Fabrication of a 2D connector for coupling a 4×8 array of small diameter plastic optical fiber (117/125 μm) to RCLED or VCSEL arrays

Currently, the data communication and interconnect world is marked by an ever increasing demand of data density, compactness and efficiency. In the past, serial links were gradually replaced by 1D parallel data communication through fiber arrays. A possible further route towards even higher density and aggregate capacity is to move towards 2D parallel fiber arrays. In this paper, we report on the fabrication of a prototype 2D-connector that in a later stage can be replicated using standard molding techniques. In our application, in view of cost and flexibility reasons, polymer optical fiber (117 μm core/125 μm cladding diameter, NA=0.5) is used as medium for short distance 2D links for inter-chip interconnections