Optical fiber array passive device

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical fiber array passive device, and belongs to the technical field of optical fiber arrays, the optical fiber array passive device comprises a substrate, a cover plate and an optical fiber group, a first groove is arranged above the substrate, a second groove is arranged above the cover plate, the first groove and the second groove jointly form an optical fiber position for accommodating optical fibers after fusion splicing and matching, and the optical fiber group is arranged in the first groove. According to the optical fiber array passive device, the first groove is formed in the substrate, the second groove is formed in the cover plate, and a stress area of a 3-micron optical fiber and a 9-micron welding point is reserved between the two grooves in a matched mode, so that the optical fibers are not extruded by the stress of the cover plate in the arrangement process, and the optical fiber array passive device is not prone to deformation. According to the utility model, the first groove and the second groove are fixedly connected in a clearance manner, so that the alignment adjustment time is saved, the installation is easy, and meanwhile, through the arrangement of the first groove and the second groove, the matching of the upper and lower grooves is observed by using a high-definition video recording instrument, and the matched optical fibers are confirmed to be distributed in the central positions of the grooves.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber arrays, and more particularly to an optical fiber array passive component. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing application of fiber optic technology, the application of fiber optic arrays directly mounted on equipment has become more extensive, and there are more and more production methods. The technical requirements, quality, efficiency and integration requirements are also constantly improving.

[0003] Current fiber arrays are made by gluing glass and optical fibers together, then polishing the end faces. The end faces of existing fiber arrays are flat. When connecting the fiber array to other devices (such as fiber arrays or chips), glue is used directly to secure the array. This method makes it difficult to align the optical paths when matching two fibers of different diameters and apertures, resulting in significant optical loss. The connection is also unstable and lacks stability. By tapering the fibers to reduce the MFD size, or by using a fusion splicer to tape two different optical fibers (3μm and 9μm), the product's loss can be significantly reduced. During this matching process, tiny bumps appear at the matching points, significantly affecting product reliability. Consequently, grooves in the fiber array substrate are required to avoid these gaps. This solution can reduce product defects and improve chip coupling loss and yield.

[0004] Based on this, the present invention designs an optical fiber array passive component to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical problems to be solved

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fiber array passive device to solve the problems raised in the above background technology:

[0007] Traditional methods of matching two optical fibers with different diameters and apertures make it difficult to align the optical paths, resulting in significant optical loss, a fragile connection, and poor stability. By tapering the fibers to reduce their MFD size, or by using a fusion splicer to tape and match two different optical fibers (3μm and 9μm), this loss issue can be significantly reduced. During this matching process, tiny bumps appear at the matching points, significantly impacting product reliability. This requires a solution to create grooves in the fiber array substrate to avoid gaps. This solution can reduce product defects and improve chip coupling loss and yield.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] A fiber array passive component includes a substrate, a cover plate and an optical fiber group. A first groove is provided above the substrate, and a second groove is provided above the cover plate. The first groove and the second groove together form a position for accommodating optical fibers after fusion splicing and matching. A plurality of V-grooves are provided above the substrate for fixing the optical fiber group.

[0010] It can be seen from the above scheme that the groove optical fiber array of the present invention is provided with a first groove on the substrate and a second groove on the cover plate. The first groove and the second groove together form two limiting grooves, which can facilitate the connection between the optical fiber array and the optical fiber. The fibers can be arranged through the grooves, saving the time of alignment and adjustment and facilitating installation.

[0011] In a further solution, the optical fibers are accommodated in grooves having a number of positions greater than or equal to the length of the optical fiber matching points, and the number of fiber arrangements in the grooves is increased according to the designed channels.

[0012] It can be seen that the position of the optical fiber matching point can be completely avoided in the groove, ensuring that the entire optical fiber is no longer subjected to stress and compression, and the number of optical fiber arrangements can be greatly increased according to demand.

[0013] In a further solution, the optical fiber group is made of single optical fibers, and a secondary ribbon processing of the optical fibers can be performed during assembly.

[0014] It can be seen that the use of secondary single-fiber and ribbon optical fibers can facilitate the assembly of optical fiber arrays, easily align the end faces of the optical fibers, and speed up the assembly process.

[0015] In a further solution, the substrate and the cover are both made of transparent glass.

[0016] It can be seen that glass has a good thermal expansion coefficient, which ensures that the substrate is stress-free, highly reliable, and does not shift the optical fiber at high temperatures. Therefore, both the substrate and the cover are made of transparent glass, which can improve the stability of the optical fiber array.

[0017] In a further solution, a transition slope is provided in the middle of the substrate, and the angle of the transition slope is 145 degrees.

[0018] This shows that it is beneficial to the bending of the optical fiber group at the rear end of the optical fiber array, thereby effectively reducing the size of the product and facilitating subsequent packaging.

[0019] In a further solution, an adhesive is provided on the upper side of the substrate away from the V-shaped groove, and the optical fiber group is fixed to the substrate by the adhesive.

[0020] This shows that it is helpful to ensure that the optical fiber group can be fixed on the substrate, and the adhesive is an ultraviolet curing resin or a thermosetting resin, so as to simply and quickly fix the optical fiber group on the substrate.

[0021] A method for manufacturing a fiber array passive device:

[0022] S1, match the mode fields of the 3μm fiber and the 9μm fiber. Use a fusion splicer to match the mode fields of the two different fibers together. Use an insertion loss tester to monitor the process to ensure that the fusion index of the two fibers is less than 0.2dB, thereby ensuring a firm and stable connection between the two optical fibers.

[0023] S2, check whether the dimensions of the V-groove substrate and cover plate meet the standards under a microscope at 1.0 to 2.0 times magnification; visually check whether there are any defects in the optical fibers in the optical fiber assembly;

[0024] S3, use an automated ultrasonic cleaning machine, a cleaning fixture, a 110°C oven, alcohol, cleaning agents, pure water and other tools and equipment to clean the substrate and cover plate. It is required that after cleaning, no foreign matter or impurities can be seen on the substrate and cover plate under a 1.0 to 2.0x microscope;

[0025] S4, fiber stripping production step: Use a hot stripper to strip the right side of the unstripped optical fiber ribbon, clean it and set it aside;

[0026] S5. Place the V-groove substrate on the fixture and position it properly. Arrange the cleaned optical fiber group into the V-groove in the required order, and place the fusion point of the 3μm optical fiber and the 9μm optical fiber at the center or interval of the upper and lower grooves. After the optical fibers are placed, align the back of the cover plate groove with the groove of the substrate. Use a fixing block to fix the cover plate to keep the optical fiber fixed inside the V-groove. The entire optical fiber is centered in the groove and does not loosen.

[0027] S6, glue injection is performed at the front end of the FA, and the glue is light-cured using a UV-365nm light source, followed by re-curing the optical fiber array using an oven device;

[0028] S7, use a fixture with a fixed angle and corresponding size to prepare for grinding, and use a grinding machine to grind according to the process requirements;

[0029] S8, use 200X magnification end face measurement to check the end face quality and light spot condition after FA polishing, use a red light source to measure the angle range of light reflection angle, use Yanagishita Giken instrument to detect the fiber distance, and ensure that the pitch error is ≤1μm. Refer to the standard of optical fiber indicators to confirm the appearance and performance of the device.

[0030] Beneficial effects

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0032] In the present invention, a first groove is provided on the substrate and a second groove is provided on the cover plate. The matching between the two grooves avoids the stress area of ​​the 3μm optical fiber and the 9μm fusion point, which is beneficial for the optical fibers to not be squeezed by the stress of the cover plate when arranged. The first groove and the second groove are fixedly connected in a way of avoiding the air, which saves the time of alignment adjustment and is easy to install. At the same time, by providing the first groove and the second groove, a high-definition video recording instrument is used to observe the matching of the upper and lower grooves, and at the same time, it is confirmed that the matched optical fibers need to be distributed in the center position of the groove, so that the optical fiber array connector is easy to install, the connection method is firm and the stability is high, and it is easy to make the optical fiber end face it, thereby reducing light loss. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cover structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the substrate structure of the present invention.

[0036] Explanation of the numbers in the figure: 1, substrate; 2, cover plate; 3, optical fiber group; 4, first groove; 5, second groove; 6, V-groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Example: See Figure 1-3 A fiber array passive device includes a substrate 1, a cover plate 2 and an optical fiber group 3. The substrate 1 is provided with a first groove 4, and the cover plate 2 is provided with a second groove 5. The first groove 4 and the second groove 5 together form a position for accommodating optical fibers after fusion splicing and matching. The first groove 4 and the second groove 5 are arranged in parallel. In the area where the optical fibers are arranged in parallel into the grooves, the optical fibers in the grooves completely avoid the pressure of the second grooves 5, so that the entire optical fiber is not subjected to force. The overall optical fiber will not affect the position accuracy of the product, ensuring that the pitch accuracy of the multi-channel optical fiber array is less than 1μm. A plurality of V-grooves 6 for fixing the optical fiber group 3 are opened on the top of the substrate 1.

[0038] It can be seen from the above scheme that the groove optical fiber array of the present invention is provided with a first groove 4 on the substrate 1 and a second groove 5 on the cover plate 2. The first groove 4 and the second groove 5 together form two limiting grooves, which can facilitate the connection between the optical fiber array and the optical fiber. The fibers can be arranged through the grooves, saving the time of alignment and adjustment and making it easy to install.

[0039] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical fibers are accommodated in grooves having a number of positions greater than or equal to the length of the optical fiber matching points, and the number of fiber arrangements in the groove is increased according to the designed channel.

[0040] It can be seen that the position of the optical fiber matching point can be completely avoided in the groove, ensuring that the entire optical fiber is no longer subjected to stress and compression, and the number of optical fiber arrangements can be greatly increased according to demand.

[0041] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical fiber group 3 is made of a single optical fiber, and a secondary ribbon processing of the optical fiber can be performed during assembly.

[0042] It can be seen that the use of secondary single-fiber and ribbon optical fibers can facilitate the assembly of optical fiber arrays, easily align the end faces of the optical fibers, and speed up the assembly process.

[0043] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 1 and the cover plate 2 are both made of transparent glass.

[0044] It can be seen that glass has a good thermal expansion coefficient, which ensures that the substrate 1 is stress-free, highly reliable, and does not shift the optical fiber at high temperatures. Therefore, both the substrate 1 and the cover 2 are made of transparent glass, which can improve the stability of the optical fiber array.

[0045] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a transition slope is provided in the middle of the substrate 1, and the included angle of the transition slope is 145 degrees.

[0046] This shows that it is beneficial to the bending of the optical fiber group 3 at the rear end of the optical fiber array, thereby effectively reducing the size of the product and facilitating subsequent packaging.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an adhesive is provided on the upper side of the substrate 1 away from the V-groove 6, and the optical fiber group is fixed to the substrate by the adhesive.

[0048] This shows that it is helpful to ensure that the optical fiber group can be fixed on the substrate, and the adhesive is an ultraviolet curing resin or a thermosetting resin, so as to simply and quickly fix the optical fiber group on the substrate.

[0049] The use steps of the present invention are as follows:

[0050] S1, match the mode fields of the 3μm fiber and the 9μm fiber. Use a fusion splicer to match the mode fields of the two different fibers together. Use an insertion loss tester to monitor the process to ensure that the fusion index of the two fibers is less than 0.2dB, thereby ensuring a firm and stable connection between the two optical fibers.

[0051] S2, check under a microscope at 1.0 to 2.0 times magnification whether the dimensions of the V-groove 6 substrate 1, cover plate 2, etc. meet the standards; visually check whether the optical fibers in the optical fiber group 3 have any defects;

[0052] S3, using an automated ultrasonic cleaning machine, a cleaning fixture, a 110°C oven, alcohol, a cleaning agent, pure water and other tools and equipment to clean the substrate 1 and the cover plate 2, requiring that no foreign matter or impurities be visible on the substrate 1 and the cover plate 2 under a 1.0 to 2.0x microscope after cleaning;

[0053] S4, fiber stripping production step: Use a hot stripper to strip the right side of the unstripped optical fiber ribbon, clean it and set it aside;

[0054] S5. Place the V-groove 6 substrate 1 on the fixture and position it properly. Arrange the cleaned optical fiber group 3 into the V-groove 6 in the required order, and place the fusion point of the 3μm optical fiber and the 9μm optical fiber at the center or interval of the upper and lower grooves. After the optical fibers are placed, align the back of the groove of the cover plate 2 with the groove of the V-groove 6 substrate 1. Use a fixing block to fix the cover plate 2 to keep the optical fiber fixed inside the V-groove 6. The entire optical fiber is centered in the groove and does not loosen.

[0055] S6, glue injection is performed at the front end of the FA, and the glue is light-cured using a UV-365nm light source, followed by re-curing the optical fiber array using an oven device;

[0056] S7, use a fixture with a fixed angle and corresponding size to prepare for grinding, and use a grinding machine to grind according to the process requirements;

[0057] S8, use 200X magnification end face measurement to check the end face quality and light spot condition after FA polishing, use a red light source to measure the angle range of light reflection angle, use Yanagishita Giken instrument to detect the fiber distance, and ensure that the pitch error is ≤1μm. Refer to the standard of optical fiber indicators to confirm the appearance and performance of the device.

[0058] As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a first groove 4 on the substrate 1 and a second groove 5 on the cover plate 2, and the matching between the two grooves avoids the stress area of ​​the 3μm optical fiber and the 9μm fusion point, which is beneficial for the optical fiber to not be squeezed by the stress of the cover plate 2 when arranged. The first groove 4 and the second groove 5 are fixedly connected in an air-avoiding manner, which saves the time of alignment adjustment and is easy to install. At the same time, by providing the first groove 4 and the second groove 5, a high-definition video recording instrument is used to observe the matching of the upper and lower grooves, and at the same time, it is confirmed that the matched optical fibers need to be distributed in the center position of the groove, so that the optical fiber array connector is easy to install, the connection method is firm and has high stability, and it is easy to make the optical fiber end face it, thereby reducing light loss.

[0059] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, not the foregoing description, and all variations within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included therein. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0060] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described in terms of implementation methods, not every implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A fiber array passive device, comprising a substrate (1), a cover plate (2) and an optical fiber group (3), characterized in that: A first groove (4) is provided above the base plate (1), and a second groove (4) is provided above the cover plate (2). The first groove (4) and the second groove (4) together form a position for accommodating optical fibers after fusion splicing and matching. A plurality of V-shaped grooves (6) for fixing the optical fiber group are provided above the base plate (1).

2. The optical fiber array passive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber position is provided with positions whose number is greater than or equal to the length of the optical fiber matching point, and the number of fiber arrangements is increased in the optical fiber position according to the designed channel.

3. The optical fiber array passive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber group (3) is made of single optical fibers, and undergoes secondary optical fiber banding processing during assembly.

4. The optical fiber array passive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate (1) and the cover plate (2) are both made of transparent glass.

5. The optical fiber array passive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A transition slope is provided in the middle of the substrate (1), and the included angle of the transition slope is 145 degrees.

6. The optical fiber array passive device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An adhesive is provided on the upper side of the substrate (1) away from the V-shaped groove (6), and the optical fiber group (3) is fixed to the substrate (1) via the adhesive.

7. A method for manufacturing a fiber array passive device, characterized in that: The optical fiber array passive device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 comprises the following steps: S1, match the mode fields of the 3μm fiber and the 9μm fiber. Use a fusion splicer to match the mode fields of the two different fibers together. Use an insertion loss tester to monitor the process to ensure that the fusion index of the two fibers is less than 0.2dB, thereby ensuring a firm and stable connection between the two optical fibers. S2, check whether the size of the base plate (1) and the cover plate (2) meets the standard under a microscope of 1.0 to 2.0 times; and visually check whether there are any defects in the optical fibers in the optical fiber group (3); S3, using an automated ultrasonic cleaning machine, a cleaning fixture, a 110°C oven, alcohol, a cleaning agent, pure water and other tools and equipment to clean the substrate (1) and the cover plate (2), requiring that no foreign matter or impurities be visible on the cleaned substrate (1) and the cover plate (2) under a 1.0 to 2.0x microscope; S4, using a thermal stripper to strip the right side of the unstripped portion of the ribbon optical fiber, clean it and set it aside; S5, place the substrate (1) on the fixture and position it properly, arrange the cleaned optical fiber group (3) into the V-groove (6) in the required order, and place the fusion point of the 3μm optical fiber and the 9μm optical fiber at the center position or the interval position of the upper and lower grooves. After the optical fibers are placed, align the first groove (4) with the second groove (4), and use a fixing block to fix the cover plate to keep the optical fiber fixed inside the V-groove (6). The entire optical fiber is centered in the groove and does not loosen; S6, glue injection is performed at the front end of the FA, and the glue is light-cured using a UV-365nm light source, followed by re-curing the optical fiber array using an oven device; S7, use a fixture with a fixed angle and corresponding size to prepare for grinding, and use a grinding machine to grind according to the process requirements; S8, use 200X magnification end face measurement to check the end face quality and light spot condition after FA polishing, use a red light source to measure the angle range of light reflection angle, use Yanagishita Giken instrument to detect the fiber distance, and ensure that the pitch error is ≤1μm. Refer to the standard of optical fiber indicators to confirm the appearance and performance of the device.

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