Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Optical article shaping or treating – Optical fiber – waveguide – or preform
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-19
2001-10-02
Vargot, Mathieu D. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Optical article shaping or treating
Optical fiber, waveguide, or preform
C264S272140, C264S272150, C264S275000, C264S279000, C385S051000, C385S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296789
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making an optical module encapsulated by means of resin molding, and the optical module.
2. Related Background Art
An optical module mounting a ferrule and a laser diode on a substrate and molded with resin is in the research-and-development stage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There have been no reports in academic meetings and the like on what method is excellent in terms of mass-productivity for making the above-mentioned optical module.
Having studied the prior art, the inventor has found the following problems.
In the optical module to be resin-molded, the substrate has an optical fiber support groove for placing an optical fiber and a ferrule support groove for placing a ferrule. In such a substrate, the optical fiber is disposed in the optical fiber support groove, whereas the ferrule is disposed in the ferrule support groove. After the substrate on which the ferrule and the optical fiber are placed is mounted on a lead frame, this lead frame is attached to a transfer molding die and resin-molded. Before the resin molding, highly accurate positioning between the ferrule and the lead frame is needed.
Such a resin-molded optical module is required to be mass-produced. For this purpose, when the lead frame is placed in the transfer mold die, it is necessary to position the ferrule installed on the substrate and the ferrule attachment groove of the transfer mold die with respect to each other in a simple method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of making a resin-molded optical module efficiently, and the optical module manufactured in this method.
In the method of making an optical module in accordance with the present invention, an optical module principal portion including an optical device, an optical fiber optically coupled to this optical device, and a ferrule covering the side face of the optical fiber is molded by means of a molding die. The molding die has a ferrule accommodating portion for accommodating the ferrule and a positioning portion which are located at its lead frame mounting surface.
The method of making an optical module in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: preparing a lead frame having an alignment hole allowing the lead frame to be positioned with respect to the positioning portion of the molding die; preparing the optical module principal portion; aligning the optical module principal portion with the lead frame by means of a positioning jig so that the ferrule included in the optical module principal portion meets the ferrule accommodating portion of the mold die; securing the aligned optical module principal portion to the lead frame; placing the lead frame with the optical module principal portion secured thereto at the mold die; and resin-molding the lead frame and the optical module principal portion by means of the mold die.
The step of aligning can comprise the steps of: preparing a jig; placing the lead frame on the jig such that the alignment hole of the lead frame is aligned with a lead frame positioning portion of the jig; and placing the optical module principal portion on the lead frame placed on the jig such that the ferrule included in the optical module principal portion is located at a ferrule attachment portion.
This jig has the ferrule attachment portion and lead frame positioning portion corresponding to the ferrule accommodating portion and positioning portion of the mold die, respectively. The ferrule attachment portion and lead frame-positioning portion of the jig allow the optical module principal portion to be positioned with respect to the lead frame.
The lead frame positioning portion of the jig can be a protrusion portion to be inserted into the alignment hole provided in the lead frame. The positioning portion of the molding die can be a protrusion portion to be inserted into the alignment hole formed in the lead frame.
In the step of preparing the optical module principal portion, the optical fiber and the ferrule are placed on a substrate having first, second, and third regions along a predetermined axis. For this placement, the step of preparing the optical module principal portion includes the steps of: forming a ferrule support groove for supporting the ferrule and an optical fiber support groove for supporting the optical fiber in the first and second regions at the same time; mounting the optical device on the third region; and placing the optical fiber and the ferrule in the optical fiber support groove and the ferrule support groove, respectively, such that the optical fiber can be optically coupled to the optical device.
Such a jig has the ferrule attachment portion and lead frame positioning portion associated with the ferrule accommodating portion and positioning portion of the molding die in their positions, respectively. The lead frame is placed on the jig such that the alignment hole is aligned with the positioning portion, and the optical module principal portion is mounted on the lead frame such that the ferrule is aligned with the ferrule attachment portion. When the lead frame with the optical module principal portion mounted thereon is aligned with the positioning portion on the molding die, then the ferrule is placed in the ferrule accommodating portion of the molding die. Thus, the optical module principal portion having the ferrule projecting from the substrate can be aligned with the lead frame and the mold die in a simple method.
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Go Hisao
Yoneyama Shunichi
McDermott & Will & Emery
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
Vargot Mathieu D.
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