Optical communication assembly

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of optical communication, and provides an optical communication assembly which comprises a chip and an optical fiber array used for receiving light output by the chip, and further comprises an adjusting structure used for adjusting the light output by the chip into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. And the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjusting structure is coupled to the optical fiber array. According to the optical communication assembly, before the light is coupled to the optical fiber array, the output light of the chip is adjusted to be parallel light or quasi-parallel light, so that the coupling tolerance of the optical fiber / optical fiber array and the chip is large, the process is relatively simple, and manufacturing and processing of an optical module / optical assembly are facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical communication technology, in particular to an optical communication component. Background Art

[0002] With the development of optical communications and data centers, silicon photonics is increasingly used in optical devices. A key bottleneck in the development of silicon photonic devices is the coupling and fixation of the optical fiber array and the silicon photonic waveguide, and the high stability of the coupling insertion loss of the components under changes in the external environment (mechanical vibration, temperature change).

[0003] The optical fiber array and silicon photonic chip are bonded to the same substrate using different glues. Because different glues have different thermal expansion coefficients, as the temperature changes, the optical fiber array and silicon photonic chip are misaligned in the vertical direction ( Figure 1 ), resulting in the coupling insertion loss being unstable with temperature changes.

[0004] Since silicon has a relatively large refractive index, its spot size is relatively small, and the coupling insertion loss is relatively large when directly coupled with single-mode fiber. Currently, most of them use small-mode fiber for direct coupling. However, direct coupling between small-mode fiber and silicon photonic chip is very sensitive, has poor stability, and has a tolerance in the sub-micron range.

[0005] Traditional single-fiber transceiver modules cannot meet the growing demand for high-speed transmission, and parallel optical technology has become an economical and efficient solution. In parallel optical signal transmission, the parallel optical modules at both ends of the link contain multiple transmitters and receivers, and use multiple optical fibers (also called fiber arrays) for transmission. Signals are transmitted and received through multiple paths, such as 4, 8, or even more. Due to errors in the manufacturing process of fiber array components, there is a certain tolerance in the distance between the fibers in the fiber array. As the number of fiber channels in the fiber array increases, the tolerance increases, resulting in poor coupling stability between the fiber array components and the silicon photonic chip. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an optical communication component which can at least solve some of the defects in the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present invention provides the following technical solution: an optical communication component, comprising a chip and an optical fiber array for receiving the output light of the chip, and also comprising an adjustment structure for adjusting the output light of the chip into parallel light or quasi-parallel light, wherein the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure is coupled into the optical fiber array.

[0008] Furthermore, the adjustment structure includes a groove opened on the chip, and a light emitting surface and a reflecting surface are respectively provided on opposite side walls of the groove, and the reflecting surface reflects the light output by the light emitting surface into parallel light or quasi-parallel light.

[0009] Furthermore, the light emitting surface is a vertical surface, the reflecting surface is a curved surface, and the curved surface is bent upward in a direction away from the light emitting surface.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a light sending structure component for sending the parallel light or quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure to the optical fiber array.

[0011] Furthermore, the light transmitting structural component includes a block disposed on the chip, and the block is provided with an exit surface for receiving the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light, and the exit surface is an inclined surface or a curved surface.

[0012] Furthermore, when the emitting surface is an inclined surface, a converging lens is provided on the optical path between the optical fiber array and the light transmitting structural component; when the emitting surface is a curved surface, the curved surface is a converging surface.

[0013] Furthermore, when the emission surface is an inclined surface, the chip is bonded to the substrate or PCB board by means of a heat-conducting adhesive, and the optical fiber array is bonded to the substrate or PCB board by means of a fixing adhesive.

[0014] Furthermore, when the output surface is a curved surface, the block is provided with a placement surface for placing the optical fiber array.

[0015] Furthermore, the adjustment structure includes a sphere arranged on the chip, and the output light of the chip becomes parallel light or quasi-parallel light after passing through the sphere, and a converging lens is provided on the optical path between the optical fiber array and the sphere.

[0016] Furthermore, the chip is bonded to the substrate or PCB by means of a heat-conducting adhesive, and the optical fiber array is bonded to the substrate or PCB by means of a fixing adhesive.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: an optical communication component, by adjusting the output light of the chip to parallel light or quasi-parallel light before coupling the light to the optical fiber array, the coupling tolerance of the optical fiber / optical fiber array and the chip is large, the process is relatively simple, and it is conducive to the manufacturing and processing of optical modules / optical components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of coupling between traditional chip and optical fiber array;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of coupling a chip and an optical fiber array of an optical communication component provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of coupling a chip and an optical fiber array of an optical communication component provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the coupling between a chip and an optical fiber array of an optical communication component provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0022] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0023] Figure 1 Middle: 10-chip; 11-substrate; 12-optical fiber array; 13-fixing glue; 14-thermal conductive glue;

[0024] Figure 2 Middle: 20-chip; 200-groove; 201-light emitting surface; 202-reflection surface; 21-light transmitting structure; 210-block; 211-emitting surface; 212-mounting surface; 22-optical fiber array;

[0025] Figure 3 Middle: 30-chip; 300-groove; 301-light emitting surface; 302-reflection surface; 31-light transmitting structure; 310-block; 311-emitting surface; 32-converging lens; 33-optical fiber array; 34-thermal conductive glue; 35-fixing glue; 36-substrate or PCB board;

[0026] Figure 4 Middle: 40-chip; 400-ball slot; 401-light emitting surface; 41-sphere; 42-converging lens; 43-optical fiber array; 44-thermal conductive glue; 45-fixing glue; 46-substrate or PCB board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 An embodiment of the present invention provides an optical communication component, including a chip, an optical fiber array for receiving the output light of the chip, and an adjustment structure for adjusting the output light of the chip to parallel light or quasi-parallel light, and the parallel light or quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure is coupled to the optical fiber array. In this embodiment, by adjusting the output light of the chip to parallel light or quasi-parallel light before coupling the light to the optical fiber array, the coupling tolerance of the optical fiber / optical fiber array and the chip is large, the process is relatively simple, and it is helpful for the manufacturing and processing of optical modules / optical components. In the prior art, such as Figure 1As shown, the chip 10 is fixed on the substrate 11 by the thermally conductive glue 14. The optical fiber array 22 is fixed on the substrate 11 by active coupling and fixing glue 13; the fixing glue 13 and the thermally conductive glue 14 are different glues with different thermal expansion coefficients. As the external temperature changes, the optical fiber array and the chip are misaligned in the up and down directions, causing the coupling insertion loss to be unstable with temperature changes. The small-mode optical fiber and the chip are directly coupled, which is very sensitive and has poor stability, with a tolerance in the sub-micron range; there are errors in the manufacturing process of the optical fiber array, and there is a certain tolerance in the distance between the optical fibers in the optical fiber array. As the number of optical fiber channels in the optical fiber array increases, this tolerance increases, resulting in worse coupling stability between the optical fiber and the chip. The present application can solve the coupling stability problem in the prior art by adjusting the output light to parallel light or quasi-parallel light. Specifically, there are two ways to adjust the divergent output light emitted by the chip into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. One is to improve the structure of the chip and output parallel light or quasi-parallel light through the chip itself. The other is to add a structure outside the chip to adjust the output light into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. The following will be divided into three embodiments for detailed description.

[0029] Embodiment 1:

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, the adjustment structure includes a groove 200 opened on the chip 20, and a light-emitting surface 201 and a reflective surface 202 are respectively provided on one opposite side wall of the groove 200, and the reflective surface 202 reflects the light output from the light-emitting surface 201 into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. In this embodiment, the output light is adjusted by improving the structure of the chip 20. The chip 20 of this embodiment is not limited to the silicon photonic chip 20, but can also be a waveguide optical chip 20 of other material types, such as thin film lithium niobate, etc. Its light-emitting surface 201 includes a physical contact end face (PC) or an inclined physical contact end face (APC). The function of the reflective surface 202 is to reflect the output light to the outside of the chip 20, and to adjust the output light of the chip 20 to parallel light or quasi-parallel light. Specifically, the light-emitting surface 201 is a vertical surface, and the reflective surface 202 is a curved surface. The curved surface is bent upward in a direction away from the light-emitting surface 201, and a high-reflection film can be plated on the curved surface, including a metal reflective film or a dielectric reflective film. The optical fiber array 22 has one or more optical fibers, and its front-end coupling optical fiber can be a single-mode optical fiber, a multi-mode optical fiber, a small-mode optical fiber, etc. The optical fiber array 22 has a coupling end face, including a physical contact end face (PC) and an inclined physical contact end face (APC).

[0031] See also Figure 2, the optical communication component also includes a light-transmitting structure 21 for transmitting the parallel light or quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure to the optical fiber array 22. In the present embodiment, the light-transmitting structure 21 is provided to facilitate transmitting the light output by the chip 20 to the optical fiber array 22. The material of the light-transmitting structure 21 has high light transmittance, such as glass, silicon, PEI, etc.; it can be manufactured by injection molding. Preferably, the light-transmitting structure 21 includes a block 210 disposed on the chip 20, and the block 210 is provided with an exit surface 211 for receiving the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light, and the exit surface 211 is a curved surface. The exit surface 211 can be designed as a curved surface, and the bending direction of the curved surface is exactly opposite to the bending direction of the reflecting surface 202.

[0032] To further optimize the above solution, please refer to Figure 2 When the exit surface 211 is a curved surface, the curved surface is a convergence surface, which can converge parallel light or quasi-parallel light to the optical fiber array 22. Preferably, when the exit surface 211 is a curved surface, the block 210 is provided with a placement surface 212 for placing the optical fiber array 22, and the optical fiber array 22 can be fixed on the placement surface 212 by mechanical positioning and glue.

[0033] At this point, the light output of the chip 20 reaches the light output through the light transmission structure 21; through the reflective surface 202, the chip 20 outputs parallel light or quasi-parallel light, the coupling tolerance is relatively large, the coupling insertion loss stability is improved, and the process difficulty is reduced. Preferably, the fixing glue can be ultraviolet glue.

[0034] Embodiment 2:

[0035] See also Figure 3, the adjustment structure includes a groove 300 opened on the chip 30, and a light-emitting surface 301 and a reflecting surface 302 are respectively provided on one opposite side wall of the groove 300, and the reflecting surface 302 reflects the light outputted from the light-emitting surface 301 into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. In this embodiment, the output light is adjusted by improving the structure of the chip 30. The chip 30 of this embodiment is not limited to the silicon photonic chip 30, but can also be a waveguide optical chip 30 of other material types, such as thin film lithium niobate, etc. Its light-emitting surface 301 includes a physical contact end face (PC) or an inclined physical contact end face (APC). The function of the reflecting surface 302 is to reflect the output light to the outside of the chip 30, and to adjust the output light of the chip 30 into parallel light or quasi-parallel light. Specifically, the light-emitting surface 301 is a vertical surface, and the reflecting surface 302 is a curved surface, and the curved surface is bent upward in a direction away from the light-emitting surface 301, and a high-reflection film can be plated on the curved surface, including a metal reflection film or a dielectric reflection film. The optical fiber array 33 has one or more optical fibers, and its front-end coupling optical fiber can be a single-mode optical fiber, a multi-mode optical fiber, a small-mode optical fiber, etc. The optical fiber array 33 has a coupling end face, including a physical contact end face (PC) and an inclined physical contact end face (APC).

[0036] See also Figure 3 , the optical communication component also includes a light-transmitting structure 31 for transmitting the parallel light or quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure to the optical fiber array 33. In the present embodiment, the light-transmitting structure 31 is provided to facilitate transmitting the light output by the chip 30 to the optical fiber array 33. The material of the light-transmitting structure 31 has high light transmittance, such as glass, silicon, PEI, etc.; it can be manufactured by injection molding. Preferably, the light-transmitting structure 31 includes a block 310 provided on the chip 30, and the block 310 is provided with an exit surface 311 for receiving the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light, and the exit surface 311 is an inclined surface. The exit surface 311 can be designed as an inclined surface, and the light reflected from the exit surface 311 is still parallel light or quasi-parallel light. Preferably, when the exit surface 311 is an inclined surface, a converging lens 32 is provided on the optical path between the optical fiber array 33 and the light-transmitting structure 31. In order to facilitate coupling, a converging lens 32 is additionally provided. Preferably, the exit surface 311 of the light transmission structure 31 is preferably inclined at 45 degrees, which is a fully reverse surface. The light transmission structure 31 is preferably fixed to the chip 30 by passive bonding. The optical fiber array 33 is fixed to the PCB or substrate by active coupling and fixing glue 35. Preferably, when the exit surface 311 is an inclined surface, the chip 30 is bonded to the substrate or PCB board 36 by thermal conductive glue, and the optical fiber array 33 is bonded to the substrate or PCB board 36 by fixing glue.

[0037] At this point, the parallel light or quasi-parallel light output by the chip 30 is totally reflected by the light-transmitting structural component 31 as horizontal parallel light or quasi-parallel light, and converges into the core of the optical fiber array 33 to achieve light output; through the exit surface 311, the chip 30 and the light-transmitting structural component 31 output parallel light or quasi-parallel light, and the coupling tolerance is relatively large. Even if the fixing glue 35 and the thermal conductive glue 34 are different glues with different thermal expansion coefficients, as the external temperature changes, the optical fiber array 33 and the chip 30 have a slight misalignment in the up and down directions, and the coupling insertion loss does not change with temperature, which helps to improve the stability of the coupling insertion loss and reduce the difficulty of the process. Preferably, the fixing glue 35 can be made of ultraviolet glue.

[0038] Embodiment three:

[0039] See also Figure 4 , the adjustment structure includes a sphere 41 arranged on the chip 40, the output light of the chip 40 becomes parallel light or quasi-parallel light after passing through the sphere 41, and a converging lens 42 is provided on the optical path between the optical fiber array 43 and the sphere 41. In this embodiment, the structure of the chip 40 is not improved, and the sphere 41 is added to output parallel light or quasi-parallel light. In order to reduce the volume, a platform can be designed on the chip 40 for the sphere 41 to be installed. Preferably, a ball groove 400 is provided on the platform to facilitate the stable placement of the sphere 41. The light-emitting surface 401 of the chip 40 is also a vertical surface, and the scattered light output from the vertical surface is converted into parallel light or quasi-parallel light through the sphere 41, and then coupled to the optical fiber array 43 through the converging lens 42. Preferably, the chip 40 is bonded to the substrate or PCB board 46 by heat-conducting glue, and the optical fiber array 43 is bonded to the substrate or PCB board 46 by fixing glue. The chip 40 of this embodiment is not limited to the silicon photonic chip 40, and can also be a waveguide optical chip 40 of other material types, such as thin film lithium niobate. Its light-emitting surface 401 includes a physical contact end face (PC) or an inclined physical contact end face (APC). The optical fiber array 43 has one or more optical fibers, and its front-end coupling optical fiber can be a single-mode optical fiber, a multi-mode optical fiber, a small-mode optical fiber, etc. The optical fiber array 43 has a coupling end face, including a physical contact end face (PC) and an inclined physical contact end face (APC). The optical fiber array 43 is fixed on a PCB or a substrate through active coupling and fixing glue 45.

[0040] At this point, the chip 40 outputs parallel light or quasi-parallel light through the sphere 41 and inputs it into the optical fiber array 43. The converging lens 42 converges the light into the core of the optical fiber array 43 to achieve light output. After passing through the sphere 41, the chip 40 outputs parallel light or quasi-parallel light, and the coupling tolerance is relatively large. Even if the fixing glue 45 and the thermal conductive glue 44 are different glues and have different thermal expansion coefficients, as the external temperature changes, the optical fiber array 43 and the chip 40 have a slight misalignment in the up and down directions, and the coupling insertion loss does not change with temperature, which helps to improve the stability of the coupling insertion loss and reduce the difficulty of the process. Preferably, the fixing glue 45 can be made of ultraviolet glue.

[0041] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical communication component, comprising a chip and an optical fiber array for receiving light output from the chip, characterized in that: It also includes an adjustment structure for adjusting the output light of the chip into parallel light or quasi-parallel light, and the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure is coupled into the optical fiber array.

2. An optical communication component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment structure comprises a groove opened on the chip, and a light emitting surface and a reflecting surface are respectively arranged on opposite side walls of the groove, and the reflecting surface reflects the light outputted from the light emitting surface into parallel light or quasi-parallel light.

3. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The light emitting surface is a vertical surface, the reflecting surface is a curved surface, and the curved surface is bent upward in a direction away from the light emitting surface.

4. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a light-transmitting structural component for transmitting the parallel light or quasi-parallel light adjusted by the adjustment structure to the optical fiber array.

5. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The light-transmitting structural component comprises a block disposed on the chip, and an exit surface for receiving the parallel light or the quasi-parallel light is disposed on the block, and the exit surface is an inclined surface or a curved surface.

6. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: When the emitting surface is an inclined surface, a converging lens is provided on the optical path between the optical fiber array and the light transmitting structural component; when the emitting surface is a curved surface, the curved surface is a converging surface.

7. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: When the emission surface is an inclined surface, the chip is bonded to the substrate or PCB board by means of a heat-conducting adhesive, and the optical fiber array is bonded to the substrate or PCB board by means of a fixing adhesive.

8. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: When the output surface is a curved surface, the block is provided with a placement surface for placing the optical fiber array.

9. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment structure includes a sphere arranged on the chip, and the output light of the chip becomes parallel light or quasi-parallel light after passing through the sphere. A converging lens is arranged on the optical path between the optical fiber array and the sphere.

10. An optical communication component as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that: The chip is bonded to the substrate or PCB by means of heat-conducting adhesive, and the optical fiber array is bonded to the substrate or PCB by means of fixing adhesive.

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