SCHOTT Successfully Tests TO 56 PLUS(R) Packages to 25 Gigabit Capacity

Glass-to-Metal Sealed Packages pass stringent Residual Gas Analysis tests: Ready to serve the increased performance requirements of higher bandwidth

SCHOTT announced today the completion of a series of tests confirming that its TO 56 PLUS® Transistor Outline seals can surpass bandwidth requirements of more than 25 Gigabits per second. This comes as an incremental advancement over the 17Gb/s headers launched over the last year.

The Transistor Outline consists of a header to supply power to encapsulated components and a cap to ensure the smooth transmission of optical signals. It provides the mechanical link between the laser diodes and electronic circuits, as well as the optical interface. The Transistor Outline also protects optical components - like laser diodes and photodiodes - from humidity and other sources of performance degradation. TO headers are used on the transmitting as well as receiving side of infrared, communication transceivers.

In a series of tests in 2008, SCHOTT researchers were able to confirm that TO 56 PLUS® was fully capable of handing 25 GB/s data streams given certain design guidelines were followed. “Every fiber optic transceiver manufacturer has certain carefully guarded proprietary technologies built into each application within its high-end products, but all the diodes still need inert atmospheres to function reliably for extended lifetimes and hence every system relies a glass-to-metal sealed feedthrough,” said Robert Hettler, Head of Research & Development for SCHOTT’s Electronic Packaging Opto-Electronics business. “As data exchanges are expanding to meet increasing commercial and consumer bandwidth needs, the stability and capacity of these feedthroughs, or Transistor Outlines (TO), will become more important.”

SCHOTT TO PLUS® packages are extremely low-loss and specially designed for high-frequency applications. The key to the technology is the glass-to-metal hermetic seal. Compared to polymer non-hermetic seals, these glass-to-metal seals have a longer lifetime and have a higher level of chemical stability. Unlike organic materials, which have a tendency to degrade and outgas over time, glass and glass-ceramic to metal seals contain no organic contents in most cases and hence do not emit gases over its lifetime. This attribute of the TO PLUS® line makes it more attractive in high reliability applications where passing stringent tests such as Residual Gas Analysis is the basic criteria.

As bandwidth demands increase, the chips used in these applications are expected to be even more sensitive and susceptible to degradation due to exposure to harmful gases and environment. Even leaks of traceable amounts of hydrogen, and water vapor can compromise the functions of the sensitive opto-electronic components. Humidity, in particular, can cause semiconductor elements to degrade, leading to the failure of the entire unit. The TO PLUS® line passes the RGA and other reliability tests without issues.

“Building new capabilities into a proven technology & platform like TO PLUS® offers important cost savings, because a new technology need not be developed and taken through the standard industrial shakedown period before being deployed,” said Rohit Bhosale, R&D Manager at SCHOTT Electronic Packaging Asia in Singapore. “Indeed, by linking four 25GB/s units, it may even be possible to advance to 100 GB/s capabilities with current technology, sparing systems developers the need to design larger, custom-built packages.”

As a business unit of SCHOTT, Electronic Packaging is a leading manufacturer of housings and other components for the reliable, long-term protection for sensitive electronics. The core technologies are glass-to-metal and ceramic-to-metal sealing, thermal sensing components as well as a variety of cutting edge specialty glass competences. With 1,500 employees at four production locations and several competence centers around the world, local customer support and co-developments for individual packaging solutions are at the heart of the business, serving the world’s leading manufacturers in the automotive, data- and telecommunication, sensors and semiconductors, consumer electronics, laser as well as security and tracking industries.