Square optical fiber processing method and processing auxiliary device

Abstract

The application discloses a square optical fiber processing method and an auxiliary processing device. The auxiliary processing element is prepared in advance, including a window piece, a first perpendicularity block, a second perpendicularity block, a first base plate and a second base plate. The processing process comprises the following steps: connecting the window piece between the two perpendicularity blocks, connecting the bottom surfaces of the two perpendicularity blocks to the top surface of the first base plate to form a disc; then grinding and polishing the top surface of the disc and the two side surfaces exposed by the window piece, connecting the second base plate to the top surface of the disc, cutting the disc in the direction of the second base plate to obtain a thin piece, polishing the thin piece, and taking off the square optical fiber from the second base plate. More square optical fibers can be obtained by repeating the operation after the disc. The application can process multiple optical fibers simultaneously, and can obtain square optical fibers with sub-micron precision, high perpendicularity between surfaces and high surface shape precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical fiber preparation, in particular to a method for simultaneously processing multiple square optical fibers and a processing auxiliary device. Background Art

[0002] Due to its structural peculiarities, square fibers have specific applications in laser waveguides, primarily in high-power laser transmission, homogenization, imaging, spectroscopy, and other fields. Square fibers significantly improve coupling efficiency with semiconductor lasers, offering excellent spot homogenization and shaping capabilities, and hold strong promise for applications in laser cleaning and laser beam shaping.

[0003] Square-core fiber is a special structure with a large core diameter for laser transmission. Existing solutions for producing this type of square-core fiber mostly utilize traditional fiber drawing techniques, where a square block of quartz material is heated and then drawn into the fiber shape. This heat-melting drawing process results in sharp edges, large errors in side lengths, and low perpendicularity between adjacent faces, reducing the transmission efficiency of high-energy lasers.

[0004] In addition, the structure of square fiber is as follows Figure 1 As shown, the cross-sectional side lengths (width and height) are typically less than 1mm, and the optical fiber length is typically greater than 100mm. Optical surfaces less than 1mm in width cannot be inspected using interferometers, and components with large aspect ratios are also prone to deformation and breakage during processing. Therefore, traditional processes not only present unstable manufacturing processes, but also make product surface shape difficult to inspect.

[0005] In the prior art, there are other processing techniques. Document CN114953219A discloses a method for preparing square single-crystal optical fibers, which involves cutting crystal materials to obtain crystal fiber blanks. Multiple single-crystal fiber blanks are then fixed on a base, and then the four side faces and two end faces of the multiple single-crystal fiber blanks are ground and polished in sequence by a grinder to produce square optical fibers. However, this method requires the cut single-crystal fiber blanks to be transferred to the base for further processing, and when the single-crystal fiber blanks are fixed to the base, they need to be fixed by gluing (such as UV glue). The errors introduced by transferring the single-crystal fiber blanks to the base, as well as the errors in the thickness of the glue layer and the gap errors between the sides of the fiber blanks, will result in the high-precision shape and position errors of the optical fibers and the side length differences failing to meet the high-precision requirements of the submicron level. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a square optical fiber processing method to solve the above-mentioned problems, so as to prepare a square optical fiber whose shape, position and side length errors meet high precision requirements.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows:

[0008] A square optical fiber processing method, comprising:

[0009] The step of forming a disk comprises: connecting at least one window piece connected side by side by optical adhesive between the first verticality block and the second verticality block by optical adhesive; connecting the bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block to the top surface of the first substrate by optical adhesive to form a disk; the two surfaces of the window piece in the distance direction between the first verticality block and the second verticality block and the two adjacent surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are parallel to each other; the window piece is perpendicular to the top surface of the first substrate, and the top and bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are parallel to the top surface of the first substrate;

[0010] The disc processing step includes grinding and polishing at least three exposed surfaces of the window piece in the disc according to the surface shape requirements; connecting the bottom surface of the second substrate to the top surface of the disc by optical adhesive, so that the second substrate completely covers the window piece, and the bottom surface of the second substrate is parallel to the top surface of the first substrate;

[0011] Cutting step: cutting the disc at a predetermined position in a direction parallel to the bottom surface of the second substrate;

[0012] Cutting surface processing steps: according to the surface shape requirements, at least grind and polish the cutting surface of the cut part;

[0013] Unwinding step: Remove the square fiber from the cut portion.

[0014] Further, more optical fibers are prepared by repeating the following process at least once:

[0015] Grinding and polishing the cut surface of the disc after cutting according to surface shape requirements;

[0016] Connecting the bottom surface of the second substrate to the top surface of the disk by means of optical adhesive;

[0017] The cutting step, the cutting surface processing step and the lower plate step are performed again.

[0018] To solve all or part of the above problems, the present invention further provides a square optical fiber processing auxiliary device, comprising a first substrate, a second substrate, a first verticality block, and a second verticality block; the bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are respectively connected to the top surface of the first substrate; the first verticality block and the second verticality block are of equal height; the top surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are respectively connected to the bottom surface of the second substrate; the top surfaces and bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are parallel to each other; and the first verticality block and the second verticality block each have at least one side surface in the width direction perpendicular to the bottom surface;

[0019] The length of the first substrate is not less than the sum of the length of the first perpendicularity block, the length of the second perpendicularity block, and the width of the pre-processed square optical fibers when arranged side by side; the widths of the first substrate, the first perpendicularity block, and the second perpendicularity block are all greater than the length of the pre-processed square optical fibers; the length of the second substrate is greater than the width of the pre-processed square optical fibers when arranged side by side; and the width of the second substrate is equal to the length of the pre-processed square optical fibers.

[0020] When processing the square optical fiber, the window piece is connected between the first verticality block and the second verticality block (connected on both sides) by optical glue, and then the square optical fiber processing method can be performed.

[0021] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] 1. The present invention abandons the traditional wire drawing process. Through the designed processing auxiliary device and processing method, multiple square optical fibers can be processed in batches at the same time. At the same time, it solves the problems of blunt edges and low verticality error in the wire drawing process, as well as the problems of easy deformation and breakage of single-piece processing and the inability to clamp due to the small processing surface.

[0023] 2. When processing multiple optical fibers simultaneously, this invention magnifies the processed surface of the fibers, enabling optical inspection of their shape. This solves the problem of single-fiber optical fiber being unable to undergo shape inspection due to its small optical surface (less than 1 mm). Furthermore, the large processed surface facilitates grinding and polishing, ensuring high surface accuracy for the fibers.

[0024] 3. The present invention cuts fiber embryos from prefabricated window pieces and polishes multiple fiber embryos. The cut fiber embryos already have three surfaces that meet the high-precision requirements for flatness and verticality, without the need for additional processing. After the disc is formed, the last surface can be ground and polished without transferring the cut substrate, and no errors are introduced due to the transfer. In addition, the present invention connects the various auxiliary components using optical glue, which does not introduce thickness errors and gap errors. The fit between the window piece and the substrate is at the sub-micron level, ensuring the verticality and side length consistency of each surface of the final optical fiber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 It is an embodiment of a square optical fiber structure.

[0027] Figure 2 It is an embodiment of the window structure.

[0028] Figure 3 It is an embodiment of the verticality block structure.

[0029] Figure 4 is an embodiment of a first substrate and a second substrate structure.

[0030] Figure 5 is Figure 2-4 An embodiment of the auxiliary element into a disc.

[0031] Figure 6 It is an embodiment of a disk on the second substrate.

[0032] Figure 7 This is an embodiment of cutting into discs.

[0033] Figure 8 The invention is an embodiment of a square optical fiber processing method flow.

[0034] In the figure, 1 is a window piece, 2 is a first verticality block, 3 is a second verticality block, 4 is a first substrate, 5 is a second substrate, and 6 is a square optical fiber embryo. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] All features disclosed in this specification, or all steps in the disclosed methods or processes, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.

[0036] Any feature disclosed in this specification (including any appended claims and abstract), unless otherwise stated, may be replaced by other equivalent or similar features. In other words, unless otherwise stated, each feature is only an example of a series of equivalent or similar features.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] This embodiment introduces a square optical fiber processing auxiliary device, including its structure and size design. Those skilled in the art should know that other design structures and sizes can be used without violating the concept of the present invention.

[0039] The device includes a first substrate 4, a second substrate 5, a first perpendicularity block 2 and a second perpendicularity block 3. When processing and preparing the square optical fiber 6, it also includes a plurality of window pieces 1, the number of which is equal to the number of pre-processed square optical fibers.

[0040] See attached Figure 2 , is a design structure of the window piece 1, the length, width and thickness directions of the window piece 1 defined in the present invention are in the attached Figure 2 Indicates that if the Figure 2 The orientation of the window piece 1 can be adjusted accordingly. Figure 2 Surfaces A and A' in the diagram are parallel to each other and have been polished to ensure that their surface shape, thickness, and parallelism meet the requirements. The length of the window 1 is greater than that of the pre-processed square optical fiber to reserve space for grinding and polishing. The thickness of the window 1 is equal to the width of the pre-processed square optical fiber, and no further processing is required in this direction. To process multiple square optical fibers at a time, the corresponding number of windows are stacked and connected between the first perpendicularity block 2 and the second perpendicularity block 3. These windows 1 completely overlap in the stacking direction.

[0041] The first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 have similar structures. The heights of the two blocks are equal and can be equal to the width of the window 1. The top and bottom surfaces of the two blocks are parallel to each other. The first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 each have at least one side surface in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the bottom surface. Figure 3The diagram shows the structure of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and 3. Side B of the first verticality block 2 is perpendicular to its bottom surface, while side B' of the second verticality block 3 is perpendicular to its bottom surface. In some preferred embodiments, the width of each of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and 3 is rectangular. Specifically, their lengthwise surfaces are parallel, and their heightwise surfaces (top and bottom) are also parallel and perpendicular to their lengthwise surfaces. When in use, the bottom surfaces of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and 3 are connected to the top surface C of the first substrate 4. Side B of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and 3' are positioned opposite and parallel to each other, with a gap between them. The gap's width is an integer multiple of the thickness of the window 1, allowing for the space between the two blocks to accommodate multiple window 1s. The side opposite side B of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and B' of the second verticality block 3 are designed to be perpendicular to serve as verticality reference surfaces for disk processing. The top surfaces of the two verticality blocks also connect to the bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5. The second substrate 5 increases the thickness of the cut portion during the cutting step, reducing vibration and preventing breakage of the fiber embryo. The widths of the first and second verticality blocks 2 and 3 are both greater than the length of the pre-processed square fiber. This is because both widthwise surfaces of the finished fiber require grinding and polishing after the coiling step, so a certain margin is required. In some embodiments, the widths of the two verticality blocks can be equal to the length of the window 1.

[0042] like Figure 4The diagram below is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 5. The first substrate 4 is larger than the second substrate 5 because, after connecting the two perpendicularity blocks, it needs to be ground and polished before being connected to the second substrate 5. Therefore, the first substrate 4 has a reserve for grinding. The direction in which the first substrate 4 is larger than the second substrate 5 is the direction in which the grinding operation is required. In some embodiments, the length of the window 1 is parallel to the width of the first substrate 4. The first substrate 4 is larger in width than the second substrate 5, and the width of the second substrate 5 is equal to the length of the pre-processed square optical fiber. In the length direction, because the first perpendicularity block 2, the second perpendicularity block 3, and several windows 1 are required to be placed on the top surface C of the first substrate 4, the length of the first substrate 4 is not less than (and can be equal to) the sum of the length of the first perpendicularity block 2, the length of the second perpendicularity block 3, and the width of all pre-processed square optical fibers (processed at a time) when arranged side by side (i.e., the sum of the thicknesses of all windows to be cut at a time). The second substrate 5 needs to hold down all the window pieces 1 and also needs to be connected to the top surfaces of the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 respectively. Therefore, the length of the second substrate 5 must be greater than the width of the pre-processed square optical fibers when they are arranged side by side. In some embodiments, the length of the second substrate 5 is equal to the sum of the length of the first verticality block 2, the length of the second verticality block 3, and the width of the pre-processed square optical fibers when they are arranged side by side. If, after the first verticality block 2, the second verticality block 3, and the window piece 1 are all set on the first substrate 4, it is necessary to grind the entire surface in the length direction of the first substrate 4. Then, the length of the second substrate 5 is equal to the sum of the length of the first verticality block 2, the length of the second verticality block 3, and the width of the pre-processed square optical fibers when they are arranged side by side, minus the length of the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 that needs to be ground in the length direction of the first substrate 4. Usually, no further grinding is required in this direction.

[0043] In the present invention, the connections between the auxiliary components are all made by optical adhesive. Therefore, the surfaces that need to be connected between the auxiliary components have been polished according to the surface shape requirements. For example, the surfaces A and A' of the window plate 1 mentioned above, as well as the four surfaces of the first verticality block 2 that are not in the width direction (surface B, the surface opposite to surface B, the top surface and the bottom surface), and the four surfaces of the second verticality block 3 that are not in the width direction (surface B', the surface opposite to surface B', the top surface and the bottom surface). The top surfaces of the two verticality blocks can also be polished during the disk processing step. In some embodiments, the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 are designed as rectangular blocks. Except for the front and back surfaces, they are all polished. In this way, during assembly, there is no need to distinguish which two surfaces are set relative to each other. More preferably, the structures of the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 are exactly the same. The top surface C of the first substrate 4 and the bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 are also polished.

[0044] The combination of various square optical fiber processing auxiliary devices disclosed in this embodiment is as follows: when processing an optical fiber, the bottom surface of the first verticality block 2 is first connected to one side of the top surface C of the first substrate 4 by optical adhesive. The side facing the other side of the first substrate 4 is a polished surface, such as the above-mentioned side B. Then, on this surface, multiple window pieces 1 are connected layer by layer by optical adhesive (if only one optical fiber needs to be processed, only one window piece 1 is required). On the last window piece 1, the polished side surface of the second verticality block 3, such as the above-mentioned side B', is connected by optical adhesive. The bottom surface of the second verticality block 3 is connected to the top surface C of the first substrate 4 by optical adhesive, thus completing the disc forming step. Afterwards, the two longitudinal surfaces of the window piece 1 and the top surface in the width direction are ground and polished. The grinding amount of the two longitudinal surfaces should be such that the remaining length of the window piece 1 is equal to the length of the pre-processed square optical fiber. The bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 is then bonded to the ground and polished top surface of the disc using optical adhesive. Cutting and polishing of the cut surface can then be performed, and the square optical fiber can be removed after polishing. Repeating the steps after polishing the top surface of the disc can produce more square optical fibers.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] This embodiment discloses a method for processing square optical fibers. Taking the need to simultaneously process n square optical fibers as an example, where n is a positive integer, the method includes the following steps:

[0047] 1. Auxiliary component preparation steps

[0048] The auxiliary components include n window pieces 1, a first verticality block 2, a second verticality block 3, a first substrate 4, and a second substrate 5. If these auxiliary components can be directly obtained, such as through customization or purchase, this step can be omitted during processing.

[0049] This step includes: processing n pieces of window sheets 1 respectively, and polishing the two largest surfaces of the window sheet 1 according to the surface shape requirements, that is, Figure 2 Surfaces A and A' are shown. And

[0050] Process the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3. According to the surface shape requirements, at least polish the surfaces of the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 used for connecting with other auxiliary components (such as the window piece 1, the first substrate 4, etc.), such as Figure 3 The side surface B and bottom surface of the first verticality block 2, the side surface B' and bottom surface of the second verticality block 3, or also include the top surfaces of the two, and the two surfaces opposite to the side surfaces B and B'.

[0051] Process the first and second substrates 4, 5. Based on surface requirements, at least the top surface C of the first substrate 4 and the bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 are polished. Of course, the other two large surfaces of the first and second substrates 4, 5 can also be polished, so that when connecting, there is no need to distinguish which surface to connect.

[0052] 2. Steps for making a plate

[0053] In the tray-forming step, it is necessary to connect n pieces of window pieces 1 connected by optical adhesive between the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 by optical adhesive, and also connect the bottom surfaces of the first verticality block 2 and the second verticality block 3 to the top surface C of the first substrate 4 by optical adhesive. The tray-forming operation is completed to obtain the tray (i.e., the entire facility after the window piece 1, the first verticality block 2, the second verticality block 3, and the first substrate 4 are connected). Its structure is as follows: Figure 5 shown.

[0054] In principle, any intermediate operation can be used as long as it can complete all the above steps. There is no strict order requirement for the connection between the auxiliary components. For example, it can be:

[0055] The bottom surface of the first verticality block 2 is connected to the top surface C of the first substrate 4 by means of optical adhesive.

[0056] Then, the first window piece 1 (surface A) is connected to the side of the first verticality block 2 close to the second verticality block 3 (i.e., side B) by means of optical adhesive. The remaining window pieces 1 are connected to the previous window piece 1 in sequence by means of optical adhesive, that is, surface A of the second window piece 1 is connected to surface A' of the first window piece 1. This cycle continues until surface A of the nth window piece 1 is connected to surface A' of the n-1th window piece 1.

[0057] Then, the second verticality block 3 is connected to the surface A' of the last window piece n by optical adhesive on the side (ie, side B') close to the first verticality block 2, and the bottom surface of the second verticality block 3 is connected to the top surface C of the first substrate 4.

[0058] Of course, in addition to the above process, the present invention can also adopt other feasible connection processes, such as first connecting the second verticality block 3 and the first substrate 4, then connecting the window piece 1 and the second verticality block 3, and finally connecting the first verticality block 2 to the window piece 1 and the first substrate 4.

[0059] 3. Plate processing steps

[0060] A finished plate is always made by connecting auxiliary components piece by piece. Furthermore, each auxiliary component may not completely meet the designed dimensions. Therefore, after the plate is completed, adjacent auxiliary components may appear aligned visually, but not microscopically. In practice, it is also difficult to achieve perfect edge alignment of auxiliary components. To address this, the finished plate needs to be processed to achieve uniform processing accuracy for the auxiliary components.

[0061] According to the surface shape requirements (including at least one of the surface shape PV value, parallelism between opposite surfaces, perpendicularity between adjacent surfaces, etc., determined as needed), grind and polish the three exposed surfaces of the window piece 1 in the disk, that is, the surface where the window piece 1 can be seen in the disk, such as Figure 5 The front side D, rear side D' and top surface E of the finished disk, the bottom surface of the window piece 1 is blocked by the first substrate 4. Assuming that the window piece 1 is set in the vertical direction, it is obvious that the grinding and polishing here are vertical or horizontal polishing. The order of processing is to process the D and D' surfaces first, and then the E surface: a. When grinding and polishing the D surface, it is necessary to achieve that the D surface and the F surface are perpendicular to each other (meet the verticality requirements, the same below); b. When grinding and polishing the D' surface, it is necessary to achieve that the D' surface and the F surface are straight with each other and parallel to the D surface (meet the parallelism requirements, the same below); c. When grinding and polishing the E surface, it is necessary to achieve that the E surface is perpendicular to the D surface and the F surface; the parallelism can be detected by using an interferometer after polishing, and the verticality can be measured by using an autocollimator in combination with a goniometer. After this operation, the width of each window piece 1 is completely uniform, and the top surface, two side surfaces (sides A and A'), and the front and rear end surfaces have been polished, and the surface shapes can be detected, and they can meet the design requirements. As for the two sides of the finished disk in the length direction of the first substrate 4, that is, Figure 5 The side surfaces F and F' shown in the figure usually do not require further processing (such as grinding).

[0062] After grinding and polishing at least the three exposed surfaces (surfaces D, D', and E) of the window 1 on the finished disk, the bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 is connected to the top surface E of the finished disk by optical adhesive, and completely covers the window 1 on the top surface E. Obviously, this refers to the finished disk after grinding and polishing. The bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 should also be parallel to the top surface C of the first substrate 4. The size of the bottom surface C' of the second substrate 5 can be exactly the same as the top surface E of the finished disk after grinding and polishing, so as to just cover the top surface E of the finished disk, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, it is easier to cut into disks. After the disk is processed, the fiber embryo can be cut.

[0063] 4. Cutting steps

[0064] In the direction parallel to the bottom surface of the second substrate (i.e., parallel to the top surface E of the disk), the disk is cut at a predetermined position. The cutting result is as follows: Figure 7 shown.

[0065] See attached Figure 1 It can be seen that the height of the square optical fiber is very small, less than 1 mm. If there is no second substrate 5 to press the window piece 1, and cutting is performed directly on the top of the disk, it is easy to cause violent shaking of the cut part, thereby causing the optical fiber embryo to break. Alternatively, the shaking of the optical fiber embryo causes the cutting surface to be uneven, resulting in the cutting amount not meeting the height requirement of the square optical fiber.

[0066] The predetermined position during the above-mentioned cutting is determined by the required height of the square optical fiber (i.e., the required height of the square optical fiber). Usually, a certain margin needs to be reserved for polishing the cut surface. That is, the cutting position is from the top surface of the second substrate 5, and is the thickness of the second substrate 5 + the design height of the square optical fiber + the reserved margin. If it is calculated from the top surface E of the finished disk, it is the design height of the square optical fiber + the reserved margin. For example, the distance from the top surface E of the finished disk is the position where 0.1 mm is added to the height of the square optical fiber required for the design height.

[0067] 5. Cutting surface processing steps

[0068] The cut parts include the second substrate 5, the square optical fiber embryo 6, and part of the two perpendicularity blocks. Although the cut surface of the square optical fiber embryo 6 is flat, the surface shape still needs further fine processing to meet the requirements. Therefore, according to the surface shape requirements, the cut surface of the small cut part is ground and polished.

[0069] In this step, an interferometer can be used to measure the parallelism of the thin sheet (the portion removed from the second substrate 5). Because the cut surface is large and can be measured, the interferometer can be used to shape the cut surface (including the side of the fiber embryo) to meet the requirements. A confocal sensor can also be used to measure the thickness of the thin sheet to ensure that the fiber height meets the requirements.

[0070] 6. Steps to get off the plate

[0071] After the cut surface is polished, all surfaces of the square optical fiber embryo 6 meet the surface shape requirements and can be removed from the second substrate 5. At this point, n square optical fibers are processed.

[0072] The cut surface of the disc is then ground and polished, and the bottom surface C' of the removed second substrate 5 is connected with optical glue. The cutting and subsequent steps (i.e., the cutting step, the cutting surface processing step, and the disc removal step) are repeated to obtain n square optical fibers again. This process is repeated to produce more square optical fibers.

[0073] Example 3

[0074] This embodiment takes the processing of a square optical fiber of 0.6 mm*0.6 mm*100 mm as an example to illustrate the processing auxiliary device and processing method of the present invention.

[0075] The processing auxiliary device includes a window piece, and its structure is shown in the attached Figure 2 The dimensions of length*width*thickness are designed to be 110mm*80mm*0.6mm, the light aperture (located in the center) is 100mm*70mm, and the two large surfaces on the front and back (i.e. 110mm*80mm) are polished to ensure the surface shape (PV value of the surface shape is better than 100nm), thickness and parallelism. The two polished surfaces serve as the two side faces of the square optical fiber (100mm*0.6mm).

[0076] The first verticality block and the second verticality block are designed with the same size in this embodiment. Figure 3 The length * width * height of the verticality block is designed to be 50mm * 110mm * 80mm, and its four larger side surfaces (surface 110mm * 80mm, and surface 110mm * 50mm) are polished. The surface PV value is better than 150nm, the verticality between adjacent surfaces is better than 1', and the parallelism between parallel surfaces is better than 1'.

[0077] The first and second substrates are planar substrates. The first substrate's dimensions are 103.6mm (length, width, and height) by 110mm (width, height) and 10mm (height). The 103.6mm length is chosen to accommodate the simultaneous processing of six square optical fibers. For other dimensions (m), the length of the first substrate is (100 + 0.6 * m) mm. The second substrate's dimensions are 103.6mm (length, width, and height) by 110mm (width, height) and 10mm (height). Similarly, for other dimensions (m), the length of the second substrate is (100 + 0.6 * m) mm, the same as the length of the first substrate. One 103.6mm * 110mm surface of the first substrate and one 103.6mm * 100mm surface of the second substrate were polished, achieving surface PV values ​​better than 60nm.

[0078] In this way, the processing auxiliary device is ready. When processing square optical fibers, follow the Figure 8 The process is executed, in which the preparation steps of the auxiliary components have been completed above

[0079] 1. Assemble into a plate (i.e. plate-forming step)

[0080] Reference Figure 5 The structure is to splice 6 windows, two vertical blocks and the first substrate into a disk, wherein:

[0081] a) Use optical adhesive to connect a 50mm*110mm surface of a verticality block (corresponding to the first verticality block) to the left side of the polished surface (103.6mm*110mm) of the first substrate. Also use optical adhesive to connect the right-facing 110mm*80mm surface of the first window piece to the 110mm*80mm surface of the left verticality block.

[0082] b) Connect one 110mm*80mm surface of the second window piece to the other 110mm*80mm surface of the first window piece using optical adhesive. Repeat this process five times until one 110mm*80mm surface of the sixth window piece is connected to the other 110mm*80mm surface of the fifth window piece. If another number x of square optical fibers is required, repeat this process x-1 times.

[0083] c) Use optical adhesive to attach one 50mm*110mm surface of another verticality block to the right side of the polished surface (103.6mm*110mm) of the first substrate. Also, use optical adhesive to attach the left 110mm*80mm surface of the verticality block to the other 110mm*80mm surface of the sixth window piece. This completes the disc-making process. It should be noted that any dimensions involving 80mm in the above dimensions can be changed to other values, but they must remain the same.

[0084] 2. Plate processing

[0085] The size of the rectangular parallelepiped component after grinding and polishing into a disk (referred to as a disk in the present invention) is 103.6mm*90mm on two sides, that is, Figure 5 Surfaces D and D' in the figure have a single-side removal of 5mm, a parallelism of 1' (not to exceed 1', the same applies hereafter), a perpendicularity of 1' to the 110mm*90mm surface, and a surface PV value of 100nm. The top surface, originally 103.6mm*110mm, was ground and polished with a 5mm removal, just reaching the edge of the clear aperture (the upper edge), a perpendicularity of 1' to each adjacent surface, and a surface PV value of 100nm.

[0086] 3. Turn over and place on plate

[0087] The polished surface (103.6 mm*100 mm) of the second substrate is connected to the top surface of the disc after disc processing by optical adhesive.

[0088] 4. Cutting

[0089] Using diamond wire cutting technology, a thin sheet with a total thickness of 10.7 mm was cut from top to bottom. After subtracting the thickness of the second substrate (10 mm), the thickness of the cut spliced ​​thin sheet was 0.7 mm.

[0090] 5. Grinding and polishing

[0091] The cut surface is ground and polished with a 0.1mm removal. Parallelism with the spliced ​​sheet is measured using an interferometer to a minimum of 1' and a surface PV value of less than 100nm (thickness is measured using a confocal sensor). If square fiber processing is required later, the top surface of the remaining disc is also polished to the same surface requirements.

[0092] 6. Lower plate

[0093] All that is required is to remove the square optical fiber from the second substrate.

[0094] Repeat steps 3-6 using the removed second substrate to produce more square optical fibers. This can be done until the other edge (lower edge) of the window aperture is reached or there is insufficient excess to produce more square optical fibers.

[0095] Through the design concept of the present invention, the verticality of each square optical fiber finally processed can be guaranteed (the parallelism is also guaranteed), as well as the PV value of each surface, ensuring the high-precision processing requirements for high-precision square optical fibers.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned specific embodiments, but extends to any new features or any new combination disclosed in this specification, as well as any new method or process steps or any new combination disclosed.

Claims

1. A square optical fiber processing method, characterized in that: include: The step of forming a disk comprises: connecting at least one window piece connected side by side by optical adhesive between the first verticality block and the second verticality block by optical adhesive; connecting the bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block to the top surface of the first substrate by optical adhesive to form a disk; the two surfaces of the window piece in the distance direction between the first verticality block and the second verticality block and the two opposite surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are parallel to each other; the window piece is perpendicular to the top surface of the first substrate, and the top and bottom surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block are parallel to the top surface of the first substrate; The disc processing step includes grinding and polishing at least three exposed surfaces of the window piece in the disc according to the surface shape requirements; connecting the bottom surface of the second substrate to the top surface of the disc by optical adhesive, so that the second substrate completely covers the window piece, and the bottom surface of the second substrate is parallel to the top surface of the first substrate; Cutting step: cutting the disc at a predetermined position in a direction parallel to the bottom surface of the second substrate; Cutting surface processing step: grinding and polishing at least the cutting surface of the cut portion according to the surface shape requirements; the cut portion includes the second substrate, the square optical fiber embryo, and a portion of the first and second verticality blocks; Unwinding step: Remove the square fiber from the cut portion.

2. The square optical fiber processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Repeat the following process at least once: Grinding and polishing the cut surface of the disc after cutting according to surface shape requirements; Connecting the bottom surface of the second substrate to the top surface of the disk by means of optical adhesive; The cutting step, the cutting surface processing step and the lower plate step are performed again.

3. The square optical fiber processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plate forming step comprises: Connecting the bottom surface of the first verticality block to the top surface of the first substrate by means of optical adhesive; Connect the first window piece to the surface of the first verticality block adjacent to the second verticality block by means of optical adhesive, and connect the remaining window pieces to the previous window piece in sequence by means of optical adhesive; The second verticality block is connected to the last window piece on one side close to the first verticality block by means of optical adhesive, and the bottom surface of the second verticality block is connected to the top surface of the first substrate.

4. The square optical fiber processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the plate forming step, the method further comprises: Auxiliary component preparation step, wherein the auxiliary component includes at least one window piece, a first verticality block, a second verticality block, a first substrate and a second substrate: Processing each window piece, polishing the two largest surfaces of the window piece according to the surface shape requirements; Processing the first verticality block and the second verticality block, and polishing at least the surfaces of the first verticality block and the second verticality block for connecting with other auxiliary components according to surface shape requirements; The first substrate and the second substrate are processed, and at least the top surface of the first substrate and the bottom surface of the second substrate are polished according to surface shape requirements.

5. The square optical fiber processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the cutting step, the predetermined position is a position at a distance from the top surface of the disk that is 0.1 mm higher than the required height of the square optical fiber.

6. The square optical fiber processing method according to claim 1, wherein: In the disc processing step, at least three exposed surfaces of the window piece in the disc are ground and polished according to the surface shape requirements, including: grinding and polishing two opposite surfaces of the three exposed surfaces of the window piece in the disc so that the distance between the two surfaces is consistent with the required length of the square optical fiber.

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