A device and method for testing coupling efficiency of a package-free tube cap

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of optical communication technology, and more particularly to a kind of no package pipe cap coupling efficiency testing device and method, including the upper clamp, middle clamp, lower clamp being arranged on base;Upper clamp is used to fix optical fiber, middle clamp is used to fix TO pipe cap, lower clamp is used to power and fix laser assembly;Optical fiber, TO pipe cap and laser assembly are located on the same axis;Adjustable optical fiber vertical up and down movement on upper clamp;Middle clamp can adjust TO pipe cap vertical up and down movement and horizontal front and back left and right movement;Lower clamp can adjust laser assembly vertical up and down movement and horizontal movement, and adjust the inclination of laser assembly.The present application adjusts the horizontal position of six-axis motion adjustment chip, the vertical position of optical fiber, and the horizontal position and vertical position of TO pipe cap Simulate the TO-CAN structure after packaging, obtain the optical performance such as efficiency and focal length of TO pipe cap.The method is simple to operate, convenient to test, does not need expensive automatic equipment, and has low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to a device and method for testing coupling efficiency without a packaging cap. Background Technology

[0002] TO caps are important optical devices widely used in various optical modules. The lens inside the TO cap acts as a window element for optical transmission and reception, playing roles such as collimation and coupling. Coupling efficiency is its most important optical performance characteristic. Previous testing methods have used TO-CAN packaging to test coupling efficiency. Once packaged, this packaging is non-removable, and the relevant positions are fixed, making it difficult to determine the relationship between the lens's front and rear focal lengths and coupling efficiency. Therefore, we propose a coupling efficiency testing device and method without a packaged TO cap. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on the technical problems existing in the background technology, the present invention proposes a coupling efficiency testing device and method without encapsulation cap. The testing performance does not damage the TO cap, and it can measure multiple sets of lens-related performance parameters at different heights, which is convenient for analyzing the differences between actual products and designs. It solves the problem that the existing technology is not conducive to finding the correlation between the front focal length, back focal length and coupling efficiency of the lens.

[0004] This invention provides the following technical solution: a method for testing coupling efficiency without a cap, comprising an upper clamp, a middle clamp, and a lower clamp disposed on a base;

[0005] The upper clamp is used to fix the optical fiber, the middle clamp is used to fix the TO tube cap, and the lower clamp is used to supply power to the laser assembly and fix it.

[0006] The optical fiber, TO cap, and laser assembly are located on the same axis;

[0007] The upper clamp is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the vertical movement of the optical fiber relative to the base.

[0008] The clamp is equipped with an adjustment mechanism 2 for adjusting the vertical up-and-down movement and horizontal forward-backward-left-right movement of the TO tube cap relative to the base;

[0009] The lower clamp is equipped with an adjustment mechanism three for adjusting the vertical and horizontal movement of the laser assembly relative to the base, as well as adjusting the tilt angle of the laser assembly.

[0010] Preferably, the upper clamp further includes an upper slide and an optical fiber clamp. The optical fiber clamp is mounted on the upper slide and a single-mode optical fiber is fixed in the optical fiber clamp. The upper slide adjusts the vertical position of the optical fiber by moving up and down.

[0011] Preferably, the upper clamp further includes an upper clamp bracket, which is used to adjust the vertical position of the upper slide relative to the base.

[0012] Preferably, the clamping device includes, from top to bottom, a TO cap clamp, a clamp lifting slide, a manual slide three, and a manual slide four, all of which are mounted on the base.

[0013] The TO cap clamp is used to fix the TO cap, the clamp lifting slide is used to adjust the vertical position of the clamp, the manual slide three is used to adjust the horizontal forward and backward movement of the component on it, and the manual slide four is used to adjust the horizontal left and right movement of the component on it.

[0014] Preferably, the lower clamp includes, from top to bottom, a lower power module, a pitch slide table one, a pitch slide table two, a manual slide table one, and a manual slide table two, all of which are mounted on the base.

[0015] The lower power supply module is used to power and fix the laser assembly. The pitch adjustment directions of the first and second pitch slides are perpendicular, and they are used to adjust the tilt angle of the laser assembly. The first manual slide is used to adjust the horizontal forward and backward movement of its upper component, and the second manual slide is used to adjust the horizontal left and right movement of its upper component.

[0016] A method for testing coupling efficiency without a capping tube includes the following steps:

[0017] S1. Fix the laser assembly with the lower power module and power it on;

[0018] S2. Place the TO cap to be tested into the TO cap clamp and fix it in place. Adjust the clamp lifting slide to make the TO cap contact the laser assembly.

[0019] S3. Adjust the pitch slide one and pitch slide two to control the pitch angle of the laser assembly so that the TO cap fits tightly with the laser assembly. Then lift it slightly upward to leave a gap between the TO cap and the laser assembly.

[0020] S4. Place the single-mode fiber in the fiber clamp and fix it. Adjust the upper slide and the upper clamp bracket so that the fiber is positioned a distance above the TO tube cap.

[0021] S5. Adjust the relative positions of manual slide 1, manual slide 2, manual slide 3, and manual slide 4 respectively to keep the laser assembly, single-mode fiber, and TO tube cap coaxial.

[0022] S6. Connect the tail of the single-mode fiber to the optical power meter, observe the power value displayed on the optical power meter, and adjust the manual slide one and manual slide two until the displayed optical power is at its highest.

[0023] S7. Adjust the positions of manual slide three and manual slide four until the display light power is at its maximum.

[0024] S8. Adjust the vertical position of the upper slide to the highest level of the light power display;

[0025] S9. Repeat steps S6-S8 until the display light power reaches its maximum and no higher power is achieved by adjusting the position of the clamp.

[0026] S10. Record the distance between the single-mode fiber and the TO cap at this time, and then calculate the focal length of the TO cap. Record the distance between the laser assembly and the TO cap at this time, and then calculate the TO cap patch height.

[0027] S11. Record the optical power value P at this time; raise the upper clamp bracket, keep other parts still, replace the optical power meter with the integrating sphere covering the TO tube cap, and record the power value P0 at this time; then raise the TO tube cap clamp first through the clamp lifting slide and then move it horizontally through the manual slide three and manual slide four, cover the laser assembly with the integrating sphere of the integrating power meter, and record the power value P1 at this time;

[0028] S12. Calculate P / P0, which is the coupling efficiency of the TO cap; calculate P0 / P1, which is the lens transmittance of the TO cap.

[0029] Preferably, in step S3, the design height of the TO cap is lower than the actual height of the optical chip, and the gap between the TO cap and the laser assembly is the difference between the distance between the optical chip patch and the base and the design patch distance.

[0030] Preferably, in step S4, the distance between the bottom of the optical fiber and the top of the TO cap at the middle clamp is the front focal distance of the designed TO cap.

[0031] This invention provides a device and method for testing coupling efficiency without a packaged TO-CAN connector. Based on the actual structure of a packaged TO-CAN connector, the horizontal position of the chip, the vertical position of the optical fiber, and the horizontal and vertical positions of the TO-CAN connector are adjusted via six-axis motion to simulate the packaged TO-CAN structure, thereby obtaining the optical performance of the TO-CAN connector, such as efficiency and focal length. The testing does not damage the TO-CAN connector and can measure multiple sets of lens-related performance parameters at different heights, facilitating the analysis of differences between actual products and designs. It is low-cost, simple in structure, and occupies little space, with the device measuring only 40cm × 30cm × 34cm. Operation is simple and convenient; testing can be performed directly after obtaining the TO-CAN connector, without the need for a TO-CAN packaging process. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 Top view of the invention Figure 1 ;

[0034] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 2 Sectional view of AA in the middle;

[0035] Figure 4 Top view of the invention Figure 2 ;

[0036] Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 4 Cross-sectional view of the middle section (BB);

[0037] Figure 6 For the present invention Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of J.

[0038] In the diagram: 1. Upper clamp bracket; 2. Upper slide table; 3. TO cap gripper; 4. Lower power module; 5. Pitch slide table one; 6. Pitch slide table two; 7. Manual slide table one; 8. Manual slide table two; 9. Gripper lifting slide table; 10. Manual slide table three; 11. Manual slide table four; 12. Base; 13. Fiber optic clamp; 14. Single-mode fiber optic cable; 15. TO cap; 16. Laser assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a technical solution: a coupling efficiency testing device without a cap, comprising an upper clamp, a middle clamp, and a lower clamp.

[0041] like Figure 6 As shown, the upper clamp includes an upper clamp bracket 1, an upper slide 2, and an optical fiber clamp 13. The optical fiber clamp 13 is mainly used to fix the optical fiber. The upper and lower positions of the optical fiber can be adjusted within a certain range by moving the upper slide 2 up and down. The vertical position of the upper slide 2 can be adjusted within a larger range by adjusting the upper clamp bracket 1.

[0042] like Figure 4 and 5As shown, the clamping device comprises a TO cap clamp 3, a clamp lifting slide 9, a manual slide three 10, and a manual slide four 11. The TO cap clamp 3 fixes the TO cap 15. The TO cap clamp 3, the clamp lifting slide 9, the manual slide three 10, and the manual slide four 11 are installed on the base 12 from top to bottom. The clamp lifting slide 9 can adjust the vertical position of the clamp within a certain range. The manual slide three 10 can adjust the horizontal forward and backward movement of the components on it. The manual slide four 11 can adjust the horizontal left and right movement of the components on it.

[0043] like Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the lower fixture includes a lower power supply module 4, a pitch slide 5, a pitch slide 6, a manual slide 7, and a manual slide 8. The lower power supply module 4, pitch slide 5, pitch slide 6, manual slide 7, and manual slide 8 are installed on the base 12 from top to bottom. The lower power supply module 4 is used to power and fix the laser assembly 16. Pitch slide 5 and pitch slide 6 can adjust the tilt angle of the laser assembly 16 to achieve leveling. Manual slide 7 adjusts the horizontal forward and backward movement of its upper component, and manual slide 8 is used to adjust the horizontal left and right movement of its upper component.

[0044] The lower, middle, and upper clamps are arranged coaxially as the initial position.

[0045] Furthermore, each fixture can be made of either plastic or stainless steel.

[0046] A method for testing coupling efficiency using the above-described unencaped TO cap 15 includes the following steps:

[0047] 1) Fix the laser assembly 16 with the lower power module 4 and power it on;

[0048] 2) Place the TO cap 15 to be tested into the TO cap clamp 3 for clamping and fixing, and adjust the clamp lifting slide 9 so that the TO cap 15 contacts the laser assembly 16.

[0049] 3) Adjust the pitch slide 15 and pitch slide 26 to control the pitch angle of the laser assembly 16 so that the TO cap 15 fits tightly with the laser assembly 16, and then lift it slightly upwards.

[0050] 4) Place the single-mode fiber 14 in the fiber clamp 13 and fix it. Adjust the upper slide 2 and the upper clamp bracket 1 so that the fiber position is a distance above the TO tube cap 15.

[0051] 5) Adjust the relative positions of manual slide 1 (7), manual slide 2 (8), manual slide 3 (10), and manual slide 4 (11) respectively to keep the laser assembly 16, single-mode fiber 14, and TO cap 15 coaxial.

[0052] 6) Connect the tail of the single-mode fiber 14 to the optical power meter, observe the power value displayed on the optical power meter, and adjust the manual slide 7 and manual slide 8 until the displayed optical power is at its highest.

[0053] 7) Adjust the positions of manual slide three 10 and manual slide four 11 until the display light power is at its maximum;

[0054] 8) Adjust the vertical position of the upper slide 2 until the light power display is at its highest;

[0055] 9) Repeat steps 6-8 until the display light power reaches its maximum and no higher power is achieved by adjusting the position of the clamp;

[0056] 10) Record the distance between the single-mode fiber 14 and the TO cap 15 at this time, and record the distance between the laser assembly 16 and the TO cap 15 at this time.

[0057] 11) Record the optical power value P at this time; raise the upper clamp bracket 1, keep other parts still, replace the optical power meter with the integrating sphere covering the TO tube cap 15, and record the power value P0 at this time; then raise the TO tube cap clamp 3 first through the clamp lifting slide 9 and then move it horizontally through the manual slide three 10 and manual slide four 11, cover the laser assembly 16 with the integrating sphere of the integrating power meter, and record the power value P1 at this time.

[0058] 12) Calculate P / P0, which is the coupling efficiency of the TO cap 15; calculate P0 / P1, which is the lens transmittance of the TO cap 15.

[0059] In Experimental Example 1 of this invention, the TO cap 15 is a TO56 7.5 joule non-spherical cap with a cap height of 3.97 mm (excluding the bottom solder). The optical fiber is a 0° single-mode fiber 14, and the laser assembly 16 uses a TO56 4-pin base to mount a 2.5G 1270nm optical chip with a mounting height of 1.42 mm. During the test, the optical chip current was controlled at Ith + 20mA.

[0060] 1. Adjust the tube cap, single-mode fiber 14, and laser assembly 16 to the coaxial position in sequence. The power meter displays a power of 217uw.

[0061] 2. Adjust the lower clamp slide to the maximum optical power, which is 479uw;

[0062] 3. Adjust the horizontal and vertical orientation of the clamp until the maximum optical power is found. The maximum optical power at this point is 1840uw.

[0063] 4. Adjust the height of the upper clamp to the maximum optical power, which is 2172uw.

[0064] 5. Repeat step 2 to find the maximum power of 2784uw at this time;

[0065] 6. Repeat step 3 to find the maximum power of 4175uw at this time;

[0066] 7. Repeat step 4 to find the maximum power of 4715uw at this time;

[0067] 8. Continue repeating step 2 until the maximum power is found to be 4898uw;

[0068] 9. Repeat step 3 to find that the maximum power at this time is 5140uw;

[0069] 10. Repeat step 4 to find that the maximum power at this time is 5174uw;

[0070] 11. Proceed to step 2, where the maximum optical power is 5188uw;

[0071] 12. At this point, the change in optical power has stabilized. Steps 2 to 4 are no longer repeated. Record the power value of 5188uw at this time.

[0072] 13. At this time, the distance between the bottom of the laser assembly 16 and the TO cap 15 is 0.09mm, and the distance between the top of the TO cap 15 and the bottom is 3.52mm.

[0073] 14. Raise the upper clamp and cover the integrating sphere of the integrating power analyzer with the lens at point 15 of the TO tube cap. The integrated power is measured to be 9742uw.

[0074] 15. Remove the TO cap 15 and test the optical chip's output power: 9856uW;

[0075] 16. The calculated coupling efficiency is 53.25%, and the calculated transmission rate of TO cap 15 is 98.84%.

[0076] 17. At this time, the focal length of the TO cap 15 is 3.97mm + 3.52mm, which gives a focal length of 7.49mm, close to the nominal focal length. The patch height is 1.42mm - 0.09mm - 0.05mm (solder height), which gives a patch height of 1.28mm for the TO cap 15.

[0077] The above examples are consistent with the test expectations. If the test values ​​differ significantly from the expectations, the distance between the upper and middle clamps can be fixed to fix the focal length and test the coupling efficiency and chip height at this time; or the middle and lower clamps can be fixed to simulate a fixed chip chip height and test the coupling efficiency and chip distance at this time.

[0078] This invention simulates the packaged TO-CAN structure by adjusting the horizontal position of the chip, the vertical position of the optical fiber, and the horizontal and vertical positions of the TO cap 15 through six-axis motion adjustment based on the actual packaged TO-CAN structure, thereby obtaining the optical performance of the TO cap 15, such as efficiency and focal length.

[0079] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A capless coupling efficiency testing device, characterized in that: Includes an upper clamp, a middle clamp, and a lower clamp set on the base (12); The upper clamp is used to fix the optical fiber, the middle clamp is used to fix the TO tube cap (15), and the lower clamp is used to supply power to the laser assembly (16) and fix it. The optical fiber, TO cap (15), and laser assembly (16) are located on the same axis; The upper clamp is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the vertical movement of the optical fiber relative to the base (12); The clamp is equipped with an adjustment mechanism 2 for adjusting the vertical up-down movement and horizontal forward-backward-left-right movement of the TO cap (15) relative to the base (12); The lower clamp is provided with an adjustment mechanism three for adjusting the vertical and horizontal movement of the laser assembly (16) relative to the base (12) and for adjusting the tilt angle of the laser assembly (16); The clamping device includes, from top to bottom, a TO cap clamp (3), a clamp lifting slide (9), a manual slide three (10), and a manual slide four (11). The TO cap clamp (3), the clamp lifting slide (9), the manual slide three (10), and the manual slide four (11) are all mounted on the base (12). The TO cap clamp (3) is used to fix the TO cap (15), the clamp lifting slide (9) is used to adjust the vertical position of the clamp, the manual slide three (10) is used to adjust the horizontal forward and backward movement of the component on it, and the manual slide four (11) is used to adjust the horizontal left and right movement of the component on it. The lower clamp includes, from top to bottom, a lower power module (4), a pitch slide table one (5), a pitch slide table two (6), a manual slide table one (7), and a manual slide table two (8). The lower power module (4), the pitch slide table one (5), the pitch slide table two (6), the manual slide table one (7), and the manual slide table two (8) are all mounted on the base (12). The lower power module (4) is used to power and fix the laser assembly (16). The pitch adjustment directions of the first pitch slide (5) and the second pitch slide (6) are perpendicular, and are used to adjust the tilt angle of the laser assembly (16). The first manual slide (7) is used to adjust the horizontal forward and backward movement of its upper part, and the second manual slide (8) is used to adjust the horizontal left and right movement of its upper part. The upper clamp also includes an upper slide (2) and an optical fiber clamp (13). The optical fiber clamp (13) is mounted on the upper slide (2) and a single-mode optical fiber (14) is fixed in the optical fiber clamp (13). The upper slide (2) adjusts the vertical position of the optical fiber by moving up and down. Adjust the relative positions of manual slide 1 (7), manual slide 2 (8), manual slide 3 (10), and manual slide 4 (11) respectively to keep the laser assembly (16), single-mode fiber (14), and TO cap (15) coaxial; Connect the tail of the single-mode fiber (14) to an optical power meter, observe the power value displayed on the optical power meter, and adjust the manual slide one (7) and manual slide two (8) until the displayed optical power is the highest. Adjust the positions of manual slide three (10) and manual slide four (11) to the maximum display light power; Adjust the vertical position of the upper slide (2) until the optical power display is at its highest; Record the distance between the single-mode fiber (14) and the TO cap (15) at this time, and record the distance between the laser assembly (16) and the TO cap (15) at this time; Record the optical power value P at this time; raise the upper clamp bracket (1) while keeping other parts still, replace the optical power meter with an integrating sphere to cover the TO tube cap (15), and record the power value P0 at this time; then raise the TO tube cap clamp (3) first through the clamp lifting slide (9) and then move it horizontally through the manual slide three (10) and manual slide four (11), cover the laser assembly (16) with the integrating sphere of the integrating power meter, and record the power value P1 at this time; Calculate P / P0, which is the coupling efficiency of the TO cap (15); calculate P0 / P1, which is the lens transmittance of the TO cap 15.

2. The capless coupling efficiency testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper clamp also includes an upper clamp bracket (1), which is used to adjust the vertical position of the upper slide (2) relative to the base (12).

3. A test method for the coupling efficiency testing device without encapsulation as described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Secure the laser assembly with the lower power-on module and power it on; S2. Place the TO cap to be tested into the TO cap clamp and fix it in place. Adjust the clamp lifting slide to make the TO cap contact the laser assembly. S3. Adjust the pitch slide one and pitch slide two to control the pitch angle of the laser assembly so that the TO cap fits tightly with the laser assembly. Then lift it slightly upward to leave a gap between the TO cap and the laser assembly. S4. Place the single-mode fiber in the fiber clamp and fix it. Adjust the upper slide and the upper clamp bracket so that the fiber is positioned a distance above the TO tube cap. S5. Adjust the relative positions of manual slide 1, manual slide 2, manual slide 3, and manual slide 4 respectively to keep the laser assembly, single-mode fiber, and TO tube cap coaxial. S6. Connect the tail of the single-mode fiber to the optical power meter, observe the power value displayed on the optical power meter, and adjust the manual slide one and manual slide two until the displayed optical power is at its highest. S7. Adjust the positions of manual slide three and manual slide four until the display light power is at its maximum. S8. Adjust the vertical position of the upper slide to the highest level of the light power display; S9. Repeat steps S6-S8 until the display light power reaches its maximum and no higher power is achieved by adjusting the position of the clamp. S10. Record the distance between the single-mode fiber and the TO cap at this time, and then calculate the focal length of the TO cap. Record the distance between the laser assembly and the TO cap at this time, and then calculate the TO cap patch height. S11. Record the optical power value P at this time; raise the upper clamp bracket, keep other parts still, replace the optical power meter with the integrating sphere covering the TO tube cap, and record the power value P0 at this time; then raise the TO tube cap clamp first through the clamp lifting slide and then move it horizontally through the manual slide three and manual slide four, cover the laser assembly with the integrating sphere of the integrating power meter, and record the power value P1 at this time; S12. Calculate P / P0, which is the coupling efficiency of the TO cap; calculate P0 / P1, which is the lens transmittance of the TO cap.

4. The capless coupling efficiency testing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step S3, the design height of the TO cap is lower than the actual height of the optical chip. The gap between the TO cap and the laser assembly is the difference between the distance between the optical chip patch and the base and the design patch distance.

5. The capless coupling efficiency testing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step S4, the distance between the bottom of the optical fiber and the top of the TO cap at the middle clamp is the front focal distance of the designed TO cap.

Images