Aries Innovations
provides a number of advanced
standard and custom products for fiber optic and photonic applications.
These include sophisticated assembly systems, test platforms and other devices
that fit in well in production environments as well as engineering or R&D labs.
|
AWG |
Align |
Dispense |
Assemble |
Other |
Aries Innovations
provides an extremely small footprint Planar Light Carrier (PLC)
align-test-and-attach system. The
alignment system can interface to a variety of passive component testers and
allow the device to be fully tested before a decision is made to complete final
assembly or reject the part. This ensures that valuable materials and
labor are not spent packaging a device in vain.
For test-only
systems, Aries Innovations offers a dual-hexapod system that fully
aligns input and output fibers (or fiber arrays), tests the device but performs
no assembly or attachment.
 |
 |
Small
footprint (12" x 16") |
|
|
Flexible
vision training allows software to detect a variety of features
using the most optimal image processing techniques. |
|
|
Support
for 40+ channels. |
|
|
Coarse
alignment detects 127um waveguide centers to within 2um in less than
500ms. |
|
|
Support
for any combination of single fiber or fiber array at input or
output. |
|
|
Automated
adhesive dispense and UV cure. |
|
|
Support
straight or 8° facets. |
|
|
Custom
interfaces to a variety of test and measurement instruments. |
|
|
Superior
software controls and flexibility. |
|
| The
user interface and underlying software provide a rich, powerful
and flexible set of controls that allow optimal control over the system. |
Aries Innovations has
developed a number of optical
fiber/component alignment stations based on the Polytec PI® F-206
Hexapod. By integrating state-of-the-art mechanical elements, software and
controls to this top-quality positioning system, we have developed an extremely
sophisticated and flexible that has no match in the optical
marketplace. This station can be run in semi-automated mode or occupy a
location in a fully automated robotic assembly workcell.
|
|
100nm
repeatability |
|
|
|
±7mm,
±5° fine alignment |
|
|
|
Adjustable
coarse envelope |
|
|
|
Totally
Customizable |
|
|
|
Machine
vision assisted |
|
|
|
VCSEL
and LD TO56 ready |
|
|
|
1
or 2 axis beam analysis |
|
|
|
Active
alignment |
|
|
|
UV
cure after align |
|
|
|
Parametric
database driven |
|
|
|
SQL
data collection interface |
|
|
|
SPC
and Failure Analysis |
|
|
|
Simple
GUI/MMI |
|
|
|
Semi
or fully automated |
|
|
|
Small
footprint (12" x 18") |
|
|
|
Automated
fiber feed |
|
|
|
Automated
fiber cleave |
|
|
|
Multiple
fiber tray |
|
|
|
A
6-axis TO56 fiber-to-LD align and attach system in a high volume,
production robotic workcell. The positioning hexapod holds an
optional automated fiber feeder, cleaver and multi-fiber feed tray. |
|
In
semi-automated mode, the operator simply loads the part and presses the
"Go" button. The operator may override, modify or accept the
alignment prior to assembly. Plots, tables and other visual queues
assist operators and technicians in better understanding underlying
processes. |
The Aries Innovations adhesive
station is designed for use in fully-automated workcells. In typical
photonic assembly workflows, the parts to be attached are first aligned, then
glued and cured atthe same station. This typically increases the
complexity of the system, takes up valuable space and, for long cure times, ties
up expensive test, measurement and alignment equipment.
In applications where the application
of an adhesive can be performed prior to alignment, this simple and inexpensive
solution can boost volume production significantly by allowing adhesive
application to take place in parallel to alignment.
|
|
0.001"
repeatability. |
|
|
|
Variety
of x, y and z envelopes. |
|
|
|
Vision
system verification. |
|
|
|
4
second cycle time. |
|
|
|
Robot/data
collection interface |
|
|
|
Standard
adhesive dispense. |
|
|
|
0.0005"
repeatability. |
|
|
|
Support
high viscosity fluids. |
|
|
|
Automated
adhesive station using titanium probe needles to apply very high
viscosity, proprietary adhesive onto LD chip. |
|
This
application uses Blob Analysis to verify that the prescribed amount of
adhesive has been applied. The geometries and centroid locations of the
applied dots are verified against user specified parameters. |
Aries Innovations' extensive
background in high-throughput, production robotic workcell design was used to
develop assembly workcells for the photonics
industry. The base workcells can produce components such as VCELs or other
TO56 laser light sources. Customized versions can support a variety of
packages and fiber attachments.
The workcell supports a combination
of alignment and adhesive
stations based on the application. These stations are configured to to operate with a
high-speed material handling robot housed in a controlled environment.
|
|
Up
to 6,500 parts per day. |
|
|
|
Unlimited
user defined grades. |
|
|
|
Small
footprint (48" x 60"). |
|
|
|
Newport™
isolation table. |
|
|
|
Adept™
Cobra 600mm robot. |
|
|
|
Enterprise
SQL interface. |
|
|
|
Adept™
Cobra 800mm robot. |
|
|
|
Variety
of packages and fixtures. |
|
|
This
workcell application produced finished parts consisting of optical
fibers attached to laser diode chips in TO56 packages. Parts were
brought in through automated tray feeds (front) that precisely
registered each diode and grounded them to avoid ESD fallout. |
|
The
graphical user interface provides the operator with an abundance of
status and yield information in one screen. Diagnostics, machine
logs and yields are displayed on the screen and simultaneously archived
to file servers. Results and raw data are directly inserted into
enterprise SQL databases. A variety of Active-X compliant SQL
databases are supported including those from Microsoft, Oracle or other
popular vendors. |
To complement full-blown automation
systems, Aries Innovations also offers small, semi-automated tools that
allow operators, technicians or development engineers to do repetitive work much
more efficiently and rapidly. Quite often, while developing new products,
techniques or processes, one is faced with stripping fiber, cleaning it,
cleaving it, "connectorizing" it or fusing both ends together.
Aries Innovations offers a simple Automated Fiber
Stripper/Cleaver to do just that. The AFS System is a small table
top unit measuring 12" x 8" and plug directly into 120VAC power. The user
simply loads the fiber onto the AFS Fixture, pops it into the AFS unit and
presses the Start button. The system automatically positions the fiber for
heat assisted stripping, then cleaves the edges to the amount adjusted by the
user. The complete fixture assembly can then be mounted in specific fiber
test devices, or the fibers can be removed manually for manipulation or
assembly.
|
|
10µm
repeatability |
|
|
|
4
fiber fixture |
|
|
|
Adjustable
temperature |
|
|
|
Various
fiber types |
|
|
|
One
button operation |
|
|
|
Strips
and cleaves |
|
|
|
Small
footprint (12" x 10") |
|
|
|
Air
or Nitrogen cleaning |
|
|
|
|
Dual,
single fiber feeds |
|
|
|
Integrate
to fusion splicers |
|
|
|
Custom
fixtures |
|
|
|
DI
cleaning |
|
|
|
Top