Optical coupling component, optical communication device and optical coupling method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of optical communication equipment, and provides an optical coupling component, an optical communication device and an optical coupling method. The optical coupling component includes a substrate having a mounting surface, a carrier having a bearing surface, and a photoelectric conversion chip having an optical port. An optical fiber fixing seat is provided on the mounting surface of the substrate, and the optical fiber fixing seat has an extension port for the optical fiber to extend toward the photoelectric conversion chip. The carrier is arranged on the mounting surface of the substrate, and the bearing surface of the carrier and the mounting surface of the substrate are arranged perpendicular to each other. The photoelectric conversion chip is arranged on the bearing surface of the carrier, and the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip is arranged opposite to the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat. The above optical coupling component does not need to be additionally provided with a lens, and adopts a passive alignment method to realize optical coupling between the optical fiber and the photoelectric conversion chip. The optical coupling process is simple, and the production cost of the optical communication device and the volume of the optical communication device are effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical communication equipment, and in particular to an optical coupling component, an optical communication device and an optical coupling method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of optical communication technology and applications, the requirements for data transmission rate and transmission capacity of various optical communication devices are getting higher and higher.

[0003] At present, optical modules based on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) and photodetection diodes (PIN) are widely used in short-distance interconnect optical communications due to their low cost and high integration. The coupling technology used is mainly to achieve coupling by making a 90° turn of the optical path between the optical fiber and the photoelectric conversion chip through a lens. However, due to the high manufacturing cost of the lens and the coupling method between the lens and the photoelectric conversion chip is generally active coupling, the coupling alignment process is cumbersome, resulting in a significant increase in the production cost of the optical communication device. In addition, the lens will occupy a large amount of internal installation space of the optical communication device, resulting in an increase in the volume of the optical communication device. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical coupling component, an optical communication device and an optical coupling method, aiming to solve the technical problems of high production cost and large volume of existing optical communication devices.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted in an embodiment of the present invention is: an optical coupling component, comprising a substrate having a mounting surface, a carrier having a bearing surface, and a photoelectric conversion chip having an optical port, wherein an optical fiber fixing seat is provided on the mounting surface of the substrate, and the optical fiber fixing seat has an extension port for the optical fiber to extend toward the photoelectric conversion chip, the carrier is arranged on the mounting surface of the substrate, and the bearing surface of the carrier and the mounting surface of the substrate are arranged perpendicular to each other, the photoelectric conversion chip is arranged on the bearing surface of the carrier, and the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip is arranged opposite to the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat.

[0006] The optical coupling assembly provided by the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: after the photoelectric conversion chip is arranged on the bearing surface of the carrier, the carrier is placed on the mounting surface of the base and the bearing surface and the mounting surface are perpendicular to each other, an optical microscope is used to observe the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat and the carrier is moved until the optical port is aligned with the extension port, the optical fiber is fixed on the optical fiber fixing seat and one end of the optical fiber is extended toward the photoelectric conversion chip through the extension port, so that the optical coupling between the optical fiber and the photoelectric conversion chip can be achieved without using a lens to make a 90° turn of the optical path between the optical fiber and the photoelectric conversion chip, which effectively reduces the production cost of the optical communication device and reduces the volume of the optical communication device, and a passive alignment method is used to achieve the optical coupling between the optical fiber and the photoelectric conversion chip, the optical coupling process is simple, and the production cost of the optical communication device can be further reduced.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, a movable groove for accommodating the carrier is provided on the mounting surface of the base, and an extension direction of the movable groove is perpendicular to the orientation of the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip. When the carrier is placed in the movable groove, the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the protruding port of the optical fiber fixing seat are on the same horizontal plane.

[0008] In one embodiment, a first heat-conducting layer is disposed between the carrier and the groove surface of the movable groove.

[0009] In one embodiment, the optical fiber fixing seat comprises a seat body disposed on the mounting surface of the base, and the seat body is provided with a fixing groove having the protruding port and used for accommodating the optical fiber.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cross section of the fixing groove is a V-shaped structure.

[0011] In one embodiment, the optical fiber fixing seat further comprises a cover body, and the cover body is disposed on the seat body to fix the optical fiber in the fixing groove.

[0012] In one embodiment, the carrier is a ceramic carrier, a silicon carrier or an aluminum nitride carrier.

[0013] In one embodiment, the substrate is a silicon substrate, a ceramic substrate or an aluminum nitride substrate.

[0014] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention also provides an optical communication device, comprising a circuit board, an optical fiber, a signal control chip integrated on the circuit board, and the above-mentioned optical coupling component, wherein the circuit board is arranged on the mounting surface of the base, the optical fiber is fixedly arranged on the optical fiber fixing seat of the base of the optical coupling component and one end of the optical fiber extends toward the photoelectric conversion chip of the optical coupling component through the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat, and the signal control chip is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion chip.

[0015] Since the above optical communication device adopts all the embodiments of the above optical coupling component, it has at least all the beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0016] In one embodiment, a first pad and a second pad electrically connected to each other are provided on the carrier of the optical coupling component, the photoelectric conversion chip is electrically connected to the first pad, and the signal control chip is electrically connected to the second pad.

[0017] To achieve the above object, the present invention further provides an optical coupling method of the above optical coupling assembly, comprising the following steps:

[0018] Placing the photoelectric conversion chip on the carrying surface of the carrying body;

[0019] Placing the carrier on the mounting surface of the base so that the carrier surface and the mounting surface are perpendicular to each other;

[0020] Observe the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat and move the carrier until the optical port is aligned with the extension port;

[0021] The carrier is fixed on the mounting surface of the base.

[0022] Since the above optical coupling method adopts all the embodiments of the above optical coupling assembly, it has at least all the beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0023] In one embodiment, the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat are observed using an optical microscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical communication device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical coupling component in the optical communication device shown;

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A left side view of the optical coupling assembly shown;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the optical coupling assembly shown in FIG.

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the photoelectric conversion chip in the optical coupling component shown;

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the optical coupling assembly in use according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure at point A;

[0032] Figure 8 The present invention provides a flow chart of an optical coupling method.

[0033] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0034] 100. Optical communication device, 110. Optical coupling component, 111. Base, 1111. Mounting surface, 1112. Active groove, 112. Carrier, 1121. Carrier surface, 1122. First solder pad, 1123. Second solder pad, 113. Photoelectric conversion chip, 1131. Optical port, 114. Optical fiber fixing seat, 1141. Seat, 1142. Cover, 1143. Fixing groove, 1144. Extension port, 120. Circuit board, 130. Optical fiber, 140. Signal control chip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0037] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0038] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] Please combine Figure 2 as well as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, an optical coupling component 110 includes a base 111 having a mounting surface 1111, a carrier 112 having a bearing surface 1121, and a photoelectric conversion chip 113 having an optical port 1131. An optical fiber fixing seat 114 is provided on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111. The optical fiber fixing seat 114 has an extension port 1144 for the optical fiber 130 to extend toward the photoelectric conversion chip 113. The carrier 112 is provided on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111, and the bearing surface 1121 of the carrier 112 and the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 are arranged perpendicular to each other. The photoelectric conversion chip 113 is provided on the bearing surface 1121 of the carrier 112, and the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is arranged opposite to the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114, that is, the center line of the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the center line of the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114 are on the same straight line.

[0040] Please combine Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, after the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is arranged on the carrying surface 1121 of the carrier 112, the carrier 112 is placed on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 and the carrying surface 1121 and the mounting surface 1111 are perpendicular to each other. The optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114 are observed with an optical microscope and the carrier 112 is moved until the optical port 1131 is aligned with the extension port 1144. The optical fiber 130 is fixed on the optical fiber fixing seat 114 and the optical fiber 130 is aligned with the extension port 1144. One end extends toward the photoelectric conversion chip 113 through the extension port 1144. In this way, optical coupling between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113 can be achieved without using a lens to make a 90° turn of the optical path between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113, thereby effectively reducing the production cost of the optical communication device and reducing the volume of the optical communication device. In addition, a passive alignment method is used to achieve optical coupling between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113, and the optical coupling process is simple, which can further reduce the production cost of the optical communication device.

[0041] In this embodiment, please combine Figure 2 As shown, the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 is provided with an active groove 1112 for accommodating the carrier 112. The extending direction of the active groove 1112 is perpendicular to the direction of the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113. When the carrier 112 is placed in the active groove 1112, the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the extended port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114 are on the same horizontal plane. Figure 2 As shown, the direction of the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is Figure 2 In the X-axis direction shown, the extending direction of the active groove 1112 is Figure 2 In the Y-axis direction shown, when the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the optical fiber 130 are optically coupled, the relative position between the optical port 1131 and the extension port 1144 is observed through an optical microscope, and the carrier 112 is moved along the movable groove 1112 until the optical port 1131 is aligned with the extension port 1144. In this way, it is only necessary to move the carrier 112 along the extension direction of the movable groove 1112, which effectively simplifies the optical coupling operation process between the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the optical fiber 130, and can further reduce the production cost of the optical communication device 100.

[0042] Specifically, a first heat-conducting layer (not shown in the figure) is provided between the carrier 112 and the groove surface of the active groove 1112, wherein the first heat-conducting layer can be a heat-conducting silicone layer. The heat generated by the photoelectric conversion chip 113 during operation is transferred to the carrier 112, and then quickly transferred to the substrate 111 through the first heat-conducting layer, thereby realizing rapid heat dissipation of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and effectively improving the heat dissipation performance of the optical communication device 100.

[0043] In this embodiment, please combine Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the optical fiber fixing seat 114 includes a seat body 1141 disposed on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 . The seat body 1141 is provided with a fixing groove 1143 having a protruding port 1144 and used for accommodating the optical fiber 130 .

[0044] When the optical coupling component 110 is applied to a multi-channel parallel optical communication device, a plurality of mutually parallel fixing grooves 1143 are provided on the base body 1141, and each fixing groove 1143 is used to accommodate and fix an optical fiber 140. Accordingly, the photoelectric conversion chip 113 has a plurality of optical ports 1131, and each optical port 1131 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each fixing groove 1143.

[0045] Specifically, please combine Figure 4 As shown, the cross section of the fixing groove 1143 is a V-shaped structure. The V-shaped fixing groove 1143 can effectively limit the position of the optical fiber 130. When the optical fiber 130 is placed in the fixing groove 1143, the axis of the optical fiber 130 coincides with the center of the groove top of the fixing groove 1143. When the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the optical fiber 130 are optically coupled, the center of the optical port 1131 is also on the same straight line as the center of the groove top of the fixing groove 1143, thereby achieving alignment and coupling between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113, effectively improving the coupling accuracy between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113, and improving the optical coupling efficiency.

[0046] Specifically, please combine Figure 2 As shown, the optical fiber fixing seat 114 further includes a cover 1142, which is covered on the seat 1141 to fix the optical fiber 130 in the fixing groove 1143. The cover 1142 and the seat 1141 can be fixedly connected by bonding, such as using UV glue to bond the cover 1142 and the seat 1141; or, the cover 1142 and the seat 1141 can be fixedly connected by fastening, such as using fasteners such as screws and bolts to fix the cover 1142 and the seat 1141.

[0047] In this embodiment, in order to improve the thermal conductivity of the carrier 112, increase the heat dissipation speed of the photoelectric conversion chip 113, and improve the heat dissipation performance of the optical communication device 100, the carrier 112 is a ceramic carrier, a silicon carrier, or an aluminum nitride carrier.

[0048] In this embodiment, in order to improve the thermal conductivity of the substrate 111 and the heat dissipation performance of the optical communication device 100 , the substrate 111 is a silicon substrate, a ceramic substrate or an aluminum nitride substrate.

[0049] Please combine Figure 1As shown, an optical communication device 100 includes a circuit board 120, an optical fiber 130, a signal control chip 140 integrated on the circuit board 120, and the above-mentioned optical coupling component 110, the circuit board 120 is arranged on the mounting surface 1111 of the substrate 111, the optical fiber 130 is fixedly arranged on the optical fiber fixing seat 114 of the substrate 111 of the optical coupling component 110, and one end of the optical fiber 130 extends toward the direction of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 of the optical coupling component 110 through the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114, and the signal control chip 140 is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion chip 113.

[0050] Since the optical communication device 100 adopts all the embodiments of the optical coupling component 110 , it has at least all the beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0051] In this embodiment, please combine Figure 2 As shown, a first solder pad 1122 and a second solder pad 1123 electrically connected to each other are provided on the carrier 112, wherein the first solder pad 1122 is provided on the carrying surface 1121 of the carrier 112, and the second solder pad 1123 is provided on the surface of the carrier 112 adjacent to the carrying surface 1121 or on the surface opposite to the carrying surface 1121, the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is electrically connected to the first solder pad 1122 through a bonding process, and the signal control chip 140 is electrically connected to the second solder pad 1123 through a bonding process, thereby realizing electrical connection between the signal control chip 140 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113.

[0052] It should be noted that when the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is a light emitting device, such as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser array bare chip, the signal control chip 140 is a driver bare chip; when the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is a light receiving device, such as a PIN photodetector array bare chip, the signal control chip 140 is a transimpedance amplifier bare chip. The optical communication device 100 may only have an optical signal output function, for example, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser array bare chip and the driver bare chip are electrically connected to form an optical signal output channel; or, the optical communication device 100 may only have an optical signal input function, for example, the PIN photodetector array bare chip and the amplifier bare chip are electrically connected to form an optical signal input channel; or, the optical communication device 100 has both optical signal input and output functions, for example, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser array bare chip and the driver bare chip are electrically connected to form an optical signal output channel, and the PIN photodetector array bare chip and the amplifier bare chip are electrically connected to form an optical signal input channel.

[0053] In this embodiment, the end of the optical fiber 130 close to the photoelectric conversion chip 113 has a spherical structure or a conical structure, so that the light beam enters the interior of the optical fiber 130 for total reflection transmission after being refracted through the end face of the optical fiber 130, or the light beam enters the interior of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 through the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 after being refracted through the end face of the optical fiber 130, thereby effectively improving the coupling efficiency between the optical fiber 130 and the photoelectric conversion chip 113.

[0054] In this embodiment, to further improve the heat dissipation performance of the optical communication device 100 , a second heat conductive layer (not shown) is provided between the circuit board 120 and the substrate 111 of the optical coupling component 110 , wherein the second heat conductive layer may be a heat conductive silicone layer.

[0055] Please combine Figure 8 As shown, an optical coupling method of the optical coupling assembly 110 includes the following steps:

[0056] S100, placing the photoelectric conversion chip 113 on the carrying surface 1121 of the carrying body 112;

[0057] S200, placing the carrier 112 on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 and making the carrier surface 1121 and the mounting surface 1111 perpendicular to each other;

[0058] S300, observing the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114 and moving the carrier 112 until the optical port 1131 is aligned with the extension port 1144;

[0059] S400 , fixing the carrier 112 on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 .

[0060] Since the above optical coupling method adopts all the embodiments of the above optical coupling component 110, it has at least all the beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0061] In step S100 , a first pad 1122 is provided on the carrying surface 1121 of the carrying body 112 , and the photoelectric conversion chip 113 is connected and fixed to the first pad 1122 by a bonding process.

[0062] In step S300 , the optical port 1131 of the photoelectric conversion chip 113 and the extension port 1144 of the optical fiber fixing seat 114 are observed using an optical microscope.

[0063] In step S400 , when a movable groove 1112 is provided on the mounting surface 1111 of the base 111 , the carrier 112 is placed in the movable groove 1112 , and the carrier 112 can be fixedly connected to the groove surface of the movable groove 1112 by bonding or welding.

[0064] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical coupling component, characterized in that: The optical coupling assembly comprises a base having a mounting surface, a carrier having a bearing surface, and a photoelectric conversion chip having an optical port, the mounting surface of the base being provided with an optical fiber fixing seat, the optical fiber fixing seat having an extension port for the optical fiber to extend toward the photoelectric conversion chip, the carrier being provided on the mounting surface of the base, and the bearing surface of the carrier and the mounting surface of the base being arranged perpendicular to each other, the photoelectric conversion chip being provided on the bearing surface of the carrier, and the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip being arranged opposite to the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat; The optical fiber fixing seat comprises a seat body arranged on the installation surface of the base body, and the seat body is provided with a fixing groove having the protruding port and used for accommodating the optical fiber.

2. The optical coupling assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: An active groove for accommodating the carrier is provided on the mounting surface of the base, and an extension direction of the active groove is perpendicular to the orientation of the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip. When the carrier is placed in the active groove, the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the protruding port of the optical fiber fixing seat are on the same horizontal plane.

3. The optical coupling assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first heat-conducting layer is provided between the carrier and the groove surface of the movable groove.

4. The optical coupling assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The cross section of the fixing groove is a V-shaped structure.

5. The optical coupling assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber fixing seat also includes a cover body, which is covered on the seat body to fix the optical fiber in the fixing groove.

6. The optical coupling assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The carrier is a ceramic carrier, a silicon carrier or an aluminum nitride carrier.

7. The optical coupling assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The substrate is a silicon substrate, a ceramic substrate or an aluminum nitride substrate.

8. An optical communication device, characterized in that: It comprises a circuit board, an optical fiber, a signal control chip integrated on the circuit board, and an optical coupling component as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the circuit board is arranged on the mounting surface of the base, the optical fiber is fixedly arranged on the optical fiber fixing seat of the base of the optical coupling component and one end of the optical fiber is extended toward the direction of the photoelectric conversion chip of the optical coupling component through the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat, and the signal control chip is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion chip.

9. The optical communication device according to claim 8, characterized in that: A first pad and a second pad electrically connected to each other are disposed on the carrier of the optical coupling component, the photoelectric conversion chip is electrically connected to the first pad, and the signal control chip is electrically connected to the second pad.

10. An optical coupling method of an optical coupling assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The optical coupling method comprises the following steps: Placing the photoelectric conversion chip on the carrying surface of the carrying body; Placing the carrier on the mounting surface of the base so that the carrier surface and the mounting surface are perpendicular to each other; Observe the optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the extension port of the optical fiber fixing seat and move the carrier until the optical port is aligned with the extension port; The carrier is fixed on the mounting surface of the base.

11. The optical coupling method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The optical port of the photoelectric conversion chip and the protruding port of the optical fiber fixing seat are observed using an optical microscope.

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