Low-cost 10-Gb/s optical receiver module using a novel plastic package and a passive alignment technique

A new low-cost 10-Gb/s optical receiver module constructed using a novel plastic package is proposed. Passive alignment using a glass V-groove substrate and an edge-illuminated refracting-facet photodiode (RFPD) was employed to reduce cost. Instead of a conventional GaAs IC, a Si-bipolar preamplifier IC was mounted on the package to reduce power consumption. Highspeed signal lines with a bandwidth of more than 10 GHz were realized using a three-dimensional electromagnetic-field analysis. For the fabricated module, a 3-dB detection bandwidth of 7.7 GHz and a sensitivity of less than -14 dBm at 10 Gb/s were achieved. To confirm the reliability of the fabricated module, a damp-heat test without bias voltage and a temperature-cycling test were performed. The results show that the optical receiver module, if covered with silicone resin, has the ability to withstand humidity and thermal stress.