Further enhancements to a novel optical packaging technology for datalinks are reported. Evolutionary improvements in the design, processes, and implementations of the integrated lensireceptacle have been made. A new mechanical package for FDDI using the lensireceptacle has been designed in addition to the original SC-duplex and SCiST-simplex styles. Details of the mechanical and optical design, production issues, and performance statistics are reported.The basis for this low cost packaging approach is independent integration of the optical connector and electronic functions. Precision polymer molding technology has been used to design a multifunction element providing connector ferrule seating, optoelectronic device and fiber plane placement, connector feature integration, case and process sealing, and efficient optical coupling at right angles to the fiber axis. The last feature allows for assembly of the optoelectronic devices on the same board with the circuit components. Besides ease ,of testing and cost reduction, eliminating the TO header in this way improves electrical and thermal performance.

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Many of the functions necessary for fiber optic coupling in data link applications have been incorporated into one opto-mechanical device called a lensheceptacle. The lens/receptacle enables the assembly of data links with reduced parts count, simplified assembly, lower cost, and streamlined testing with many performance advantages. The packaging consistent with this lens can accommodate data rates in excess of 600 M bls . This paper outlines the design of the lens/receptacle while highlighting the performance benefits of the package as a whole. Performance results presented are on FDDl compliant pre-production prototypes operating at 125 Mb/s at h = 1330 nm. Jntroduction;The availability of inexpensive fiber optic data communication equipment will enable the realization of wide area, shared resource, computer networks. The adoption of the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) standard [l], including recent work toward a Low Cost FDDl standard, guides the path to the data communication superhighways of the future. Data link packaging efforts to date [2,3], including so called ''low cost" packaging, have concentrated primarily on integrated circuit packaging and consolidation. The trusty "TO" header has been consistently relied upon to house active devices and mate with expensive optical coupling elements such as GRIN lenses and split sleeves. The header has also seen increased integration by housing preamplifier circuits. While this approach is technically sound, it shifts the cost from the driveheceive electronics to the active device mount (ADM).An approach to manufacturing cost reduction has been taken which involves optical solutions to the ADM problem. The introduction of an integrally molded lensheceptacle element which performs fiber-receiving, lightcoupling, and light-bending functions eliminates the need for headers by allowing tight integration of all electronics and active devices on a pre-tested board assembly. The multifunction precision molding further

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