Low-cost and low-electromagnetic-interference packaging of optical transceiver modules

The low-cost and low-electromagnetic-interference (EMI) packaging of optical transceiver modules employing housings of plastic composites are developed and fabricated. Optical transceiver modules fabricated by the plastic composites with transmission rates of 1.25 and 2.5 Gb/s are tested to evaluate the electromagnetic (EM) shielding against emitted radiation from the plastic packaging. The results show that these packaged optical transceiver modules with their high shielding effectiveness (SE) are suitable for use in low-cost and low-EMI Gigabit Ethernet lightwave transmission systems. By comparison of cost, weight, and shielding performance for optical transceiver modules fabricated by the housings of nylon and liquid-crystal polymer with carbon fiber filler composites, woven continuous carbon fiber (WCCF), and nanoscale hollow carbon nanocapulses (HCNCs) epoxy composites, the WCCF composite shows lower cost, lighter weight, and higher EM shielding than the other types of composites. Future studies may develop the low-cost and low-EMI optical transceiver modules using nanoscale HCNCs that have the combination of excellent physical and mechanical properties, light weight, and thinness compared with the conventional fabrication techniques.