JP2011203284A - Flexible optical waveguide with connector, and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible optical waveguide with a connector is realized with low loss and low cost.
A method for manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide with a connector is described in which one disconnection point X is formed on one surface of a flexible optical waveguide 1 and a first connector member 2A constituting a connector 2 attached to the flexible optical waveguide 1. The first conductor pattern 4 including the second conductor pattern 8 is formed on the other surface, and the second conductor pattern 8 that compensates for the disconnection portion X of the first conductor pattern 4 is formed. The surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector While the curable resin material 9 is interposed between the surface of the member 2A and the power source 10 is connected to the first conductor pattern 4, alignment is performed while applying a load. After completion, the curable resin material 9 is cured so that the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the first connector member 2A are in contact with each other. It is intended to include the step of.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible optical waveguide with a connector and a method for manufacturing the same.

In recent years, for example, communication between arithmetic processing circuits such as CPUs and LSIs in arithmetic devices such as supercomputers (supercomputers), high-end servers (servers), and routers has become very fast.
For this reason, it has become difficult to cope with conventional electrical wiring from the viewpoint of communication speed and power consumption.

Therefore, the necessity of introducing optical interconnect wiring capable of broadband and low power consumption is increasing.
In addition to the above-described devices, for example, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones are required to perform high-speed transmission by image processing and the like, and it is necessary to introduce optical wiring.
By the way, in wiring in racks of devices such as the above-mentioned supercomputers, servers and routers, and wiring in portable electronic devices, etc., by using a flexible polymer optical waveguide instead of an optical fiber generally used for long-distance transmission, High-density and complex mounting is possible. The flexible polymer optical waveguide is also referred to as a polymer optical waveguide sheet, a film polymer optical waveguide, or a flexible optical waveguide.

As a connector for connecting such a polymer optical waveguide to an optical fiber, for example, there is a PMT connector (Connector for Polymer waveguide connected with MT connector) that can be connected to a general-purpose MT (Mechanically Transferable) connector. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a first technique.
In the case of a composite wiring in which the conductive wiring and the optical waveguide such as a polymer optical waveguide are formed in the same cross section, the position of the conductive wiring is detected by a sensor, and the external optical element and the optical waveguide are There is also a technique for aligning the positions. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a second technique.

JP 2007-272171 A

JPCA standard, detailed standard of PMT optical connector, JPCA-PE03-01-07S, Japan Electronic Circuits Association, May 25, 2006

By the way, in the first technique described above, the alignment of the polymer optical waveguide and the connector member is performed by adjusting the width of the connection portion of the polymer optical waveguide to the connector member to the dimension of the connector member.
In this case, the connection portion of the polymer optical waveguide to the connector member can be cut out with an accuracy such that the error between the width of the connection portion of the polymer optical waveguide to the connector member and the dimension of the connector member is within 5 microns. I need it.

  However, it is difficult to cut out the width of the connection portion of the polymer optical waveguide to the connector member with an accuracy of within 5 microns. For this reason, an error larger than this occurs when the polymer optical waveguide is cut. When a connector member is attached to a polymer optical waveguide in which such an error has occurred, the alignment between the polymer optical waveguide and the connector member cannot be performed with high accuracy, resulting in an increase in optical coupling loss and optical coupling loss. The variation of the will also increase. Thus, it is difficult to connect the polymer optical waveguide and the connector member with low loss and low cost. This is also necessary from the viewpoint of freedom of attachment and detachment during maintenance and spatial handling.

Further, in the second technique described above, since it is necessary to perform spatial alignment in which the position of the conductive wiring is detected by a sensor, the throughput is low in mass production, resulting in high cost. .
Therefore, it is desired to realize a flexible optical waveguide with a connector with low loss and low cost.

  For this reason, the manufacturing method of the flexible optical waveguide with the connector includes the first conductive member including one disconnection portion on the surface of either the flexible optical waveguide or the first connector member constituting the connector attached to the flexible optical waveguide. Forming a body pattern, forming a second conductor pattern on the other surface to compensate for the disconnection of the first conductor pattern, and forming a curable resin between the surface of the flexible optical waveguide and the surface of the first connector member In the state where the material is interposed and the power source is connected to the first conductor pattern, alignment is performed while a load is applied. When power is supplied, the alignment is terminated. After the alignment is completed, the curable resin material is cured, and the flexible optical waveguide It is a requirement to bond the surface and the surface of the first connector member.

  In addition, the flexible optical waveguide with a connector includes a flexible optical waveguide having either one of a first conductor pattern including one disconnection portion and a second conductor pattern for compensating for the disconnection portion of the first conductor pattern on the surface. And a connector member having the other of the first conductor pattern and the second conductor pattern on the surface thereof, the disconnection portions of the first conductor pattern being connected by the second conductor pattern, and the surface of the flexible optical waveguide. And the surface of the connector member are bonded to each other by a curable resin material.

  Therefore, according to the flexible optical waveguide with connector and the manufacturing method thereof, there is an advantage that low loss and low cost can be realized.

(A)-(G) are the schematic diagrams for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of this embodiment, (A)-(C) is a top view, (D) is (C (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB 'in (C), and (F) and (G) are cross-sectional views. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of this embodiment, and its manufacturing method. (A)-(C) are the schematic diagrams which show the structure of the flexible optical waveguide contained in the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of this embodiment, (A) is a top view, (B) is (A). It is sectional drawing which follows the AA 'line, (C) is sectional drawing which follows the BB' line of (A). (A)-(E) is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the connector contained in the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of this embodiment, (A) is a top view of the 1st connector member which comprises a connector, ( B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA 'in (A), (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB' in (A), and (D) is a second connector constituting the connector. It is a top view of a member, (E) is sectional drawing which follows the AA 'line of (D).

Hereinafter, a flexible optical waveguide with a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same will be described with reference to FIGS.
The method for manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide with a connector according to the present embodiment is a method for manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide 3 with a connector by coupling a flexible optical waveguide 1 and an optical connector 2 as shown in FIG. That is, this is a method for manufacturing the flexible optical waveguide 3 with a connector by mounting the optical connector 2 on the end of the flexible optical waveguide 1.

The manufacturing method of the flexible optical waveguide with a connector includes the following steps, that is, from a preparation step to an alignment step.
First, the preparation process will be described.
First, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the first conductor pattern 4 including one broken point X is formed on the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1.

Here, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is a polymer optical waveguide made of, for example, an epoxy or acrylic polymer.
Here, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is a sheet-shaped or film-shaped optical waveguide including a core 5 that propagates an optical signal and clad layers 6 and 7 provided around the core 5. That is, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is a sheet-shaped or film-shaped optical waveguide that includes a channel-shaped core 5 (core channel) having a higher refractive index than the surrounding cladding layers 6 and 7 inside.

Specifically, the flexible optical waveguide 1 includes an under cladding layer 6, a plurality of channel-shaped cores 5 formed on the under cladding layer 6, and an over cladding layer 7 that covers the plurality of cores 5.
Such a flexible optical waveguide 1 is manufactured as follows, for example. That is, for example, after forming the core 5 on the sheet-like under cladding layer 6 using a process such as roll-to-roll, a plurality of channel-like cores 5 are formed by an exposure process or an etching process. Then, an over clad layer 7 is formed so as to cover each core 5. In this way, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is produced.

For this reason, the 1st conductor pattern 4 (1st wiring pattern) is formed on the surface of the over clad layer 7 of the flexible optical waveguide 1 here.
Here, the first conductor pattern 4 is formed on the outer side of the outermost one core 5, along the one core 5, in parallel with the first core 5, and the outermost other core 5. The second portion 4 </ b> B formed in parallel with the other core 5 along the other core 5 is provided outside the core 5. The first portion 4A is connected to one terminal of an external power source 10 described later, and the second portion 4B is connected to another terminal of the external power source 10 described later.

  Further, the first conductor pattern 4 is connected to the tip portion of the first portion 4A, extends in a direction orthogonal to the first portion 4A, and has a first triangular portion 4C and a second portion 4B that have a thin tip. And a second triangular portion 4D that extends in a direction perpendicular to the second portion 4B and has a thin tip. A gap is provided between the tip of the first triangular portion 4C and the tip of the second triangular portion 4D. That is, the first portion 4A and the first triangular portion 4C connected thereto, and the second portion 4B and the second triangular portion 4D connected thereto are not connected but are disconnected. As described above, the first conductor pattern 4 includes one disconnection point X.

Here, the tip portions of the first portion 4 </ b> A and the second portion 4 </ b> B are located near the end face of the flexible optical waveguide 1. Therefore, the first triangular portion 4C connected to the distal end portion of the first portion 4A and the second triangular portion 4D connected to the distal end portion of the second portion 4B are also located in the vicinity of the end face of the flexible optical waveguide 1. .
Further, since the first portion 4A is provided in parallel to the core 5, the first triangular portion 4C extending in the direction orthogonal to the first portion 4A extends in the direction orthogonal to the core 5. Similarly, since the second portion 4B is provided in parallel to the core 5, the second triangular portion 4D extending in the direction orthogonal to the second portion 4B extends in the direction orthogonal to the core 5. For this reason, alignment in the direction orthogonal to the core 5 can be performed using such a first conductor pattern 4.

  In particular, here, the first portion 4A and the second portion 4B each include a plurality of folded portions 4Aa and 4Ba. This is because the first conductor pattern 4 is used not only for alignment but also as a heating means for heating the thermosetting resin material 9 for bonding the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A. . That is, in order to make the region where the first conductor pattern 4 and the thermosetting resin material 9 contact each other as large as possible, a plurality of folded portions 4Aa and 4Ba are formed on each of the first portion 4A and the second portion 4B. Provided.

  Each of the plurality of folded portions 4 </ b> Aa and 4 </ b> Ba is configured by a portion orthogonal to the core 5 and a portion parallel to the core 5. Then, the overlapping area between the portion of each folded portion 4Aa, 4Ba orthogonal to the core 5 and each of the plurality of cores 5 is made to be the same between the cores 5. The portions of the folded portions 4Aa and 4Ba parallel to the core 5 and the first portion 4A and the second portion 4B other than the folded portions 4Aa and 4Ba are not overlapped with the core 5.

Such a first conductor pattern 4 is formed as follows, for example.
First, a resist pattern in which the pattern shape of the first conductor pattern 4 is inverted is formed on the surface of the over clad layer 7 of the flexible optical waveguide 1. For example, the thickness of the resist pattern may be 5 microns.
For example, when a plurality of channel-shaped cores 5 are formed by an exposure process, an alignment mark for forming a first conductor pattern is formed on the core 5 in the exposure process, so that each core 5 and the first conductive are formed. It is possible to perform alignment with the body pattern 4. In addition, the first conductor pattern 4 is precise with respect to each core 5 with the exposure accuracy in the exposure process for forming the core 5 and the exposure process for forming the resist pattern for forming the first conductor pattern. Alignment is possible.

Next, the first conductor pattern 4 made of a NiCr thin film is formed by, for example, a sputtering method and a lift-off method.
That is, first, a NiCr thin film having a thickness of about 500 nm is formed on the resist pattern by sputtering, for example. In addition, it is not restricted to the NiCr thin film used as an alloy, For example, you may form metal films, such as Cu and Al, and oxide films, such as ITO.

Then, the 1st conductor pattern 4 which consists of a NiCr thin film is formed by peeling a resist at a lift-off process.
Here, the first conductor pattern 4 is formed using the lift-off method, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first conductor pattern 4 may be formed by other methods. For example, after forming a NiCr thin film on the entire surface, a resist pattern may be formed, and the first conductor pattern 4 made of a NiCr thin film may be formed by dry etching or wet etching.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), the broken portion X of the first conductor pattern 4 is compensated for on the surface of the first connector member 2A constituting the connector 2 attached to the flexible optical waveguide 1. A rectangular second conductor pattern 8 (second wiring pattern) is formed. That is, the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 are complementary conductor patterns.
Here, the 2nd conductor pattern 8 is formed in the length which overlaps with both the triangular-shaped parts 4C and 4D which are mutually opposed in the disconnection location X of the 1st conductor pattern 4. FIG. That is, the length of the second conductor pattern 8 is longer than the length of the disconnection portion X of the first conductor pattern 4. The first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 which are complementary conductor patterns are formed so that the total length of the overlapping portions (total length on both sides) is about 5 microns or less. ing. That is, the other end portion of the second conductor pattern 8 in a state where one end portion of the second conductor pattern 8 is in contact with the tip end of one triangular portion 4C (or 4D) of the first conductor pattern 4. The length of the portion where the other triangular portion 4D (or 4C) of the first conductor pattern 4 overlaps is about 5 microns or less.

Such a second conductor pattern 8 can be formed on the surface of the first connector member 2A by the same process as the first conductor pattern 4 described above. In this case, the second conductor pattern 8 can be precisely aligned using the corners of the first connector member 2A.
In addition, the overlapping area of the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 formed in this way and each of the plurality of cores 5 included in the flexible optical waveguide 1 is substantially the same between the cores 5. It has become. That is, when viewed from the normal direction of the connection surface (joint surface) between the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A, the plurality of cores 5 have a substantially uniform overlapping area (area of overlapping portions). As described above, the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 are formed for each of the plurality of cores 5.

Next, the alignment process will be described.
First, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4C, a curable resin material 9 is applied on the surface of the first connector member 2A. That is, the adhesive 9 made of a curable resin material is applied on the surface of the first connector member 2A.
Here, a thermosetting resin material is applied as the curable resin material 9. Further, here, in a state where the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A are overlapped with each other, a region where the wiring of the first conductor pattern 4 is dense (a plurality of folded portions 4Aa and 4Ba are formed). The thermosetting resin material 9 is applied onto the surface of the first connector member 2A so that the entire region is covered with the thermosetting resin material 9. The thermosetting resin material 9 may be applied so as to be in contact with at least one location of the first conductor pattern 4.

Specifically, for example, using a jet dispenser, the thermosetting resin material 9 is applied on the surface of the first connector member 2A so that the thickness thereof is, for example, about 500 nm. Here, for example, a thermosetting resin material 9 that can be instantaneously cured at a temperature of 200 ° C. or less is used. Thereby, the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the 1st connector member 2A can be adhere | attached rapidly.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1A, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is turned over so that the first conductor pattern 4 is on the lower side, and the surface of the first connector member 2A coated with the thermosetting resin material 9 is applied. Put it on top.

Here, the flexible optical waveguide 1 is placed on the surface of the first connector member 2A so that the broken portion X of the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 are overlapped.
Next, an external power supply 10 (external DC power supply; power feeding mechanism) is connected to both ends of the first conductor pattern 4, that is, pads formed on both ends of the first conductor pattern 4. As a result, a voltage is applied across the first conductor pattern 4 by the external power supply 10. For example, the voltage of the external power supply 10 is 5 V, and 5 V is applied to both ends of the first conductor pattern 4.

  Here, since the external power supply 10 is also used as a heating means for curing the thermosetting resin material 9, it is preferable to use an external power supply capable of managing the integrated current amount. The first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 generate heat when a current supplied from the external power supply 10 flows, and heat the thermosetting resin material 9. For this reason, the heating means includes the external power source 10, the first conductor pattern 4, and the second conductor pattern 8.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 1B, alignment is performed while applying a load.
Here, with the flexible optical waveguide 1 placed on the surface of the first connector member 2A, alignment is performed by sliding in a plane. The alignment is mainly performed by moving in the direction in which the core 5 extends, that is, the direction perpendicular to the light traveling direction (vertical direction; arrow direction in the figure). For this reason, alignment can be easily performed as compared with the case where spatial alignment is performed. That is, the alignment process can be simplified. Thereby, the throughput can be increased, and as a result, the cost can be kept low.

  Since the influence of the propagation loss due to the angle shift of the flexible optical waveguide 1 is small, the tilt need not be considered more than necessary. Further, since the end face polishing is performed, it is not necessary to consider the protrusion of the flexible optical waveguide 1 from the connector 2. Further, the height direction position is determined by the thickness of the flexible optical waveguide 1. Since the variation of the thickness of the flexible optical waveguide 1 is small, it is not necessary to consider the position in the height direction.

  Here, as described above, the overlapping areas of the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 and each of the plurality of cores 5 included in the flexible optical waveguide 1 are substantially the same between the cores 5. It has become. For this reason, when a load is applied to join the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2 </ b> A, stress is uniformly generated in each core 5. As a result, it is possible to reduce loss between channels and variation in skew during optical signal transmission due to refractive index change (refractive index distribution) caused by stress.

And as shown to FIG.1 (C)-(E), if it supplies with electricity, alignment will be complete | finished (completed).
That is, when the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 are connected during alignment, the current supplied from the external power supply 10 is supplied to the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor. Flows through pattern 8. When a current flows through the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8, the alignment is finished. Such alignment is called alignment by conduction of the conductor pattern.

  Here, as described above, the length of the portion where the end portion of the second conductor pattern 8 and the triangular portions 4C and 4D of the first conductor pattern 4 overlap is set to about 5 microns or less. Alignment with overlapping dimensional accuracy is possible. That is, if both ends of the second conductor pattern 8 are in contact with the triangular portions 4C and 4D that sandwich the disconnection portion X of the first conductor pattern 4, electricity flows. For this reason, alignment can be performed with an accuracy according to the length of the overlapping portion of the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8. In this case, since it is not necessary to perform alignment by adjusting the width of the flexible optical waveguide 1 to the dimensions of the connector member, for example, the cutting accuracy of the end portion of the flexible optical waveguide 1 by a dicing saw is eased.

  Further, when the flexible optical waveguide 1 is made of a polymer, it is an insulator and is likely to accumulate static electricity, so that there is a possibility that misalignment (static electricity drift) may occur during alignment due to the influence of static electricity. Here, since the conductor patterns 4 and 8 are formed on both the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A, by grounding one of the conductor patterns, static electricity can be removed, It is also possible to avoid the occurrence of static electricity drift. Thereby, more precise alignment becomes possible.

After the alignment is completed, the thermosetting resin material 9 is cured to bond the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the first connector member 2A.
Here, since the thermosetting resin material is used as the curable resin material 9, the thermosetting resin material 9 can be cured by energization heating after completion of alignment. That is, after the alignment is completed by energizing the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8, the energization to the first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 is continued for a predetermined time. The first conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 generate heat when energized. For this reason, the thermosetting resin material 9 is heated and cured by the first conductor pattern 4 that generates heat. As a result, the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the first connector member 2 </ b> A are bonded, and the first connector member 2 </ b> A is connected to the end of the flexible optical waveguide 1.

  In particular, since the thermosetting resin material 9 that can be cured instantaneously is used, it can be cured instantaneously. For example, the thermosetting resin material 9 can be cured within a few seconds from the start of energization heating after completion of alignment. That is, the thermosetting resin material 9 starts to be cured from the periphery of the first conductor pattern 4 that is energized and generates heat simultaneously with the completion of alignment, and the curing is completed within 10 seconds, for example. Thereby, instantaneous temporary fixing (temporary adhesion between the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A) in the alignment completed state is possible.

  Moreover, it becomes possible to optimize the temperature and time for hardening the thermosetting resin material 9 by using the external power supply 10 which can manage the integrated current amount. For example, when the integrated current amount is monitored and desired power energy is supplied, the voltage of the external power supply 10 is automatically lowered to zero to stop the supply of current, so that excess heat can be generated in the flexible optical waveguide. It can be prevented from being added to 1. Thereby, damages such as denaturation due to heat can be prevented from occurring in the flexible optical waveguide 1.

In this way, the bonding of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A and the alignment of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first connector member 2A are performed at the same time, and the alignment process is completed. The temporary fixing of the first connector member 2A to the waveguide 1 is completed.
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 1 (F) and (G), the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface thereof are bonded using an adhesive (adhesive member) 11 made of a material different from the thermosetting resin material 9 described above. The first connector member 2A thus bonded is bonded to the second connector member 2B constituting the connector 2.

That is, as described above, after temporary bonding (preliminary bonding) using an adhesive made of the thermosetting resin material 9 capable of instantaneous bonding, main bonding using the adhesive 11 made of a different material is performed.
Here, for example, a two-component epoxy adhesive (low-viscosity adhesive) is used as the adhesive 11 made of a different material for adhering to the inside of the second connector member 2B, and the adhesive is made over a long time at a low temperature. ing. For example, using a jet dispenser, the two-component epoxy adhesive 11 is applied so that the thickness thereof is, for example, about 500 nm. Then, when the connector is assembled, that is, the pressure when the first connector member 2A to which the flexible optical waveguide 1 is bonded is fitted into the second connector member 2B is appropriately adjusted. Accordingly, the two-component epoxy adhesive 11 is placed around the flexible optical waveguide 1, that is, with the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the first while adjusting the position (vertical direction position in the drawing) of each core 5 of the flexible optical waveguide 1. From the adhesive surface with the connector member 2 </ b> A to the back surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1. And it adhere | attaches over several hours unit time at low temperature. Thereby, the long-term reliability of the connector 2 can be ensured.

  For example, when the connector 2 is attached to the flexible optical waveguide 1 (film waveguide) having a plurality of connection portions, the throughput can be increased and manufacturing can be performed at low cost. That is, after temporarily bonding the required number of first connector members 2A to each connection portion of the flexible optical waveguide 1 (film waveguide) having a plurality of connection portions, the main bonding can be performed by, for example, an oven or the like by batch processing. become. For this reason, it is possible to increase the throughput and manufacture at a lower cost than performing alignment, temporary bonding, and main bonding one by one.

Thus, the flexible optical waveguide 3 with a connector is manufactured.
The connector-attached flexible optical waveguide 3 manufactured as described above has the following configuration.
That is, the flexible optical waveguide 3 with a connector includes a flexible optical waveguide 1 having a first conductor pattern 4 including one disconnection portion on the surface near the end surface, and the first conductor pattern 4 as shown in FIG. The connector member 2 which has the 2nd conductor pattern 8 which supplements the disconnection location of this on the surface is provided. The disconnected portion of the first conductor pattern 4 is connected by the second conductor pattern 8, and the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the connector member 2 are bonded by the curable resin material 9.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure described in embodiment mentioned above, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first conductor pattern 4 including one disconnection point X is formed on the surface in the vicinity of the end face of the flexible optical waveguide 1, and the first conductive material is formed on the surface of the first connector member 2A. Although the 2nd conductor pattern 8 which supplements the disconnection location X of the body pattern 4 is formed, it is not restricted to this.

For example, the first conductor pattern 4 including one break point X is formed on the surface of the first connector member 2A, and the break point of the first conductor pattern 4 is formed on the surface near the end face of the flexible optical waveguide 1. A second conductor pattern 8 that supplements X may be formed.
In short, the first conductor pattern 4 including one disconnection point X is formed on the surface of either the flexible optical waveguide 1 or the first connector member 2A constituting the connector 2 attached to the flexible optical waveguide 1. The second conductor pattern 8 may be formed on the other surface so as to compensate for the broken portion X of the first conductor pattern 4.

  In this case, the connector-attached flexible optical waveguide 3 has the following configuration. That is, the flexible optical waveguide 1 having either one of the first conductor pattern 4 including one breakage point and the second conductor pattern 8 that compensates for the breakage point X of the first conductor pattern 4 on the surface; And a connector member 2 having the other of the conductor pattern 4 and the second conductor pattern 8 on the surface thereof. The disconnected portion of the first conductor pattern 4 is connected by the second conductor pattern 8, and the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the connector member 2 are bonded by the curable resin material 9.

In the above-described embodiment, the curable resin material 9 is applied on the surface of the first connector member 2A, and the flexible optical waveguide 1 is placed on the surface of the first connector member 2A to which the curable resin material 9 is applied. After that, the power source 10 is connected to the first conductor pattern 4, and in this state, alignment is performed while applying a load. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, after applying the curable resin material 9 on the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and placing the first connector member 2A on the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 coated with the curable resin material 9, the first conductor The power supply 10 may be connected to the pattern 4 and alignment may be performed while applying a load in this state. Further, for example, after the power source 10 is connected to the first conductor pattern 4, the curable resin material 9 is applied on the surface of the first connector member 2A, and the first connector member 2A applied with the curable resin material 9 is applied. The flexible optical waveguide 1 may be placed on the surface of the substrate, and in this state, alignment may be performed while applying a load. For example, after connecting the power supply 10 to the 1st conductor pattern 4, the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 by which the curable resin material 9 was apply | coated on the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1, and the curable resin material 9 was apply | coated. The first connector member 2A may be placed on the top, and in this state, alignment may be performed while applying a load. In short, in the state where the curable resin material (adhesive member) 9 is interposed between the surface of the flexible optical waveguide 1 and the surface of the first connector member 2A, and the power source 10 is connected to the first conductor pattern 4 Alignment should be performed while applying.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the thermosetting resin material is used as the curable resin material 9, it is not restricted to this.
For example, a photocurable resin material such as an ultraviolet curable resin material may be used as the curable resin material. In this case, the photocurable resin material is cured by light irradiation after the alignment is completed. For example, when the end of alignment, that is, energization is detected, the light source switch is turned on so that the light curable resin material is irradiated with light for a predetermined time after the end of alignment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible optical waveguide 2 Connector 2A 1st connector member 2B 2nd connector member 3 Flexible optical waveguide with a connector 4 1st conductor pattern 4A 1st part 4B 2nd part 4Aa, 4Ba Folded part 4C 1st triangular part 4D 2nd Triangular portion X Disconnection point 5 Core 6 Under clad layer 7 Over clad layer 8 Second conductor pattern 9 Curable resin material (adhesive)
10 External power supply 11 Two-component epoxy adhesive

Claims (6)

A first conductor pattern including one disconnection portion is formed on one surface of either the flexible optical waveguide or the first connector member constituting the connector attached to the flexible optical waveguide, and the first conductor pattern is formed on the other surface. Forming a second conductor pattern to compensate for the disconnection of the first conductor pattern;
When a curable resin material is interposed between the surface of the flexible optical waveguide and the surface of the first connector member, the power is connected to the first conductor pattern, alignment is performed while a load is applied, and power is applied. Finish the alignment,
A method of manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide with a connector, comprising: curing the curable resin material after completion of the alignment, and bonding the surface of the flexible optical waveguide and the surface of the first connector member. The curable resin material is a thermosetting resin material,
The method for manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide with a connector according to claim 1, wherein the thermosetting resin material is cured by energization heating after completion of the alignment. The curable resin material is a photocurable resin material,
The method for manufacturing a flexible optical waveguide with a connector according to claim 1, wherein the photocurable resin material is cured by light irradiation after completion of the alignment.   The overlapping area of the first conductor pattern and the second conductor pattern and each of the plurality of core layers included in the flexible optical waveguide is substantially the same between the core layers, The manufacturing method of the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of any one of Claims 1-3.   Using an adhesive made of a material different from the curable resin material, the first optical connector and the first connector member bonded to the surface of the flexible optical waveguide are bonded to the second connector member constituting the connector. The manufacturing method of the flexible optical waveguide with a connector of any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A flexible optical waveguide having on the surface either one of a first conductor pattern including one breakage point and a second conductor pattern that compensates for the breakage point of the first conductor pattern;
A connector member having the other of the first conductor pattern and the second conductor pattern on the surface;
The disconnection point of the first conductor pattern is connected by the second conductor pattern,
A flexible optical waveguide with a connector, wherein the surface of the flexible optical waveguide and the surface of the connector member are bonded together by a curable resin material.

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