Optical Interconnections and Electronic Packaging

The ways in which optical interconnections are used with AT&T's present standardized electronic packaging system are described. These include Smart Optical Connectors for fiber-optic interface to equipment cabinets, 982 Optical Paddleboard Connectors for fiber-optic interface to backplanes, and the Multifiber Array Connector (MAC) for fiber-optic interface to circuit packs. Next, the optical enhancements likely for future electronic packaging systems are considered. We point out that we are still talking about an electronic system with fiber add-on capability.