Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
Patent
1995-01-12
1996-05-28
Healy, Brian
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
385 80, 385 90, 385 91, 385 92, 385 51, 385 52, 156 60, 156158, 1563046, 156322, G02B 636, B31B 160
Patent
active
055220010
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical devices and more particularly to an assembly for optical devices comprising two components which are required to be positioned with respect to each other so as to provide for the efficient transmission of optical signals from one to the other.
2. Related Art
The invention has an important application in the manufacture of optical communications apparatus where, for example, accurate and stable relative positioning is required between two components. For the present purposes it is convenient to identify one of the components as a source component and the other as a receptor component. It is a common requirement in optical communications to juxtapose these so that the receptor component is accurately located so as to acquire optical signals provided by the source component. For example, one of the components may comprise a passive optical device in the form of optical fibre waveguide, and the other component an active optical device such as a laser, photo diode. Accurate and stable relative positioning between the source component and the receptor component is required to ensure optimal and stable optical alignment of the optical devices. Similarly, such accurate and stable relative positioning may be required between two components comprising active devices or two components comprising passive devices.
It is now convenient to identify the various forms of optical devices which source components and receptor components commonly comprise.
The source component may comprise a signal generator, e.g. a semiconductor device which converts electric power into an optical signal. Examples of such semiconductor devices include light emitting diodes (LED), edge emitting LEDs (ELED), and a wide variety of semiconductor lasers. Many of these devices comprise waveguiding structures. The signal generator often provides a divergent beam which is inconvenient for forming an optical connection. In such circumstances it is usual for the source component to include lenses which either collimate the beam or to cause it to converge to a focus. The source component may also comprise a passive device, e.g. a passive optical waveguiding structure such as an optical fibre.
The receptor component may be an optical detector, e.g. a semiconductor device which converts an optical signal into an electrical signal. Examples of such devices include photo diodes and PIN diodes. The receptor component may also comprise a waveguiding structure, e.g. a passive waveguiding structure such as an optical fibre, which is adapted to receive an optical signal from the source component for onward transmission to a receiving station.
It should be noted that passive waveguiding structures can be utilised either in the receptor component (e.g. an optical fibre for transmitting the output of an optical transmitter) or in the source component (e.g. an optical fibre terminating at an optical receiver).
Optical isolators are a well known example of passive optical components of the type in which a waveguide structure need not be employed.
It has been mentioned above that one of the components may comprise a waveguiding structure. In some cases the end of an external waveguiding device may be permanently comprised in the component, e.g. a fibre tail may be permanently located for the transmission of the optical signal. However, optical technology includes a wide range of connectors, e.g. connectors in which a plug, connected to a first fibre, is inserted into a socket, connected to a second fibre. In other embodiments of the invention the waveguiding structure takes the form of a plug or a socket which is adapted to connect to an external waveguiding device. When the connection is completed the external waveguiding device is operatively connected to the internal device. The location of the plug or the socket therefore (indirectly) locates the external waveguiding device and this is an important embodiment for optical devices in accordance with the invention.
It is emphasis
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patent: 5189716 (1993-02-01), Matsubara et al.
Healy Brian
Hewlett--Packard Company
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