Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-08
2004-12-07
Tremblay, Mark (Department: 2876)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
active
06827499
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an optical connector typified by an optical fiber array, a lens array and the like. Specifically, this invention relates to a method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component comprising various one-dimensional optical connector components being usable for optical fiber communications by positioning them with a plural number of guide pins, and then stacking them precisely.
In an optical device, an optical fiber array or other various optical connectors are used for coupling a waveguide with an optical fiber, or an optical fiber with another. The optical connector has one or more precision V-shaped grooves with the respective optical fibers aligned and fixed therein. A material for a substrate may be ceramic, glass or ceramic glass. Precision patterning is accomplished by grinding or glass pressing. Recently, the variety of switching technique or the like has been increased, and accordingly, the optical connectors have become variously configured. For example, optical fibers are aligned two-dimensionally.
In the past, various basic configurations of two-dimensional optical fiber array (referred to as a 2DFA occasionally hereinafter) have been proposed. For example, there has been known (1) a 2DFA comprising a ferrule of two-dimensional array type, (2) a 2DFA comprising a stack of V-shaped grooved substrates, (3) a 2DFA comprising a stack of one-dimensional optical fiber array (sometimes hereinafter referred to as a FA) to assure a desired number of channels and the like. However, these have problems as described below.
Problem with the Two-dimensional Array Ferrule
In the case where the two-dimensional array ferrule serves as the 2DFA, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-19808, a high precision is attained, although the number of cores of the ferrule is limited. However, if the ferrule includes 8- by 10- cores, for example, eighty optical fibers have to be implemented on the ferrule one by one. A hole, to which the optical fiber is to be inserted, has a clearance of only several &mgr;m from the optical fiber for assuring precision. Therefore, the optical fiber may be readily cut depending on how it is handled, and thus reliability is low. Problem with the stack of v-shaped grooved substrates.
When stacking V-shaped grooved substrates to form a 2DFA, means for aligning the V-shaped grooves on the respective substrates is the most difficult problem. As an example, there is contemplated a method of forming V-shaped grooves in the respective substrates with reference to end faces thereof, and then stacking the V-shaped grooved substrates with reference to the end faces.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, a lowermost V-shaped grooved substrate
2
is placed abutting against a side face of an end plate
81
, for example, and then, an optical fiber
8
is placed in a V-shaped groove
7
. Then, a second lowest V-shaped groove substrate
2
is placed on the lowermost one, and an adhesive is applied thereon and cured. This procedure is repeated to form a two-dimensional optical fiber array
80
.
According to this method, however, it is difficult to assure high precision in machining the V-shaped grooves with reference to the end faces, and thus, precision of lateral positions thereof cannot be assured. In addition, in a stacking direction, errors in thickness of the V-shaped grooved substrates are accumulated as the substrates are stacked. Therefore, a high-precision 2DFA cannot be fabricated. Additionally, since the optical fibers are implemented on the V-shaped grooved substrates while stacking of the substrates, a failure, such as cutting of the fiber, can easily result.
Another possible method of stacking the V-shaped grooved substrates to form a 2DFA is to form V-shaped grooves on both upward and downward surfaces of the substrate with aligned with each other, and implement the optical fibers thereon and stack the substrates with reference to the grooves.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, a plurality of V-shaped grooved substrates
94
with V-shaped grooves
7
formed on both surfaces thereof are prepared, and the optical fibers
8
are placed in the V-shaped grooves
7
of the lowermost V-shaped grooved substrate
94
. Then, the second lowest V-shaped grooved substrate
94
is placed on the lowermost one, and an adhesive is applied thereon and cured. This procedure is repeated to form a two-dimensional optical fiber array
90
.
According to this method also, however, errors in thickness of the substrates are accumulated, and the optical fibers are implemented on the substrates while stacking the substrates. Thus, the reliability is readily decreased.
Problem with the Stack of FAs
According to the method wherein a 2DFA is formed by stacking FAs, a failure resulting from cutting of the optical fiber can be avoided because the FAs are previously fabricated. However, simply stacking the FAs cannot avoid the problem of the stacking error resulted from the thicknesses of the substrates. Thus, a means is required for fabricating the 2DFA without the stacking error in the method of stacking the FAs to form a 2DFA.
The two-dimensional alignment of a 2DFA having high reliability may be achieved by manufacturing a 2DFA by stacking FAs quite precisely so as to not make positional deviation. However, such a method has not been provided in the past.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component capable of stacking a plural number of one-dimensional optical connector components, such as a FA, with high precision, thereby contributing to further construction and increased use of an optical transmission system and to development of an information society.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain the above object, the inventors have investigated various methods for precisely stacking optical connector components, such as a FA. As a result, the inventors have found that the above object can be attained by measures as described below.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component comprising a plural number of FAs stacked by using at least four parallel disposed guide pins, characterized in that said at least four parallel disposed guide pins are positioned by at least five pieces of beams. A one-dimensional optical connector component itself may be used as a substitute for two pieces of beams among said at least five pieces of beams.
A two-dimensional optical connector component may be manufactured by a method, which may include a step of positioning a plural number of one-dimensional optical connector components by using at least four pieces of parallel disposed guide pins. In the case where a one-dimensional optical connector component itself is used as a substitute for two pieces of beams among at least five pieces of beams, the position of the guide pins is determined by the one-dimensional optical connector component. Consequently, the one-dimensional optical connector component itself takes a role in the determination for the positioning of the one-dimensional optical connector component to be stacked.
In the above-described method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component, the positioning of the one-dimensional optical connector component refers to positioning in a direction of stacking the one-dimensional optical connector components.
In the method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component according to this invention, the two-dimensional optical connector component may be one comprising an optical medium having a substantially cylindrical shape mounted thereon, or one comprising an optical medium having a substantially cylindrical shape mounted thereon and having a guide groove for fixing the guide pin formed thereon. One example is a two-dimensional optical fiber array.
In the method of manufacturing a two-dimensional optical connector component according to this inv
Fukuyama Masashi
Ide Akiyoshi
Matsumoto Akira
Burr & Brown
NGK Insulators Ltd.
Tremblay Mark
LandOfFree
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