Integrated optical device

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated optical device which comprises a base and an optical element. The number of the optical elements is at least two, the base comprises a base plate, the base plate is provided with installation grooves corresponding to the number of the optical elements, the installation grooves are formed by downwards sinking the upper surface of the base plate, and the optical elements are partially arranged in the installation grooves and fixed to the base plate. The part, exposed out of the upper surface of the substrate, of the optical element is a light transmission part, so that the space between the adjacent light transmission parts can form a light transmission channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to optical fiber technology, in particular to an integrated optical device. Background Art

[0002] Traditional optical fiber devices are mostly coaxially packaged and then fused together to form a multifunctional module including multiple devices, as disclosed in Chinese patent application number 202110460518.3. However, due to the fusion of optical fibers and fiber coiling, the size of this multifunctional module is large, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the module.

[0003] At present, some space composite systems are also being developed. However, due to the limitations of space optical structural parts, they are often too large to be practical. For example, the optical building block system developed by the inventor of the present applicant can be referred to in the Chinese patent application number 202210186150.0. Although the stability problem of the original large optical system has been solved, the scale is still large and it still cannot replace traditional optical devices.

[0004] In addition, the existing structure for building a spatial optical path is to assemble the optical element 3' on the upper surface of the substrate 11', use various structural members 2' to fix the optical element 3', and then form a composite optical system. With the increasing requirements for system miniaturization, if the thickness of the substrate 11' is too thin, it is easy to deform (such as under the influence of temperature, stress, etc.), and if the substrate 11' is too thick, the height of the entire system cannot be reduced, and it is not easy to achieve miniaturization.

[0005] Therefore, there is room for further improvement. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an integrated optical device in view of the deficiencies in the above-mentioned prior art, which can not only improve the stability but also reduce the package size.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is: an integrated optical device, including a base and an optical element; characterized in that:

[0008] The optical elements have at least two, and the base includes a substrate. The substrate is provided with mounting grooves corresponding to the number of the optical elements, and the mounting grooves are formed by the upper surface of the substrate being recessed downward. The optical element is partially placed in the mounting grooves and fixed to the substrate, and the portion of the optical element exposed above the upper surface of the substrate is a light-transmitting portion, so that the space between adjacent light-transmitting portions can constitute a light transmission channel.

[0009] By placing part of the optical element in the substrate, the fixing area with the substrate is increased, which is beneficial to the stability of the fixation. Since the optical element is partially placed in the substrate and the supporting structure of the optical element is in the mounting groove of the substrate, the height of the system can be greatly reduced. The substrate, as a part of the supporting structure, ensures the rigidity of the substrate, improves the overall stability of the whole system, and reduces the height of the whole system at the same time. After the fixed part of the optical element and the substrate is placed in the substrate, the distance between the optical elements can be reduced, and the space can be directly used to realize the transmission of light, thereby eliminating the need to coil the fiber in the whole integrated system, which can not only improve the stability but also reduce the packaging size.

[0010] To facilitate the fixation of the optical element and the substrate, the integrated optical device also includes a fixing bracket, which is placed in the mounting groove and arranged on the periphery of the portion of the optical element located in the mounting groove, and is fixed to the optical element and the substrate respectively.

[0011] Preferably, the fixing bracket is in contact with the wall surface of the mounting groove, and the fixing bracket is bonded and fixed to the base plate.

[0012] Furthermore, since the overall reliability may be affected after the substrate is grooved, a cover plate is provided at the bottom of the substrate, thereby reducing the system height without reducing the reliability of the system, and substances such as water vapor and dust will not penetrate into the system from the bottom.

[0013] Preferably, the base plate and the cover plate are made of the same material.

[0014] Furthermore, to facilitate the input and output of light, the integrated optical device also includes a fixing base, on which the optical fiber is fixed.

[0015] Furthermore, the combination of the base and the optical element has at least two groups, and the bases are perpendicular to each other, thereby conveniently designing multi-dimensional composite devices, and the integrated optical device can be made into a three-dimensional optical path, further reducing the size of the system, and can also realize complex optical path construction, and can also meet various different space requirements in the construction of the same optical path.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: by placing the optical element partially in the substrate, the fixing area with the substrate is increased, which is beneficial to the stability of the fixation; and since the optical element is partially placed in the substrate, the supporting structure of the optical element is partially in the mounting groove of the substrate, which can greatly reduce the height of the system; the substrate, as a part of the supporting structure, ensures the rigidity of the substrate, improves the overall stability of the entire system, and reduces the height of the entire system; after the optical element and the fixed part of the substrate are placed in the substrate, the distance between the optical elements can be reduced, and the space can be directly used to realize the transmission of light, thereby eliminating the need to coil the fiber in the entire integrated system, which can not only improve the stability but also reduce the package size; multi-dimensional composite devices can be conveniently designed, and the integrated optical device can be made into a three-dimensional optical path, which further reduces the size of the system, and can also realize complex optical path construction, and can also meet various different space requirements in the construction of the same optical path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an integrated optical device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical module of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the decomposition structure;

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of one of the optical modules of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of one of the optical modules of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of one of the optical modules of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of one of the optical modules of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of one of the optical modules of the integrated optical device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the application of the integrated optical device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig.10It is a schematic diagram of the application of the integrated optical device according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the application of the integrated optical device of the second embodiment of the present invention (with Fig.10 different perspectives);

[0028] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of an integrated optical device in the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present invention can be set in different directions, these terms indicating directions are only for illustration and should not be regarded as limitations. For example, "up" and "down" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity. In addition, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0031] Embodiment 1

[0032] See also Figure 1 to Figure 3 An integrated optical device includes a base 1, a fixing bracket 2 and an optical element 3. The optical element 3 can be selected according to needs, such as a beam splitter, a reflector, a parallel plate, etc.

[0033] The base 1 includes a substrate 11, on which a mounting groove 111 is formed, which is formed by the upper surface of the substrate 11 being recessed downward. The optical element 3 is partially placed in the mounting groove 111, and can be supported on the bottom surface of the mounting groove 111. The portion of the optical element 3 exposed above the upper surface of the substrate 11 is the light-transmitting portion 31. The mounting bracket 2 is placed in the mounting groove 111, and is arranged on the periphery of the portion of the optical element 3 located in the mounting groove 111. It can partially surround the periphery of the optical element 3, or completely surround the periphery of the optical element 3. The shape and size of the mounting groove 111 are respectively adapted to the overall shape and size of the mounting bracket 2 and the optical element 3, and the fixing bracket 2 is in contact with the wall of the mounting groove 111. Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown in , the optical element 3 is in the form of a thin sheet, there are two fixing brackets 2, each of which is a semi-cylinder and is respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the optical element 3, and the cross section of the mounting groove 111 is circular.

[0034] The fixing bracket 2 is fixed to the base 11 by glue. Since the fixing bracket 2 is arranged in the substrate 11, the supporting structure of the optical element 3 is in the mounting groove 111 of the substrate 11, which can greatly reduce the height of the system. At the same time, the bonding area between the fixing bracket 2 and the mounting groove 111 of the substrate 11 is increased, which can greatly increase the glue bonding area and improve reliability. As a part of the supporting structure, the substrate 11 ensures the rigidity of the substrate 11 and reduces the height of the overall system.

[0035] Since the substrate 11 may be affected in its overall reliability after being grooved, a cover plate 12 is provided at the bottom of the substrate 11. The thickness of the cover plate 12 is ( Figure 2 The dimensions in the vertical direction shown in the figure can be smaller than the base plate 11, and the cover plate 12 can be glued and fixed to the base plate 11. Preferably, the base plate 11 and the cover plate 12 are made of the same material. In this way, the system height is reduced without reducing the reliability of the system, and water vapor, dust and other substances will not penetrate into the system from the bottom.

[0036] An optical element 3 and its corresponding fixing bracket 2 constitute an optical module and cooperate with the base 1, and the integrated optical device may include two or more such optical modules. When the number of optical modules is greater than 1, each optical module shares a base 1, and the mounting groove 111 of the substrate 11 of the base 1 is set according to the corresponding optical element 3.

[0037] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, there are six optical modules, each of which can be the same or different, forming a multifunctional optical device. Figure 4 , a fixing bracket 2 of one optical module can be in a stacked shape; see Figure 5, one of the fixing brackets 2 of an optical module may be triangular, so that the cross section of the corresponding mounting groove 111 is rectangular; see Figure 6 , the fixing bracket 2 of one optical module can be a cuboid, and the overall shape of the bottom of the fixing bracket 2 and the optical element 3 is also a cuboid, so the cross section of the corresponding mounting groove 111 is a rectangle; see Figure 7 , the bottom of the optical element 3 can be used as a fixing bracket and directly fixed to the substrate 11; see Figure 8 , the fixing bracket 2 of one optical module can be a cuboid, and the widths of the fixing bracket 2 and the optical element 3 are different, so the cross section of the corresponding mounting groove 111 is a cross shape.

[0038] The form of the fixing bracket 2 is not limited to the above examples and can be selected according to needs.

[0039] See also Fig. 9 When used, the integrated optical device also includes a fixing seat 4, and the optical fiber 5 can be fixed on the fixing seat 4.

[0040] The conventional system composed of 11 optical elements has an overall size of about 86*86*6mm because of the need to reserve space for the fiber coil. However, by adopting the structure of this embodiment, the size can be greatly reduced to 15*9.5*4.5mm, and the spacing between two optical elements 3 can be 2mm or less, which can be set as needed, and the system volume is greatly reduced. Since the volume of each optical module is reduced, it is no longer necessary to realize the optical path between each optical element 3 through the optical fiber 5, but the light propagation is realized directly in the space between the two optical elements 3 (constituting the optical transmission channel), and the light is coupled into the optical fiber when output. It is particularly suitable for communication, sensing and other fields.

[0041] Embodiment 2

[0042] See also Fig.10 and Fig.11 In this embodiment, the difference from the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is that the integrated optical device includes at least two bases 1. As shown in the figure of this embodiment, there are three bases 1, one of which is horizontally arranged, and the other two bases 1 are vertically arranged and arranged on the side of the horizontal base 1 and perpendicular to each other, so that the three bases 1 do not interfere with each other. The relationship between the remaining optical elements 3 and the fixing bracket 2 and the base 1 is the same as that in the embodiment 1.

[0043] Therefore, when two bases 1 are provided, the two bases 1 are perpendicular to each other, so as to form a two-dimensional optical system. When three bases 1 are provided, the bases 1 are perpendicular to each other in pairs, so as to form a three-dimensional optical system.

[0044] In this way, the integrated optical device can be made into a three-dimensional optical path, further reducing the size of the system, and can also realize the construction of complex optical paths, and can also meet various different space requirements in the construction of the same optical path.

Claims

1. An integrated optical device, comprising a base (1) and an optical element (3); characterized in that: The optical elements (3) have at least two, the base (1) comprises a substrate (11), the substrate (11) is provided with mounting grooves (111) corresponding to the number of the optical elements (3), the mounting grooves (111) are formed by the upper surface of the substrate (11) being recessed downward, the optical elements (3) are partially placed in the mounting grooves (111) and fixed to the substrate (11), and the portion of the optical elements (3) exposed above the upper surface of the substrate (11) is a light-transmitting portion (31), so that the space between adjacent light-transmitting portions (31) can form a light transmission channel.

2. The integrated optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The integrated optical device further comprises a fixing bracket (2), the fixing bracket (2) being disposed in the mounting groove (111), the fixing bracket (2) being arranged on the periphery of the portion of the optical element (3) located in the mounting groove (111), and the fixing bracket (2) being fixed to the optical element (3) and the substrate (11) respectively.

3. The integrated optical device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fixing bracket (2) is fitted with the wall surface of the installation groove (111), and the fixing bracket (2) is bonded and fixed to the base plate (11).

4. The integrated optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cover plate (12) is provided at the bottom of the base plate (11).

5. The integrated optical device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The base plate (11) and the cover plate (12) are made of the same material.

6. The integrated optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The integrated optical device also includes a fixing seat (4), on which an optical fiber (5) is fixed.

7. The integrated optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The combination of the base (1) and the optical element (3) comprises at least two groups, and each base (1) is perpendicular to each other.

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