An L-shaped insulating gasket, an insulating installation structure of an electro-optical modulator, and an installation method

Abstract

The present invention provides an L-shaped insulating gasket, an insulating mounting structure and a mounting method for an electro-optic modulator, which include the bottom surface and the side surface of the L-shaped insulating gasket; the side surface of the insulating gasket is used to fit against the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and includes a through hole for a radio frequency port and a through hole for a PIN foot; the through hole for the radio frequency port and the through hole for the PIN foot are respectively adapted to the radio frequency hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing; the bottom surface of the insulating gasket is used to fit against the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module and includes at least two mounting holes. The L-shaped insulating gasket, the insulating mounting structure and the mounting method for the electro-optic modulator of the present invention realize the insulating mounting of the electro-optic modulator through the L-shaped insulating gasket arranged between the optical module and the electro-optic modulator, with convenient mounting and good insulating performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electrical insulation, and particularly to an L-shaped insulating gasket, an insulating installation structure of an electro-optic modulator, and an installation method. Background Art

[0002] An electro-optic modulator is a modulator made using the electro-optic effect of certain electro-optic crystals, such as lithium niobate crystals (LiNbO3), gallium arsenide crystals (GaAs), and lithium tantalate crystals (LiTaO3). The electro-optic effect means that when a voltage is applied to an electro-optic crystal, the refractive index of the electro-optic crystal will change, resulting in a change in the characteristics of the light wave passing through the crystal, thereby achieving modulation of the phase, amplitude, intensity, and polarization state of the optical signal.

[0003] According to different modulation parameters, electro-optic modulators can be divided into intensity modulators and phase modulators. Electro-optic modulators are not only widely used in classical optical fiber communication, but also play a core and key role in quantum secure communication systems. Specifically, by applying a pulsed voltage to the electro-optic modulator, the amplitude and phase of the optical pulse can be adjusted.

[0004] In order to improve the stability of the pulsed voltage, electronics uses a DC coupling method to achieve the output of the pulsed voltage. The electro-optic modulator is assembled in an optical module housing, the optical module is connected to the chassis GND, and the electro-optic modulator is connected to the SMA socket on the PCB board through a coaxial cable. The shell of the SMA socket on the PCB board will be charged, so there is a certain voltage. The housing material of the optical module is generally metal, such as aluminum alloy, which belongs to a conductive material. If the electro-optic modulator is directly in contact with the housing of the optical module, a short circuit will occur, easily burning out the device.

[0005] In order to avoid the above problems, it is necessary to insulate and install the electro-optic modulator. In the prior art, the insulating installation methods of electro-optic modulators mainly include the following two:

[0006] (1) Perform an oxidation treatment on the surface of the housing of the optical module. The formed oxide layer has a certain insulating property.

[0007] However, there are certain risks in achieving insulation through the oxidation treatment method. If the oxide layer is scratched or damaged during the operation, the surface of the housing of the optical module will no longer be insulated, bringing a short-circuit risk.

[0008] (2) Select an insulating material for the optical module, such as acrylic. Acrylic is a plastic polymer material with good weather resistance and good insulating properties. The electro-optic modulator is installed in the housing of the optical module made of acrylic material, which can be insulated from the chassis GND, avoiding the occurrence of short-circuit problems.

[0009] However, miniaturization is an important development trend for communication devices, which poses requirements for the volume of optical modules within the device chassis. That is to say, the optical modules need to be made more compact and smaller. For the processing of acrylic materials, it is very difficult to process optical modules with small housing volume and thin wall thickness, and problems such as fracture and breakage are likely to occur. At the same time, when conducting environmental reliability tests, there are also certain risks in the mechanical strength of the optical modules. In addition, the cost of acrylic materials is relatively high, which is not conducive to compressing the product cost. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an L-shaped insulating gasket, an insulating mounting structure for an electro-optic modulator, and an installation method. Through the L-shaped insulating gasket arranged between the optical module and the electro-optic modulator, the insulating mounting of the electro-optic modulator is realized, with convenient installation and good insulating performance.

[0011] To achieve the above object and other related objects, the present invention provides an L-shaped insulating gasket, including an insulating gasket bottom surface and an insulating gasket side surface in an L shape. The insulating gasket side surface is used to fit with the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and includes a radio frequency port through hole and a PIN foot through hole. The radio frequency port through hole and the PIN foot through hole are respectively adapted to the radio frequency hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing. The insulating gasket bottom surface is used to fit with the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module and includes at least two mounting holes.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency port through hole is a circular through hole, a U-shaped groove, a rectangular through hole, or a square through hole.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the PIN foot through hole is a rectangular through hole.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner diameter of the radio frequency port through hole is greater than the outer diameter of the coaxial cable connector.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the radio frequency port through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the radio frequency hole.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least two mounting holes are correspondingly arranged with the mounting holes on the electro-optic modulator and the mounting holes on the optical module.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the L-shaped insulating gasket is made of Teflon material.

[0018] The present invention provides an insulating mounting structure for an electro-optic modulator, including the above-mentioned L-shaped insulating gasket, an electro-optic modulator, and an optical module.

[0019] The L-shaped insulating gasket is fixed inside the housing of the optical module, and the RF port through-hole and the PIN foot through-hole of the L-shaped insulating gasket are respectively arranged opposite to the RF hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing of the optical module;

[0020] The electro-optic modulator is fixed on the L-shaped insulating gasket, and the RF port of the electro-optic modulator sequentially passes through the RF port through-hole and the RF hole, and the PIN foot sequentially passes through the PIN foot through-hole and the PIN foot hole.

[0021] Correspondingly, the present invention provides an installation method for the above-mentioned insulating installation structure of the electro-optic modulator, including the following steps:

[0022] Attach the side of the insulating gasket of the L-shaped insulating gasket to the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and attach the bottom surface of the insulating gasket to the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module;

[0023] Align the RF port through-hole and the PIN foot through-hole on the side of the insulating gasket with the RF hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing respectively;

[0024] Place the electro-optic modulator on the L-shaped insulating gasket, and make the RF port of the electro-optic modulator sequentially pass through the RF port through-hole and the RF hole, and the PIN foot sequentially pass through the PIN foot through-hole and the PIN foot hole;

[0025] Install insulating screws on at least two mounting holes to fix the electro-optic modulator and the L-shaped insulating gasket on the housing of the optical module.

[0026] As described above, the L-shaped insulating gasket, the insulating installation structure of the electro-optic modulator and the installation method of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) Through the L-shaped insulating gasket arranged between the optical module and the electro-optic modulator, the insulating installation of the electro-optic modulator is realized, the installation is convenient, and the insulating performance is good;

[0028] (2) The housing of the optical module does not need to use insulating materials, nor does it need to be insulated. Aluminum alloy materials with low cost and low processing difficulty can be used, which is beneficial to the miniaturization of the optical module and the control of product costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It shows a front structural schematic diagram of the L-shaped insulating gasket of the present invention in an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 It shows a back structural schematic diagram of the L-shaped insulating gasket of the present invention in an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 3Shown is a schematic installation structure diagram of the electro-optic modulator insulation installation structure of the present invention in an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 4 Shown as Figure 3 the schematic back structure diagram;

[0033] Figure 5 Shown is a flowchart of the electro-optic modulator insulation installation method of the present invention in an embodiment.

[0034] Element number description

[0035] 1 L-shaped insulating gasket

[0036] 11 Bottom surface of the insulating gasket

[0037] 111 Mounting hole

[0038] 12 Side surface of the insulating gasket

[0039] 121 RF port through-hole

[0040] 122 PIN foot through-hole

[0041] 2 Optical module

[0042] 21 Side wall of the housing

[0043] 211 RF hole

[0044] 212 PIN foot hole

[0045] 22 Bottom surface of the housing

[0046] 3 Electro-optic modulator

[0047] 31 RF port

[0048] 32 PIN foot Detailed implementation manners

[0049] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0050] It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the content disclosed in the specification for those familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the implementation conditions of the present invention. Therefore, they do not have any technical essence. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportional relationship, or adjustment of the size, without affecting the effects that the present invention can produce and the purposes that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope covered by the technical content disclosed in the present invention. At the same time, the terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "middle", and "one" cited in this specification are only for the convenience of clear narration and are not used to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. The change or adjustment of their relative relationships, without substantial change in the technical content, should also be regarded as the scope of implementation of the present invention.

[0051] The L-shaped insulating gasket, the insulating mounting structure and the mounting method of the electro-optic modulator of the present invention realize the insulating mounting of the electro-optic modulator through the L-shaped insulating gasket arranged between the optical module and the electro-optic modulator, without any treatment of the housing of the existing optical module, with convenient installation and good insulating performance, meeting the requirements of miniaturization of the optical module and product cost control.

[0052] As Figures 1-4 shown, in an embodiment, the L-shaped insulating gasket 1 of the present invention includes an insulating gasket bottom surface 11 and an insulating gasket side surface 12 in an L shape.

[0053] The insulating gasket side surface 12 is used to fit with the side wall 21 of the housing of the optical module 2, and includes a radio frequency port through hole 121 and a PIN foot through hole 122; the radio frequency port through hole 121 and the PIN foot through hole 122 are respectively adapted to the radio frequency hole 211 and the PIN foot hole 212 on the side wall 21 of the housing. Specifically, the radio frequency port through hole 121 and the PIN foot through hole 122 are respectively arranged opposite to the radio frequency hole 211 and the PIN foot hole 212 for the radio frequency port 31 and the PIN foot 32 of the electro-optic modulator 3 to pass through respectively.

[0054] The insulating gasket bottom surface 11 is used to fit with the bottom surface 22 of the housing of the optical module 2 and includes at least two mounting holes 111. Preferably, the mounting holes 111 are circular through holes, and the corresponding mounting holes on the optical module 2 are threaded holes for screws to pass through to realize the fixation between the L-shaped insulating gasket 1 and the optical module 2.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present invention, the RF port through-hole 121 is a circular through-hole, a U-shaped groove, a rectangular through-hole or a square through-hole, so as to match the corresponding RF port 31 according to the actual situation. The PIN-foot through-hole 122 is a rectangular through-hole. It should be noted that the shapes of the RF port through-hole 121 and the PIN-foot through-hole 122 are not limited to the above designs, and any shape that can achieve the through-hole function is within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0056] The L-shaped insulating gasket 1 can be made of any insulating material, as long as it has the characteristics of low processing difficulty and low material cost at the same time. Preferably, the L-shaped insulating gasket 1 is made of Teflon. Teflon has excellent insulating properties, and good heat resistance, moisture resistance, abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present invention, the L-shaped insulating gasket 1 is integrally formed.

[0058] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the insulating mounting structure of the electro-optic modulator of the present invention includes the above-mentioned L-shaped insulating gasket 1, electro-optic modulator 3 and optical module 2.

[0059] The L-shaped insulating gasket 1 is fixed in the housing of the optical module 2, and the RF port through-hole 121 and the PIN-foot through-hole 122 of the L-shaped insulating gasket 1 are respectively arranged opposite to the RF hole 211 and the PIN-foot hole 212 on the side wall 21 of the housing of the optical module 2.

[0060] The electro-optic modulator 3 is fixed on the L-shaped insulating gasket 1, and the RF port 31 of the electro-optic modulator 3 sequentially passes through the RF port through-hole 121 and the RF hole 211, and the PIN foot 32 sequentially passes through the PIN-foot through-hole 122 and the PIN-foot hole 212.

[0061] The installation method of the insulating mounting structure of the electro-optic modulator of the present invention will be elaborated in detail below.

[0062] As Figure 5 shown, in an embodiment, the installation method of the insulating mounting structure of the electro-optic modulator of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0063] Step S1: Attach the side of the insulating gasket of the L-shaped insulating gasket to the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and attach the bottom surface of the insulating gasket to the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module.

[0064] Specifically, first, the positioning of the L-shaped insulating gasket and the housing of the optical module needs to be carried out. Among them, the size and shape of the L-shaped insulating gasket need to be adapted to the housing of the optical module, so as to realize the fitting of the side wall of the insulating gasket of the L-shaped insulating gasket and the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and the fitting of the bottom surface of the insulating gasket of the L-shaped insulating gasket and the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module.

[0065] Step S2: Align the RF port through-hole and the PIN foot through-hole on the side of the insulating gasket with the RF hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing respectively.

[0066] Specifically, since the RF port through-hole and the PIN foot through-hole on the side of the insulating gasket are designed to correspond to the RF hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing, the positioning between the housing of the optical module and the L-shaped insulating gasket can be realized by aligning the corresponding holes during installation.

[0067] Step S3: Place the electro-optic modulator on the L-shaped insulating gasket, and make the RF port of the electro-optic modulator pass through the RF port through-hole and the RF hole in sequence, and the PIN foot pass through the PIN foot through-hole and the PIN foot hole in sequence.

[0068] Specifically, the electro-optic modulator is placed on the L-shaped insulating gasket, thereby realizing the insulation treatment between the electro-optic modulator and the optical module and avoiding the occurrence of short-circuit conditions. Among them, the RF port of the electro-optic modulator passes through the RF port through-hole and the RF hole in sequence to be connected to the coaxial cable connector; the PIN foot passes through the PIN foot through-hole and the PIN foot hole in sequence to be connected to the electrical lead, thereby ensuring the normal realization of the functions of the electro-optic modulator.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner diameter of the RF port through-hole is larger than the outer diameter of the coaxial cable connector, and the outer diameter of the RF port through-hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the RF hole, thereby ensuring the smooth connection between the RF port of the optoelectronic modulator and the coaxial cable.

[0070] Step S4: Install insulating screws on at least two mounting holes to fix the electro-optic modulator and the L-shaped insulating gasket on the housing of the optical module.

[0071] Specifically, an insulating screw, such as a plastic screw, passes through the at least two mounting holes to fix the electro-optical modulator and the L-shaped insulating gasket on the housing of the optical module, thereby completing the insulating installation and fixation of the electro-optical modulator. In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least two mounting holes are correspondingly arranged with the mounting holes on the electro-optical modulator and the mounting holes on the optical module, and the insulating screw sequentially passes through the electro-optical modulator, the L-shaped insulating gasket and the mounting holes on the optical module, thereby completing the insulating fixation among the electro-optical modulator, the L-shaped insulating gasket and the optical module.

[0072] In summary, the L-shaped insulating gasket, the insulating installation structure and the installation method of the electro-optical modulator of the present invention realize the insulating installation of the electro-optical modulator through the L-shaped insulating gasket arranged between the optical module and the electro-optical modulator, with convenient installation and good insulating performance; the housing of the optical module does not need to use insulating materials or undergo insulating treatment, and aluminum alloy materials with low cost and low processing difficulty can be used, which is beneficial to the miniaturization of the optical module and the control of product cost. Therefore, the present invention effectively overcomes various disadvantages in the prior art and has high industrial utilization value.

[0073] The above embodiments are only illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical idea disclosed by the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An L-shaped insulating gasket, characterized in that, It includes the bottom surface and the side surface of an L-shaped insulating gasket; The side surface of the insulating gasket is used to fit against the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and includes a through hole for a radio frequency port and a through hole for a PIN foot; the through hole for the radio frequency port and the through hole for the PIN foot are respectively adapted to the radio frequency hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing; The bottom surface of the insulating gasket is used to fit against the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module, and includes at least two mounting holes; the at least two mounting holes are correspondingly arranged with the mounting holes on the electro-optical modulator and the mounting holes on the optical module.

2. The L-shaped insulating gasket according to claim 1, wherein: The through hole for the radio frequency port is a circular through hole, a U-shaped groove, a rectangular through hole or a square through hole.

3. The L-shaped insulating gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through hole for the PIN foot is a rectangular through hole.

4. The L-shaped insulating gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the through hole for the radio frequency port is larger than the outer diameter of the coaxial cable connector.

5. The L-shaped insulating gasket according to claim 1, wherein: The outer diameter of the through hole for the radio frequency port is smaller than the inner diameter of the radio frequency hole.

6. The L-shaped insulating gasket according to claim 1, wherein: The L-shaped insulating gasket is made of Teflon material.

7. An insulating mounting structure for an electro-optic modulator, characterized in that: It includes the L-shaped insulating gasket according to any one of claims 1-6, an electro-optical modulator and an optical module; The L-shaped insulating gasket is fixed in the housing of the optical module, and the through hole for the radio frequency port and the through hole for the PIN foot of the L-shaped insulating gasket are respectively arranged opposite to the radio frequency hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing of the optical module; The electro-optical modulator is fixed on the L-shaped insulating gasket, and the radio frequency port of the electro-optical modulator sequentially passes through the through hole for the radio frequency port and the radio frequency hole, and the PIN foot sequentially passes through the through hole for the PIN foot and the PIN foot hole.

8. A mounting method for the insulating mounting structure of an electro-optical modulator according to claim 7, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Attach the side surface of the L-shaped insulating gasket to the side wall of the housing of the optical module, and attach the bottom surface of the insulating gasket to the bottom surface of the housing of the optical module; Align the through hole for the radio frequency port and the through hole for the PIN foot on the side surface of the insulating gasket with the radio frequency hole and the PIN foot hole on the side wall of the housing respectively; Place the electro-optical modulator on the L-shaped insulating gasket, and make the radio frequency port of the electro-optical modulator sequentially pass through the through hole for the radio frequency port and the radio frequency hole, and the PIN foot sequentially pass through the through hole for the PIN foot and the PIN foot hole; Install insulating screws on at least two mounting holes to fix the electro-optical modulator and the L-shaped insulating gasket on the housing of the optical module.

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