A novel optical fiber array and its preparation method

Abstract

The invention provides a novel fiber array and a preparation method thereof. The novel fiber array comprises a V-shaped trough substrate, a cover plate and fibers. The V-shaped trough substrate is formed integrally with a fiber fixing base. The upper surface of the V-shaped trough substrate is provided with a row of uniformly arranged troughs. After end packages of the fibers are removed, the fibers are arranged and configured in the V-shaped trough. The cover plate covers the V-shaped trough substrate. Furthermore the V-shaped trough substrate, the fibers and the cover plate are integrated through binding. The thickness of the V-shaped trough substrate is larger than that of the fiber fixing base. Furthermore an included angle between one side surface, which is next to the fiber fixing base, of the V-shaped trough and the upper surface of the fiber fixing base is alpha. The novel fiber array and the preparation method thereof realize simple production process and reduce machining difficulty of the fiber array. Ultrasonic precise welding technology is utilized in packaging. A low-contraction-rate high-weather-resistance polymer-based composite material replaces an existing silicon-based material and a glass material, so that the novel fiber array and the preparation method realize advantages of short processing period of the fiber array, low manufacture cost, high product qualification rate, and high suitability for application in a fiber communication field.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a novel optical fiber array substrate, which is mainly used in planar optical waveguide devices in the field of optical fiber communication. Background technique [0002] Optical fiber arrays are widely used in integrated optical devices, optical imaging and detection systems. For optical devices, the coupling between optical fibers and chips is a big problem, because the alignment accuracy of coupling is very strict. V-shaped grooves, also known as fiber array substrates, are the basic components of optical passive devices such as fiber arrays, collimators, PLC splitters, and wavelength division multiplexers. [0003] At present, there are two main types of processes for the production of optical fiber array V-grooves at home and abroad: [0004] The first category uses silicon wafers as substrates to process V-shaped grooves by wet etching. This method uses photolithography technology, anisotropic wet etching of silicon wafe...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0004] The first category uses silicon wafers as substrates to process V-shaped grooves by wet etching. This method uses photolithography technology, anisotropic wet etching of silicon wafers, and there is no cumulative error caused by mechanical processing, so the accuracy Not limited by the number of V-grooves, using the anisotropic characteristics of silicon wafers, the etched V-grooves have the same shape; however, the surface wettability of the etched V-grooves is poor. If the surface is not treated before assembling the optical fiber array, It will cause poor contact between the glue and the V-groove, resulting in air bubbles and poor bonding between the optical fiber and the V-groove

[0005] The second category is the method of mechanical processing. This method uses a diamond cutting knife to cut out the required V-groove on the glass sheet. The cost of the glass is low, but the diamond knife is worn during the cutting process and needs to be continuously sharpened. As a result, the shape of the V-groove changes, which cannot meet the accuracy requirements; when making multi-channel V-shaped grooves, such as more than 32 grooves, the accuracy and yield decrease due to the continuous accumulation of equipment errors, so mechanical methods are used to process more than 32 channels The V-grooves are costly

my country has mastered the complete set of processing technology for optical fiber array machining, but the grooving equipment and ultraviolet glue have not been localized yet, resulting in high processing costs

Images