Technical Modelling Approach for Spatial Integrated Optomechatronic Products

• Published in: Procedia CIRP Vol. 84; pp. 713 - 718
• Main Authors: Zeitler, Jochen, Reitberger, Thomas, Reichle, Andreas, Backhaus, Carsten, Lindlein, Norbert, Franke, Jörg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2019
• Subjects: Computer aided design (CAD); Optomechatronics; Product development; Optomechatronics; Product development; Computer aided design (CAD)
• ISSN: 2212-8271; 2212-8271
• DOI: 10.1016/j.procir.2019.03.266

In the age of digitalization, the amount of data generated and transferred continues to increase dramatically. To increase the usability of this data it must be accessible with sufficient transmission bandwidth. Optical signals are already being used for transmitting data over long distances and high bandwidths, as this enables fast and low-loss data transmission. This trend is now also continuing in smaller scales of data transmission. Consequently, even highly integrated electrical circuits must be supported with optical components. Therefore, completely new research approaches for the product development of spatially integrated optical waveguides are necessary. The polymer-based aerosol jet printing represents a promising method to print optical waveguides on 3D circuit carriers. For this reason, the Research Group for Module Integrated Bus Systems deals with topics related to product development and production of such systems. A focus is to customize the design and associated modelling tasks accordingly. Thus, it is essential to create methodical approaches for a digital representation of waveguides and their production processes in order to map the physical behavior and to predict their manufacturability. Current studies show that integrated engineering approaches with removed boundaries among engineering domains are preferable to traditional engineering approaches. Consequently, novel engineering tools are needed for modelling the geometric as well as the physical properties of optical waveguides with the possibility to integrate specific design rule checks. The presented modelling approach in this paper provides/supports the creation of exact digital models without discontinuities through unnecessary interfaces. This article presents a method for a powerful computer-aided modelling environment that enables the design of models that are capable of representing and validating logical relationships among optoelectronic networks, but also considers challenges resulting from spatial geometric characteristics as well as restrictions from manufacturing and physics.