. "VCSELs are a key photonic component of these systems. However, the metro and access segments are particularly sensitive to component costs. The Newport automated VCSEL assembly system utilizes high speed pick and place technology to reduce overall component cost by improving production speed, efficiency, and yield, as well as increasing unit-to-unit manufacturing consistency," he adds.
For more information about Newport Corp. (Irvine, CA), visit the company's Web site at www.newport.com.