Array optical fiber collimator

Abstract

The invention discloses an array optical fiber collimator which is composed of a plurality of laminates and a plurality of collimators, spherical positioning surfaces are arranged on the laminates and the collimators respectively, the axes of the spherical positioning surfaces are perpendicular to the axis direction of the collimators, and the collimators are attached to the positioning surfaces of the laminates to form a universal joint structure for the collimators to finely adjust the axes of the collimators. According to the technical scheme, each optical fiber collimator can be conveniently and independently dimmed and fixed, so that the light beam pointing consistency of an area array optical fiber collimator product is ensured, and compared with the prior art, the light beam pointing uniformity of the area array optical fiber collimator product is improved, and compared with the prior art, the light beam pointing uniformity of the area array optical fiber collimator product is improved. A large amount of collimator screening and adapting work can be omitted, the technical bottleneck of array optical fiber collimator production is broken through, the production efficiency is high, the percent of pass is high, and the cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of fiber collimator processing in the optical communication industry, specifically a two-dimensional planar array fiber collimator. Background Technology

[0002] Two-dimensional fiber optic collimators are widely used in data centers, aerospace, lidar, and other fields. Especially in the current era of rapid development in AI computing, the massive amount of data processing has created a demand for two-dimensional fiber optic collimators. For example, OCS (Optical Circuit Switches), based on the principle of optical cross-switching, enables direct optical interconnection between server ports. Regardless of the optical deflection mechanism used, the two-dimensional fiber optic collimator is a core component.

[0003] For data centers, the key technical specifications of area-array fiber optic collimators for practical applications include two aspects: the mechanical positioning accuracy between collimators and the beam pointing consistency between them. Mechanical positioning accuracy, for example, needs to reach within 50µm, which is generally not difficult to guarantee with the support of precision machining technology. Beam pointing consistency, however, needs to reach within 0.01°, which is very difficult for large-scale arrays and has become a technical bottleneck. Current manufacturing techniques for area arrays involve inserting multiple collimators suspended in a perforated plate and then gluing them together. The difficulty lies in the fit between the inner diameter of the plate holes and the outer diameter of the collimators; gaps that are too tight or too loose are detrimental to controlling beam pointing consistency. Extensive pre-screening and adaptation of collimators is required, resulting in low efficiency, low yield, and high cost.

[0004] To address this issue, this application provides a structure in which a linear array collimator array with "universal joint" dimming is stacked into a planar array, thereby overcoming the technical bottleneck in the production of planar array fiber collimators. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems mentioned in the background section, this application provides the following technical solution: An array fiber collimator is composed of multiple layer plates 3 and multiple spherical sleeve collimators 4. The upper and lower surfaces of the layer plates 3 have multiple concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 distributed in a linear array. The spherical sleeve collimator 4 includes a spherical sleeve 43, which provides a convex spherical positioning surface 40. The concave spherical positioning surface 30 and the convex spherical positioning surface 40 have their axial directions perpendicular to the axial direction of the spherical sleeve collimator 4. The concave spherical positioning surface 30 and the convex spherical positioning surface 40 are fitted together to form a universal joint structure, which serves as a support for the spherical sleeve collimator 4 to finely adjust its direction and fix it. The multi-layered layer plates 3 and the spherical sleeve collimator 4 are stacked to form a surface array fiber collimator.

[0006] Furthermore, the concave spherical positioning surface 30 on the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate 3 has the same radius of curvature as the convex spherical positioning surface 40 of the spherical sleeve 43.

[0007] Preferably, the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate 3 are provided with protruding ridges 31 that are parallel to the axial direction of the spherical sleeve collimator 4, distributed between the linearly distributed concave spherical positioning surfaces 30.

[0008] Preferably, the material of the layer plate 3 is metal, ceramic or glass, and the material of the spherical sleeve 43 is metal, ceramic or glass.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, this application has the following beneficial effects: It provides a structure in which the linear array collimator array of "universal joint" dimming is stacked into a planar array, which facilitates independent dimming and fixing of each fiber collimator to ensure the beam pointing consistency of the planar array fiber collimator product. Compared with the prior art, it can eliminate a lot of collimator screening and adaptation work, break through the technical bottleneck of array fiber collimator production, and make production efficiency high, qualification rate high and cost low. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an existing array fiber collimator structure. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a positioning spherical surface that is compatible with the collimator of the shelf and the spherical sleeve; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the optional spherical sleeve structure for the head of the spherical sleeve collimator; Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the stacking and fixing of the layered plate and the spherical sleeve collimator; Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view along the light transmission axis of the stacked layered plate and spherical sleeve collimator; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-section perpendicular to the light transmission axis of a stacked layer of plates and a spherical sleeve collimator. Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing a shelf with protruding ridges; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the glue injection process along with the reinforcing tube.

[0011] In the diagram: 1. Orifice plate; 11. Through hole; 2. Cylindrical sleeve collimator; 3. Sheet plate; 30. Concave spherical positioning surface; 31. Raised ridge; 4. Spherical sleeve collimator; 40. Raised spherical positioning surface; 41. Fiber optic tail; 42. Lens; 43. Spherical sleeve; 5. Adhesive; 6. Reinforcing tube. Detailed Implementation

[0012] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is exemplary and is only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as a limitation of the application; for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not all the structures; the directional terms such as up, down, left, and right in the text are specific to the schematic diagram and should also be interpreted broadly.

[0013] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the structure of a conventional fiber optic collimator array. Multiple cylindrical sleeve collimators 2 are suspended within an aperture plate 1 and then filled with adhesive. For large-scale arrays, to ensure temperature stability, the gap between the suspended components cannot be too large. For example, the inner diameter of the through-hole 11 is 0.01 mm larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical sleeve collimator 2. Assuming the thickness of the aperture plate 1 is 3, actan(0.01 / 3) = 0.2°, meaning that after the cylindrical sleeve collimator is inserted into the aperture, only a 0.2° angle adjustment is available. This necessitates pre-screening and matching of the cylindrical sleeve collimators 2, selecting those with highly precise and consistent outer diameters and point accuracy (the angle between the collimated beam direction and the mechanical axis direction). This screening process is costly and inefficient. The angle adjustment of each cylindrical sleeve collimator 2 is difficult due to the lack of a positioning reference.

[0014] The core idea of ​​this application is to provide a "universal joint" type positioning body for the installation of the collimator. The positioning surfaces fit together, and after adjustment, glue is applied to fix it. With the positioning body, temperature stability is guaranteed, and the collimator does not need to be pre-screened. It can be produced efficiently and can guarantee the beam pointing consistency of 0.01° without any obstacles.

[0015] See Figures 2 to 4 Example, Figure 2 On the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate 3, concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 are provided in a linear array, and the radii of curvature are equal. The spherical sleeve 43 of the spherical sleeve collimator 4 provides convex spherical positioning surfaces 40 facing upward and downward. The convex spherical positioning surfaces 40 facing upward and downward are on the same sphere and have the same radius of curvature as the concave spherical positioning surfaces 30, forming a mating structure in which each spherical sleeve collimator 4 is in the "universal joint" clamped between the upper layer plate 3 and the lower layer plate 3.

[0016] The upper and lower surfaces of the layer 3 are provided with arrayed concave spherical positioning surfaces 30. This type of layer can be easily formed by molding or casting, for example, by molding with low-melting-point glass, or by casting with metal or ceramic. The surfaces of the concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 are smooth, and the positional accuracy between the concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 (including the linear array spacing on the same surface and the interlayer spacing between the upper and lower surfaces) can be guaranteed by the manufacturing process. Achieving an accuracy of 50µm is not difficult, and it is usually possible to achieve an accuracy within 3µm to ensure the expansion of large-scale arrays.

[0017] The spherical sleeve collimator 4 includes a lens 42 ( Figure 3 The middle is a flat-convex type Clens, or a flat-end Glens can also be selected, a pigtail 41 (also called a Pigtail), and a spherical sleeve 43, which has a spherical portion to provide upward and downward convex spherical positioning surfaces 40. Figure 3 Three structures for the spherical sleeve 43 are provided: a sphere with tubes extending from both sides, a sphere with tubes extending from only one side, and a structure with only one sphere. The end face of the lens 42 can be recessed into or exposed within the spherical sleeve 43. The convex spherical positioning surface 40 is smooth, similar to the layer 3. The spherical sleeve 43 can be made of glass, ceramic, or metal.

[0018] It should be noted that the linear array concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 on the upper and lower surfaces of layer 3 can be aligned vertically or staggered vertically. For typical area arrays that are orthogonal rectangles, the vertically aligned concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 are chosen. However, if a honeycomb-shaped hexagonal area array is to be manufactured, the vertically staggered concave spherical positioning surfaces 30 can be used.

[0019] The implementation is carried out in a layered manner. For example... Figure 4 Each spherical sleeve collimator 4 is positioned within a universal joint held between the upper and lower plates 3. Each spherical sleeve collimator 4 is individually adjusted (angle adjusted) and then glued to the lower plate 3. Since the point accuracy of the prefabricated spherical sleeve collimators 4 is typically around 0.5°, this angle adjustment is usually no greater than 0.5°. After each spherical sleeve collimator 4 in the same layer is glued to the lower plate 3, they are then uniformly glued to the upper plate 3. The adhesive layer is located between the concave spherical positioning surface 30 and the convex spherical positioning surface 40, with a thickness not exceeding 2µm. The collimated beam directions of the spherical sleeve collimators 4 in the same layer are aligned to ensure a beam pointing consistency of 0.01°. Then, another layer of spherical sleeve collimators 4 and the upper plate 3 are stacked, and the adjustment and fixation are performed again, ensuring that the collimated beam directions of all spherical sleeve collimators 4 in each layer are aligned to ensure a beam pointing consistency of 0.01°. This process is repeated for each layer. The stacking operation has cumulative errors, but stacking dozens of layers is feasible for a positioning accuracy requirement of 50µm.

[0020] Figure 5 and Figure 6 These are schematic diagrams of cross-sections along the light transmission axis and perpendicular to the light transmission axis after stacking. Adhesive 5 can be injected into the gap between the spherical sleeve collimator 4 and the layer plate 3 to stabilize the spherical sleeve collimator 4. Since typical surface arrays are orthogonally rectangularly distributed, to reduce... Figure 6 The amount of adhesive used to fill the gap between the collimators can be as follows: Figure 7 On the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate 3, multiple protruding ribs 31 are pre-set to fill the gaps and reduce the amount of glue. The protruding ribs 31 extend parallel to the axis of the spherical sleeve collimator 4 and are distributed at intervals with the linear array of concave spherical positioning surfaces 30.

[0021] After the surface array is formed, it can also be like... Figure 8 The reinforcing tube 6, along with the reinforcing tube 6, is then injected with adhesive to strengthen the overall structure. The inner diameter of the reinforcing tube 6 matches the outer diameter of the spherical sleeve collimator 4, and the outer cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing tube 6 is adapted to the characteristics of the area array distribution, for example, the outer cross-sectional shape is rectangular. Multiple reinforcing tubes 6 can also be integrated into the shape of an integral area array perforated plate, that is, the structure is strengthened by using an area array perforated plate.

[0022] For the embodiments described above, those skilled in the art can make modifications, substitutions, and variations without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, without contributing any inventive step. The scope of protection of this application is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An array fiber optic collimator, comprising multiple layered plates (3) and multiple spherical sleeve collimators (4), characterized in that: The upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate (3) have a plurality of concave spherical positioning surfaces (30) arranged in a linear array, and the spherical sleeve collimator (4) includes a spherical sleeve (43), which provides a convex spherical positioning surface (40). The concave spherical positioning surface (30) and the convex spherical positioning surface (40) are perpendicular to the axial direction of the spherical sleeve collimator (4). The concave spherical positioning surface (30) and the convex spherical positioning surface (40) fit together to form a universal joint structure, which serves as a support for the spherical sleeve collimator (4) to finely adjust its direction and fix it. The multi-layered layer plate (3) and the spherical sleeve collimator (4) are superimposed to form a surface array fiber collimator.

2. The array fiber collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concave spherical positioning surface (30) on the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate (3) has the same radius of curvature as the convex spherical positioning surface (40) of the spherical sleeve (43).

3. The array fiber collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: On the upper and lower surfaces of the layer plate (3), between the linear array of concave spherical positioning surfaces (30), there are convex ridges (31) that are parallel to the axis of the spherical sleeve collimator (4).

4. The array fiber collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the layer plate (3) is metal, ceramic or glass, and the material of the spherical sleeve (43) is metal, ceramic or glass.

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