Optical fiber module

Details Optical fiber module Optical fiber module

2003-01-29

2004-12-14

Palmer, Phan T. H. (Department: 2874)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector

C385S024000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06830384

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical fiber module.
2. Discussion of the Background
Optical components having the functions of beam splitting, optical switching, and wavelength multipelxing and demultiplexing have been widely used in optical communications. The optical components are formed variously, but among them, the optical components having an optical waveguide circuit in which a circuit formed of optical waveguides is formed over a substrate have been prospective in view of the integration and mass production.
Traditionally, the optical waveguide circuit has been formed in which the circuit of optical waveguides made of a silica-based material is disposed on a silicon or silica substrate. In recent years, however, the optical waveguide circuits have been also formed in which a substrate and an optical waveguide forming region are formed of polyimide-based materials.
FIGS. 10 and 11
are diagrams illustrating examples of the optical waveguide circuits. In the optical waveguide circuits, a waveguide forming region
10
is formed over a substrate
11
.
FIG. 10
illustrates an exemplary configuration of the optical waveguide circuit formed with a 1×8 waveguide beamsplitter as the circuit formed of optical waveguides.
FIG. 11
illustrates an exemplary configuration of the optical waveguide circuit formed with a circuit of an arrayed waveguide grating as the circuit formed of optical waveguides. The arrayed waveguide grating is used for wavelength division multiplexing. Various circuit configurations have been proposed therefor.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the 1×8 waveguide beamsplitter has one input optical waveguide
12
and eight output optical waveguides
16
. A plurality of splitting parts
17
are formed between the input optical waveguide
12
and the output optical waveguides
16
.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, the circuit of the arrayed waveguide grating has at least one input optical waveguide
12
, a first slab waveguide
13
connected to the output end of the input optical waveguide
12
, an array waveguide
14
connected to the output end of the first slab waveguide
13
, a second slab waveguide
15
connected to the output end of the array waveguide
14
, and a plurality of output optical waveguides
16
arranged side by side that is connected to the output end of the second slab waveguide
15
.
The array waveguide
14
transmits the light lead out of the first slab waveguide
13
, which are formed to arrange a plurality of channel waveguides
14
a
side by side. The lengths of the adjacent channel waveguides
14
a
are varied at a set amount (&Dgr;L) each other.
The channel waveguides
14
a
forming the array waveguide
14
are usually disposed in plurals such as a hundred waveguides. The output optical waveguides
16
are disposed corresponding to the number of signal lights demultiplexed or multiplexed by the arrayed waveguide grating, for example, the signal lights have wavelengths different from each other. However, in
FIG. 11
, the numbers of each of the channel waveguides
14
a
, the output optical waveguides
16
and the input optical waveguides
12
are illustrated simply for simplifying the drawing.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 11
, when wavelength-multiplexed lights are lead into one input optical waveguide
12
in the circuit of the arrayed waveguide grating, the wavelength-multiplexed lights pass through the input optical waveguide
12
, and they are lead into the first slab waveguide
13
. Then, the wavelength-multiplexed lights spread by the diffraction effect of the first slab waveguide
13
, enter the array waveguide
14
, and transmit through the array waveguide
14
.
The lights transmitted through the array waveguide
14
reach the second slab waveguide
15
, and focus on the output optical waveguides
16
for output. However, the lengths of all the channel waveguides
14
a
of the array waveguide
14
are varied from each other, and thus a shift is generated in the separate light phases after transmitted through the array waveguide
14
. Then, the phasefront of the focusing lights is titled according to the shift amount, and the tilted angle determines the focusing position. Therefore, the lights having wavelengths different from each other can be outputted from the different output optical waveguides
16
.
For example, as shown in
FIGS. 12A
to
12
C, an optical component
1
having the optical waveguide circuit with the circuit of the arrayed waveguide grating or the waveguide beamsplitter is housed inside a package
2
, and it is used as an optical fiber module.
FIG. 12A
is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the optical fiber module.
FIG. 12B
is a diagram of the optical fiber module that the inside is seen from above.
FIG. 12C
is a cross-section of a line A—A shown in FIG.
12
B.
The optical fiber module shown in
FIGS. 12A
,
12
B and
12
C has a first optical fiber
3
(
3
a
) and a second optical fiber
3
(
3
b
). The first optical fiber
3
(
3
a
) is connected to one end side of the optical component
1
, and the second optical fiber
3
(
3
b
) is connected to the other end side of the optical component
1
. One end sides of the optical fibers
3
(
3
a
and
3
b
) are connected to the optical component
1
, and the other end sides are drawn out of the package
2
. The optical fibers
3
(
3
a
and
3
b
) are fixed to the package
2
with an adhesive
23
.
The first and second optical fibers
3
a
and
3
b
are formed of optical fiber ribbons, for example, having a plurality of optical fibers arranged side by side. An optical fiber array
21
is disposed at the connection end face of the optical fiber ribbon. The connection of the first and optical fibers
3
a
and
3
b
to the optical component
1
, that is, the connection of the optical fiber arrays
21
to the optical component
1
is fixed with the adhesive.
In addition, lids
20
are attached to the connection end faces of the optical component
1
, which allow stable connection of the optical component
1
to the optical fiber arrays
21
at the end parts of the first and optical fibers
3
a
and
3
b.
The package
2
has a package main body
2
a
and a cover part
2
b
. The package
2
is mainly formed of metals such as aluminum and stainless steel or plastics. The package
2
houses the optical component
1
and the connecting parts of the optical component
1
to the optical fibers
3
(
3
a
and
3
b
) inside the package
2
, whereby protecting them.
The optical fiber module is supposed to be used in the temperature range from 0 to 70° C., for example. Therefore, the optical fiber module is demanded not to vary the characteristics in the range of temperature for use. Accordingly, for the optical component
1
being greatly affected in the optical characteristics by temperature changes including the arrayed waveguide grating, temperature control is needed. Furthermore, the range of temperature for use in the optical fiber module is the range from
~
5 to 65° C., 0 to 65° C., and 0 to 55° C.
Then, in the optical fiber module shown in
FIGS. 12A
to
12
C, an optical fiber module having a temperature control device (not shown) disposed inside the package
2
is proposed. The optical fiber module adapts a method that the optical component
1
is heated and kept at constant values at temperatures of 70 to 80° C., for example, by the temperature control device. For the optical fiber module disposed with the temperature control device, it is demanded to reduce the electric power consumption of the temperature control device as small as possible. For example, the optical fiber module is demanded to reduce the maximum electric power consumption to five watts or below in the range of temperature for use.
In order to realize the reduced electric power consumption, various package structures have been devised. For example, an invention titled by METHOD FOR PACKAGING HEATER-HEATED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND ITS PACKAGE is proposed in a Japanese Patent Application (JP-A-11-014844). The proposal submits the config

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