JP2982362B2 - Optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure for accurately positioning an optical fiber and an optical waveguide formed on an optical waveguide member substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a technology for directly processing an optical signal using an optical waveguide has been developed. At this time, it is necessary to connect an optical fiber to the end face of the optical waveguide in order to input an optical signal to the optical waveguide or to extract an optical signal from the optical waveguide. By the way, positioning of both end faces requires submicron accuracy. Furthermore, with the miniaturization and high-density mounting of components, with multiple optical fibers densely arranged,
At the same time, it is required to collectively connect to the optical waveguide.

In response to this demand, a conventional method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
As shown in FIG. 5 , an optical waveguide base 14 having V-grooves 4 formed at predetermined intervals in parallel with each other and having an optical waveguide 2 having an optical signal introduction / exit port on an end face is shown in FIG. And a guide pin 7 that engages with the V-groove 4.
The guide pin 7 was performed with the optical fiber holding connector 15 for holding the optical fiber 12 positioned to optically coupled to the inlet and outlet when engaged in the V-groove 4.

[0004]

In the prior art, since the optical waveguide 2 and the V-groove 4 are formed integrally with the optical waveguide base 14, it is not possible to form both of them with a submicron precision in their positional relationship. It was very difficult.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is characterized in that the optical waveguide and the V-groove are formed on separate substrates as shown in FIG. Guide board 3 and having at least two or more V-grooves 4 formed in parallel to each other in a specifically optical waveguide member substrate 1, a predetermined distance where the light guide 2 is formed with inlet and outlet of the optical signal to the end face An optical fiber having a guide pin 7 engaged with the V-groove 4 and positioned so as to optically couple to the introduction port when the guide pin 7 is engaged with the V-groove 4 and a guide pin hole of the optical connector. in the optical waveguide, an optical fiber coupling structure comprising an optical connector 10 to hold the 12, at least a light wave guide substrate 1 and the guide board 3 is formed separately, the light
Masters placed on the introduction / exit side of the waveguide member substrate
Optical signal from the optical fiber of one master connector of the connector
Signal and the optical fiber of the other master connector
The intensity of the optical signal passing through the optical waveguide of the waveguide member substrate
Monitor the phase of the optical waveguide member substrate and the guide substrate.
An optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure in which both substrates are fixed after the pair position is adjusted .

As a preferred configuration of the present invention, the height of the axis center of the optical signal introducing / exiting port at the end face of the optical waveguide member substrate 1 and the axis center of the guide pin 7 coincide with each other. That is, the guide substrate 3 is pressurized and fixed in the V groove 4 so as to protrude from the end face of the guide substrate 3.

[0007]

According to the present invention, an optical waveguide member substrate 1 formed by a diffusion method or the like and a guide substrate 3 mainly formed by machining or the like are separately prepared and assembled while adjusting their relative positions. The waveguide and the optical fiber can be accurately coupled.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the structure of the present invention. The guide pins 7 are fixed on the guide substrate 3 having the guide means including the V-grooves 4 by the guide pin pressing members 8, and the interval between the guide pins 7 is determined by the interval between the V-grooves 4. The tip of the guide pin 7 is disposed so as to protrude from the end surface of the guide substrate 3. The V groove 4 is formed by machining, substrate etching, YAG laser, or the like. On the other hand, the optical waveguide member substrate 1 is formed on a silicon single crystal substrate by, for example, an optical waveguide, a coupler,
A member such as a switch is formed about 40 microns above the substrate surface, and the optical waveguide 2 through which the optical signal passes is an optical waveguide member base.
It extends to the end face of the plate 1 . On the end face of the optical waveguide member substrate 1, the distance between the optical waveguides 2 is such that an optical connector 10 having a guide pin hole 11 fitted with a guide pin 7 to be connected later.
The distance between the optical fibers 12 is kept equal to the distance between the optical fibers 12. These two substrates 1 and 3 are contact with the contact surface 5 as shown in FIG. 1 contact
Although is adhesively fixed by wearing fixing unit 6, the optical waveguide member substrate 1 and the guide end surface position of the substrate 3 (Z direction) and the V-groove 4 and the relative position location (X direction) of the optical waveguide 2 is the contact surface 5 on One of the features of the present invention is that the slide alignment is determined .

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view when the two substrates are assembled. Distance P between guide pin 7 and optical waveguide 2
_G, P _F is set according to the optical connector 10 to be connected. On the other hand, the axial center height (Y direction) of the guide pin 7 and the center position of the optical waveguide 2 in the Y direction are set so as to match. The coincident surface is hereinafter referred to as a reference surface 13. The position adjustment in the Y direction 2 is performed by adjusting both the groove depth and the diameter of the guide pin 7 when the V groove 4 is formed. Another feature of the present invention is that the V-grooves and the guide pins are used to adjust in the Y direction, so that they can be formed accurately.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method of adjusting and assembling the substrates 1 and 3. In FIG. 3A, the master connector 1 is located at opposing positions via two guide pins 7.
6 is arranged. In the master connector 16 , at least one or more optical fibers 12 are arranged and fixed with high precision, and the relative positions of the two guide pins 7 and the optical fibers 12 are determined with extremely high precision. Guide substrate 3 and optical waveguide
The member substrate 1 is arranged so as to sandwich the guide pins 7. FIG. 3-2 shows a cross section taken along the line AA at this time. V of guide substrate 3
By bringing the guide pins 7 into contact with the grooves, the reference surface 13 in the Y direction on the upper surface of the guide substrate is determined. Next, the optical waveguide member substrate 1 is slid on the contact surface 5 of the guide substrate 3 to perform centering in the X direction. Aligning the incident optical signal from the optical fiber of one of the master connector side, the intensity of light monitored <br/> coming through the light waveguide with an optical fiber of the other master connector side, the intensity of light is maximum The optical waveguide member substrate 1 is bonded and fixed to the guide substrate 3 at a position where
3). When the positional relationship between them is determined, the guide pin 7 and the master connector 16 are removed, and the assembly and alignment are completed.

Since the centering is performed simultaneously in the X direction on both end surfaces of the optical waveguide member substrate 1, it can be performed separately on the two guide substrates 3-1 and 3-2 as shown in FIG.
This method not only enables accurate alignment in the X direction, but also
Adjustment of the end surface in the Z direction can also be easily realized.

[0012]

According to the structure of the present invention, the optical waveguide member substrate and the guide substrate are separately prepared and assembled while adjusting their relative positions, thereby realizing a coupling structure between the optical waveguide and the optical fiber with high accuracy. be able to. As a result, the transmission loss occurring at the joint can be extremely reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of an optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: optical waveguide member substrate 2: optical waveguide 3, 3-1, 3-2: guide substrate 4: V groove 5: contact surface 6: adhesive fixing portion 7: guide pin 8: guide pin pressing member 9: package 10 : Optical connector 11: guide pin hole 12: optical fiber 13: reference plane 14: optical waveguide substrate 15: optical fiber holding connector 16: master connector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Haruhiko Aikawa 1st Tayacho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works (72) Inventor Shigeru Semura 1st, Tayacho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Sumitomo Electric (56) References JP-A 1-2232307 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G02B ^6/ 24-6/43

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical waveguide member substrate having an optical waveguide having an optical signal inlet / outlet formed at an end face, a guide substrate having at least two or more V-grooves formed at predetermined intervals in parallel with each other, and the V-groove. And an optical connector holding an optical fiber positioned so as to optically couple to the introduction outlet when the guide pin is engaged with the V-groove and the guide pin hole of the optical connector. in the optical waveguide, an optical fiber coupling structure comprising at least an optical waveguide member board and the guide substrate is formed separately, the optical waveguide member substrate
One of the master connectors located on the
Optical signal from the optical fiber of the other master connector
The optical waveguide member substrate with the optical fiber of one of the master connectors
Monitor the intensity of the optical signal passing through the optical waveguide
Adjust the relative position of the optical waveguide member substrate and the guide substrate
And an optical waveguide / optical fiber coupling structure wherein the two substrates are fixed to each other. 2. The optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the height of the axis center of the optical signal introducing / exiting port and the axis center of the guide pin on the end surface of the optical waveguide member substrate coincide with each other. Optical fiber coupling structure. 3. The guide pin is an end face of the guide substrate.
And a guide pin pressing part protruding from the V-groove of the guide board.
Claim 1 or 請, characterized in that it is fixed in wood
The optical waveguide-optical fiber coupling structure according to Motomeko 2.