WO2024075169A1

WO2024075169A1 - Optical transmitter

Info

Publication number: WO2024075169A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/037033
Authority: WO
Inventors: 常祐尾崎; 義弘小木曽; 光映石川
Original assignee: 日本電信電話株式会社
Priority date: 2022-10-03
Filing date: 2022-10-03
Publication date: 2024-04-11

Abstract

Provided is a novel configuration and mounting embodiment for an optical transmitter that suppresses the temperature dependency of optical modulation output characteristics and that has excellent high-speed characteristics. This optical transmitter (200) includes: an optical modulator chip (203); a driver IC (202) for actuating the optical modulator chip; a wiring substrate (215) having a substantially linear high-frequency line and connecting the optical modulator chip and the driver IC, the wiring substrate being mounted face-down by flip-chip mounting; and a Peltier element (205) mounted below the optical modulator chip and the driver IC. The optical modulator chip and the driver IC are temperature-controlled by the same Peltier element.

Description

Optical Transmitter

This disclosure relates to an optical transmitter used in optical communications. More specifically, it relates to an implementation form of an optical transmitter that includes a semiconductor optical modulator and its driver IC.

In order to respond to the rapid increase in traffic in communication networks, digital coherent optical transmission, which combines coherent communication methods and digital signal processing technology, is being introduced into optical fiber communication systems. Starting with the establishment of backbone network transmission technology of 100 Gbps per wavelength, higher speed transmission of 400 to 600 Gbps per wavelength is now in practical use.

In the digital coherent optical transmission described above, an optical transceiver in which an optical receiver and an optical transmitter are integrated is used. In optical transceivers for systems with a transmission capacity of over 400 Gbps, broadband analog components such as radio frequency (RF) electrical circuits are required. For example, an optical modulator requires a modulation bandwidth of 40 GHz or more. To reduce high frequency loss and miniaturize the device, which leads to broadband, a form in which an RF driver IC and an optical modulator are mounted in an integrated package on the transmitting side is attracting attention. This implementation form of an optical transmitter has also been standardized by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) under the name High-Bandwidth Coherent Driver Modulator (HB-CDM: high-speed driver integrated optical modulator) (Non-Patent Document 1). On the receiving side of the optical transceiver, a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and an optical receiver are also mounted in an integrated package, which is also called an Integrated Coherent Receiver (ICR).

Turning to the materials used in optical transmitting and receiving devices, semiconductor-based optical modulators are attracting attention as an alternative to conventional lithium niobate (LN) optical modulators due to their compact size and low cost. Compound semiconductors such as InP are mainly used for faster modulation operations. Furthermore, in systems where compact size and low cost are important, research and development is focused on Si-based optical devices.

Even the semiconductor optical modulators mentioned above have their own advantages and disadvantages specific to each material. For example, in an InP optical modulator, temperature control of the optical modulator chip is essential during operation in order to control the band-edge absorption effect. On the other hand, a Si optical modulator has the advantage of not needing temperature control, but has a smaller electro-optic effect than other material systems. This makes it necessary to lengthen the electro-optic interaction length, which can result in increased high-frequency loss as a result of the device length increasing. There are many challenges to further increase the speed and bandwidth of optical modulators, including implementation technologies for wider bandwidth and miniaturization.

The operating temperature (case temperature) of an optical transmitter using HB-CDM must be in the range of at least -5°C to 75°C. In order to ensure this operating temperature, it has been common to only mount the optical modulator chip on a Peltier element, taking into account power consumption (Patent Document 1).

However, with conventional optical transmitters, degradation of the high-frequency characteristics of the driver IC at high temperatures was an issue. Specifically, when the ambient temperature was high, degradation of the driver IC's high-frequency band, peaking amount, and gain was an issue. As optical transmitters become faster and broader in bandwidth, the impact of reduced signal quality due to the above-mentioned degradation can no longer be ignored. For this reason, there is a demand for optical transmitters that can maintain constant high-frequency characteristics regardless of changes in the ambient temperature.

International Publication No. 2021/171599

In consideration of the above problems, the present invention provides a new configuration and implementation form of an optical transmitter that suppresses the temperature dependency of an optical transmitter including a driver IC, has excellent high-speed performance, and is capable of stable operation regardless of the environmental temperature.

In response to the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides an optical transmitter that includes an optical modulator chip, a driver IC for operating the optical modulator chip, a wiring board having a substantially straight high-frequency line and connecting the optical modulator chip and the driver IC, which is mounted face-down by flip-chip mounting, and a Peltier element placed under the optical modulator chip and the driver IC, and the optical modulator chip and the driver IC are temperature controlled by the same Peltier element.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 100 using HB-CDM according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 200 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 300 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 400 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 500 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 600 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing an implementation of an optical transmitter 700 according to the present disclosure. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a Peltier element 205 used in an optical transmitter 200-700 according to the present disclosure.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The same or similar reference symbols indicate the same or similar elements, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted. Materials and numerical values are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. The following description is an example, and some configurations may be omitted or modified, or additional configurations may be added, as long as they do not deviate from the gist of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

This disclosure presents new configurations for improving the temperature dependency of the high-frequency characteristics of an optical transmitter in an optical transmitter in which an optical modulator and its driver IC are integrally packaged, and implementation forms compatible with each configuration. The configuration for improving the temperature dependency includes a new usage form of a temperature regulator (TEC: ThermoElectric Cooler) in the optical transmitter. In addition, various implementation forms of the driver IC, optical modulator chip, and spatial optical components compatible with the new usage form of the TEC are also proposed.

　TECs are also known as thermoelectric coolers, and are known as small cooling devices that use Peltier junctions. TECs are made up of n-type semiconductors, p-type semiconductors, and metals, and when a direct current is passed through both sides of the plate-shaped element, heat absorption occurs on one side and heat dissipation occurs on the other. Reversing the direction of the current switches between heat absorption and dissipation, allowing for localized and precise temperature control of ICs and electronic components. For simplicity's sake, in the following explanation, the temperature regulator will be referred to as a TEC and will be described as a Peltier element. It is not limited to Peltier elements, as long as it is capable of controlling the temperature of driver ICs and optical modulator chips.

Below, we will first explain the problem of temperature dependency of high-frequency characteristics in optical transmitters, using an optical modulator in the form of HB-CDM as an example of conventional technology. We will then explain a new configuration for improving the temperature dependency of high-frequency characteristics in the optical transmitter of the present invention, along with various implementation forms.

Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the mounting form of an optical transmitter using HB-CDM, a conventional technology. In accordance with the specifications of HB-CDM, the optical transmitter 100 contains a driver IC 102, an optical modulator chip 103, and

lenses

112 and 113, which are spatial optical components, inside a package housing 101 made of ceramic or the like. More specifically, the optical modulator chip 103 is mounted on the inside bottom surface of the housing 101 via a subcarrier 104 on a Peltier element 105. The right end of the optical modulator chip 103 in the drawing has an output end surface for modulated light, and

lenses

112 and 113 for optically coupling the modulated light to an optical fiber 114 are also mounted on the subcarrier.

A driver IC 102 is mounted on a metal block or ceramic material 106 adjacent to the optical modulator chip 103. In addition, the package housing 101 has a wiring board base 107 and a package wall 108 as the left wall in the drawing, which, together with the package housing 101, separate the outside from the internal space of the optical transmitter. The optical transmitter 100 can also be constructed so that the entire package is airtight.

The modulated electrical signal supplied from an external digital signal processor (DSP) is supplied to the optical modulator chip 103 via the wiring layer 109 and driver IC 102 of the wiring board base 107. The wiring layer 109 and the driver IC 102, and the driver IC 102 and the optical modulator chip 103 are connected by

gold wires

110, 111, etc., respectively. In the case of a polarization multiplexed IQ optical modulation method, the modulated electrical signal includes an I channel and a Q channel for each of the X polarization and the Y polarization. When one channel is supplied as an electrical signal in a differential signal format, at least eight signal wirings and a GND wiring are required for one optical modulator, but the modulated signal format is not limited to this. As shown in Patent Document 1, the optical modulator 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be mounted on a common device substrate together with an ICR package in which the receiving side TIA and optical receiver are integrated, and a DSP, to configure an optical transmitting and receiving device.

Here, we again focus on the Peltier element 105 in the optical transmitter. Temperature control is essential for the optical modulator chip 103 fabricated on an InP substrate, and the Peltier element 105 controls the temperature to a predetermined operating temperature. As shown in FIG. 1, the Peltier element 105 has a size that covers at least the entire area of the optical modulator chip 103, and its position may overlap the area of spatial optical components such as lenses. On the other hand, in the optical transmitter 100 of the conventional technology, it was considered that temperature control of the driver IC 102 was not necessary, and it was fixed in the package by a member 106 such as a metal block or ceramic. If the external temperature (ambient temperature) of the optical transmitter 100 rises, the increased temperature becomes the operating temperature of the driver IC 102. If the optical transmitting and receiving device including the optical transmitter reaches the maximum ambient temperature of 85°C, the temperature of the driver IC 102 itself is at least 85°C or higher. The driver IC also consumes a lot of power, and the driver IC itself generates heat. This means that the heat generated by the driver IC will cause the backside temperature of the driver IC to exceed the maximum ambient temperature of 85°C.

The driver IC has temperature-dependent amplification characteristics (high frequency characteristics) of high frequency electrical signals, and at high temperatures the high frequency band tends to decrease compared to room temperature. Conversely, at low temperatures the high frequency band tends to increase compared to room temperature. Thus, the high frequency characteristics of the driver IC differ between low and high temperatures. The modulation signal supplied to the driver IC is optimized and compensated in various ways by the DSP at room temperature. However, dynamically updating such compensation in line with temperature fluctuations is a complex process and is not generally implemented. Because operation continues at a constant compensation state at room temperature, the compensation state of the modulation signal deviates from the optimal point when the state changes to a low or high temperature. This causes fluctuations and deterioration in the optical transmission characteristics and waveform quality of the optical transmitter.

The IQ modulator of the optical modulator chip 103 is a linear modulator that preserves the amplitude and phase of the electrical signal, and fluctuations in the level and waveform quality of the modulated electrical signal directly affect the quality of the modulated output light. If the external temperature changes while the optical transmitter is in operation, the optical modulator chip itself is maintained at a constant temperature because the temperature is controlled by a Peltier element, but the operating temperature of the driver IC changes.
As a result, fluctuations in the level and quality of the HB-CDM modulated light occur, and the transmission characteristics deteriorate and become unstable due to changes in the environmental temperature over time.

The deterioration of characteristics due to the environmental temperature on the high frequency side of the electrical signal causes waveform distortion of the modulated signal, degrading the modulation accuracy of the modulated output light from the optical modulator. In an optical receiver receiving such degraded modulated light, a floor appears in the BER characteristics, leading to a deterioration in the transmission characteristics of the system.

In a situation where there is an increasing demand for wider bandwidth modulated electrical signals and modulation bandwidths of 40 GHz or more are required, the effect of degradation of the high frequency characteristics of the driver IC at high temperatures as described above cannot be ignored. The present invention presents a new configuration and implementation form that improves the temperature dependency of high frequency characteristics and optical transmission characteristics in an optical transmitter in which an optical modulator and its driver IC are packaged together.

Below, an embodiment of an optical transmitter according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the optical transmitter according to the present disclosure will be described as being in the form of an HB-CDM with a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) interface. However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and the same effect can be achieved with any optical transmission module in which a driver IC and an optical modulator chip are integrated.

(overall structure)
2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a mounting form of an optical transmitter 200 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, in the optical transmitter 200, a driver IC 202, an optical modulator chip 203, and optical members (

lenses

212 and 213, which are spatial optical components, are depicted as an example in FIG. 2) are housed inside a package housing 201. More specifically, the optical modulator chip 203 is mounted on the bottom surface inside the housing 201 via a subcarrier 204 on a Peltier element 205. At the right end of the drawing of the optical modulator chip 203, there is an output end surface of modulated light, and

lenses

212 and 213 for optically coupling the modulated light with an optical fiber 214 are also mounted on the subcarrier.

Furthermore, the optical transmitter 200 includes a wiring board base 207 and a package wall 208 as the wall surface on the left side of the package housing 201 in the drawing, which, together with the package housing 201, separate the internal space of the optical transmitter from the outside. The wiring board base 207 also has a package terrace, and a wiring layer 209 formed on the upper surface of the package terrace is connected to a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) as a high-frequency interface. The optical transmitter 200 can also be constructed so that the entire package is airtight.

The modulated electrical signal supplied from an external digital signal processor (DSP) is supplied to the optical modulator chip 203 via the wiring layer 209 of the wiring board base 207 and the driver IC 202. The wiring layer 209 and the driver IC 202 are connected by gold wire 210. Meanwhile, the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are connected by a wiring board 215 having a nearly straight high-frequency line and pillars/

bumps

216, 217. However, taking into consideration cases where the pad pitch is different, it is permissible for the high-frequency line to have a gentle curvature that does not cause significant deterioration in characteristics.

One of the differences between the optical transmitter 200 according to the present disclosure and the optical transmitter 100 according to the conventional technology is in the mounting form of the driver IC. As shown in FIG. 2, in the optical transmitter 200 according to the present disclosure, the driver IC 202 is mounted on the subcarrier 204, similar to the optical modulator chip 203 and

lenses

212, 213. As described above, since the subcarrier 204 is installed on the Peltier element 205, in the optical transmitter 200, the temperature control by the Peltier element 205 also extends to the driver IC 202. Therefore, in the optical transmitter 200, the temperature of the driver IC 202 can be managed in the same way as the optical modulator chip 203.

Considering specific temperatures, for example, if the optical modulator chip 203 is an InP modulator, the optical modulator chip 203 is often used at around 45±10°C because an excessively low temperature reduces the modulation efficiency (however, depending on the semiconductor device design, there are also modulator chips that are used at temperatures lower than this). On the other hand, it is known that the driver IC 202 has better high-frequency band characteristics at lower temperatures. Therefore, the Peltier element 205 needs to be constantly controlled at a temperature within the range of 25-50°C so that the characteristics of the driver IC 202 can be fully brought out without significant deterioration of the characteristics of the optical modulator chip 203.

In FIG. 2, a subcarrier 204 is mounted between the Peltier element 205 and the driver IC 202, the optical modulator chip 203, and the optical members (e.g.,

lenses

212, 213, etc.). This subcarrier 204 adjusts the height of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203, which will be described later, and functions as a substrate for extracting the DC wiring of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203. For the subcarrier 204, it is desirable to use a material with excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum nitride (AlN). In addition, AlN has a linear expansion coefficient close to that of InP applied to the optical modulator chip 203, and can suppress thermal stress generated near the interface with the InP modulator, so it is suitable as a material applied to the subcarrier 204. In addition, wiring (not shown) for extracting the DC wiring of the optical modulator chip 203 and positioning markers (not shown) for mounting optical members (e.g.,

lenses

212, 213, etc.) are formed on the subcarrier 204 by metal patterns.

Furthermore, for the same reasons as above, it is desirable to use AlN for the upper surface portion of the Peltier element 205 (the portion in contact with the subcarrier 204).

Note that although subcarrier 204 is depicted in FIG. 2 as being one layer, it may be multi-layered. In particular, when there are a large number of DC wirings or when it is necessary to change the order of terminals, making it multi-layered allows for a layout that makes full use of multi-layer wiring.

The subcarrier 204 and driver IC 202, as well as the subcarrier 204 and optical modulator chip 203, must be mounted with a conductive paste or solder with a thermal conductivity of 30 W/mK or more in order to efficiently dissipate heat in the Peltier element 205. From the perspective of managing the process temperature during mounting, it is desirable to use the same conductive paste or solder for all of them, but these joint fillers do not necessarily need to be the same, and it is also possible to combine those with different fixed temperatures, etc.

In addition, it is desirable that optical components such as

lenses

212 and 213 are mounted on subcarrier 204, similar to driver IC 202 and optical modulator chip 203, in order to prevent variations in adhesive thickness due to temperature changes. With this configuration, it is possible to minimize variations in optical insertion loss due to temperature changes.

(Configuration of parts contributing to high frequency implementation)
Next, the configuration of the part that contributes to high frequency mounting will be described. When the inductance of the connection between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 increases, the roll-off in the high frequency characteristics shifts to the low frequency side due to LC resonance. Therefore, in order to realize a wideband HB-CDM, it is desirable to lower the inductance between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203. Therefore, in the optical transmitter 200 according to the present disclosure, the wiring board 215 is flip-chip mounted face-down between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203, and the driver IC 202 and the wiring layer 209 are connected by gold wires 210.

The driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are connected via the wiring board 215 and the pillars/

bumps

216, 217. The wiring board 215 and the pillars/

bumps

216, 217 are formed by face-down flip-chip mounting, and the pillars/

bumps

216, 217 can be Au pillars/bumps or Cu pillars/bumps. In order to stably mount the connection between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 having such a configuration, it is desirable that the heights of the upper surfaces (surfaces on which the pillars/bumps are mounted) of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are the same, and that the wiring board 215 is mounted so as to have a high degree of parallelism with respect to the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203. Specifically, if the inclination of the wiring board 215 with respect to the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 exceeds ±3°, a bonding failure such as a gap occurring at the bonding portion may occur. In addition, as a result, stress concentration may occur at the joint, making it vulnerable to vibration and shock, which may cause the joint to break, and as a result, it is not possible to ensure the long-term reliability of the device. Therefore, when mounting, it is necessary to ensure that the inclination in the height direction of the wiring board 215 with respect to the main surfaces of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 is within ±3°, and that the height of the top surface of the driver IC and the optical modulator chip 203 is the same.

The dimensions of the Au pillar/bump or Cu pillar/bump that are generally used as the pillar/bumps 216 and 217 are often 100 μm or less in both diameter and height. Therefore, it is desirable to keep the height difference between the top surfaces of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 at least 100 μm or less (ideally 50 μm or less).

As mentioned above, the heights of the top surfaces of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 must be the same (at least, the height difference must be within 100 μm). From the viewpoint of minimizing the variation in this height difference, it is most desirable to mount the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 having the same chip thickness on the same subcarrier 204 as shown in FIG. 2 (for example, the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 each have the same thickness of 300 μm). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, it is also possible that the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 have different thicknesses (for example, the driver IC 202 has a thickness of 100 μm and the optical modulator chip 203 has a thickness of 300 μm). In such a case, as shown in FIG. 3, the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 can be mounted on separate members to adjust the height of their respective top surfaces to match (FIG. 3 shows, as an example, a form in which only the driver IC 202 is mounted via a metal block 301 as the member in question). For the block 301, a metal such as CuW or a ceramic with excellent thermal conductivity such as AlN can be used for the driver IC 202, taking into account heat dissipation and GND stability.

In FIG. 2, the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are depicted as being mounted on the same subcarrier 204, but as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, they may be mounted on the Peltier element 205. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, when the thicknesses of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are the same, the number of parts can be reduced by applying AlN having DC wiring and alignment marks for optical mounting to the upper surface of the Peltier element 205 (the surface on which the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are mounted). This reduction in the number of parts leads to a reduction in thermal resistance, and is therefore preferable from the viewpoint of temperature control. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, even if the thicknesses of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are different, the same effect can be achieved by using a metal block 501 for height adjustment to make the heights of the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 the same.

In addition, when considering heat inflow from the driver IC 202, it is desirable that the distance between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 be 300 μm or more. On the other hand, when considering the deterioration of bonding strength and high-frequency characteristics, it is desirable that the length of the wiring board 215 be 2 mm or less at the longest.

Furthermore, in the case of a configuration having a subcarrier 204 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, as in the optical transmitter 600 shown in Figure 6, a thermal isolation groove 401 may be formed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the subcarrier 204 between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 (Figure 6 shows a configuration formed on the upper surface as an example). With this configuration, it is possible to thermally isolate the driver IC 203 and the modulator chip 204.

When the optical modulator chip 203 is an InP modulator, the wiring board 215 is preferably made of AlN due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient with InP, but from the viewpoint of further suppressing heat inflow from the driver IC 202, it is preferable to use a material with low thermal conductivity such as _SiO2 or other resin using a dielectric material. In this way, the material applied to the wiring board 215 is preferably selected appropriately according to the design, and is not necessarily limited to the above materials. For example, it is possible to obtain the same effect even with ceramics other than AlN, such as alumina.

In addition, in FIG. 2-5, only the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 are depicted as being connected via the wiring board 215, but as shown in FIG. 7, the driver IC 202 and the wiring layer 209 may also be connected by flip-chip mounting using the wiring board 601 and the pillars/

bumps

602, 603 instead of the gold wires 210. Even in such a case, for the same reasons as the height difference between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 and the inclination of the wiring board 215 described above, the height difference between the upper surfaces of the driver IC 202 and the wiring layer 209 must be at least 100 μm or less (ideally 50 μm or less), and the inclination of the wiring board 601 with respect to the driver IC 202 and the wiring layer 209 must be within ±3°. The materials of the wiring board 601 and the pillars/

bumps

602, 603 may be the same as or different from the wiring board 215 and the pillars/

bumps

216, 217, but from the viewpoint of cost, it is preferable to use the same material. In such cases, the input and output pads of the driver IC are the same, and the pad shape and pitch of the connection between the optical modulator chip 203 and the wiring layer 209 are the same, making it possible to use the same wiring board and reduce costs.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of high frequency characteristics, in order to utilize the characteristics of the driver IC 202 most efficiently, it is desirable that the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203 have a differential line configuration. In addition, since the characteristics of high frequency differential lines are significantly degraded if they have a curvature, it is desirable that the high frequency lines on the wiring board are formed in straight lines. In order to configure them in straight lines, it is desirable that the connection pad pitches of the respective components are the same.

As shown in FIG. 2-5, when the driver IC 201 and the wiring layer 209 are connected with the gold wire 210, it is desirable that the difference in height between the top surfaces of the driver IC 201 and the wiring layer 209 is about 100 μm. When the gold wire 210 is a ball wire, it is preferable to set the height of the top surface of the driver IC 202 lower than the top surface of the wiring layer 209 and to configure the gold wire 210 so that it rises from the driver IC 202 to the wiring layer 209 side, in order to minimize the wire length. On the other hand, when the gold wire 210 does not have a loop and is a wire that can connect the driver IC 201 and the wiring layer 209 flat, it is desirable that the heights of the top surfaces of the driver IC 201 and the wiring layer 209 are the same.

In addition, in FIG. 2-6, the optical components are assumed to be lens mounted, but this is not limited to this and other mounting methods may be used. In addition, optical components include not only

lenses

212 and 213 but also components for fixing fibers, etc.

(Configuration of Peltier element)
8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the Peltier element 205 used in the optical transmitter (optical transmitter 200-700) according to the present disclosure. In the optical transmitter according to the present disclosure, a difference in the amount of heat generated occurs between the driver IC 202 and the optical modulator chip 203. Considering the temperature distribution of each element, the driver IC 202 has the highest temperature, followed by the optical modulator chip 203, and then the optical members (for example,

lenses

212, 213, etc.). In a state in which a temperature distribution occurs in this way, if the element density of the n-type and p-type semiconductors constituting the Peltier element 205 is constant, a state may occur in which the area in which the optical members are mounted is excessively cooled, or the area in which the driver IC 202 is mounted is not sufficiently cooled. Therefore, it is desirable to have a configuration in which the element density of the n-type and p-type semiconductors constituting the Peltier element 205 is changed according to the above temperature distribution. 8, an example of the Peltier element 205 used in the optical transmitter according to the present disclosure is configured so that the element density of the n-type and p-type semiconductors is as follows: area where the driver IC 202 is mounted>area where the optical modulator chip 203 is mounted>area where the optical members are mounted. By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to perform appropriate temperature control (suppression of excessive or insufficient cooling) according to the temperature distribution.

As described above, the optical transmitter disclosed herein can realize a new configuration and implementation form of an optical transmitter that suppresses the temperature dependency of the optical transmitter including the driver IC, has excellent speed, and can operate stably regardless of the environmental temperature. For this reason, it is expected to be applied to high-speed digital coherent optical transmission systems, etc.

Claims

1. An optical transmitter comprising:
an optical modulator chip;
A driver IC for operating the optical modulator chip;
a wiring board having a substantially straight high-frequency line and connecting the optical modulator chip and the driver IC, the wiring board being mounted face-down by flip-chip mounting;
a Peltier element placed under the optical modulator chip and the driver IC;
Equipped with
An optical transmitter in which the optical modulator chip and the driver IC are temperature-controlled by the same Peltier element.
The height difference between the upper surfaces of the optical modulator chip and the driver IC is 100 μm or less;
2. The optical transmitter according to claim 1, wherein an inclination in a height direction of the main surface of the wiring board with respect to the main surface of the optical modulator chip and the main surface of the driver IC is within ±3 degrees.
The optical transmitter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the optical modulator chip and the driver IC is 300 μm or more and 2 mm or less.
The optical transmitter of claim 1, in which the temperature of the Peltier element is controlled to a constant temperature within the range of 25-50°C.
The material of the upper surface of the Peltier element is aluminum nitride (AlN),
the optical modulator chip is an indium phosphide (InP) optical modulator chip;
2. The optical transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the Peltier element, the optical modulator chip and a driver IC are connected to each other by a conductive paste or solder having a thermal conductivity of 30 W/mK or more.
The Peltier element further includes an optical member whose temperature is controlled by the Peltier element.
2. The optical transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the element density of the n-type and p-type semiconductors constituting the Peltier element is set in the following order: area where the driver IC is mounted > area where the optical modulator chip is mounted > area where the optical components are mounted.
The optical transmitter of claim 1, further comprising a subcarrier between the Peltier element and the optical modulator chip and the driver IC.
The optical transmitter of claim 7, further comprising a thermal isolation groove on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the subcarrier between the driver IC and the optical modulator chip.
The optical modulator chip and the driver IC are mounted in a housing of HB-CDM type,
The optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the optical modulator chip and the driver IC have a differential line configuration.