Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-08-21
Sanghavi, Hemang (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
C385S078000, C451S041000, C451S051000, C451S066000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276842
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical component used in, for example, optical transmission; a method for polishing the end faces of the optical component, by which an optical wave guide such as an optical fiber is caused to protrude and is finished by polishing the connection end faces (of the ferrule) thereof, and an apparatus for polishing the same.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 16
shows one example of a multiple-fiber optical connector which is representative of an optical component. As shown in the same drawing, the optical connector
1
has a ferrule
2
which acts as a housing. An optical fiber
4
whose coating is removed at its tip end of an optical fiber ribbon
12
is inserted into an optical fiber insertion hole
7
formed inside the ferrule
2
so that the end faces side thereof are exposed to the connection end faces
5
of the ferrule
2
. The connection end side of the optical fiber
4
is fixed at the ferrule
2
with an adhesive agent or the like in a state where the connection end thereof protrudes, for example, 1 &mgr;m from the connection end faces
5
of the ferrule
2
. A pin fitting hole
9
is formed at both sides of the fixing area of the optical fiber
4
, thereby assembling the optical connector
1
. Furthermore, the abovementioned optical fiber
4
acts as an optical wave guide.
FIG. 17
shows one example of a connected structure of such a multiple-fiber optical connector
1
. The optical connector
1
illustrated in the same drawing is formed so that the connection end faces
5
(of the ferrule) thereof are formed to be a plane inclined 8 degrees with respect to the plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical fiber
4
and a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. Furthermore, in the same drawing, the optical connector
1
a
is illustrated by a side elevational view and the optical connector
1
b
is illustrated by a sectional view. As shown in the same drawing, the optical connector
1
a
and optical connector
1
b
are disposed so that their connection end faces
5
(of the ferrule) thereof are opposite to each other, and the optical connector
1
a
and optical connector
1
b
are positioned with respect to each other by fitting a common connection pin
36
into a pin fitting hole
9
of the optical connector
1
a
and a pin fitting hole
9
of the optical connector
1
b.
And, by this positioning, the optical fibers
4
of the optical connectors
1
a
and
1
b
are positioned, wherein the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers
4
are directly and physically connected to each other without any connection assisting agent or the like. Furthermore, such a directly physical connection of optical fibers
4
is called a PC contact (physical contact) of optical fibers
4
.
As described above, in order to enable the PC contact of optical fibers
4
at the optical connector
1
, conventionally, for example, as shown in
FIG. 18
, a slurry-like lapping liquid containing alumina is placed on a polishing base
33
, and the connection end faces
5
(of the ferrule) of the optical connector
1
are pressed to the lapping liquid
40
to polish the connection end faces (of the ferrule) thereof. In this polishing, utilizing the difference in materials between the ferrule
2
of the optical connector
1
and the optical fibers
4
, the ferrule
2
which is softer than the optical fibers
4
is more polished by the lapping liquid
40
, wherein the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers
4
are to caused to protrude 1 &mgr;m or so from the connection end faces
5
of the ferrule
2
as described above.
However, the material of the ferrule
2
of the optical connector
1
is composed of a mixed material consisting of glass at a ratio of, for example, 80 percent, and resin at a ratio of 20 percent. Since the difference in hardness between the optical fibers
4
formed of quartz glass or the like and the ferrule
2
is not so great, there was such a problem, by which a remarkably long time was required to cause the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers
4
to protrude slightly 1 &mgr;m from the connection end faces
5
of the ferrule
2
as described above, and a longer period of time was required to polish the optical connector
1
.
Furthermore, since the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers
4
are permitted to protrude a slightly short length of only 1 &mgr;m from the connection end faces
5
of the ferrule
2
even though a greater amount of time is taken, it was difficult to guarantee a good quality PC contact without fail, by protrusion of the optical fibers. Moreover, there is another problem, wherein if the amount of protrusion of optical fibers
4
is slight, a clearance is produced between the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of optical fibers
4
of optical connectors
1
a
and
1
b
even though the optical connectors
1
a
and
1
b
make only a slight positional slip, and the optical connection loss of the optical fibers
4
is increased.
The present invention was developed in order to solve the abovementioned conventional shortcomings and problems, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide an optical component, a method for polishing the end faces of optical components, and an apparatus for polishing the same, by which it is possible to polish an optical wave guide such as optical fibers with the optical wave guide protruded a desired length from the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component such as an optical connector, and a good quality PC contact is enabled between optical components.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In order to solve the abovementioned object, the present invention employs the following means. That is, the first aspect of a method for polishing the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component according to the invention comprises the steps of: disposing a polish-assisting member having a recess formed at the position corresponding to an area including optical wave guide end faces exposed to the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component opposite to the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the abovementioned optical component via polishing media between the position and the connection end face of the abovementioned optical component; polishing the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical component by relatively moving at least one of either the abovementioned polish-assisting members or the abovementioned optical component in a direction of narrowing and widening the interval between the connection end faces (of the ferrule) opposite to each other; and causing the area including the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the abovementioned optical wave guide to protrude from the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical component at the surrounding thereof.
The second aspect of a method for polishing the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component according to the invention comprises the steps of: disposing a polish-assisting member, in which a softer member than the surrounding is secured, at the position corresponding to the area including the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical wave guide exposed to the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component via polishing media between the position and the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the abovementioned optical component; polishing the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical component by relatively moving at least one of either the abovementioned polish-assisting members or the abovementioned optical component in a direction of narrowing and widening the interval between the connection end faces (of the ferrule) opposite to each other; and causing the area including the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the abovementioned optical wave guide to protrude from the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical component at the surrounding thereof.
Furthermore, the third aspect of a method for polishing
Suzuki Kenji
Xu Jie
Lacasse & Associates
Sanghavi Hemang
The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.
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