Optical waveguide module, optical waveguide film and manufacturing method thereof

a technology of optical waveguide and manufacturing method, which is applied in the direction of optical waveguide light guide, instruments, applications, etc., can solve the problems of (4) being costly, (2) not easy to achieve the refractive index of (3) not easy to achieve the refractive index sufficient between the core layer and the clad layer

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-05-10
FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution allows for cost-effective, compact, and efficient optical waveguide modules with reduced waveguide losses, enabling stable light output monitoring across multiple light emitting points without the need for complex alignment or additional optical components.

Problems solved by technology

However, the selective polymerization method (1) has a drawback with respect to the lamination of the film, the methods (2), (3) become costly due to the use of the photolithography method, and the method (4) has a drawback with respect to the accuracy of an obtained core diameter.
Further, the method (5) has a drawback that it is difficult to obtain the sufficient difference in refractive index between the core layer and the clad layer.
Currently, although the methods which exhibit the excellent performance in terms of practical use are the methods (2), (3), these methods have the above-mentioned drawbacks on cost.
Further, any one of the methods (1) to (5) is not applicable to the formation of the polymer optical waveguide on a flexible plastic substrate having a large area.
Still further, although it has been difficult to form the optical waveguide on the flexible substrate conventionally, this method has succeeded in the formation of the optical waveguide on the flexible substrate.
However, the methods which have been proposed heretofore form a 90° folding mirror and hence, it is necessary to embed a mirror portion, and it is necessary to perform the highly accurate alignment at the time of laminating the optical waveguide and the light receiving and emitting elements thus giving rise to a serious drawback that the cost for mounting is pushed up.
This also pushes up the cost.
When the multiple light emitting points such as a 1×4 VCSEL array are used, it is difficult to ensure spaces for arranging photo detectors for monitoring (PD) and to connect waveguides branched to the spaces with the photo detectors for monitoring.
Although a crosstalk is hardly generated when the waveguides orthogonally intersect each other at the intersecting portion, a slight waveguide loss is generated at the portion with respect to the external waveguide thus giving rise to a drawback that output characteristics differ between the inside and the outside.
In this case, when the photo detectors for monitoring are collectively arranged outside in a 1×4 mode for lowering the cost, there arises a drawback that the number of intersections of the monitor waveguides is increased thus arising the possibility that the loss is increased and the output characteristics of the array waveguides differ.

Method used

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  • Optical waveguide module, optical waveguide film and manufacturing method thereof
  • Optical waveguide module, optical waveguide film and manufacturing method thereof
  • Optical waveguide module, optical waveguide film and manufacturing method thereof

Examples

Experimental program
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first embodiment

[0122] A thick film resist (product of MicroChem Corp., SU-8) is applied to a Si substrate by a spin coating method, is then pre-baked at a temperature of 80° C., is exposed through a photo mask, and is developed thus forming four optical waveguide convex portions having a square cross section (width: 50 μm, height: 50 μm, length: 50 mm, pitch: 250 μm). Next, the optical waveguide convex portions are post-baked at 120° C. to form the optical waveguide core manufacturing original discs.

[0123] Next, after applying a mold removing agent to the original disc, thermosetting dimethylcyclic resin (product of Dow Coning Asia Corporation, SYLGARD184) is made to flow into the original discs, is solidified by being heated at a temperature of 120° C. for 30 minutes and is peeled off thus manufacturing molds having recessed portions corresponding to optical waveguides convex portions having the square cross section and the alignment mark convex portions (thickness of mold: 5 mm).

[0124] Further...

second embodiment

[0132] A thick film resist (product of MicroChem Corp., SU-8) is applied to a Si substrate by a spin coating method, is then pre-baked at a temperature of 80° C., is exposed through a photo mask, is developed thus forming eight optical waveguide convex portions having a square cross section (width: 50 μm, height: 50 μm, length: 50 mm, pitch: 250 μm). Next, the optical waveguide convex portions are post-baked at a temperature of 120° C.

[0133] Thereafter, using a dicing saw which mounts a 45° blade, a notch having a depth of 10 μm is formed from an upper surface of each convex portion thus forming an original disc for manufacturing the optical waveguide core (see the core shown in FIG. 1C).

[0134] Next, after applying a mold removing agent to the original disc, thermosetting dimethylcyclic resin (product of Dow Coning Asia Corporation, SYLGARD184) is made to flow into the original discs, is solidified by being heated at a temperature of 120° C. for 30 minutes, and is peeled off thus ...

third embodiment

[0141] A thick film resist (product of MicroChem Corp., SU-8) is applied to a Si substrate by a spin coating method, is then pre-baked at a temperature of 80° C., is exposed through a photo mask, is developed thus forming eight optical waveguide convex portions having a square cross section (width: 50 μm, height: 50 μm, length: 50 mm, pitch of neighboring portions: 250 μm). Next, the optical waveguide convex portions are post-baked at a temperature of 120° C.

[0142] Thereafter, the original disc is formed by forming notches in the convex portions. As a dicing saw for forming the notches, a dicing saw on which a vertical cutting blade having a thickness of 20 μm is mounted is used. In a state that the Si substrate on which eight convex portions are formed as described above is fixed at an angle of 45° with respect to the blade of the dicing saw using a retaining jig, the notches are formed to a depth of 28 μm from upper surfaces of the convex portions. Here, width of the notches is s...

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Abstract

An optical waveguide module includes a light emitting element which outputs light, a light receiving element which monitors an output of the light emitting element, and an optical waveguide film having a waveguide core which has a notched portion having an optical path changing surface that changes an optical path of part of the light. The light emitting element is coupled to an end portion of the optical waveguide film, and the light receiving element is provided to face a position of the optical waveguide film from where the part of the light whose optical path has been changed by the optical path changing surface exits.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 11 / 005,077 filed Dec. 7, 2004. The disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to an inexpensive waveguide film type optical module which is formed by combining an optical waveguide film and a light emitting element such as a VCSEL, an optical waveguide film which is used in the waveguide film type optical module and a manufacturing method thereof. [0004] 2. Description Related Art [0005] As a method for manufacturing a polymer optical waveguide, there have been proposed (1) a method in which monomer is impregnated into a film, a core portion is selectively exposed to change a refractive index and the film is laminated to the core portion (a selective polymerization method), (2) a method in which a core layer and a clad layer are coated with a material and a clad portion is...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G02B6/12G02B6/36
CPCB29D11/00663G02B6/02033G02B6/4214G02B6/4246
InventorSHIMIZU, KEISHIOHTSU, SHIGEMIYATSUDA, KAZUTOSHIAKUTSU, EIICHI
OwnerFUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP