Background: Silicon Photonics chips for quantum computing operate at a temperature of a few Kelvin. This makes the attachment of the necessary single mode fibers challenging. The typical epoxy gluing method does not create stable connections, especially when several cool-down cycles are needed. Selective laser soldering provides much more robust connections which survive repetitive temperature cycling.

Features: Two optical heads focus the laser beams to the joining point and reflow the solder material. After the laser power is ramped down, the solder cools and forms a stable connection. The symmetric configuration with two simultaneous beams avoids shift during the assembly procedure. Compared to epoxy gluing, the laser soldering method saves time as placing an optical fiber and soldering takes only a few seconds. Therefore, the laser soldering allows for much higher production volumes at the same time.

With its modular architecture, the “VersaSolder” system can be configured to the requirements of the specific process development and manufacturing process.