Bidirectional optical subassembly with prealigned silicon microlens and laser diode

We have succeeded in developing a low-cost bidirectional optical subassembly chip using a silicon microlens for fiber-to-the-home application. The main optical elements of the bidirectional function were automatically aligned and integrated on a silicon optical bench. The cost of subassembly was markedly lowered both by reducing the part number and simplifying the assembly process. The prototype bidirectional optical component was successfully fabricated on the basis of the proposed chip. A receiver minimum sensitivity of -28.5 dBm was experimentally demonstrated even at 75 degC