Optical fiber array unit and manufacturing method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of optical communication, and especially relates to an optical fiber array unit and a manufacturing method. The optical fiber array unit comprises a supporting base and a plurality of optical fibers. The supporting base is provided with a plurality of assembly grooves which are longitudinally deep along a first direction and elongated along a second direction. The assembly grooves are provided with a plurality of assembly grooves which are sequentially and parallelly arranged along a third direction. The plurality of optical fibers are one-to-one correspondingly arranged in the plurality of assembly grooves, and each optical fiber extends along the second direction. The outer diameters of the plurality of optical fibers can be divided into N levels from small to large, N is a positive integer greater than 1, and the inner wall of the assembly groove is provided with a raised layer to raise the optical fiber. The raised layers of different assembly grooves are configured to make the axial heights of the plurality of optical fibers consistent along the first direction. The manufacturing method comprises a calculation stage, a film coating stage and an assembly stage. The optical fiber array unit manufactured by the manufacturing method can realize the axial height consistency of the plurality of optical fibers after assembly, and realize higher coupling precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to an optical fiber array unit and its manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Co-packaged optics (CPO) technology is an optoelectronic interconnect technology that integrates an optical engine with a switching / computing chip on the same substrate. Fiber optic array units are high-precision passive optical devices used for optical signal coupling in optical modules and CPO architectures. A fiber optic array unit consists of multiple optical fibers and a support base for fixing the fibers. Typically, multiple grooves are formed in the support base, and the multiple optical fibers are placed in these grooves. Since the multiple optical fibers are of different types or from different batches of the same type, they have significant differences in outer diameter. However, the grooves on the support base have the same depth, resulting in different heights of the fibers protruding from the grooves, which leads to insufficient coupling accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber array unit with higher coupling accuracy.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A fiber optic array unit is provided, including a support base and multiple optical fibers. The support base has mounting grooves extending along a second direction in a first direction. Multiple mounting grooves are arranged in parallel and spaced apart along a third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. The multiple optical fibers are arranged one-to-one in the multiple mounting grooves, and each optical fiber extends along the second direction. The outer diameter of the multiple optical fibers can be divided into N levels from small to large, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The inner wall of the mounting groove is provided with a padding layer to elevate the optical fibers. The padding layers of different mounting grooves are configured to make the axial height of the multiple optical fibers consistent along the first direction.

[0005] Optionally, the mounting groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the largest outer diameter is not provided with the padding layer, while the other mounting grooves are provided with the padding layer. The thickness of the padding layer for different mounting grooves can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large. The thickness of the padding layer for the mounting groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the smaller outer diameter is larger.

[0006] Optionally, the mounting groove includes a first inclined inner wall surface and a second inclined inner wall surface, both of which are inclined toward the opening of the mounting groove, and both of which are in contact with the optical fiber.

[0007] Optionally, the cross-section of the assembly groove perpendicular to the second direction is a V-shaped structure, the opening of the V-shaped structure is the slot of the assembly groove, and the first inclined inner wall surface and the second inclined inner wall surface are connected.

[0008] Optionally, the optical fiber is bonded to the inner wall of the mounting groove. The optical fiber array unit further includes a pressing fixing plate, which is disposed on the support base. The pressing fixing plate is used to press the optical fiber so that the optical fiber contacts the first inclined inner wall surface and the second inclined inner wall surface.

[0009] Optionally, along the first direction, the optical fiber protrudes from the mounting groove, and the pressing plate has a conformal groove extending along the second direction in the depth of the first direction. Multiple conformal grooves are provided, and the multiple conformal grooves are arranged in parallel and spaced apart along the third direction. Multiple optical fibers are arranged one-to-one in the multiple conformal grooves. The groove depth of the conformal groove is less than the height of the optical fiber protruding from the mounting groove. The inner wall of the conformal groove is provided with a pressing layer. The pressing layers of different conformal grooves are configured to make the pressure of multiple conformal grooves on multiple optical fibers consistent.

[0010] Optionally, the conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the largest outer diameter is not provided with the pressure layer, while the other conformal grooves are provided with the pressure layer. The thickness of the pressure layer of the different conformal grooves can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large. The thickness of the pressure layer of the conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the smaller outer diameter is larger.

[0011] Another objective of this invention is to provide a manufacturing method that produces fiber optic array units with higher coupling accuracy.

[0012] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A manufacturing method is provided for manufacturing the aforementioned fiber optic array unit, the manufacturing method comprising the following steps: S1. Calculation stage: Obtain the apex angle size of the V-shaped structure of each assembly groove and the outer diameter of the multiple optical fibers, and calculate the thickness of the padding layer to be set for different assembly grooves so that the axial height of the multiple optical fibers is consistent when they are assembled into the multiple assembly grooves one by one. S2. Coating stage: Coating is performed in the corresponding assembly groove according to the calculation results to form the padding layer; S3. Assembly stage: Assemble the multiple optical fibers into the multiple assembly grooves respectively.

[0013] Optionally, the mounting groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the largest outer diameter does not have the padding layer, while the other mounting grooves have the padding layer. In the calculation phase, the thickness T of the padding layer is calculated using the following formula along the direction perpendicular to the inner wall of the mounting groove: ; Wherein, D1 is the diameter of the target optical fiber, T is the thickness of the padding layer in the mounting groove corresponding to the target optical fiber, θ1 is the apex angle of the mounting groove corresponding to the target optical fiber before the padding layer is set, Dmax is the diameter of the optical fiber with the largest outer diameter, and θ0 is the apex angle of the mounting groove corresponding to the optical fiber with the largest outer diameter.

[0014] Optionally, the manufacturing method further includes the following steps: In the assembly stage, before assembling the optical fiber, adhesive needs to be poured into the assembly groove. After the assembly stage, a shaping stage is also included, which includes: The pressure fixing plate is placed on the support base so that the pressure fixing plate presses the optical fiber for a preset time, so that the optical fiber contacts the inner wall of the assembly groove and the adhesive is squeezed into the gap.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention provides a fiber optic array unit, including a support base and multiple optical fibers. The support base has multiple mounting grooves extending along a second direction and a first direction. These mounting grooves are arranged parallel to each other along a third direction, with the first, second, and third directions perpendicular to each other. Each optical fiber is positioned one-to-one within a mounting groove, and each fiber extends along the second direction. The outer diameters of the optical fibers can be divided into N levels, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The inner walls of the mounting grooves are provided with padding layers to elevate the optical fibers. The padding layers in different mounting grooves are configured to ensure that the axial height of the optical fibers along the first direction is consistent. That is, this fiber optic array unit can achieve consistent axial height after assembly of multiple optical fibers even when their outer diameters are not completely identical, thereby achieving higher coupling accuracy.

[0016] This invention also provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing the aforementioned fiber optic array unit. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: S1. Calculation stage: Obtaining the apex angle size of the V-shaped structure of each mounting groove and the outer diameter dimensions of multiple optical fibers, and calculating the thickness of the padding layer to be set in different mounting grooves so that the axial height of the multiple optical fibers is consistent when they are assembled into the multiple mounting grooves one by one; S2. Coating stage: Coating the corresponding mounting grooves according to the calculation results to form the padding layer; S3. Assembly stage: Assembling the multiple optical fibers into the multiple mounting grooves respectively. The fiber optic array unit manufactured using this method can achieve consistent axial height of the multiple optical fibers after assembly, thereby achieving higher coupling accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of the fiber optic array unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the fiber optic array unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic array unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of point B in the middle; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fiber optic array unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention from a second perspective; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the coating stage in the control method provided in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the control method provided in the embodiments of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the control method (including the finalization stage) provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0018] In the picture: 1. Support base; 11. Assembly groove; 111. Pad height; 112. First inclined inner wall surface; 113. Second inclined inner wall surface; 2. Optical fiber; 21. First optical fiber; 22. Second optical fiber; 3. Downward pressing fixing plate; 100. Coating baffle; 101. First part; 102. Second part; 103. Clearance through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Before explaining any implementation of this application in detail, it should be understood that this application is not limited to its application to the structural details and component arrangements set forth in the following description or shown in the above drawings.

[0020] In this application, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0021] In this application, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "and / or" relationship.

[0022] In this application, the terms "connection," "combination," "coupling," and "installation" can refer to direct connection, combination, coupling, or installation, or indirect connection, combination, coupling, or installation. For example, a direct connection refers to two parts or components being connected together without the need for an intermediary, while an indirect connection refers to two parts or components each being connected to at least one intermediary, with the connection achieved through the intermediary. Furthermore, "connection" and "coupling" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, but can also include electrical connections or couplings.

[0023] In this application, those skilled in the art will understand that relative terms (e.g., “about,” “approximately,” “basically,” etc.) used in conjunction with quantities or conditions are to include the values ​​and have the meaning indicated by the context. For example, such relative terms include at least the degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular value, tolerances associated with the particular value due to manufacturing, assembly, use, etc. Such terms should also be considered as disclosing a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. Relative terms may refer to a certain percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10% or more) of the indicated value. Numerical values ​​that do not use relative terms should also be disclosed as specific values ​​with tolerances. Furthermore, “basically” when expressing relative angular relationships (e.g., substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular) may refer to a certain degree (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) added to or subtracted from the indicated angle.

[0024] In this application, those skilled in the art will understand that the function performed by a component can be performed by one component, multiple components, one part, or multiple parts. Similarly, the function performed by a part can also be performed by one part, one component, or a combination of multiple parts.

[0025] In this application, the directional terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" are used to describe the orientation and positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, in the context, it should be understood that when an element is mentioned as being connected "upper" or "lower" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower," or indirectly connected through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that directional terms such as upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, and rear side not only represent positive orientation but can also be understood as lateral orientation. For example, "below" can include directly below, lower left, lower right, lower front, and lower rear.

[0026] Co-packaged optics (CPO) technology is an optoelectronic interconnect technology that integrates an optical engine with a switching / computing chip on the same substrate. Fiber optic array units are high-precision passive optical devices used for optical signal coupling in optical modules and CPO architectures. A fiber optic array unit consists of multiple optical fibers and a support base for fixing the fibers. Typically, multiple grooves are formed in the support base, and the multiple optical fibers are placed in these grooves. Since the multiple optical fibers are of different types or from different batches of the same type, they have significant differences in outer diameter. However, the grooves on the support base have the same depth, resulting in different heights of the fibers protruding from the grooves, which leads to insufficient coupling accuracy.

[0027] Therefore, this embodiment provides an optical fiber array unit to solve the above problems, which has higher coupling accuracy. Figure 1 In the diagram, direction ab is the first direction, direction cd is the second direction, and direction ef is the third direction. The first, second, and third directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0028] like Figures 1-6As shown, the fiber optic array unit of this embodiment includes a support base 1 and multiple optical fibers 2. The support base 1 has multiple mounting grooves 11 extending along a second direction from a first direction. These mounting grooves 11 are arranged in parallel intervals along a third direction, and the multiple optical fibers 2 are correspondingly arranged within each of the mounting grooves 11. Each optical fiber 2 extends along the second direction, and the outer diameters of the multiple optical fibers 2 can be divided into N levels from smallest to largest, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. This means that the outer diameters of the multiple optical fibers 2 are not completely identical, but some may have the same outer diameter. Optical fibers 2 with the same outer diameter are considered to be in the same level, thus dividing the multiple optical fibers 2 into N levels. The inner wall of the mounting groove 11 is provided with a padding layer 111 to elevate the optical fibers 2. The padding layers 111 of different mounting grooves 11 are configured to ensure that the axial height of the multiple optical fibers 2 is consistent along the first direction. Therefore, this fiber optic array unit can achieve consistent axial height after assembly of multiple optical fibers 2 even when their outer diameters are not completely identical, thereby achieving higher coupling accuracy.

[0029] Optionally, in this embodiment, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter does not have a padding layer 111, while the other mounting grooves 11 have padding layers 111. The fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter is the first fiber 21 in the figure, and its mounting groove 11 does not have a padding layer 111. The thickness of the padding layer 111 of different mounting grooves 11 can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large, which can correspond to the fiber 2 of the N-1 levels other than the fiber 2 of the largest outer diameter level. The smaller the outer diameter of the fiber 2, the greater the thickness of the padding layer 111 of the mounting groove 11, so that the padding height of the fiber 2 along the first direction is greater, so that the axial height of the fiber 2 with the smaller outer diameter is equal to the axial height of the other fibers 2. That is, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter does not have a padding layer 111, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber 2 with a slightly smaller outer diameter has the thinnest padding layer 111, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber 2 with an even smaller outer diameter has a slightly thicker padding layer 111, and so on, with the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber 2 with the smallest outer diameter having the largest padding layer 111.

[0030] Of course, in other embodiments, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter can also be provided with a padding layer 111. The thickness of the padding layer 111 is the lowest, that is, the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter is also raised by a certain distance in the first direction, and the padding layer 111 provided in the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the smaller outer diameter is higher.

[0031] like Figure 6 As shown, optionally, in this embodiment, the thickness of the pad height 111 is T along the direction perpendicular to the inner wall of the mounting groove 11, and the thickness T of the pad height 111 satisfies: Where D1 is the diameter of the target optical fiber, T is the thickness of the padding layer 111 in the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the target optical fiber, θ1 is the apex angle of the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the target optical fiber before the padding layer 111 is set, Dmax is the diameter of the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter, and θ0 is the apex angle of the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter.

[0032] The first optical fiber 21 is the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter, and the second optical fiber 22 is the target optical fiber with a smaller outer diameter. H is the distance between the axial direction of the first optical fiber 21 and the apex corner of the mounting groove 11.

[0033] Based on geometric relationships, we can obtain: Furthermore, since the axial height of the second optical fiber 22 is the same as that of the first optical fiber 21, and the groove depth of the mounting groove 11 is the same before the padding layer 111 is set, the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle in the above two formulas is H. By removing H, the calculation formula for the thickness T of the padding layer 111 can be obtained.

[0034] By obtaining the outer diameter of the first optical fiber 21, the size of the apex angle of the corresponding mounting groove 11, and the outer diameter of the target optical fiber and the size of the apex angle of the corresponding mounting groove 11, the thickness T of the padding layer 111 that should be set in the mounting groove 11 for each outer diameter grade of optical fiber 2 can be calculated.

[0035] Optionally, the mounting groove 11 includes a first inclined inner wall surface 112 and a second inclined inner wall surface 113. Both the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 are inclined toward the opening of the mounting groove 11, and both the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 are in contact with the optical fiber 2. It should be noted that for the mounting groove 11 without the padding height 111, the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 are the original inner wall surfaces of the mounting groove 11. For the mounting groove 11 with the padding height 111, the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 refer to the two outer walls of the padding height 111. That is, for the mounting groove 11 with the padding height 111, the padding height 111 is regarded as part of the mounting groove 11. Therefore, both the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 are in contact with the optical fiber 2. For an assembly groove 11 without a padding layer 111, this means that the optical fiber 2 is in contact with the original inner wall of the assembly groove 11. For an assembly groove 11 with a padding layer 111, and when the original inner walls on both sides of the assembly groove 11 are covered with padding layers 111, this means that the optical fiber 2 is in contact with the inner walls on both sides of the padding layer 111.

[0036] Optionally, in this embodiment, the cross-section of the assembly groove 11 perpendicular to the second direction is a V-shaped structure, and the opening of the V-shaped structure is the slot of the assembly groove 11. The first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113 are connected. Of course, in other embodiments, the cross-section of the assembly groove 11 perpendicular to the second direction may also be a trapezoid with the bottom edge facing upward or other flared shapes.

[0037] Optionally, the optical fiber 2 is bonded to the inner wall of the mounting groove 11 to fix the optical fiber 2. To prevent adhesive from being applied to the area where the optical fiber 2 should originally contact the inner wall of the mounting groove 11, the optical fiber 2 needs to be slightly pressed to squeeze out the adhesive. Therefore, the optical fiber array unit also includes a pressing fixing plate 3, which is placed on the support base 1 and is used to press the optical fiber 2 so that the optical fiber 2 contacts the first inclined inner wall surface 112 and the second inclined inner wall surface 113. The adhesive can be squeezed to the bottom corner of the V-shaped structure. That is, the gap between the position where the optical fiber 2 should not have direct contact with the mounting groove 11 and the inner wall of the mounting groove 11 is filled with adhesive, thus fixing the optical fiber 2.

[0038] Optionally, along the first direction, the optical fiber 2 protrudes from the mounting groove 11, and the pressing fixing plate 3 is provided with a conformal groove (not shown in the figure) extending along the depth of the first direction and along the second direction. Multiple conformal grooves are provided, and the multiple conformal grooves are arranged in parallel and spaced along the third direction. Multiple optical fibers 2 are arranged one-to-one in the multiple conformal grooves. The groove depth of the conformal groove is less than the height of the optical fiber 2 protruding from the mounting groove 11, that is, the bottom of the conformal groove abuts against the protruding side of the optical fiber 2.

[0039] To prevent differences in pressure when conformal grooves with uniform groove depth press against optical fibers 2 with different outer diameters, causing excessive pressure on the larger outer diameter optical fiber 2 and damaging it, or preventing the smaller outer diameter optical fiber 2 from being subjected to insufficient pressure, and thus preventing direct contact between the optical fiber 2 and the mounting groove 11 due to the adhesive, resulting in the axial direction of this part of the optical fiber 2 being slightly higher than the preset height, which would reduce the coupling accuracy due to the adhesive, the inner wall of the conformal groove is optionally provided with a pressure layer. The pressure layers of different conformal grooves are configured to ensure that the pressure of multiple conformal grooves on multiple optical fibers 2 is consistent.

[0040] Optionally, in this embodiment, the conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter is not provided with a pressure layer, while the other conformal grooves are provided with pressure layers. The thickness of the pressure layer for different conformal grooves can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large, with the thickness of the pressure layer for the conformal groove corresponding to the smaller outer diameter optical fiber 2 being larger. That is, the conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter is not provided with a pressure layer, the conformal groove corresponding to the slightly smaller outer diameter optical fiber 2 is provided with the thinnest pressure layer, the conformal groove corresponding to the even smaller outer diameter optical fiber 2 is provided with a slightly thicker pressure layer, and so on, with the conformal groove corresponding to the smallest outer diameter optical fiber 2 having the largest pressure layer, so that the pressure on each optical fiber 2 is consistent. Thus, by adjusting the difference between the height of the optical fiber 2 protruding from the mounting groove 11 and the original groove depth of the conformal groove, the pressure can be adjusted to meet the preset value.

[0041] Optionally, in this embodiment, the conformal groove conforms to the shape of the optical fiber 2, and the diameter of the inner curved wall of the conformal groove is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 2. This results in a large area of ​​pressure on the optical fiber 2 with low pressure, preventing damage to the optical fiber 2 from excessive local pressure. Therefore, the thickness of the pressure layer of the conformal groove corresponding to the second optical fiber 22 is the difference between the outer diameter of the first optical fiber 21 (which has the largest outer diameter) and the outer diameter of the second optical fiber 22. The thickness of the pressure layer of each conformal groove can be calculated sequentially based on this principle.

[0042] like Figures 7-9 As shown, this embodiment also provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing the above-mentioned fiber optic array unit. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: S1. Calculation stage: Obtain the apex angle size of the V-shaped structure of each assembly groove 11 and the outer diameter of multiple optical fibers 2, and calculate the thickness of the padding layer 111 that should be set for different assembly grooves 11 so that the axial height of multiple optical fibers 2 is consistent when they are assembled into multiple assembly grooves 11 one by one.

[0043] Optionally, the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the fiber with the largest outer diameter 2 does not have a padding layer 111, while the other mounting grooves 11 have padding layers 111. In the calculation stage, the formula for calculating the thickness T of the padding layer 111 along the direction perpendicular to the inner wall of the mounting groove 11 is: ; Where D1 is the diameter of the target optical fiber, T is the thickness of the padding layer 111 in the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the target optical fiber, θ1 is the apex angle of the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the target optical fiber before the padding layer 111 is set, Dmax is the diameter of the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter, and θ0 is the apex angle of the mounting groove 11 corresponding to the optical fiber 2 with the largest outer diameter.

[0044] Using the above calculation method, the thickness T of the padding layer 111 that should be set in the mounting groove 11 corresponding to each outer diameter grade of optical fiber 2 is calculated in sequence.

[0045] Optionally, since the shape of the conformal groove is conformal to that of the optical fiber 2 in this embodiment, the thickness of the underlayer of the conformal groove corresponding to the second optical fiber 22 is the difference between the outer diameter of the first optical fiber 21 (which has the largest outer diameter) and the outer diameter of the second optical fiber 22. The thickness of the underlayer of each conformal groove can be calculated sequentially based on this principle.

[0046] S2. Coating Stage: According to the calculation results, a coating is applied to the corresponding assembly groove 11 to form a padding layer 111. For example... Figure 7 As shown, during the coating process, the coating can be performed N-1 times, separately coating the assembly groove 11 corresponding to each outer diameter grade of optical fiber 2. Optionally, a coating baffle 100 is used to block the assembly grooves 11 that do not need to be coated in this operation, as well as areas where no assembly grooves 11 are provided, avoiding only the assembly grooves 11 to be coated in this operation. Figure 7 As shown, the first part 101 of the coating baffle 100 blocks the left end face of the target assembly groove 11, and the second part 102 of the coating baffle 100 blocks the right end face of the target assembly groove 11 and the assembly groove 11 that does not need to be coated in this operation. The clearance through hole 103 of the coating baffle 100 is directly opposite the assembly groove 11 to be coated in this operation. Then, the target assembly groove 11 can be coated according to the calculated coating thickness. If there are multiple optical fibers 2 of the same outer diameter grade, the corresponding multiple assembly grooves 11 can be coated simultaneously, or multiple assembly grooves 11 can be coated sequentially.

[0047] Optionally, at this stage, based on the calculation results, the inner wall of part of the conformal groove of the pressure fixing plate 3 needs to be coated to form a pressure layer.

[0048] S3. Assembly stage: After the coating is completed, multiple optical fibers 2 are assembled into multiple assembly grooves 11 according to the preset positions.

[0049] Optionally, during the assembly stage, before assembling the optical fiber 2, it is necessary to first fill the assembly groove 11 with adhesive.

[0050] Optionally, a finalization stage may be included after the assembly stage.

[0051] S4. Shaping Stage: Place the pressing and fixing plate 3 on the support base 1, so that the pressing and fixing plate 3 presses the optical fiber 2 for a preset time, so that the optical fiber 2 contacts the inner wall of the assembly groove 11, and the adhesive is squeezed into the gap. The preset time can be adjusted according to the actual situation and is not limited here.

[0052] The fiber array unit manufactured using this method can achieve consistent axial height after multiple fibers are assembled, thereby achieving higher coupling accuracy.

[0053] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively describe all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber array unit, comprising a support base (1) and multiple optical fibers (2), wherein the support base (1) has an assembly groove (11) extending along a second direction in a first direction, and multiple assembly grooves (11) are provided, the multiple assembly grooves (11) being arranged in parallel intervals along a third direction, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction being perpendicular to each other, and the multiple optical fibers (2) being arranged one-to-one in the multiple assembly grooves (11), and each optical fiber (2) extending along the second direction, characterized in that, The outer diameters of the multiple optical fibers (2) can be divided into N levels from small to large, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The inner wall of the mounting groove (11) is provided with a padding layer (111) to raise the optical fiber (2). The padding layer (111) of different mounting grooves (11) is configured to make the axial height of the multiple optical fibers (2) consistent along the first direction.

2. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting groove (11) corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the largest outer diameter does not have the padding layer (111), while the other mounting grooves (11) have the padding layer (111). The thickness of the padding layer (111) of different mounting grooves (11) can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large. The thickness of the padding layer (111) of the mounting groove (11) corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the smaller outer diameter is larger.

3. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The assembly groove (11) includes a first inclined inner wall surface (112) and a second inclined inner wall surface (113). Both the first inclined inner wall surface (112) and the second inclined inner wall surface (113) are inclined toward the opening of the assembly groove (11). Both the first inclined inner wall surface (112) and the second inclined inner wall surface (113) are in contact with the optical fiber (2).

4. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cross-section of the assembly groove (11) perpendicular to the second direction is a V-shaped structure, and the opening of the V-shaped structure is the slot of the assembly groove (11). The first inclined inner wall surface (112) and the second inclined inner wall surface (113) are connected.

5. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The optical fiber (2) is bonded to the inner wall of the mounting groove (11). The optical fiber array unit also includes a pressing fixing plate (3). The pressing fixing plate (3) is covered on the support base (1). The pressing fixing plate (3) is used to press the optical fiber (2) so that the optical fiber (2) contacts the first inclined inner wall surface (112) and the second inclined inner wall surface (113).

6. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 5, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the optical fiber (2) protrudes from the assembly groove (11). The pressing fixing plate (3) has a conformal groove extending along the second direction in the depth of the first direction. Multiple conformal grooves are provided, and the multiple conformal grooves are arranged in parallel and spaced along the third direction. Multiple optical fibers (2) are arranged one-to-one in the multiple conformal grooves. The groove depth of the conformal groove is less than the height of the optical fiber (2) protruding from the assembly groove (11). The inner wall of the conformal groove is provided with a pressing layer. The pressing layers of different conformal grooves are configured to make the pressure of multiple conformal grooves on multiple optical fibers (2) consistent.

7. The fiber optic array unit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the largest outer diameter does not have the pressure layer, while the other conformal grooves have the pressure layer. The thickness of the pressure layer of different conformal grooves can be divided into N-1 levels from small to large. The thickness of the pressure layer of the conformal groove corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the smaller outer diameter is larger.

8. A manufacturing method, characterized in that, The method is applied to the manufacture of the fiber optic array unit as described in any one of claims 4-7, wherein the manufacturing method comprises the following steps: S1. Calculation stage: Obtain the apex angle size of the V-shaped structure of each assembly groove (11) and the outer diameter of the multiple optical fibers (2), calculate the thickness of the pad height (111) that should be set for different assembly grooves (11) so that the axial height of the multiple optical fibers (2) is consistent when they are assembled into the multiple assembly grooves (11) one by one. S2. Coating stage: Coating is performed in the corresponding assembly groove (11) according to the calculation results to form the pad layer (111). S3. Assembly stage: Assemble multiple optical fibers (2) into multiple assembly grooves (11) respectively.

9. The manufacturing method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting groove (11) corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the largest outer diameter does not have the padding height (111), while the other mounting grooves (11) have the padding height (111). In the calculation stage, the formula for calculating the thickness T of the padding height (111) along the direction perpendicular to the inner wall of the mounting groove (11) is: ; Wherein, D1 is the diameter of the target optical fiber, T is the thickness of the padding layer (111) in the mounting groove (11) corresponding to the target optical fiber, θ1 is the apex angle of the mounting groove (11) corresponding to the target optical fiber before the padding layer (111) is set, Dmax is the diameter of the optical fiber (2) with the largest outer diameter, and θ0 is the apex angle of the mounting groove (11) corresponding to the optical fiber (2) with the largest outer diameter.

10. The manufacturing method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The manufacturing method further includes the following steps: In the assembly stage, before assembling the optical fiber (2), adhesive needs to be poured into the assembly groove (11). After the assembly stage, a shaping stage is also included, which includes: The pressing and fixing plate (3) is placed on the support base (1) so that the pressing and fixing plate (3) presses the optical fiber (2) for a preset time so that the optical fiber (2) contacts the inner wall of the assembly groove (11) and squeezes the glue into the gap.

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