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HK1128332B - Optical connection structure and optical connection method - Google Patents

Optical connection structure and optical connection method Download PDF

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Publication number
HK1128332B
HK1128332B HK09105776.0A HK09105776A HK1128332B HK 1128332 B HK1128332 B HK 1128332B HK 09105776 A HK09105776 A HK 09105776A HK 1128332 B HK1128332 B HK 1128332B
Authority
HK
Hong Kong
Prior art keywords
optical
connecting member
adhesive
adhesive connecting
optical fiber
Prior art date
Application number
HK09105776.0A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Other versions
HK1128332A1 (en
Inventor
铃木正义
佐佐木恭一
小林辰志
Original Assignee
株式会社巴川制纸所
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP2004086343A external-priority patent/JP4043448B2/en
Priority claimed from JP2004170679A external-priority patent/JP4109653B2/en
Priority claimed from JP2004211337A external-priority patent/JP3993590B2/en
Application filed by 株式会社巴川制纸所 filed Critical 株式会社巴川制纸所
Publication of HK1128332A1 publication Critical patent/HK1128332A1/en
Publication of HK1128332B publication Critical patent/HK1128332B/en

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Description

Optical connection structure and optical connection method
The present application is a divisional application of a patent application with application number 200480034208.X entitled "optical connection structure and optical connection method", filed on 17.11.2004.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical connection structure for connecting optical transmission media to each other or connecting an optical transmission medium and an optical component, and an optical connection method formed by the same.
Background
As an optical fiber connection method, a physical connection method is generally used by butting optical fibers against each other or a ferrule into which an optical fiber is inserted. Examples of such a case include mechanical connection and optical fiber connectors, and generally, mechanical connection is performed in the case of permanent connection, and optical fiber connectors are effectively and widely used in the case of frequent connection and disconnection. Both of these are physically connected by applying compressive pressure axially on the fiber end face, and in the case of fiber optic connectors, the fiber is typically brittle and weak and is therefore protected by insertion into a fiber ferrule to make physical contact with the fiber end face.
In this physical method connection, the positioning accuracy or the end face shape of the optical fiber greatly affects the connection characteristics. For example, if the end face is angularly offset or the end face shape is rough, air flows between the butted optical fiber ends, and fresnel reflection increases at the connection end face, thereby causing a problem of an increase in connection loss.
As a solution to this problem, various studies have been made so far. One of them is a method of highly polishing the end face of the optical fiber or the end face of the optical fiber and the ferrule. However, since the polishing process requires much time and cost and is problematic as a widely used connection method, improvement of the method has been a major problem.
Further, a method of connecting optical fibers in a state of being cut without a polishing step has also been studied. As one of the methods, a method of connecting optical fiber connection end surfaces with a liquid or grease-like refractive index adjuster having the same or similar refractive index as the optical fiber core interposed therebetween has been proposed. In this method, the refractive index adjuster is applied to the end face of the optical fiber and butted against the optical fiber, thereby preventing air from entering the connection end face, avoiding fresnel reflection due to air, and reducing connection loss. However, in this method, since a silicone-based or paraffin-based liquid or grease-like material is generally used as the refractive index adjuster, it is very difficult to apply a certain amount of the refractive index adjuster to the end face of the optical fiber having a very small area. Moreover, if the refractive index adjuster is excessively applied, contamination around the connection portion or dust adhesion caused thereby becomes a problem. Further, since the refractive index adjuster used in this method generally has a property of being easily flowable, it flows out from the connecting portion, and optical stability is not easily obtained. Further, if the optical fiber is detachably attached by the liquid or grease-like refractive index adjuster, the refractive index adjuster is wiped off every time the optical fiber is attached and detached or a certain amount of coating work is performed again, which causes a problem of a long time and low work efficiency.
In contrast, a method using a solid refractive index adjuster is under discussion. For example, a method has been proposed in which a transparent conditioning material film is attached to the end face of an optical fiber in direct contact therewith without passing through an adhesive layer or an adhesive material layer (patent document 1: Japanese patent application No. 2676705); or a structure in which a flexible light-transmitting body or elastic body having a refractive index close to that of the core is interposed between the connection ends of the optical fiber cores (patent document 2: Japanese patent laid-open Nos. 2001-324641 and 3: Japanese patent laid-open No. 05-34532). However, in the former, it is difficult to adjust the extrusion pressure of the optical fiber for adhesion to the adjustment material film, and if the extrusion pressure is too large, the optical fiber may be cracked or chipped; in the latter case, sufficient adhesion cannot be obtained by the elasticity of the elastic body alone, and as a result, the pressing pressure may become excessive. Further, since both cannot maintain a fixed state at the time of connection of the optical fibers, they are easily affected by expansion and contraction due to mechanical and thermal factors of the refractive index adjusting member, and it is difficult to maintain a connection form which is always stable.
In addition, in the conventionally used liquid or grease-like refractive index adjuster or solid refractive index adjusting member, since the fixed state at the time of optical fiber connection cannot be maintained, it is easily affected by expansion and contraction due to mechanical or thermal factors, and it is difficult to maintain a connection form which is always stable. Specifically, since the fiber interval is slightly changed by mechanical vibration or expansion and contraction, when a liquid or grease-like refractive index adjuster is used, the excessive refractive index adjuster flows out from the gap. Further, when a solid refractive index adjusting member is used, since the refractive index adjusting member is easily detached from the end face of the optical fiber, air may flow into the gap between the optical fibers, air bubbles may be trapped, and optical performance may be deteriorated.
Further, a method of bonding a dielectric film coated with an adhesive material to one surface of an optical fiber connecting portion has been proposed (patent document 4: Japanese patent application laid-open No. 55-153912). According to this method, although adhesion and holding force with respect to one optical fiber can be improved in order to provide adhesiveness to one surface of the dielectric film, adhesion force with respect to the other optical fiber is insufficient, and there is a risk that the optical fiber is damaged as described above. Further, since the 2-layer structure is composed of the adhesive layer and the dielectric film, reflection occurs also at the interface of each layer, and there is a problem that connection loss occurs. Further, since the adhesive layer is a thin film, the strength of the surface of the adhesive layer is weak, and there is a problem that the end faces of the optical fibers to be butted are easily scratched by burrs, and the like.
Further, as a method of providing a member having refractive index adjustability (oxide film) in close contact with an optical transmission medium, there has been proposed a method of forming a thermally oxidized film on a light output end surface by laser light by entering laser light from an end surface of an optical fiber core (patent document 5: Japanese unexamined patent application, first publication No. H05-157935). In this case, since the state of the oxide film changes according to the adjustment of the laser intensity, the supply amount of the oxide film raw material, and the temperature of the oxide film raw material liquid, the adjustment to a predetermined state is difficult, and the production efficiency is low. Further, an apparatus for vaporizing the liquid raw material and feeding the vaporized raw material into the reaction chamber is required, and the cost required for the apparatus increases.
Disclosure of Invention
As described above, the conventional method of abutting and connecting the end faces of the optical fibers by applying a pressing force to the optical fibers and the method of using the refractive index adjuster have the above-described problems. Various proposals have been made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connection structure and an optical connection method that are simpler in structure than the conventionally proposed proposals, can hold an optical fiber in a state of close contact, can be attached and detached more easily, and can realize connection with good optical stability.
The present inventors have studied and found that optical connection between optical transmission media such as optical fibers or between an optical transmission medium and an optical component can be very easily performed by using a solid adhesive connecting material, and completed the present invention.
That is, the optical connection structure of the present invention is characterized in that the solid adhesive connecting member having refractive index adjustability is closely adhered in a single layer state and interposed between the end faces of the optical transmission medium facing each other or between the end face of the optical transmission medium and the optical member.
In the present invention, the term "solid adhesive connecting member" refers to an adhesive connecting member that does not flow and retains a predetermined shape at normal temperature and in a stationary state.
In the present invention, the thickness of the adhesive connecting member after the connection at the connecting portion, that is, the thickness of the adhesive connecting member between the end faces of the optical transmission media facing each other or between the end face of the optical transmission medium and the optical component, is preferably 50 μm or less. Further, the adhesion maintaining distance of the adhesive connecting member is preferably 10 μm or more. The adhesive connecting member is preferably made of silicone resin or acrylic resin.
In the present invention, the minimum value D of the distance from the center of the end face in contact with the adhesive connecting member to the peripheral edge portion of the station-connecting member and the radius R of the optical transmission medium are such that
R＜D≤60R
The relationship of (1) is preferable. The adhesive connecting member may be supported at its peripheral edge portion by a support member.
In a specific aspect of the optical connection structure of the present invention, the optical connection structure is characterized in that an adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability and formed of a single layer is sandwiched between optical transmission media having cores facing each other or between the optical transmission media having cores and an optical component, and when a minimum value of a distance from a center of a core of the optical transmission medium to a peripheral edge portion of the adhesive connection member is D1The maximum value is set to D2When the radius of the light transmission medium is R and the radius of the core of the light transmission medium is R, D1 is greater than or equal to R, and D2 is less than or equal to 1.5R.
In another specific aspect of the optical connection structure of the present invention, the optical connection structure is characterized in that a pair of ferrules having at least one optical fiber arrangement hole and fixing optical fibers in the optical fiber arrangement hole or a pair of pins including the ferrules are butted against each other with a solid adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability interposed therebetween to form an optical connection, and a sheet-like adhesive material made of a single layer is used as the adhesive connection member.
In this case, the ferrule may be aligned with the plug. The member for performing the alignment may be an open sleeve, and the ferrules or the pins may be butted against each other with the adhesive connecting member interposed therebetween in the open sleeve.
In the optical connection structure, the member for alignment may be a guide pin, the ferrule or the plug may have a guide pin hole, and the ferrule or the plug may be aligned by inserting the guide pin into the guide pin holes facing each other.
In the optical connection structure of the present invention, the ferrule or the plug may be attached to an adapter, the solid adhesive connecting member may be held in the adapter, and the ferrules or the plugs may be butted against each other with the adhesive connecting member interposed therebetween in the adapter to realize optical connection. In this case, the adhesive connecting member may be held by itself on the adapter, or the adhesive connecting member may be held by the adapter in a state of being supported by the support member.
In the optical connection structure of the present invention, the adhesive connecting member may be supported by a support member, and the support member supporting the adhesive connecting member may be attached to the inside of the split sleeve. The support member supporting the adhesive connecting member may be a cylindrical member, and the adhesive connecting member may be supported at one end of the cylindrical member and the other end of the cylindrical member may be fitted to the ferrule or the adapter.
In another specific embodiment of the optical connection structure of the present invention, the optical connection structure includes at least a pair of optical transmission media, an array member having an array groove, a freely deformable solid adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability, and a support member supporting the adhesive connection member, and is characterized in that at least end faces of the pair of optical transmission media are placed so as to face each other in the array groove of the array member, the support member is placed on an upper portion of the array groove between the optical transmission media, and at least the pair of optical transmission media are optically connected with the adhesive connection member interposed therebetween.
In the optical connection structure, the alignment member may be provided with a groove for placing the support member in a direction intersecting the alignment groove. In the above optical connection structure, the support member may have at least one projection, and the array member may have at least one hole. In this case, the support member can be inserted into the hole of the array member and fixed, and can be placed on the upper portion of the array groove.
A 1 st embodiment of an optical connecting method according to the present invention is a method for connecting end surfaces of optical transmission media or end surfaces of optical transmission media and optical components by using the optical transmission media, the optical components, and a sheet-like adhesive connecting member having refractive index adjustability, the method including: disposing a sheet-like adhesive connecting member between the end faces of the optical transmission media facing each other or between the end face of the optical transmission medium and the optical component; moving the end surface of the one light transmission medium until the end surface is closely adhered to the adhesive connecting member; and a step of moving the end surface of the one optical transmission medium further until the sheet-like adhesive connecting member comes into close contact with the other optical transmission medium or optical component with deformation.
The optical connection method according to embodiment 2 of the present invention includes: a step of cutting a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member in a state of being attached to the end face by pressing the end face of the optical transmission medium against the sheet-like adhesive connecting member and moving the sheet-like adhesive connecting member relative to the optical transmission medium in an axial direction of the optical transmission medium while keeping the end face of the optical transmission medium in close contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member; and a step of bonding the optical transmission medium having the solid adhesive connecting member attached to the end face thereof to another optical transmission medium or an optical component. In this case, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member may be supported by the end surface processing member. The end surface processing member may have a through hole for inserting the optical transmission medium, and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member may be attached to one end of the end surface processing member so as to close the through hole.
The optical connection method described above will be described more specifically by taking, as an example, a case where a cut optical fiber with an end portion removed from the coating is used as an optical transmission medium. First, the optical fiber is moved relative to the adhesive connecting member until the end of the optical fiber is in close contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and then the optical fiber is further moved in the axial direction, whereby a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut while being attached to the end face of the optical fiber, and the adhesive connecting member is attached to the end face of the optical fiber to perform the optical fiber end face treatment. In this method, the adhesive connecting member can be easily attached to the end portion of the optical fiber only by the movement of the optical fiber, and there is no need to use a complicated apparatus or a high-volume equipment. Then, the optical fiber whose end face has been processed is butted against another optical fiber or another optical component to be optically coupled, and the optical connection structure of the present invention is manufactured.
In the present specification, the phrase "the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is moved relative to the optical transmission medium in the axial direction of the optical transmission medium" means that either the adhesive connecting member or the optical fiber may be moved. The moving speed and the moving distance may be selected and used as appropriate.
A 3 rd embodiment of the optical connection method according to the present invention is an optical connection method for forming an optical connection structure using at least a pair of optical transmission media, an array member having array grooves, a freely deformable solid adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability, and a support member supporting the solid adhesive connection member, the optical connection method including: a step of placing at least end surfaces of a pair of optical transmission media in the arrangement groove of the arrangement member so as to face each other; placing a support member for supporting a solid adhesive connecting material which is freely deformable on the upper surface of the arrangement groove between the facing light transmission media; and a step of optically connecting the facing optical transmission media by abutting them with the adhesive connecting member therebetween.
First, the optical connection structure of the present invention will be explained. The light transmission medium used in the present invention includes, in addition to the optical fiber, an optical waveguide and the like, and the type thereof is not particularly limited, and any medium may be used as long as light can be transmitted. The optical fiber is not limited, and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, an optical fiber made of quartz, plastic, or the like may be used, or a holey fiber may be used. As the optical waveguide, a polyimide optical waveguide, a PMMA optical waveguide, an epoxy optical waveguide, or the like can be used. Further, even if the two optical transmission media used are different in type, they are closely adhered by the wettability of the solid adhesive connecting member, and therefore, stable connection can be achieved. Also, even if the optical transmission medium has different outer diameters, the present invention can be applied as long as the core has the same diameter. The number of optical fibers and the number of optical waveguides are not limited, and a core of an optical fiber ribbon including a plurality of optical fibers may be used.
In the present invention, the optical component optically connected to the optical transmission medium includes an optical lens, an optical filter, and the like, and the type thereof is not particularly limited. Examples of the optical lens include a collimator lens, a cylindrical lens, and the like, which have various shapes such as biconvex, biconcave, concavo-convex, plano-convex, and aspherical surfaces; examples of the optical filter include a general optical communication filter, a multilayer film filter, a polyimide filter, and the like.
The solid adhesive connecting member used in the present invention may be any member that can be adhered to the end of the optical transmission medium by appropriate adhesiveness when it is brought into contact with the optical transmission medium or the optical component. It is desirable to use an adhesive material which has a detachable property with respect to the optical transmission medium, does not cause aggregation failure, and does not adhere to the optical transmission medium when detached. Specifically, various adhesive materials such as acrylic, epoxy, vinyl, silicone, rubber, urethane, isobutylene, nylon, bisphenol, butanediol, polyimide, fluorinated epoxy, fluorinated acrylic, and the like can be used as the polymer material. Among them, silicone-based and acrylic-based adhesive materials are preferably used in view of environmental resistance, adhesiveness, and others. Further, although the porous structure is formed depending on the material, the adhesive connecting member is compressed by applying an appropriate pressing pressure to the adhesive connecting material at the time of connection, so that air can be eliminated without affecting light loss.
The silicone adhesive used in the present invention is an adhesive having a main chain skeleton composed of Si — O — Si bonds (siloxanes), and is composed of silicone rubber or silicone resin. Those adhesive materials are coated and cured or formed into a film in a state of being dissolved in an organic solvent. The main polymer of the silicone rubber is a linear polydimethylsiloxane, and includes a compound in which a part of methyl groups is replaced with phenyl groups or propenyl groups. The silicone resin is a resin having a three-dimensional structure and a molecular weight of about 3000 to 1 ten thousand, and functions as a resin to which an adhesive property is imparted in a rubber-based adhesive material. Furthermore, a cross-linking agent, a softening agent, an adhesion regulator, and other additives may be added to the silicone adhesive to adjust the adhesive strength and wettability, or to impart water resistance and heat resistance.
The silicone adhesive material has excellent heat resistance and holding power, and has excellent adhesion even at high and low temperatures. Therefore, in the optical connection structure in which the silicone adhesive is interposed between two optical transmission media or between the optical transmission medium and the optical component, the connection portion is kept in close contact even in a high temperature environment (250 ℃ C.) or a low temperature environment (50 ℃ C.) and a stable connection state can be always maintained. Further, even after being subjected to high temperature, the adhesive does not harden and yellow and can be satisfactorily peeled off from the adherend. The silicone adhesive material is excellent in insulation, chemical resistance, weather resistance and water resistance, and can be applied to a wide range of materials, for example, plastic optical fibers made of a fluororesin or optical fibers coated with a fluororesin. Further, the resin composition exhibits adhesiveness to an optical waveguide or an optical component, or to a component based on a resin such as fluorinated polyimide, and thus can be effectively used.
The acrylic adhesive material used in the present invention is a polymer having a basic structure comprising an alkyl ester of acrylic acid having 2 to 12 carbon atoms or an alkyl ester of methacrylic acid having 4 to 12 carbon atoms as a main monomer. Specific examples thereof include alkyl esters of acrylic acid such as ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate and benzyl acrylate, and alkyl esters of methacrylic acid such as n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate and benzyl methacrylate. Examples of the monomer copolymerizable with these main monomers include methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide, styrene, and the like.
In addition, the acrylic adhesive material may be provided with a crosslinked structure in order to impart a cohesive force necessary for adhesion to the optical transmission medium. For this purpose, a monomer having a functional group such as acrylic acid, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate or the like may be copolymerized in a small amount. By adjusting the composition and ratio thereof, the adhesiveness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, etc. can be easily changed. Specific examples of the monomer having a functional group include monomers having a carboxyl group such as monocarboxylic acids such as acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, polycarboxylic acids such as maleic acid (maleic acid), fumaric acid (fumaric acid), cis-methylbutenedioic acid (methylmaleic acid), glutaconic acid and itaconic acid, and anhydrides thereof, monomers having a hydroxyl group such as 2-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, diethylene glycol mono (meth) acrylate, N-methylolacrylamide and N-methylolmethacrylamide; and amino group-containing monomers such as dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, and acrylamide.
Among the acrylic adhesives are latex adhesives that use water as a solvent during manufacture; there are solvent-based adhesive materials using organic solvents, but in the present invention, solvent-based adhesive materials are preferably used because they have excellent water resistance and can form a transparent adhesive material film. The solvent-based adhesive material is prepared by, for example, dissolving the binder in an aromatic hydrocarbon such as toluene or xylene; or by radical polymerization of the monomers in an organic solvent such as esters such as ethyl acetate and butyl acetate and ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and cyclohexane, or by emulsion polymerization of an emulsified aqueous dispersion of the monomers in the presence of an emulsifier.
In the optical connector, it is important that light passes through the connecting portion, and therefore, the acrylic adhesive material is required to be a material having excellent transparency, and the transmittance of light of the wavelength used, i.e., visible light and in the near infrared region, is preferably 85% or more. The acrylic adhesive is a material whose transparency can be easily obtained by adjusting a crosslinking agent or a curing agent. More preferably, the wavelength used is one having a light transmittance of 90% or more.
The acrylic adhesive material is excellent in water resistance and chemical resistance as well as adhesion to glass or plastic, and can maintain adhesion of a connecting portion and a stable connection state at all times in an optical connection structure between two optical transmission media or between an optical transmission medium and an optical component. Further, since the adhesive strength is excellent in the temperature range of 0 ℃ to 80 ℃, the adhesive can be used in a normal outside air temperature environment. Further, since the weather resistance is also good, ultraviolet deterioration which is liable to occur in rubber systems is less likely to occur, and therefore, the coating composition is not cured nor yellowed during use and can be favorably peeled from the coating. In addition, the method has the advantage of low price.
The solid adhesive connecting member used in the present invention may be a sheet-like adhesive connecting member formed by thinning the adhesive material, or may be an adhesive connecting member that does not flow in a stationary state and freely deforms while maintaining a predetermined shape. In the present invention, when the solid adhesive connecting member is a sheet-like adhesive connecting material, the shape thereof is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected in accordance with the environment around the connecting portion or the product specification. For example, it may have a circular, elliptical, quadrangular, triangular, etc. shape. The dimensions of the sheet-like connecting member will be described later.
The solid adhesive connecting member used in the present invention needs to have refractive index adjustability between the light transmission media and the optical component. The refractive index adjustability in this case means the degree of approximation of the refractive index of the adhesive connecting member to the refractive index of the optical transmission medium and the refractive index of the optical component. The refractive index of the adhesive connecting member used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is close to the refractive index of the light transmission medium and the optical component, and the difference in refractive index is preferably within ± 0.1 from the viewpoint of avoiding the transmission loss due to fresnel reflection; preferably within. + -. 0.05. When the difference between the refractive indexes of the optical transmission medium and the optical component is large, the average value of the refractive indexes of the optical transmission medium and the optical component and the refractive index of the adhesive connecting component are preferably within the above range.
In the optical connection member of the present invention, the thickness of the adhesive connection member interposed between the end faces of the optical transmission medium or between the end face of the optical transmission medium and the optical component is preferably 50 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less, although it depends on the pressing pressure at the time of the mating. If the thickness after the butt joint is larger than 50 μm, the gap between the butted optical transmission media is too large and the optical loss increases, and therefore, the optical transmission medium may not be suitable as a connection structure for optical transmission. This is also the case between the optical transmission medium and the optical component.
The adhesive connecting member may be replaced, for example, when dust adheres to the surface thereof. Before replacement, a protective film may be attached to one or both surfaces of the adhesive connecting member to prevent foreign matter from entering. Further, the optical transmission medium cleaning device can be used as a means for cleaning the optical transmission medium by pressing or rubbing the tip of the optical transmission medium against the adhesive connecting member several times, attaching foreign matter or dust attached to the tip of the optical transmission medium to the adhesive material, and then replacing the adhesive connecting member.
The present invention has the following effects.
In the optical connection structure of the present invention, since the solid adhesive connection member has a single layer structure, the structure is simple and no light reflection occurs. Further, it is known from the liquid refractive index adjuster that the penetration of the refractive index adjuster into the cavity of the holey fiber and the adverse effect on the optical fiber transmission characteristics due to the penetration are absolutely not allowable in the adhesive connecting member. Further, since the adhesive connecting member is solid, contamination or dust adhesion due to the flow and diffusion around the connecting portion is less likely to occur, and the workability is improved. Further, since the light transmitting medium can be brought into close contact only with the end face, the light transmitting medium does not contaminate the surroundings and is not contaminated by the surroundings. Furthermore, since the solid adhesive connecting member used in the present invention is attached to the end surface of the optical transmission medium by contact, it can be supported by a simple supporting member without newly providing a special supporting mechanism or structure for protecting the adhesive connecting member, and space saving can be achieved. Further, since the solid adhesive connecting member is freely deformed internally, air is less likely to enter between the ends of the optical transmission medium, the optical connection can be performed with low loss without requiring a polishing process, and the optical connection can be repeated many times by the restoring force of the adhesive connecting member.
In addition, when the solid adhesive connecting material is in a sheet form, the interval between the end faces of the optical fibers can be made uniform and narrow, and thus the optical loss can be reduced. Further, since the optical transmission medium can be deformed from the planar shape to the wave shape while extending in the axial direction of the optical transmission medium, an excessive pressing pressure is less likely to be generated on the optical transmission medium, and the optical transmission medium is not damaged. Furthermore, even if the multi-core optical fiber ribbon is connected, the connection can be easily performed. That is, the adhesive connecting member deforms by abutting against each of the plurality of optical fibers, and therefore, even when the amount of protrusion of the optical fibers is uneven, the optical fibers are not damaged, and stable optical connection can be performed. Further, since the lens or the filter can be closely attached to the optical fiber in a minimum area when the lens or the filter is connected to the optical fiber, the adhesive connecting member can be easily peeled off, and the workability can be improved. Further, when the adhesive material is supported by the support member, the adhesive connecting member can be easily replaced by moving the support member when the adhesive connecting material is attached and detached, and workability can be remarkably improved.
According to the optical connection method of the present invention, the adhesive connecting member can be easily attached to the end face of the optical fiber only by the relative movement of the optical fiber, without using complicated and expensive equipment, and without strictly setting the environmental conditions at the time of manufacturing.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a basic example of the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing another example of the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion where the optical fiber and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member are bonded together, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the optical fiber axis, in the optical connecting structure of the present invention.
Fig. 5(a) to (e) are plan views, viewed from the optical fiber axis direction, showing a state in which sheet-like adhesive connecting members of various shapes are attached to the end faces of the optical fibers; fig. 5(f) is a plan view of the case where the adhesive connecting member is provided only on the end face of the optical fiber.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view or a plan view showing a state in which the peripheral edge portion is supported by various support members, which is used in the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention using the alignment member for connection.
Fig. 8 is a plan view showing an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention in which an optical fiber and an optical component are connected.
Fig. 9 is a plan view showing another basic example of the optical connection structure of the present invention manufactured using a sheet-like adhesive connecting member.
Fig. 10 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface processing method of the optical transmission medium of the present invention for forming the optical connection structure of fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a process diagram of another example of the end surface processing method of the optical transmission medium of the present invention for forming the optical connection structure of fig. 9.
Fig. 12 is a process diagram for explaining a preferred example of the optical connection structure according to the present invention.
Fig. 13 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface treatment method for an optical transmission medium for producing the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface treatment method for an optical transmission medium for producing the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface treatment method for an optical transmission medium for producing the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 16 is a sectional view of fig. 15 taken along line a-a.
Fig. 17 is a process diagram of an example of an optical connection method for forming the optical connection structure of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a side view of an MPO pin with an MT ferrule to which the fiber is attached.
Fig. 19 is a perspective view of an example of an adapter for an MPO type optical fiber connector.
Fig. 20 is a perspective view of another example of an adapter for an MPO type optical fiber connector.
Fig. 21 is a sectional view showing a mode of an adapter suitable for the FC type optical fiber connector.
FIG. 22(a) is a plan view of a support member supporting an adhesive connecting material; (b) the support member shown in fig. (a) is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the support member is mounted in the split sleeve.
Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the split sleeve of fig. 22(b) is butted against the ferrule.
Fig. 24 is a process diagram of forming an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 25 is a diagram showing another example of the array member, which is a component constituting the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 26 is a front view of an adhesive attachment member for supporting free deformation.
Fig. 27 is a perspective view of components constituting the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the adhesive connecting member that is freely deformable is supported on the supporting member.
Fig. 29 is a process diagram of forming an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention.
Fig. 30 is an explanatory view for explaining a method of measuring the adhesion holding distance.
Fig. 31 is a perspective view of fig. 30 (a).
Fig. 32 is a partially enlarged view of fig. 30 (a).
Fig. 33 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 1.
Fig. 34 is a plan view showing an optical connection structure of example 3.
Fig. 35 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 4.
Fig. 36 is a process diagram for explaining the end surface treatment of example 5.
FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating a connecting array member used in example 5, wherein (a) is a side view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B.
Fig. 38 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 7.
Fig. 39 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 8.
Fig. 40(a) is a view showing components of the optical fiber connector; (b) is a diagram showing a connection state.
Fig. 41 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 9.
Fig. 42 is a perspective view showing the components of the optical connection structure of example 10.
Fig. 43 is a diagram illustrating an optical connection structure of example 10.
Fig. 44 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 11.
Fig. 45 is a front view of a guide pin support member for the optical connection structure of fig. 44.
Fig. 46 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 12.
Fig. 47 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of examples 14 and 15.
Fig. 48 is a process diagram for forming the optical connection structure of example 17.
In the figure:
10(a, b) … optical fiber, 11 … optical fiber (core) center, 12 … cladding, 13 … core, 15(a, b) … optical fiber ribbon center line, 17 … cylindrical lens, 19 … optical lens, 20 … adhesive connecting material, 21 … sheet-like adhesive connecting material, 25 … adhesive connecting material, 31, 32, 34 … supporting member, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 … aligning member (connecting aligning member), 47(a, b) … guide pin, 49 … split sleeve, 50 … adaptor, 51 … MPO adaptor, 61, 62 … end face processing member, 71(a, b) … MPO pin, 72 … FC pin, 75(a, b) … MT ferrule, 76 … FC ferrule connector, 80 … substrate (glass substrate).
Detailed Description
Next, an optical connection structure and an optical connection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a case where the solid adhesive connecting member is a sheet-like connecting member will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 23.
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a basic example of an optical connection structure of the present invention using a sheet-like adhesive connecting material, in which an optical fiber is used as an optical transmission medium. In fig. 1, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is interposed between the connection end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b in a bonded state. The two optical fibers 10a and 10b are butted with a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 interposed therebetween, and the optical fibers constitute an optical connection structure. The two optical fibers 10a and 10b are cut so that the coating is removed within a range of several tens of mm from the distal ends thereof.
The thickness t of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member before the optical connection between the end faces of the optical transmission medium or the optical transmission medium and the optical component is preferably in the range of 1 μm or less and t or less and 150 μm. If the thickness of the adhesive connecting member is thinner than 1 μm, handling is very difficult and flexibility cannot be maintained, so that the possibility of breakage of the optical transmission medium and the optical parts due to pressing is greatly increased; conversely, if the thickness is 150 μm or more, even in the case where the adhesive connecting member is deformed by pressing the optical transmission medium, the light loss is greatly increased because the interval between the end faces of the optical transmission medium or between the optical transmission medium and the optical component is excessively large. Therefore, it is preferable that t is 2.5 μm. ltoreq.t.ltoreq.100. mu.m; more preferably, t is 5 μm. ltoreq.t.ltoreq.50 μm, and particularly preferably, t is 5 μm. ltoreq.t.ltoreq.30 μm.
The sheet-like adhesive connecting member used in the present invention is formed of a single layer. The "single layer" in the present invention means that an interface where different materials are connected to each other such as a 2-layer or 3-layer structure does not exist in the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and does not exclude a series in which the materials are uniformly mixed in the order of light wavelength. The sheet-like adhesive connecting member used in the present invention has an extremely simple structure composed of a single layer with adhesiveness as described above. By using the sheet-like adhesive connecting member having a single layer structure, connection can be performed without light reflection, and therefore low-loss connection can be performed. Further, even if burrs are formed on the end faces of the optical fibers, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is not affected. Furthermore, since the surfaces have wettability, the end faces of the two optical fibers to be butted can be easily bonded to each other, and the adhesion between the optical fibers and the surfaces can be maintained by the adhesive force. And at the same time, the optical connector can perform good optical connection because of the refractive index adjustment. Furthermore, since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member has wettability and adhesive force on its surface, it is not necessary to apply excessive pressing pressure when the optical fibers are butted, and there is no risk of bending or chipping of the optical fibers. Further, since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member has repeated peelability which is a characteristic of an adhesive material, it can be repeatedly used even when attached and detached many times.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of another example of the optical connection structure of the present invention when a sheet-like adhesive connecting member is used, and shows a state in which the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 having flexibility is deformed by abutting the connection end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 interposed therebetween. As described above, even when the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 having flexibility is thick to some extent, the two optical fibers can be brought close to each other by internal deformation between the two optical fibers. Therefore, the film thickness of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be increased, and the operation thereof becomes very simple. Further, even if the end faces of two optical fibers butted against each other are angularly displaced or deformed, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is deformed while being in close contact with the end faces of the optical fibers, so that air is less likely to enter the end faces of the optical fibers, and optical connection with low loss can be realized without using a high-precision polishing technique. Further, the optical fiber can be stably connected even if vibration or thermal deformation occurs in the optical fiber due to the adhesive force of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member. Further, since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member has flexibility on its surface, it does not cause end surface breakage during mating, and the workability during optical connection is extremely good. Further, since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is restorable in accordance with its flexibility, the optical fiber can be repeatedly attached to and detached from the optical connecting structure by using the sheet-like connecting member a plurality of times.
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing another example of the optical connection structure of the present invention when a sheet-like adhesive connecting member is used. In this figure, both ends of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 are fixed at positions by other components not shown. The optical connection structure is formed by the following steps. First, the end coating is removed, the cut optical fibers 10a and 10b and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 are arranged at a predetermined interval, one optical fiber 10a is moved until the end face thereof comes into close contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and the other optical fiber 10b is moved while deforming the sheet-like adhesive connecting member. Thereby, an optical connection structure in which the optical fibers 10a, 10b are mechanically optically connected is formed. In this case, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is deformed so that the position of the end face of the optical fiber after the butting differs from the position of the end face of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member before the butting, and therefore, the shape of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is deformed from a flat plate shape to a wavy shape as shown in fig. 3.
In this case, since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member deforms along the axial extension of the optical fiber, an excessive pressing force is less likely to be applied to the optical fiber, and the optical fiber can be prevented from being damaged. Further, since the optical fiber on one side is fixed and the optical fiber on the other side is moved as described above, it is not necessary to perform alignment of the optical fibers with high accuracy, and an optical connection structure with higher reliability in practical use can be formed. When the optical connection is released, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member has flexibility, and the shape returns to the shape before the deformation, and the same sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be used repeatedly. Therefore, if a certain space or space is present in the peripheral region of the end face of the optical fiber to be connected, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be deformed from the planar shape to the wave-like shape while being flexibly extended, and therefore, the optical fiber can be attached and detached repeatedly. The deformation in this case means that the sheet-like connecting member itself is deformed while being extended, and may be deformed by being contracted so as to be recessed inward as shown in fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a connection portion between the optical fiber 10 and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 in the optical connection structure of the present invention, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber. In fig. 4, D is the minimum value of the distance from the center 11 of the end face 10c of the optical transmission medium (optical fiber 10) in contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 to the peripheral edge 22 of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and R is the radius of the optical transmission medium. In order to deform the sheet-like adhesive connecting member as described above, the relationship R < D.ltoreq.60R is preferably satisfied between the D value and the R value.
Fig. 5(a) to (e) are diagrams illustrating the D values of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 having various shapes, and are plan views seen from the optical fiber axis direction. Fig. 5(f) is a plan view illustrating a state in which an adhesive connecting member is provided only on an end face of an optical fiber described later. In fig. 5(a) to (e), 10a denotes an end face of the optical transmission medium (optical fiber 10) which is in contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21; 11 denotes the center of its end face; 22 denotes a peripheral edge portion of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21. As shown in fig. 5(e), when a plurality of cores of optical transmission media are used, D denotes the shortest distance between the contact position of the end portions of the optical transmission media that are close to each other and the center of the optical fiber. However, when the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is supported by a supporting member described later or fixed by some fixing member, the value D indicates the shortest distance between the peripheral edge portion of the supporting member or the fixing member except the contact portion and the center of the optical fiber.
As shown in fig. 5(a) to (e), when a certain space is left around the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member has a degree of freedom even in a state where the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is in close contact with the optical fiber, and can be flexibly deformed. When the value of D is more than 60R, the optical fiber is ejected and the whole is loosened or wrinkled, and thus, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member may be broken and may not be stably connected. Further, when the optical fiber is removed, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is not reusable because the restoring force thereof is weakened. When D and R are equal, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member adheres when the optical fibers are butted, but the sheet-like adhesive connecting member cannot be deformed into a wavy shape. When D is smaller than R, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member does not completely adhere to the entire surface of the optical fiber, and therefore, comes into contact with air, resulting in an increase in light loss. It is preferable that D is in the range of 2 R.ltoreq.D.ltoreq.30R. In the case where the shape of the optical transmission medium is not a cylindrical body such as an optical fiber but a quadrangular prism such as a waveguide, the R value may be half the length of a rectangular diagonal line of the waveguide cross section.
In the present invention, the method for fixing the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is not particularly limited, but in the case of the optical connecting structure shown in fig. 1 to 3, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is preferably used in a state of being always fixed, and it is preferable to use, for example, a supporting member shown below. Fig. 6 is a perspective view (fig. 6(a) to (d)) and a plan view (fig. 6(e) and (f)) showing a state in which the peripheral edge portion of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member used in the optical connecting structure of the present invention is supported by various supporting members. The support member 31 is preferably capable of gripping the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 and fixing at least both ends thereof, and may be in a simple shape in which both ends are gripped as shown in fig. 6(a), or may be in a shape of コ in which three directions are fixed as shown in fig. 6(b), and is more preferably in a window shape as shown in fig. 6(c) to (g) in which the vertical and horizontal directions are stably gripped. As shown in fig. 6(e) and 6(f), the holding portion 311 may be provided so as to hold the support member. In the case of having such a holding portion, in the optical connection structure of the present invention using the split sleeve described later, the support member can be inserted into the split sleeve while holding the holding portion, and can be provided in the vicinity of the center.
Further, the number of members constituting the support member is not limited, and the sheet-like adhesive member may be sandwiched between the support members 31a and 31b as shown in fig. 6(g) for stabilization. The size of the support member is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected and used in accordance with the use environment and the product specification. The material of the support member may be selected from metals, plastic materials, rubber materials, and the like as appropriate. By fixing the sheet-like adhesive connecting member with the supporting member, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be flexibly deformed. Further, when the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is fixed to the frame-like supporting member, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member does not need to be touched during the installation work, and therefore, the adhesion of dirt, dust, or the like on the surface of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be prevented. Therefore, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be easily replaced.
Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention in which a connection alignment member is used as a positioning member. The optical fiber connector is composed of two optical fibers 10a and 10b, a connecting array member 40, and a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 supported by a support member 31. The connection alignment member 40 has a groove 401 in the center thereof, and a pair of through holes 402a and 402b for inserting a bare optical fiber or a central optical fiber on both sides of the groove 401. The optical connection structure shown in fig. 7 is formed by inserting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 into the groove 401 perpendicularly to the through hole, inserting the optical fiber center lines 10a and 10b whose tips are removed and cut, and pressing the end faces of the optical fibers against the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21. In this case, the alignment between the optical fibers can be easily performed by using the connection alignment member. Further, by inserting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member into the groove of the connecting array member, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be accommodated in the connecting array member, and the workability and the dust adhesion preventing effect can be improved.
The alignment mechanism and method of the optical fibers by the connection alignment member are not particularly limited as long as the end faces of the optical fibers can be aligned on the same axis. As shown in fig. 7, the optical fiber may be inserted into the through hole or placed on the alignment groove such as a V-groove. The size of the connection array member is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected depending on the type and number of optical fibers, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited. Examples thereof include a semi-cylindrical shape and a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Further, the structure and shape of the through-hole are not particularly limited, and a V-groove substrate, for example, a flat plate such as glass may be pressed from above and a groove surrounded by the flat plate may be used as the through-hole. In addition, for example, an existing component such as an MT ferrule connector can be used as the connection array component. Further, although the material constituting the connecting array member is not particularly limited, it is preferable to use a material having a small friction coefficient like polyacetal resin or a material having good mechanical properties such as low susceptibility to thermal deformation; corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel, trifluoroethylene resin, tetrafluoroethylene resin, and the like, and materials having low reactivity to chemical substances or solvents.
The connection array member may be composed of a plurality of members, and may be a combination of a member having a groove into which the adhesive connecting member is inserted and a member having a through hole, for example. Further, the guide pins can be inserted into the guide pin holes provided in the two array members having the through holes, so that the array members can be accurately positioned relative to each other. Further, in order to facilitate the placement of the optical fiber, the tip of the through hole may be processed into a conical shape. The shape, position and number of the grooves for the adhesive connecting member provided in the connecting array member are not particularly limited as long as the grooves can be inserted into and fixed to the sheet-like adhesive connecting member.
Fig. 8 is a plan view showing an example of the optical connection structure of the present invention in which an optical fiber and an optical component are connected. In the case of this figure, the optical connection structure can be formed by arranging the sheet-like connection member 21, the optical fiber 10, and the optical lens 19 at a constant interval, moving the optical fiber 10 until the end face thereof comes into close contact with the sheet-like adhesive connection member 21, and then further moving the optical fiber 10 until the sheet-like adhesive connection member 21 is deformed and comes into close contact with the optical lens 19. As shown in fig. 8, even if the optical component is a convex optical component whose thickness is gradually or continuously reduced from the central portion to the peripheral portion, the optical connection can be easily performed according to the present invention. Further, according to the above method, stable connection can be maintained in a state where the optical component is fixed. Further, the adhesive connecting member may be such that at least the core portion of the optical fiber is in close contact with the optical lens, so that the adhesive connecting member can be easily peeled off from the optical lens, thereby preventing the optical lens from being contaminated.
Next, an optical connection structure in which an optical fiber end surface is processed using a sheet-like adhesive connecting member and an adhesive connecting member is provided only on an end surface will be described. Fig. 9 to 17 relate to this case.
Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a basic example of the optical connection structure of the present invention manufactured using a sheet-like adhesive connecting member. That is, 2 optical fibers 10a and 10b are butted with the adhesive connecting member 20 interposed therebetween, thereby forming an optical structure in which the optical fibers are optically connected. Further, the two optical fibers were removed from the tips to several 10mm in thickness and the tips were cleaved. In the case of this figure, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is provided only on the end face of the optical fiber by an end face treatment method shown in fig. 10 and 11 described later.
As shown in fig. 9, when the adhesive connecting member is provided only on the end face, D is satisfied1Not less than r and D2Preferably less than or equal to 1.5R. Fig. 5(f) is a diagram illustrating this, D represents a distance from the center of the core of the optical fiber 10 composed of the core 13 and the cladding 12 to the peripheral edge portion of the adhesive connecting member 20, R represents a radius of the optical fiber, and R represents a radius of the core. In the present invention, it is preferable that the minimum value D of the distance D from the center 11 of the core of the optical fiber 10 to the peripheral edge portion of the adhesive connecting member 20 is the minimum value D1Is at least the radius r of the core and has a maximum value D2Is 1.5 times or less the radius R of the optical fiber.
In the above case, the entire area of the core 13 can be covered by controlling the area occupied by the adhesive connecting member to the minimum, and the area does not exceed 1.5 times from the end face of the optical fiber at the maximum, but it is not limited theretoTo the extent that the amount of exposure is sufficient, the adhesive connecting member is present only at or near the light transmission end face, so that contamination can be prevented, and dust is less likely to adhere, thereby improving workability. Further, a special mechanism for holding the adhesive connecting member or a new structure is not required, and a very simple connecting structure can be provided, and space saving can be achieved. When D is present1If the radius r of the core of the optical fiber is smaller than the radius r of the core, there is a portion where the adhesive connecting member does not contact the portion of the core transmitting light, and light loss occurs in this portion. Also, when D2If the ratio is more than 1.5R, the ratio of the adhesive connecting member to the portion excluding the end face of the optical fiber increases, and therefore, dust around the adhesive connecting member is likely to adhere to the adhesive connecting member or the adhesive connecting member may come into contact with other parts, and thus, a good connection performance may not be maintained. Further, when applying the pressing pressure to the optical fiber, it is desirable that substantially D is obtained so that the pressing pressure acting on the adhesive connecting member is uniform and the adhesive connecting member is not pushed out from the end face of the optical fiber1＝D2(ii) a More preferably, D is1＝D2＝r。
In the above case, since the adhesive connecting member is provided only on the end face of the butted optical fiber and has a size substantially equal to the diameter of the optical fiber, the occupied area of the adhesive connecting member can be minimized and the structure can be designed to be very simple. Also, since it does not contact with surrounding garbage or dust, it is not contaminated, and since it does not flow out, it does not contaminate the surroundings.
Fig. 10 and 11 are process diagrams of an example of an end surface processing method for an optical transmission medium of the present invention for forming the optical connection structure of fig. 9, and are diagrams showing a basic example of attaching a sheet-like adhesive connecting member only to an end surface. In the case of fig. 10, an optical fiber is used as the optical transmission medium. In fig. 10, a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is provided on a side surface of the optical fiber 10 whose end portion is cut with the coating removed. Both ends of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member are fixed by other suitable members not shown. First, the optical fiber 10 is moved relatively to the sheet-like adhesive connecting member until the end face of the optical fiber 10 comes into contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and then, by further moving the optical fiber in the axial direction, a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut in a state of being attached to the end face of the optical fiber, whereby the adhesive connecting member 20 can be provided on the end face of the optical fiber.
In fig. 11, the optical fiber is moved relative to the sheet-like adhesive connecting member until the end of the optical fiber 10 comes into contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21. Then, by moving the optical fiber in the reverse direction, a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut off in a state of being attached to the end face of the optical fiber by the adhesiveness of the adhesive connecting member, and the adhesive connecting member 20 can be provided on the end face of the optical fiber. According to the method, the moving range can be reduced more than that of the method shown in fig. 10, so that the method has the advantage of saving more manufacturing space.
Fig. 12 is a process diagram for explaining a preferred example of the optical connection structure of the present invention, and shows a case where the optical connection structure is formed using the connection array member. That is, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, the optical fiber 10a with the end portion removed from the clad and the adhesive connecting member 20 attached to the end surface thereof is inserted into the through hole 411 of the connecting array member 41 having the through hole (fig. 12(a)), and then the optical fiber 10b with the end portion removed from the clad and the end surface thereof pushed to the adhesive connecting member is inserted into the through hole on the opposite side to perform optical connection (fig. 12 (b)). In the present invention, the adhesive connecting member covers the end face of the optical fiber within the minimum range necessary for connection, and therefore, even an array member having a narrow through hole can be used. Further, since a special member for holding the adhesive connecting member is not required, the optical fiber can be freely moved in the axial direction. Therefore, when the optical component is actually mounted, the position of the optical fiber can be freely adjusted while the connection is maintained. Further, by using the connection array member, the adhesive connecting member can be accommodated in the connection array member, and the workability and the dust prevention effect can be improved.
Fig. 13 is a process diagram of another example of an end surface processing method of an optical transmission medium for producing an optical connection structure according to the present invention, and shows a case where a plurality of optical fiber end surfaces are processed from 1 sheet-like adhesive connecting member. That is, as shown in fig. 13, the optical fiber ribbon 15 whose tip is cut by removing the cladding is moved in the axial direction of the optical fiber, and the end faces of the optical fibers 101 to 104 are brought into contact with the sheet-like connecting member 21 supported by the supporting member (not shown) (fig. 13 (a)). Further, by moving the sheet-like adhesive connecting member forward, a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut in a state of being bonded to the end face of the optical fiber, and the adhesive connecting members 201 to 204 can be provided to the end faces of the optical fibers 101 to 104 at once (fig. 13 (b)). In this case, the cutting of the optical fiber tip of the optical fiber ribbon 15 is not affected by the variation, and therefore, the connecting member can be closely attached to each optical fiber in the same manner. Although 4 optical fibers are shown in the figure, the number of the optical fibers is not particularly limited.
Fig. 14 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface treatment method for an optical transmission medium for producing an optical connection structure according to the present invention, and shows a case where an end surface treatment member of a support sheet-like adhesive connecting member is used for the end surface treatment. In the figure, the end surface processing member 61 has a through hole 611 into which an optical fiber core wire or an optical fiber bare wire can be inserted, and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is attached to one surface of the optical fiber processing member so as to cover the through hole. The optical fiber 10 with the clad removed and cut at the tip is inserted into the through hole 611 (fig. 14 a), moved until the sheet-like adhesive connecting member and the end face of the optical fiber 10 come into contact with each other (fig. 14 b), and further moved to penetrate the through hole, so that a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut while being bonded to the end face of the optical fiber, and the adhesive connecting member 20 can be bonded to the end face of the optical fiber (fig. 14 c). In the case shown in the figure, by providing the end surface processing member 61 for supporting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be cut in accordance with the shape of the optical fiber, and therefore, the processing can be performed with a good yield. Further, even if the end face of the optical fiber has a certain angle, the adhesive connecting member can be reliably attached.
Fig. 15 is a process diagram showing an example of an end surface processing method of an optical transmission medium for producing the optical connection structure of the present invention, and shows a case of using an end surface processing member of a support sheet-like adhesive connecting member. Also, fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 15. In these figures, the end surface processing member 62 has a structure in which an upper flat plate 623 made of glass or the like is placed on the upper surface of a lower substrate 622 having V-shaped alignment grooves 621 for guiding optical fibers, and through holes are formed by the alignment grooves 621 and the upper flat plate 623. A sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is bonded and fixed to one end of the end surface processing member (fig. 15 a). When such an end-face processing member is used, the optical fibers 10 are placed in the alignment grooves, and the upper flat plate 623 is placed on the lower substrate 622 (fig. 15 a). The optical fibers 10 placed in the alignment grooves are moved in the axial direction along the alignment grooves, and the end surfaces thereof are brought into contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 (fig. 15(b)), and further moved forward, whereby the adhesive connecting member 20 can be attached to the end surfaces thereof (fig. 15 (c)). After the through-hole is penetrated, the upper plate 623 is removed, whereby the optical fiber 10 provided with the adhesive connecting member can be easily taken out from the upper surface (fig. 15 (d)).
In the present invention, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, when the end face processing member that supports the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is used to perform the end face processing, the method of positioning the optical fibers in forming the optical connecting structure is not particularly limited as long as the optical fiber end faces are coaxially aligned. The size and shape of the end face processing member are not particularly limited, and the end face processing member is formed using the same material as the connection array member described with reference to fig. 7.
Fig. 17 is a process diagram of an example of an optical connection method for producing the optical connection structure of the present invention, and shows a case of using an end surface processing member of a support sheet-like adhesive connecting member. In the figure, the connection alignment member 40 has a deep groove 403 near the center thereof for supporting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and has a pair of coaxial through holes 402a and 402b on both sides of the deep groove, and has a function of aligning the optical fibers and a function of supporting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member (fig. 17 (a)). First, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is inserted into the deep groove 403 perpendicularly to the through hole (fig. 17 (b)). Next, the optical fiber 10a which has been cut by removing the coating is inserted into the through hole 402a, the end face of the optical fiber is brought into contact with the sheet material in the through hole, and the optical fiber is further moved and inserted into the other through hole 402 b. Thereby, a part of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is cut, and the adhesive connecting member 20 is bonded to the end of the optical fiber (fig. 17 (c)). Next, another optical fiber 10b is inserted from the through hole on the other side, and moved until it adheres to the adhesive connecting member (fig. 17 d). In the case shown in the figure, since the position of the connection point of the optical fiber can be freely set, the operability and workability are remarkably improved.
In the present invention, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member may be attached to the adapter or may be attached to the split sleeve while being supported by the support member. Fig. 18 to 23 exemplify those cases.
Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a state in which MPO plugs 71a and 71b having MT ferrules arranged and holding optical fibers are connected by the adapter 50. As the adapter, for example, the adapters shown in fig. 19 and 20 can be used.
In the case of fig. 19, a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is provided in the adapter near the center where MT ferrules are butted against each other, and is held by an appropriate member from the top-bottom direction. That is, by providing the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 on one 511 of the two-divided MPO adapters and connecting the other 512 with screws or the like, an adapter in which the adhesive connecting member is arranged inside is prepared. In this way, if the connecting member made of an adhesive material is disposed in the adapter in advance, it is preferable that contamination from the surrounding environment, adhesion of dust, and the like do not occur, and it is not necessary to place the connecting member on the end face of the ferrule, and workability is improved.
In the case of fig. 20, the MPO adapter 51 has a groove 513 opened at the upper part near the center where the MT ferrules are butted. The sheet-like adhesive connecting member which is vertically held as shown in fig. 6(c) is inserted into the groove. In this way, when the mechanism for attaching the adhesive connecting member supported by the support member is provided in the adapter, the support member supporting the sheet-like connecting member can be easily replaced, and workability can be improved. Also, on an optical connection, one adapter can be used multiple times, thus providing economy.
Fig. 21 is a side cross-sectional view of an adapter for adapting the present invention to a FC style fiber optic connector. In fig. 21, an opening sleeve 49 is attached to an adapter 52, and a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is provided near the center of the opening sleeve. As the adhesive connecting member, a film-like member formed by pouring a curable adhesive material from a cut portion of the split sleeve and curing the adhesive material before the split sleeve is attached to the adapter is used. When the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is provided in the split sleeve in the adapter in advance, the connecting member can be reliably placed on the end surface of the ferrule, and workability can be improved.
The means for fixing the sheet-like adhesive connecting part may be, for example, a means for fixing the sheet-like adhesive connecting part in the split sleeve by curing as described above, and is not particularly limited, and the connecting member may be used in a state of being always fixed, and for example, a support member as described below may be used.
Fig. 22(a) is a view showing a state where the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is supported by the support member in the present invention, and the support member 31 is a circular shape having the same cross-sectional shape as the ferrule and holds the outer periphery of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21. Fig. 22(b) is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the sheet-like adhesive connecting member supported by the supporting member shown in fig. 22(a) is mounted in the split sleeve. The sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 supported by the support member 31 is placed perpendicularly to the split sleeve 49, and is pushed into the split sleeve by a cylindrical pushing member 91 having the same diameter as the inner diameter of the split sleeve, and is placed near the center. As described above, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is supported by the support member, and thus the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be easily attached to the ferrule. Further, since the replacement of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be easily removed from the opening by pushing the support member with the pressing member 91 after removing the ferrule, the split sleeve or the adaptor can be reused as it is.
Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the ferrules are butted together by using the split sleeve. As shown in fig. 23, a pair of ferrules 75a and 75b to which optical fibers 10a and 10b are fixed are inserted into an opening sleeve 49 to which a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 supported by a support member 31 is attached. The end faces of these ferrules are convex, so that a gap is formed between the convex portions of the front ends of the mating ferrules when the ferrules are optically connected. The supporting member 31 is located in a gap generated between the ferrules so as not to interfere with contact between the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 and the end surface of the ferrule, thereby forming an optical connecting structure.
Next, a case will be described in which the adhesive connecting member is not in a sheet shape but is made of a freely deformable material. Fig. 24 to 29 are diagrams illustrating that case.
Fig. 24 is a process diagram of an example of forming an optical connection structure using an adhesive connection member that is freely deformable. As shown in fig. 24(a), a pair of optical fibers 10a and 10b, an array member 42 having a V-shaped array groove 421 having an inverted triangle shape, and a support member 34 are prepared. The support member 34 is cylindrical, and a solid adhesive connecting member 25 having refractive index adjustability and being freely deformable is provided on the outer peripheral portion (a part of the outer periphery) of the lower portion thereof by coating. The optical fibers 10a and 10b have end faces with their ends removed and cleaved. Next, as shown in fig. 24(b), the pair of optical fibers 10a and 10b are placed in the V-groove 421 of the alignment member 42 from above, and in this case, the optical fibers can be placed with an appropriate space therebetween. Next, as shown in fig. 24(c), the support member 34 is placed on the alignment member 42 so as to be able to be positioned between the optical fibers 10a and 10b, and temporarily fixed by an adhesive (not shown). Thus, the adhesive connecting member 25 applied to the lower outer peripheral portion of the support member 34 is in a state of hanging down into the V-shaped groove 421. Next, as shown in fig. 24(d), the two optical fibers 10a and 10b are moved to be butted against the lower side of the support member 34. Thus, the distal ends of the optical fibers 10a and 10b are brought into contact with the adhesive connecting member 25, and the adhesive connecting member is deformed to be interposed between the optical fibers 10a and 10b, thereby forming the optical connecting structure of the present invention. As shown in fig. 24(e), the optical fibers 10a and 10b are preferably fixed from above by plate-like pressing members 81a and 81 b.
In the above case, since the adhesive connecting member 25 is supported by the support member 34, the operator can operate the optical fibers 10a, 10b without touching the adhesive connecting member 25. Since the adhesive connecting member 25 is provided in a certain amount on the lower outer peripheral portion of the support member 34, the connecting member 25 can be attached only to the connection end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b, and therefore, the surrounding of the connection portion is not affected by contamination, dust, or the like. Since the alignment can be performed in the V-groove 421, the optical connection can be performed without causing deviation in the optical axes of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b.
In the above case, as shown in fig. 25, the alignment member 42 may have a V-shaped groove 422 having a depth shallower than the alignment groove 421 in a direction intersecting the alignment groove 421. When this arrangement groove is used, the support member 34 supporting the adhesive connecting member can be placed on the V-shaped groove 422, whereby the position of the support member 34 can be easily fixed.
The material and shape of the support member for supporting the adhesive connecting member that is freely deformable are not particularly limited. For example, the support member 34 having the shape shown in fig. 26(a) to (f) can be used. That is, it is possible to use a support member having various shapes such as a rod shape (fig. 26(a)), an L-shape or a T-shape (fig. 26(b)), (fig. 26(c)), and an L-shape or a T-shape having one protrusion 341 provided (fig. 26(d) - (fig. 26(f)), having two protrusions 341a, 341b provided, a cross-sectional shape of the support member may be a circular shape, an oval shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a quadrangle, a material such as a metal, a glass, a plastic, a rubber, or the like, a support member having holding portions 342a, 342b provided above as shown in fig. 26(f) is preferable because it is easy to hold the support member and the work efficiency at the time of mounting, and the protrusion is preferably fitted to a hole provided in the array member at the time of mounting the support member to the array member, to serve to stabilize the support member.
Fig. 27 is a diagram illustrating formation of an optical connection structure using the support member shown in fig. 26 (e). The array member 42 is provided with a V-shaped groove 421 and a pair of holes 423a and 423b on both sides thereof, and the protrusions 341a and 341b of the support member 34 holding the adhesive connecting member 25 are configured to be inserted into the holes 423a and 423 b. In this configuration, the projections 341a and 341b are inserted into the holes 423a and 423b, respectively, and the support member 34 is placed on the upper surface of the alignment groove 421, whereby the support member 34 and the alignment member 42 can be easily aligned, and the position of the support member 34 can be stabilized during optical connection.
The position of the adhesive connecting member to be provided on the support member and the method of providing the same are not limited at all, and may be appropriately selected and used depending on the nature and state of the adhesive connecting member. For example, the position of the adhesive connecting member may be attached to the entire outer peripheral portion of the support member 34 as shown in fig. 28(a) and (d), or may be attached to the outer peripheral portion of the lower portion of the support member 34 as shown in fig. 28(b), (c), and (e), depending on the position and size of the alignment groove.
As a method of providing the adhesive connecting member on the support member, for example, a method of forming a thin film of the adhesive connecting member and winding the thin film around the outer periphery of the support member (see fig. 28(d)) or a method of bonding the thin film to a part of the outer periphery (see fig. 28(e)) may be used.
In the optical connection structure of the present invention, the optical fibers 10a and 10b do not have to be connected just below the support member 34. For example, as shown in fig. 29, the end face of the optical fiber may be connected to a position different from the position where the support member is placed. In the case shown in fig. 29, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are arranged in the arrangement groove 421 (fig. 29(a)) of the arrangement member 42, and the left optical fiber 10a is moved rightward so that the end face thereof comes into contact with the deformable adhesive connecting member 25 provided on the support member 34, and the optical fiber 10a is further moved rightward so as to come into contact with the end face of the left optical fiber 10b (fig. 29 (b)). This forms the optical connection structure of the present invention in which the adhesive connecting member 25 is interposed between the optical fibers 10a and 10b in a state of being closely attached. In this case, as shown in fig. 29(c), the optical fiber 10a may be fixed by pushing the support member 34 downward by the pressing member 81.
In the present invention, the size of the alignment member 42 is not particularly limited, and may be selected according to the type and number of optical fibers, or the shape thereof is not particularly limited. The number of the arrangement grooves 421 may be selected according to the number of the optical fibers, and the interval between the arrangement grooves 421 may be appropriately selected according to the product specification even when there are a plurality of optical fibers. The cross-sectional shape of the alignment groove 421 is not particularly limited, and may be an elliptical shape, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or the like, in addition to the V-shape. If the arrangement groove space exists near the end face of the optical fiber as in the V-shape or the rectangular shape, when the adhesive connecting member 25 is connected by deformation, the exposed material expands in the arrangement groove space, and therefore, the distance between the optical fibers is further shortened and the optical loss is also reduced. Further, since the adhesive connecting member is in close contact with the entire end face of the optical fiber, the optical connection of the optical fiber can be stabilized. In particular, the V-groove is the most suitable structure because it facilitates the placement of the optical fiber and stabilizes it easily. The material of the array member is not particularly limited, and the same array member as that described above with reference to fig. 7 can be used.
In the present invention, the adhesion maintaining distance of the adhesive connecting member is preferably 10 μm or more, and the adhesion maintaining distance of the adhesive connecting member is a value measured by the following method under the conditions of 23. + -. 1 ℃ and 45% humidity.
Fig. 30 is an explanatory view for explaining a method of measuring an adhesion maintaining distance, fig. 31 is a perspective view of an MT ferrule in a state where an adhesive connecting member is attached, and fig. 32 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion of an optical fiber of fig. 30. As shown in fig. 30, plastic films 91(91a, 91b) (0.5 mm × 7mm in size) having a thickness of 100 μm and provided with an adhesive layer having a thickness of 50 μm are respectively stuck to the end faces of MT ferrule 75a (manufactured by baishan corporation, 8-core, material is PPS) on the upper and lower sides of through holes 751a, 751b, and a sheet-like connecting member 21 (2mm × 3mm × 25 μm in size) is stuck to the center of both films (fig. 31). The MT ferrule 75b and the end face of the MT ferrule 75a are positioned so as to face each other with the guide pin interposed therebetween, and the end faces of the MT ferrule 75a and the MT ferrule 75b are fixed with a gap of 1mm therebetween (fig. 30 (a)).
Next, the optical fiber 10a (cladding outer diameter 125 μm, single mode fiber, manufactured by guhe electric) whose tip was removed and cut was inserted into the through hole of the ferrule 75a, the end face of the optical fiber was brought into contact with the adhesive connecting member (fig. 30(b)), and the optical fiber 10a was fixed at a position protruding 250 μm from the contact position (fig. 30 (c)).
The same type of optical fiber 10b is inserted into the through hole of the other MT ferrule 75b and the end face of the optical fiber 10b is moved until it comes into contact with the adhesive connecting member. The contact position is set as an origin G. After the optical fiber 10b was further moved (in the direction of the arrow) until the distance between the origin G and the end face of the optical fiber 10b became 10 μm, the optical fiber 10b was held in this state for 2 seconds (fig. 30(d)), (fig. 32 (a)).
Then, the optical fiber 10b is gradually returned at a speed of 10 μm/sec in the direction of the arrow (fig. 30(e)) until the optical fiber 10b is moved until the adhesive connecting member is peeled off from the core. Then, the distance between the position of the adhesive connecting member peeled off from the core and the origin G is detected, and this distance H is taken as the adhesion holding distance (fig. 32 (b)).
The optical connection structure and the optical connection method formed by the optical connection structure of the present invention will be described below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Production example 1 of sheet-like adhesive connecting Member
1.0 part of Coronate L (a tolylenediisocyanate adduct of trimethylolpropane, manufactured by japan polyurethane industries) was added to 100 parts of a 30% ethyl acetate solution of an acrylic resin composed of an n-butyl acrylate/methacrylate/acrylic acid/2-hydroxymethylacrylate copolymer (blending ratio: 82/15/2.7/0.3) and mixed. The obtained acrylic coating liquid was dried to a thickness of 100 μm, and coated on one surface of the dimethyl ester film coated with the film-forming agent to prepare an acrylic adhesive material layer film. When used, the adhesive connecting member (1) is peeled off from the dimethyl ester film. In this case, the light transmittance of the acrylic adhesive material was measured in a wavelength range of 1300 to 1320nm by a spectrophotometer, and the result was 93.5%. The measurement was performed by an abbe refractometer, and the result was 1.465.
Production example 2 of sheet-like adhesive connecting Member
First, a liquid coating of an additional silicone adhesive material (each manufactured BY the company "duo" レ, ダウコ, ニング (TORAYDOW, CORNING) ") composed of SD4590/BY24-741/SRX 212/toluene (100/1.0/0.9/50 (parts BY weight/part) was prepared (silicone adhesive material containing SD4590 as a main component and BY24-741 and SRX212 as curing agents), and the additional silicone adhesive material was applied to one surface of a plastic film coated with a film-forming agent and having a thickness of 100 μm so that the thickness of the applied film-forming agent became 50 μm to prepare an additional adhesive material film.
Example 1
Using the sheet-like adhesive connecting member (1) obtained by the above method, an optical connecting structure was formed as shown in fig. 33. First, a section of a V-shaped groove (having a size of 5mm × 10mm) having two alignment members 43a and 43b was aligned by an optical microscope, and then V-shaped end faces were aligned at a position 0.2mm away from a notch 801 of 0.05mm provided in the glass substrate 80, and the alignment members were fixed to the glass substrate 80 with an adhesive. Then, the sheet-like connection member 21 is inserted into the notch of the glass substrate and vertically arranged on the glass substrate. Then, the optical fibers 10a, 10b are arranged in the V-grooves of the both array members 43a, 43 b. A silica optical fiber core (250 μm diameter, single mode, manufactured by kogaku corporation) was used as the optical fiber, and an optical fiber in which the bare fiber of the optical fiber was cut with an optical fiber cutter from a position 10mm from the end portion, in which the coating was removed from the end portion by about 25mm by an optical fiber stripper and the bare fiber was exposed, was used. The optical fiber 10b is moved in parallel along the V-groove, and the optical fiber is moved until the end of the bare optical fiber is moved to an appropriate position apart from the V-groove substrate while observing the bare optical fiber with an optical microscope, and then the optical fiber 10b is sandwiched between the flat plate 85b and the alignment member 43b and fixed to the upper surface of the alignment member with a UV adhesive (fig. 33 (a)). Next, the other bare optical fiber 10a is moved until the end face thereof comes into close contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 (fig. 33(b)), and the optical connecting member is further pressed until the sheet-like adhesive connecting member with the end face of the bare optical fiber 10a brought into close contact with the optical fiber 10b comes into contact with the optical connecting member. The thickness of the butted sheet-like adhesive connecting member was 10 μm, and R was 62.5 μm, D was 1.5mm, and D was 24R. Then, the optical fiber 10a is sandwiched between the flat plate 85a and the alignment member 43a and fixed by the fiber fixing jig 94 (fig. 33 c).
The loss of the optical fiber connection was measured at a wavelength of 1300nm and found to be 0.2dB or less; the reflection attenuation was measured and found to be 50.3dB, which showed good optical characteristics.
Further, as a result of 500 temperature cycle tests conducted at-25 to 70 ℃, the variation in optical loss was 0.2dB or less, and the adhesive connecting member was observed after the optical connection was released, and as a result, no abnormality was observed in appearance.
Example 2
Using the sheet-like adhesive connecting member (2) obtained by the above method, an optical connecting structure was formed as in example 1. The connection loss of the connected optical fiber was measured and found to be 0.4dB or less, showing good optical characteristics. Further, the optical connection structure was subjected to a heat resistance test (according to JIS C0021) in an environment of 125. + -. 2 ℃ and a temperature cycle test of 500 times in a range of-40 ℃ to 75 ℃ to find that the variation of light loss was 0.4dB or less, and that the adhesive connection member was observed after the optical connection was broken, and as a result, no curing or yellowing was observed, and it was found that the optical connection structure was sufficiently reusable as an optical connection member.
Example 3
Fig. 34 is a plan view showing an optical connection structure for connecting 4-core optical fiber ribbons. In order to realize optical connection of four optical fibers, a connection operation was performed in the same manner as in example 1 except that two 4-core optical fiber ribbons 15a (the optical fibers in the ribbon are 101 to 104) and 15b and two array members 43a and 43b having four V-grooves fixed to the upper surface of the glass substrate 80 were used, and optical connection of four optical fibers was simply performed using one sheet-like adhesive connection member 21. Further, as a result of detecting the lengths of the cut optical fibers, the deviation of about ± 10 μm was observed between the four bare optical fibers, and since the sheet-like adhesive connecting member was closely adhered and fixed to each optical fiber by soft deformation, the deviation of the optical loss variation between the bare optical fibers was small, and the optical loss variation was 0.3dB or less in each core wire in the 100-time attachment/detachment test, and it was found that the same sheet-like adhesive connecting member was used to maintain a stable output at all times, and was sufficiently usable as an optical connecting member.
Example 4
Fig. 35 is a diagram showing a process of connecting an optical fiber and a cylindrical lens. The bare optical fiber 10 was placed in the V-groove of the alignment member 43 on the glass substrate 80 as in example 1. On the other hand, a cylindrical lens 17(mflends, product of the trade name, external diameter) Run through to haveThe cylindrical lens end face of the through hole 441 in the cylindrical lens array member 44 (having a size of 5mm × 5mm × 10mm) is positioned at a position separated from the end face of the cylindrical lens array member by an appropriate distance and fixed with an adhesive; the cylindrical lens is in a state of being opposite to the V-shaped groove; further, the alignment member 43 and the alignment member 44 for a cylindrical lens were fixed to the glass substrate with an adhesive at a position 0.05mm away from the notch 801 of the glass substrate 80. Then, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is inserted into the notch (fig. 35 (a)). Next, the optical fiber is moved in a creeping manner in the V-groove, so that the end face of the optical fiber is brought into contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member (fig. 35 (b)); further, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is deformed by moving the sheet-like adhesive connecting member so that the opposite side of the member is brought into close contact with the cylindrical lens. Then, the optical fiber 10 is sandwiched between the flat plate 85 and the alignment member 43, and these are further sandwiched and fixed by an optical fiber fixing jig 94 (fig. 35 c). As described above, even when the optical transmission medium such as the optical fiber and the lens having different sizes is connected to each other, the adhesive connecting member is deformed by pressing the optical fiber, and the lens and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member are closely attached to each other with a minimum area, and thus the lens and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member can be easily peeled off during the detaching operation.
Example 5
The end face treatment of the optical fiber was performed in the process shown in fig. 36. That is, as the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 as an optical member, a sheet having a thickness of 25 μm and a size of 8mm × 16mm, which is formed by sheeting an acrylic adhesive material having a refractive index adjusted to 1.46, was used. The resultant was adhered to a U-shaped supporting member 31 having the same size as a sheet without wrinkles (FIG. 36(a)), and then the coating of 1 optical fiber 10 (manufactured by Kogaku K.K., 250 μm in outer diameter, 125 μm in clad diameter, and 10 μm in core diameter) was removed by 20mm from the end face to expose the bare optical fiber, and the bare optical fiber was cut at a position 10mm from the end. Next, the sheet material adhered to the support member is disposed in close contact with the end surface of the bare optical fiber (fig. 36 c). Next, the optical fiber having the adhesive connecting member 20 bonded to the end face thereof is moved upward, and the optical fiber is detached from the supporting member 31 of the supporting sheet (fig. 36 (d)). In this case, the peripheral portion of the adhesive connecting member on the surface contacting the optical fiber is about 50 μm to 65 μm from the center of the core.
The optical fiber 10a including the adhesive connecting member 20 is optically connected by using the aligning member 45 shown in fig. 37. That is, the optical fiber 10a whose tip was removed and cleaved was placed in a V-shaped arrangement groove of a lower substrate 452(10 mm. times.40 mm. times.10 mm) having a V-shaped arrangement groove 45 with a width of 250 μm and a height of 250 μm at the center, and the same optical fiber 10b was placed facing each other. The two optical fibers 10a and 10b are brought close to each other along the V-shaped alignment groove until they come into contact with the adhesive connecting member 20, and are closely adhered to each other. In this state, the glass upper plate 453 is placed on and fixed to the lower substrate 452 having the V-shaped alignment grooves from above.
Through the above process, two optical fibers can be simply connected in the V-shaped arrangement groove without causing pollution to the surroundings. Further, the flexibility of the adhesive connecting member increases the degree of freedom around the end face of the optical fiber, so that an excessive pressing force is not applied to the optical fiber, and as a result, the optical fiber is not damaged and can be optically connected with very good workability. The optical fiber end faces are closely adhered by the adhesiveness of the adhesive connecting member, and the connection loss is as small as 0.3 dB. In the connection structure of the formed optical fibers, D1Is 50 μm, D2And 65 μm.
In the method of processing the optical fiber end face shown in fig. 36, the connecting member fixed to the supporting member can be easily attached to the optical fiber end face only by moving the optical fiber, and the operability is good.
Example 6
The adhesive connecting member was bonded to the end surface of the optical fiber in the same manner as in example 1. In the optical connection step, the optical fiber and the end face of the optical fiber are interposed by an adhesive connection memberIn the butt joint, the optical fibers were optically connected in the same manner as in example 1, except that the step of pressing the optical fibers until the thickness of the adhesive connecting member became 10 μm to deform the inside thereof was employed. At this time, the connection loss was measured, and the result was 0.2 dB. As described above, by deforming the adhesive connecting member, the end faces of the optical fibers can be brought closer to each other, and connection with lower loss can be achieved. In the case of this embodiment, D1Smaller (not measurable) than the cladding diameter of the optical fiber, D2And 85 μm.
Example 7
The optical connection of the optical fibers was performed in the manner shown in fig. 38. The connecting array member 46 (10mm × 20mm × 40mm in size) has a deep groove 461 with a width of 0.25mm and a pair of through holes 462a and 462b at the center. On the other hand, the sheet-like connection member 21 used in example 1 was sandwiched between two support members 31a and 31b (2mm × 2mm, 0.1mm in thickness) of transparent plastic resin having a hollow in the center, and a sheet cassette was produced in which the sheet-like connection member was wrapped. As shown in fig. 38(a), the cartridge is mounted in a deep groove 461 of the connection array member. The optical fibers 10a and 10b whose tip 25mm portions are removed and cut are inserted into the through holes, and one optical fiber 10a is brought into contact with the sheet-like adhesive connecting member (b) housed in the cassette and gradually pressed in, so that the adhesive connecting member 20 is bonded to the end faces of the optical fibers (c). After the optical fiber is moved to an appropriate position, the optical fiber is fixed to the connection array member with an adhesive. Next, the other optical fiber 10b facing each other is moved and is brought into close contact with the adhesive connecting member (d). Then, the optical fiber is fixed to the connection array member with an adhesive.
In the above-described process, the optical connection is performed in the state in which the sheet material of the adhesive connecting member is wrapped inside the connecting array member and a part of the sheet material is cut out from the sheet-like adhesive connecting member, whereby the connection from the adhesive connecting member to the optical fiber is performed by one member. As a result, a structurally stable optical connection, optical, can be realizedThe connection structure can prevent the adhesion of sand or dust on the adhesive connection component after being manufactured, and the production efficiency is improved. In this case, D1Smaller (not measurable) than the cladding diameter of the optical fiber, D2Approximately 65 μm.
Example 8
Fig. 39 is a diagram for explaining an example of the optical connection structure (optical fiber connector) of the present invention when a single-core optical fiber is connected. Fig. 39(a) is a diagram showing components of the optical connection structure; fig. 39(b) is a diagram showing a connected state. The optical fiber 10 with the coated and cut end removed is inserted into the through hole 761 of the ferrule 76 of the FC plug provided in the FC plug 72, the ferrule end surface 762 is adjusted to be substantially aligned with the optical fiber end, and an epoxy resin (epoxy technology 353, manufactured by epoxy technology inc.) as an adhesive is poured and cured to fix the optical fiber. Next, the sheet-like connecting member 21 using an acrylic resin having a film thickness of 25 μm was placed in close contact with the end face of the ferrule so as to prevent air from entering, inserted into a slit 49 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the ferrule, and the opposing ferrules were butted from the opposite sides to connect the ferrules to each other, thereby forming the optical connecting structure of the present invention (fig. 39 (b)).
Example 9
Fig. 40 is a diagram for explaining an example of the optical connection structure (optical fiber connector) of the present invention when connecting multi-core optical fibers. Fig. 40(a) is a diagram showing components of the optical fiber connector; fig. 40(b) is a diagram showing a connected state. Fig. 40(a) to (c) are explanatory views showing a connecting process of the optical fiber connector of fig. 40. In the present figure, the case of using 4-core optical fiber ribbons is shown, but the number of optical fibers is not limited to this.
First, 4 optical fibers 101a to 104a and 101b to 104b, which are cut with the coatings of the distal ends of the optical fiber ribbons 15a and 15b removed, are inserted into through holes of MT ferrules 75a and 75b, respectively, the positions of the ferrule end faces 753 and the optical fiber ends are adjusted so as to be substantially aligned, and epoxy resin is poured from the adhesive-coated holes 752a and 752b and cured to fix the optical fibers (fig. 41 (a)).
Next, the guide pins 47a and 47b are inserted into the two guide pin holes 751a and 751b of one MT ferrule, and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is placed on the end face 753 of the MT ferrule (fig. 41 b). Next, the guide pins 47a and 47b are connected between the MT ferrule 75a and the other MT ferrule 75b to form the optical connection structure of the present invention (fig. 40(b) and 41 (c)).
As described above, the optical connection structure of the present invention can connect a plurality of optical fibers at a time by using a single sheet-like adhesive connecting member, and can perform excellent optical connection to any optical fiber.
The optical connection structure of the present invention is also applicable to a ferrule in which an end face of an optical fiber used for a normal plug connection is polished. That is, as described with reference to fig. 41, even when the MT ferrule end face 753 and the end faces of the respective optical fibers are connected by using a member obtained by polishing, good optical characteristics can be obtained, and a known ferrule can be used as it is without performing special design or processing.
Example 10
Reference numeral 42 denotes a perspective view of the components of the optical connection structure when the present invention is applied to an MPO type optical fiber connector. Fig. 43 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of the MPO-type optical fiber connector in fig. 42, in which fig. 43(a) is a plan view showing a state before connection and fig. 43(b) is a plan view showing a state after connection. The present invention is applicable to adapters and plugs including MT ferrules, such as conventional multifiber plugs MT-RJ, MPX, Mini-MT, and Mini-MPO, in addition to the MPO type optical fiber connectors described below.
In fig. 42 and 43, the MPO type optical fiber connector includes a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21, optical fiber ribbon cores 15a and 15b, MT ferrules 75a and 75b that align and hold optical fibers, MPO latches 71a and 71b that are made of a case that is attached and detached by a pushing mechanism, and a connecting adapter 50 for connecting a pair of MPO latches.
For connection of optical fibers, first, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is placed on the end face of the MT ferrule 75a, and the guide pins 47a and 47b are inserted into the guide pin holes of the end face of the MT ferrule 75a fixed to the MPO plug 71a (fig. 43 (a)). Next, by inserting the guide pins into the guide pin holes of the MT ferrule 75b facing each other, the MPO pins 71a and 71b and the adapter 50 are connected to each other through the housing while being aligned with the MT ferrule 75b (fig. 43 b). Furthermore, the MT ferrule end face may be free of grinding. In the optical connection, the MT ferrule end faces are closely attached to each other with the adhesive connecting member interposed therebetween in the adapter, thereby forming an optical connection structure.
As described above, in the optical connection member of the present invention, even in the case of using an MPO plug, low-loss connection can be achieved without performing a grinding process. Further, since the MPO pin is push-fit type, it is easy to mount and dismount.
As described above, as the adapter, as shown in fig. 19 and 20, an adapter in which a sheet-like adhesive connecting member is disposed can be used.
Example 11
Fig. 44(a) to (d) are explanatory views showing a connection process when a sheet-like adhesive connection member including a support member is used in the case of an optical connection structure (optical fiber connector) using an MT ferrule according to the present invention, and fig. 45 is a front view of a guide pin support member used in the connection process shown in fig. 44. As shown in fig. 44(a) and 45, the two guide pins 47a and 47b are held by the guide pin support member 57, and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is supported by the two guide pins 47a and 47b by providing both ends of the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 near the center of each guide pin. As shown in fig. 45, the guide pin support member 57 has two guide pin insertion grooves 571a, 571b, and the boss flat plates 95a, 95b are inserted into slit-shaped holes communicating with the guide pin insertion grooves so as to be slidable from both sides. After the guide bolt is placed in the guide bolt insertion groove, the protrusion flat plate is pressed into the guide bolt groove by pressing the protrusion flat plate, and the guide bolt is held by the protrusion flat plate surrounding the groove portion. Further, since the guide pin support member 57 has the hollow 572 therein, when the guide pin is placed, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is positioned in the hollow, and the guide pin support member does not contact the connecting member.
Next, both ends of the guide pin gripped by the support member are inserted into the guide pin insertion holes 751a and 751b of the pair of MT ferrules 75a and 75b to which the optical fibers 10a and 10b are fixed, and the MT ferrules are pushed in until they contact the guide pin support member 57 (fig. 44 (b)). Thus, the MT ferrules 75a and 75b facing each other are positioned upward by the guide pin, and therefore, by releasing the projection plate of the guide pin support member, the guide pin support member is detached from the guide pin (fig. 44(c)), and is connected to the MT ferrules facing each other (fig. 44 (d)). As described above, by supporting the sheet-like adhesive connecting member with the guide pin, the sheet-like adhesive connecting member is not damaged at the leading end of the guide pin when the guide pin is inserted, and dust can be prevented from adhering thereto.
Example 12
Fig. 46(a) to (c) are perspective views showing components of the optical fiber connector and a connecting process when the present invention is used for a 4-core MT ferrule. As shown in fig. 46(a), the support member 32 is a cylindrical member having a frame-like hollow of substantially the same shape as the outer periphery of the MT ferrule, and a sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 having a lateral width of 1.5mm is placed near the center of one end thereof, and the other end is an open end, and the inside of the cylindrical member is hollow, and the sheet-like adhesive connecting member 21 is placed on the end face of the MT ferrule 75a by fitting the MT ferrule 75a to which the optical fiber is fixed into the hollow (fig. 46 (b)). And the optical connection structure of the connector is formed by abutting the MT ferrules 75b facing each other in a state where the ferrules fitted into the support member are fixed to the ferrule side surfaces (fig. 46 (c)). In this way, the support member is fitted into the ferrule, so that the connection member can be easily attached to the MT ferrule, and the support member can be simply detached after the connection is completed by detaching the support member from the MT ferrule.
Example 13
In order to fabricate the optical connection structure shown in fig. 24, an array member 42 (having a size of 5mm × 12mm × 3mm) having a regular triangular V-shaped array groove 421 with a side of a cross section of 0.3mm, 2 plate-shaped upper plates 81a and 81b (having a size of 5mm × 5mm × 3mm), optical fiber cores (having a diameter of 0.25mm)10a and 10b whose tips are removed and cut, and an adhesive connection member 25 held by a support member 34 were prepared. A cylindrical plug having a diameter of 0.1mm and a length of 3mm is used as the support member 34, a urethane elastomer resin having a refractive index adjusted to 1.46 is used as the adhesive connecting member 25, and the connecting member is applied to the plug so that the thickness of the outer periphery of the plug is approximately 0.1 to 0.4 mm.
In order to fabricate an optical connection structure using the above components, first, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are placed in the alignment groove 421, and one optical fiber 10a is placed at a position about 2mm from the optical fiber 10 b. Next, the support member 34 is placed near the center of the upper portion of the alignment groove 421 of the alignment member 42 sandwiched between the end faces of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b. At this time, although not shown, the support member 34 is lightly pressed from above by a spring so that the support member does not easily float.
Then, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are moved inward to contact the adhesive connecting member 25, and are further moved to optically connect the end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b. At this time, by pushing in the optical fibers 10a and 10b, the adhesive connecting member 25 supported by the supporting member 34 on the optical axis adheres to the end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b, and further pushing in the optical fibers 10a and 10b, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are connected to each other (see fig. 24(a) to (d)).
According to the method for connecting optical transmission media of the present invention, the supporting member 34 provided with the adhesive connecting member 25 is placed on the V-groove, so that a necessary amount of the adhesive connecting member can be supplied to the end faces of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b. Further, since the optical connection structure is formed by placing the adhesive connecting member 25 from above, it is possible to connect the optical connection structure without performing complicated work such as coating on a substrate during work. Further, since only a necessary amount of the adhesive connecting member 25 is supplied into the alignment groove 421, no contamination is caused to the surroundings, and no light loss due to the axial displacement of the adhesive connecting member is caused. Further, when the adhesive connecting member 25 is detached, only the support member 34 is detached, and the work efficiency is improved. In addition, the connection loss at this time was 0.3dB or less, and there was no problem in optical characteristics.
Example 14
In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in fig. 47, as the array member 42 used in example 13, an array member having a groove 422 of a regular triangle having a side of 0.1mm intersecting the array groove 421 was used, and as the fastening member 81, a fastening member having a groove of a regular triangle having a side of 0.2mm was used at a position corresponding to the groove 422 of the array member 42. Except for this, optical connection was performed using the same members as in example 13.
In order to fabricate an optical connection structure using the above-described respective members, first, as shown in fig. 47(a) and (b), the optical fibers 10a and 10b are placed on the alignment groove 421 as in example 13, and then the support member 34 is placed on the groove 422 of the alignment member 42. As shown in fig. 47(c), the fastening member 81 is attached from above, so that the supporting member can be accommodated in the groove, and the optical fibers 10a and 10b are not lifted.
Then, as shown in fig. 47(d), the optical fibers 10a and 10b are moved to be in contact with the adhesive connecting member 25. By pushing in the optical fibers 10a and 10b, the adhesive connecting member 25 on the supporting member 34 supported on the optical axis is attached to the end faces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b, and further pushing in is performed as shown in fig. 47(e), so that the adhesive connecting member 25 is interposed between the optical fibers 10a and 10b to optically connect them. At the same time, the support member 34 moves upward, which does not affect the connection of the optical fibers 10a and 10b and does not damage the end faces of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b.
According to the connection structure of the optical transmission medium of this embodiment, by providing the grooves 422 intersecting the alignment grooves 421 in the alignment member 42, the support members 34 can be easily placed, and alignment can be easily performed. Moreover, when the adhesive connecting member 25 is detached, only the support member 34 is detached, and the work efficiency is improved. Furthermore, the optical fibers 10a and 10b were not damaged when the connection was repeated 100 times. In addition, the connection loss at this time was 0.2dB or less, and there was no problem in optical characteristics.
Example 15
In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in fig. 27, a connection member (length 3mm) held by a U-shaped support member (width 2mm) having two cylindrical bosses (length 3mm and diameter 0.15mm) was prepared, and two holes 423a and 423b (diameter 0.15mm and depth 3mm) were provided in the array member on both sides of the array groove, into which the bosses 341a and 341b of the support member 34 could be inserted. The support member 34 is made of stainless steel, and the adhesive connecting member 25 is applied to the lower portion of the outer periphery of the support member 34 with a brush.
In order to fabricate the optical connection structure using the above-described respective members, first, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are placed on both sides of the support member 34 on the array groove with the end surfaces facing each other, then the protrusions 341a and 341b of the support member 34 having the adhesive connecting member 25 are inserted into the two holes 423a and 423b of the array member 42, and the support member 34 is placed on the array groove 421 of the array member 42 so as to intersect with the array groove. Next, an upper plate, not shown, is attached to the upper surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b, respectively, and the optical fibers are held.
Then, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are moved inward, the distal ends of the optical fibers are brought into contact with the adhesive connecting member, and the optical fibers 10a and 10b are further moved to optically connect the end faces thereof, thereby forming the optical connection structure of the present invention (see fig. 27).
According to the connection structure of the optical transmission medium of this embodiment, the alignment and attachment of the array member 42 and the support member 34 can be easily performed simply by inserting the protrusions 341a and 341b4 of the support member 34 into the holes 423a and 423b provided in the array member 42. In addition, the connection loss at this time was 0.2dB or less, and there was no problem in optical characteristics.
Example 16
As shown in fig. 47, an optical connection structure is formed. That is, first, using the support member 34 of example 14, as shown in fig. 28(d), the film-like adhesive connecting member 25 was wound around the outer circumference of the support member 34 within a range of 2mm in width. After one round of the movement, the adhesive connecting members were joined together so that the adhesive connecting members at the lower portion of the outer periphery were in a state of sagging by about 0.2 mm. As described above, optical connection was performed using the same members as in example 14, except that the supporting member 34 supporting the adhesive connecting member was used. As the film of the adhesive connecting member, a film having a thickness of 25 μm, which is obtained by thinning an acrylic adhesive resin (having a refractive index of 1.467), was used.
When the optical connection structure is formed using the above-described members, the adhesive connecting member 25 formed into a thin film has a uniform thickness as described above, and therefore, the optical fibers 10a and 10b can be uniformly pressed by the uniform pressing force, and stable optical connection with an optical loss of 0.18dB or less is achieved. Further, since the adhesive connecting member 25 can be detached by simply peeling off the sheet, workability is improved.
Further, since the adhesive connecting member 25 uses an adhesive resin, the adhesive connecting member is easily adhered to the end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b by the wettability of the resin, and the adhesion between the optical fibers 10a and 10b and the adhesive connecting member 25 can be maintained by an appropriate pressing pressure by the adhesion force. Since the adhesive connecting member 25 is flexible, the optical connection can be performed with extremely good workability without damaging the end surfaces of the optical fibers 10a and 10 b. Further, since the adhesive connecting member 25 attached to the V-groove or the optical fibers 10a and 10b can be easily peeled off due to removability, the connection can be made again by replacement.
Example 17
The optical connection structure shown in fig. 48 includes optical fiber fixing members 86a and 86b, an array member 42, a plug-shaped support member 34, a plug-shaped drawing member 82, optical fibers 10a and 10b, and a pressing member 87. First, the distal end portion of the optical fiber 10a is fitted into the fixing portion 861a of the one optical fiber fixing member 86a and held, and the distal end portion of the optical fiber 10b is fitted into the fixing portion 861b of the other optical fiber fixing member 86b and held. At this time, the end faces of the optical fibers 10a and 10b were set to protrude 1.1mm from the end faces of the fixing portions. An elastic body (acrylic adhesive material) 95 is stuck to the pressing projection 871 of the pressing member 87 for applying a pressing pressure from the upper portion to the support member 34 and the plug-like introducing member 82.
In order to form an optical connection structure using the above-described respective members, first, the optical fiber fixing members 86a, 86b holding the optical fibers 10a, 10b are attached to the array member 42, respectively, and at this time, the optical fibers 10a, 10b are temporarily fixed so as to be able to be placed in the array groove 421 of the array member 42. At this time, as shown in fig. 48(a), the tip end portion of the optical fiber is placed in the alignment groove 421, but the tip end of the optical fiber 10b floats from the alignment groove 421 by about 0.3 mm.
Next, as shown in FIG. 48(b), the fiber fixing members 86a and 86b are placed between the aligning member 42 and the fiber fixing members 86a and 86bThe pin-like introducing member 82 and the support member 34 made of stainless steel. At this time, the adhesive connecting member 25 is coated on the lower portion of the outer circumferential portion of the supporting member 34. Then, as shown in fig. 48(c), the stopper pin portion 872 of the pressing member 87 is engaged with the engaging portion 424 of the array member 42, and the pressing member 87 is pressed against the array member 42 from above, whereby the plug-like introducing member 82 and the support member 34 are pressed against the array groove 421. At this time, the distal end portion of the optical fiber 10a exposed from the optical fiber fixing member 86aIn a state of being pressed in the arrangement groove by the plug-like drawing member 82; on the other hand, the distal end portion of the optical fiber 10b is exposed from the alignment groove 421 from the right optical fiber fixing member 86 b.
Then, as shown in fig. 48(d), the right fiber fixing member 86b is moved forward. When the optical fiber 10b is moved forward, the front end of the optical fiber 10b is brought into contact with the lower peripheral portion of the support member 34, and is introduced into the alignment groove 421 while being pressed downward by the lower peripheral portion. At this time, since the adhesive connecting member 25 at the lower portion of the outer peripheral portion of the support member 34 contacts the end face of the optical fiber 10b, the adhesive connecting member adheres to the end face of the optical fiber. Further, since the optical fiber 10b is pressed downward, the optical fibers 10a and 10b are positioned opposite to each other. The optical fiber 10b is further moved forward, and the distal ends of the optical fibers 10a and 10b are butted and connected, thereby producing the optical connection structure of the present invention.
In the optical connection structure according to the present embodiment, the supporting member 34 not only has a function of supporting the adhesive connecting member 25, but also can perform the alignment of the optical fibers 10a and 10b by pushing the supporting member 34 downward.

Claims (14)

1. An optical connection structure in which an adhesive connecting member made of a solid sheet-like adhesive material having refractive index adjustability is interposed between end faces of optical transmission media facing each other in a single layer state or is in close contact with an optical component,
the optical transmission medium is inserted into and fixed to a ferrule having at least one optical fiber arrangement hole or a plug including the ferrule, and a pair of the ferrules or a pair of the plugs are butted with each other with an adhesive connecting member interposed therebetween,
and a member for aligning the ferrules or the pins, wherein a minimum value D of a distance from a center of an end surface of the optical transmission medium in contact with the adhesive connection member to a peripheral edge portion of the adhesive connection member and a radius R of the optical transmission medium satisfy a relationship of 2R < D < 60R.
2. An optical connection structure in which a solid adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability is interposed between end faces of optical transmission media facing each other in a single layer state or is in close contact between the end faces of the optical transmission media and an optical component,
the disclosed device is provided with: at least a pair of optical transmission media, an array member having an array groove, a freely deformable solid adhesive connecting member having refractive index adjustability, and a support member supporting the adhesive connecting member,
in the arrangement groove of the arrangement member, the end faces of at least one pair of optical transmission media are placed so as to face each other, and a support member is placed on the upper portion of the arrangement groove between the optical transmission media, and at least one pair of optical transmission media are optically connected with each other with an adhesive connection member interposed therebetween.
3. The optical connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the thickness of the adhesive connecting member between the end faces of the optical transmission media facing each other or between the end face of the optical transmission media and the optical component is 50 μm or less.
4. The optical connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the adhesive holding distance of the adhesive connecting member is 10 μm or more.
5. The optical connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the adhesive connecting member is made of silicone resin or acrylic resin.
6. The optical connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the optical transmission media are butted using an array member.
7. The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein:
the adhesive connecting member is supported by a support member.
8. The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein:
the ferrules or the pins are mounted in the adapter, and the ferrules or the pins are butted against each other with the adhesive connecting member interposed therebetween inside the adapter.
9. The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein:
the means for aligning is a guide pin, the ferrule or the plug has a guide pin hole, and the ferrule or the plug is aligned by inserting the guide pin into the guide pin holes facing each other.
10. The optical connection structure according to claim 8, wherein:
a support member for supporting the adhesive connecting member is mounted in the split sleeve.
11. The optical connection structure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein:
the support member supporting the adhesive connecting member is formed of a cylindrical member, and the adhesive connecting member is supported at one end of the cylindrical member, and the other end of the cylindrical member is fitted to the ferrule or the adapter to be optically connected.
12. The optical connection structure according to claim 2, wherein:
the array member has a groove in a direction intersecting the array groove, and the support member is placed in the groove.
13. The optical connection structure according to claim 2, wherein:
the support member has at least one protrusion, and the array member has at least one hole into which the protrusion of the support member is inserted and fixed, and the support member is placed on the upper portion of the array slot.
14. An optical connection method comprising: a step of placing the end surfaces of at least a pair of optical transmission media facing each other in the alignment groove of the alignment member using at least a pair of optical transmission media, the alignment member having an alignment groove, a freely deformable solid adhesive connection member having refractive index adjustability and having a single-layer structure, and a support member supporting the adhesive connection member;
placing a support member for supporting the freely deformable solid adhesive connecting member on the arrangement groove between the facing light transmission media; and the number of the first and second groups,
and a step of optically connecting the facing optical transmission media by abutting them with the adhesive connecting member therebetween.
HK09105776.0A 2003-11-19 2009-06-26 Optical connection structure and optical connection method HK1128332B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2003-388707 2003-11-19
JP2003388707 2003-11-19
JP2004086343A JP4043448B2 (en) 2004-03-24 2004-03-24 OPTICAL CONNECTION STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
JP2004-086343 2004-03-24
JP2004-170679 2004-06-09
JP2004170679A JP4109653B2 (en) 2004-06-09 2004-06-09 Optical connector, and split sleeve for connection, support member and adapter used therefor
JP2004211337A JP3993590B2 (en) 2004-07-20 2004-07-20 OPTICAL CONNECTION STRUCTURE, ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND SUPPORT MEMBER USED FOR THE SAME
JP2004-211337 2004-07-20

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
HK1128332A1 HK1128332A1 (en) 2009-10-23
HK1128332B true HK1128332B (en) 2012-11-02

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