德国AIFOTEC GmbH
AIFOTEC 有限公司主要开发、生产、推广和销售光导纤维元件，重点领域是能减少废料、降低成本、减少能量消耗的新组装技术的应用。
今天，光电子设备主要依靠激光焊接技术制造。使用这项技术，所有的元件必须在光具座上进行排列组合，然后使用激光束焊接方法加以固定。由于所有的元件固定器都是钢铁材质的，因此一些巨型元件就要受到焊接能力和机械稳定性的限制。所有的元件都必须在次微米的范围内
进行排列组合和固定加工，这就增加了材料、人员和机械的成本，同时大大降低了产量。整个组装过程在高频馈通的密封环境下进行，很像过去“电子管时代”电子元件的制造过程。与上述情况相比，AIFOTEC 有限公司开发出了一种“硅元素平台技术”，该技术使用具有创新性的高精确激光低温焊接技术和图像识别技术，可以非常精准地制造光学元件。另外，它还结合了全球最高级的粘合加工过程。通过“硅元素平台技术”，AIFOTEC 有限公司制造出一种使用HIT（混合式集成技术）的工具加工装置。与传统机器相比，它的体型较小，效果较好，成
本较低。
AIFOTEC 有限公司运用该技术生产的第一个工具加工装置为FGL（纤维光栅激光器）。它由SSCL（光点直径转换激光器）组成，包括一个半导体增益元件。由于拥有这样一种特殊的装置，光线可以不需要透镜、透镜纤维等联结物而直接照射到纤维上。纤维中的波长被布拉格光栅所
选择。这种ECL（外腔式激光器）装置可以以很低的成本实现远距离传输、高调制速度和密集的波长光栅。
AIFOTEC 有限公司也为包括有特殊要求的FGL（纤维光栅激光器）产品在内的其它产品（如：传输器与接收器的光学组件）、其它平台（如硅、玻璃和陶瓷）和包括纤维光学通讯与数据通信应用在内的其它市场（如测试、测量与自动化等）提供HIT（混合式集成技术）技术开发与
设备研制服务。
AIFOTEC GmbH is developing, producing and marketing fiberoptic components. Hereby the
focus lies on the application of new assembly technologies for the reduction of footprint, costs
and power dissipation.
Optoelectronic devices are nowadays mainly produced by means of laser welding. With this
technology all parts have to be aligned on some sort of optical bench and are then fixed by
welding with a laser beam. This leads to rather bulky components as all component holders
are made of steel parts for weldability and mechanical stability. All components have to be
aligned and fixed in the submicrometer range which leads to rather high material, personnel
and machine costs as well as reduced yield. The whole assembly is then packaged in a
hermetic housing with high frequency feed-throughs. This whole assembly setup has an
analogy to the “old days” of electronic components when radio tubes were standard devices.
In contrast to this setup AIFOTEC has developed a Silicon Platform Technology which,
in combination with innovative High Precision Laser Soldering Technology and image
recognition, enables high accuracy placements of photonic components. In combination with
innovative processes like Glueing and Globe Top Processes this gives a toolset which solves
the tradeoff between smaller devices with better performance and lower costs by using a
Hybrid Integrated Technology (HIT) approach.
AIFOTEC?s first product out of this technology toolset is the so-called Fibre Grating Laser
(FGL) which consists of a semiconductor gain element, integrated with a spot-size converter
(Spot Size Converter Laser, SSCL). With this unique setup the light can directly launched
into the fibre without any coupling elements like lenses, lensed fibres etc. The wavelength is
selected by a Bragg grating in the fibre. This Externally Cavity Laser (ECL) setup enables
high transmission distances, high modulation speeds and dense wavelength grid at low costs.
AIFOTEC also offers HIT development and manufacturing services for other products besides
the particular FGL (e.g. transmitter and receiver optical subassemblies) other platforms
(e.g. Silicon, Glass and Ceramics) and other markets besides fiberoptic tele- and datacom
applications (e.g. test & measurement, automotive etc.).