Technology for an adapitve optical bus-coupling on three-dimensional structures

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Regarding the rapidly increasing device communication (buzzword: internet of things, industry 4.0) there is a high demand for fast and high-efficient data links. Due to that, the data rates increase which pushes standard electrical connections to their limits. Especially regarding the bandwidth-energy-efficiency and the required space, optical short range connections are a promising alternative. However, it is necessary to find solutions for the realization of optical bus-systems in three-dimensional environments. During the first funding period the approach of an asymmetric optical bus-coupler (AOBC) was developed and proofed for the use in optical data communication scenarios. The AOBC enables for a bidirectional, interruption-free bus-coupling in 2D. In the second funding period, the initial goal is the enrichment of the current level of knowledge in the field of the directional bus-coupling. According to that, the effects during the coupling process shall be understood, especially with the use of printed polymer waveguides. That includes index changing under pressure, higher coupling rates due to a micro roughness and a selective structuring of the surfaces of the coupling partners. With the results of these studies, the intension is to investigate solutions to couple electro-optical devices to an optical bus on a three-dimensional surface. In this context, robust coupling efficiencies are to be obtained regardless the curvature of the surface the device is connected on. At the same time it is essential to achieve SMT-compatibility of the coupling technology to be able to use matured mounting technologies (e.g. Flip-Chip). According to that, the competitiveness of optical technologies shall be increased compared to their electrical pendants.