Fiber Attach Technology

The goal of this Industry Connections Activity is to analyze the varieties of fiber attach approaches commonly available for photonic devices, integrated circuits, and modules, and offer a guide to engineers, scientists, and designers for their use. This Activity will serve as a precedent to defining common fiber attach standards for future use.

Over several decades, optical fiber has evolved into being an outstanding flexible optical waveguide. Its ability to maintain bandwidth and attenuation performance through multiple bends and twists cannot be matched by any other transmission media. On the other hand, optical communications and signal processing functions are now performed using many other material platforms. In addition, within fiber, micro-optic elements, optical benches, slab waveguides, printed waveguides, and integrated circuits—consisting of many materials and sizes—can be used to transport and process light.

Unless optical functional elements are connected directly to each other, optical fiber serves as an optimum interconnect between them. With each new material platform or permutation of interfaces between each, a recurring problem occurs. An interface between an input or output of the device and a transmission optical fiber interconnect must be made. Within the photonics industry, we call this interface “fiber attach.”

Deliverables and outcomes from Industry Connections Activities may include documents (e.g., white papers or reports), proposals for standards, conferences, workshops, etc. The deliverables of the Fiber Attach Technology Activity will include:

• Identify gaps in the existing standards for fiber attach technology and develop a plan to address these gaps.
• Recommend proposals for standards/guides/best practices based on the gap assessment.
• White papers

We welcome new participants from large and small corporations, academia, industry, and government agencies who are interested in fiber attach technology. Members will be composed of, but not limited to:

• Telecommunications
• Signal processing
• Computing
• Sensing
• Manufacturing
• Medicine
• Aerospace
• Transportation

To learn more about the program and how to join the Fiber Attach Technology activity, please express your interest by sending an inquiry to the activity chair whose information can be found in the Contacts section.