As optical module design pushes for tighter layouts and lower parasitics, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) becomes a foundational manufacturing choice. SMT shortens interconnect paths, supports dense multi-layer PCBs, and streamlines high-volume builds—all critical in optical. The optical module serves as a crucial component in optical fiber communication systems, operating at the physical layer, which is the lowest layer in the OSI model. Its primary function is to achieve optoelectronic conversion by converting electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa. An. So are thermal constraints, component counts, and performance demands in everything from AI servers to metro switches. Figure 3-36 shows the structure of an optical module.
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