This paper describes an innovative, high-speed optical backboard bus composed of an optical star coupler, optical-transmitter modules, optical-receiver modules, and optical multi-mode glass fibers. A highly efficient optical coupling structure with an aspherical lens and a laser diode was designed to achieve a coupling efficiency of 90%, enabling distribution of optical signals at up to 1 Gb/s to 50 function boards. Embedded optical fibers in a printed circuit board were used to achieve precise control of the optical propagation delay times and permit a high packaging density. We developed small laser-diode and photo-diode modules suitable for optical coupling with the embedded fibers. A fabricated prototype optical backboard bus controlled by a controller IC mounted on a function board was able to successfully distribute high-speed optical signals to function boards with a high packaging density.

Lightning surge protection semiconductor devices have been developed for subscriber telecommunication equipment that utilize transient thermal and low energy dissipation designs to improve surge-handling capability. A fabricated eight-cell device based on transient thermal design and a four-cell device with a thin substrate based on low energy dissipation design have a 1.83 and 1.80 times higher surge-handling capability, respectively, than a conventional device for lightning surge current waveforms of (1.5/30) µs.