Optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element

Claim 2

An optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element, comprising: a. a light-emitting semiconductor component; b. a light-sensitive semiconductor component; c. first light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-emitting component is embedded, said first housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light emittered by said light-emitting component may exit; d. second light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-sensitive component is embedded, said second housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light that is to impinge on said light-sensitive component may enter; and e. third, outer housing means, made of plastic, surrounding at least part of said first and second housing means, said third housing means comprising a tubular body and said first and second housing means being arranged at opposite ends of said tubular body, respectively, the lens-shaped parts of said first and second housing means being generally in the center of said tubular body and being positioned with their respective lensshaped parts directed toward each other, said lens-shaped parts having front faces which form between themselves a gap of approximately 0.1 mm.

Claim 3

An element as defined in claim 1, wherein said tubular body is cylindrical.

Claim 4

An element as defined in claim 1, wherein said outer housing means comprises two parts, one of which is integral with said first housing means and the other of which is integral with said second housing means.

Claim 5

An optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element, comprising: a. a light-emitting semiconductor component; b. a light-sensitive semiconductor component; c. first light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-emitting component is embedded, said first housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light emitted by said light-emitting component may exit; d. second light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-sensitive component is embedded, said second housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light that is to impinge on said light-sensitive component may enter; and e. third, outer housing means, made of plastic, surrounding at least part of said first and second housing means, said outer housing means comprising two parts, one of which is integral with said first housing means and the other of which is integral with said second housing means, each outer housing part having a stepped wall, one part of said wall extending peripherally throughout the circumference of the associated lens-shaped housing part and another part of said wall extending peripherally throughout half of such circumference, the two outer housing parts being complementarily configured such that when said first and second housing means, and the associated outer housing parts, are assembled, the four wall parts of the two outer housing parts together completely surround the lens-shaped parts of both said first and second housing means.

Claim 6

An optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element, comprising: a. a light-emitting semiconductor component; b. a light-sensitive semiconductor component; c. first light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-emitting component is embedded, said first housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light emitted by said light-emitting component may exit; d. second light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-sensitive component is embedded, said second housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light that is to impinge on said light-sensitive component may enter; and e. third, outer housing means, made of plastic, surrounding at least part of said first and second housing means, said outer housing means comprising two parts, one of which is integral with said first housing means and the other of which is integral with said second housing means, each outer housing part having a stepped wall, one part of said wall extending peripherally throughout the circumference of the associated lens-shaped housing part and another part of said wall extending peripherally throughout half of such circumference, the two outer housing parts being complementarily configured such that when said first and second housing means, and the associated outer housing parts, are assembled, the four wall parts of the two outer housing parts together completely surround the lens-shaped parts of both said first and second housing means.

Claim 7

An element as defined in claim 4, wherein the stepped wall has a double-wall configuration.

Claim 8

An optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element, comprising: a. a light-emitting semiconductor component; b. a light-sensitive semiconductor component; c. first light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-emitting component is embedded, said first housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light emitted by said light-emitting component may exit; d. second light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-sensitive component is embedded, said second housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light that is to impinge on said light-sensitive component may enter; and e. third, outer housing means, made of plastic, surrounding at least part of said first and second housing means, said outer housing means comprising two parts, one of which is integral with said first housing means and the other of which is integral with said second housing means; f. said semiconductor components being secured to respective metal carrier bodies and electrodes of each semiconductor component being connected to respective metal connection strips, said carrier bodies and said connection strips being so embedded in each respective housing means that in each there is formed a base plate which is surrounded by an outer housing part which is frame-shaped and has a stepped edge level with said lens-shaped housing part enclosing the semiconductor component and arranged in the central part of said base plate, said first and second housing means, and the associated outer housing parts, having a like construction so that, on putting said two housing means together, said two lens-shaped parts are enclosed lying opposite each other on all sides and joint-tight by part of the outer housing.

Claim 9

An optical-electronic semiconductor coupling element, comprising: a. a light-emitting semiconductor component; b. a light-sensitive semiconductor component; c. first light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-emitting component is embedded, said first housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light emitted by said light-emitting component may exit; d. second light-permeable housing means, made of plastic, within which said light-sensitive component is embedded, said second housing means having a lens-shaped part through which light that is to impinge on said light-sensitive component may enter; and e. third, outer housing means, made of plastic, surrounding at least part of said first and second housing means, said outer housing means comprising two parts, one of which is integral with said first housing means and the other of which is integral with said second housing means; f. said semiconductor components being secured to respective metal carrier bodies and electrodes of each semiconductor component being connected to respective metal connection strips, said carrier bodies and said connection strips being so embedded in each respective housing means that in each there is formed a base plate which is surrounded by an outer housing part which is frame-shaped and has a stepped edge level with said lens-shaped housing part enclosing the semiconductor component and arranged in the central part of said base plate, said first and second housing means, and the associated outer housing parts, having a like construction so that, on putting said two housing means together, said two lens-shaped parts are enclosed lying opposite each other on all sides and joint-tight by part of the outer housing.

Claim 10

An element as defined in claim 6, further comprising a mass made of plastic within which all of said housing means are embedded.