Welding type FA structure, optical engine and optical module

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of optical communication, and particularly provides a welding type FA structure which comprises a substrate, a cover plate, an optical fiber array and a tail fiber. One end of the optical fiber of the optical fiber array is welded with the tail fiber to form a welding area; a V-shaped groove is formed in the base plate; optical fibers of the optical fiber array are arranged in the V-shaped groove; the cover plate is fixed on the substrate and covers the optical fiber array and part of the tail fibers; a welding area avoiding groove is formed in the side, connected with the base plate, of the cover plate. By arranging the welding area avoiding groove, an additional space is provided for the cover plate, when the cover plate is pressed downwards to fix the position of the optical fiber, the welding point is located in the avoiding groove and is not pressed by the cover plate, the fiber core of the FA end face does not deviate, and the state that the fiber core is accurately tangent to the V-shaped groove can still be kept, so that the accuracy of the welding point and the transmission performance of the optical fiber are maintained. And scattering and reflection of optical signals during coupling between the FA and the silicon optical chip are greatly reduced, more efficient and more stable coupling between the FA and the silicon optical chip is promoted, and the communication quality of the optical fiber is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of optical communication technology, specifically relating to a fusion splicing FA structure, an optical engine, and an optical module. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development and application of cloud computing and big data, the significant increase in data center network traffic has placed higher demands on data center networks and optical interconnect technologies. The emergence of silicon photonics technology has solved the problem of how internet cloud service providers can significantly increase the speed of optical modules while keeping costs, power consumption, and size constant.

[0003] Silicon photonics technology uses laser beams to replace electronic signals for data transmission, combining optical and electronic components into a single microchip to improve connection speed. The goal of this technology is to integrate photoelectric conversion and transmission modules on a chip, enabling inter-chip optical signal exchange. It miniaturizes complex photoelectric conversion to the nanometer scale. The advantages of silicon photonics technology lie in its low power consumption, high speed, and compact structure. Compared to traditional photonics technologies, silicon photonic devices can meet the demands of data centers for lower cost, higher integration, higher interconnect density, and lower power consumption. Its high integration characteristics allow silicon photonics technology to be widely used in more sensitive consumer fields such as consumer electronics, autonomous driving, and quantum communication.

[0004] The key technical challenge in silicon photonics technology lies in the significantly greater difficulty of packaging silicon photonic chips compared to traditional optical devices. Traditional packaging involves polishing the optical fiber and coupling it to the optoelectronic chip via a lens. However, because the mode field diameter of a silicon waveguide is only 0.3–0.5 μm, while that of a standard single-mode fiber is 9 μm, the silicon waveguide's mode field diameter is much smaller than that of the fiber, leading to a mismatch. Direct alignment would inevitably cause severe coupling loss. Therefore, a short section of ultra-high numerical aperture (UNA) single-mode fiber is fused to the pigtail of a standard SM or PM fiber to achieve mode field conversion, thereby achieving low-loss coupling to the waveguide with the smaller mode field. During the fusion splicing process, a 1–2 μm protrusion exists at the splice point. Directly pressing down the cover plate would result in uneven fiber array end faces. Figure 6-7 As shown, during the coupling process between the fiber optic amplifier (FA) and the silicon photonic chip, uneven fiber compression leads to excessively low coupling efficiency, failing to meet the requirements for optical communication rates. Therefore, the coupling between the FA and the silicon photonic chip requires ensuring that the fiber in the FA is completely tangent to the V-groove, with a tolerance not exceeding 0.5 μm. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the problem of uneven cross-sections and low coupling efficiency with silicon photonic chips in the existing FA structure fiber array.

[0006] To address this, the present invention provides a fusion splicing FA structure, comprising a substrate, a cover plate, an optical fiber array, and a pigtail; one end of the optical fiber of the optical fiber array is fused with the pigtail to form a fusion splice area; a V-groove is provided on the substrate; the optical fiber of the optical fiber array is placed in the V-groove; the cover plate is fixed on the substrate and covers the optical fiber array and part of the pigtail; a fusion splice area clearance groove is provided on the side of the cover plate connected to the substrate.

[0007] Specifically, the aforementioned pigtail uses single-mode fiber, while the fiber array uses small-mode fiber.

[0008] Specifically, the depth of the aforementioned weld zone clearance groove is 2µm-0.5mm.

[0009] Specifically, the length of the cover plate is not shorter than the length of the V-groove and does not exceed the length of the substrate.

[0010] Specifically, the cover plate is bonded to the substrate by an adhesive layer.

[0011] Specifically, the substrate mentioned above is a silicon dioxide substrate.

[0012] Specifically, the aforementioned substrate has multiple parallel V-shaped grooves arranged side by side.

[0013] This invention also provides an optical engine, including an optical chip and the aforementioned fusion spliced ​​FA structure, wherein the optical output coupler of the optical chip is coupled to the optical fiber array of the fusion spliced ​​FA structure.

[0014] This invention also provides an optical module, including the aforementioned optical engine.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0016] This invention provides a fusion splice-type fiber optic connector (FA) structure. By incorporating a fusion splice clearance groove, it offers additional space for the cover plate. When the cover plate is pressed down to fix the fiber position, the fusion splice point is located within the clearance groove and is not compressed by the cover plate. The fiber core at the FA end face will not shift and can still maintain precise tangency with the V-groove, thus preserving the accuracy of the fusion splice and the fiber transmission performance. Furthermore, it significantly reduces the scattering and reflection of optical signals during coupling between the FA and the silicon photonic chip, promoting more efficient and stable coupling between the FA and the silicon photonic chip, and greatly improving the communication quality of the optical fiber. This design detail is crucial for improving the stability of the fiber optic connector and reducing optical signal loss, ensuring high-quality fiber connections and enhancing the performance and reliability of the entire optical system.

[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the fusion-type FA structure provided by this utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Detailed image of area A in the middle.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a top view of the fusion-type FA structure provided by this utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fiber end face of the fusion spliced ​​FA structure provided by this utility model.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Detailed image of Zone B.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fiber end face without a clearance slot.

[0024] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Detailed image of area C.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Substrate; 101. V-groove; 2. Cover plate; 201. Fusion splice clearance groove; 3. Small-mode fiber; 4. Pigtail; 5. Fusion splice area; 6. Optical coupler. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0028] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature; in the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0029] Reference Figure 1-3 This invention provides a fusion splicing FA structure, including a substrate 1, a cover plate 2, an optical fiber array, and pigtails 4. One end of the optical fiber in the optical fiber array is fused to the pigtail 4 to form a fusion splice area 5. A V-groove 101 is provided on the substrate 1. The optical fiber of the optical fiber array is placed in the V-groove 101. The cover plate 2 is fixed on the substrate 1 and covers the optical fiber array and part of the pigtail 4. A fusion splice area clearance groove 201 is provided on the side of the cover plate 2 connected to the substrate 1. During assembly, the optical fiber and pigtail 4 are fused together and placed in the V-groove 101. Then, the cover plate 2 is placed on top, ensuring that the fusion splice area clearance groove 201 of the cover plate 2 corresponds to the fusion splice area 5 of the optical fiber and pigtail 4. The cover plate 2 applies pressure evenly only to the optical fiber, so that the optical fiber is completely tangent to the V-groove 101, the fiber core does not shift, and the end face of the optical fiber is as shown. Figure 4-5 As shown. The size of the splice avoidance groove 201 is determined according to the size of the splice point area formed by splicing the optical fiber and pigtail 4 of the optical fiber array. The projected area of ​​the pigtail 4 avoidance groove on the substrate 1 is not less than the splice area 5, ensuring that the cover plate 2 can avoid the protrusion at the splice point when it is pressed down, and preventing the end face of the optical fiber array from being uneven after assembly due to the pressure of the protrusion.

[0030] Specifically, the pigtail 4 is made of single-mode fiber, and the fiber in the fiber array is made of small-mode fiber 3, preferably ultra-high numerical aperture fiber, which is fused to the pigtail 4 of standard SM or PM fiber to achieve mode field conversion, thereby coupling to the waveguide with a smaller mode field with low loss.

[0031] When the optical fibers and pigtails 4 of the fiber array are fused together, a protrusion of 1-2 μm is typically formed. The depth of the fusion splice clearance groove 201 is preferably 2 μm-0.5 mm. In a more refined embodiment, the cross-section of the fusion splice clearance groove 201 is 0.5*0.5 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, the length of the cover plate 2 is not shorter than the length of the V-groove 101 and does not exceed the length of the substrate 1, so that the cover plate 2 can cover the V-groove 101.

[0033] Preferably, the cover plate 2 is bonded to the substrate 1 by an adhesive layer. In a more detailed embodiment, the cover plate 2 is placed on the substrate 1 and pressed tightly, and glue is applied to the port of the V-groove 101 so that the glue completely fills the V-groove 101. After the glue is completely cured, the installation and fixation between the cover plate 2, the optical fiber and the substrate 1 is completed.

[0034] Optionally, the substrate 1 is a silicon dioxide substrate 1, on which V-grooves 101 are etched. The substrate 1 has a plurality of parallel V-grooves 101 arranged side by side, the number of which corresponds to the number of optical fibers in the optical fiber array. The optical fibers are mounted on the substrate 1 at specified intervals using the V-grooves 101 to form an array.

[0035] This invention also provides an optical engine, including an optical chip and the aforementioned fusion-splitter FA structure. The output coupler 6 of the optical chip is coupled to the fiber array of the fusion-splitter FA structure. Because the fusion-splitter FA structure provides additional space for the cover plate 2 by setting a fusion splice clearance groove 201, when the cover plate 2 is pressed down to fix the fiber position, the splice point is located within the clearance groove and is not compressed by the cover plate 2. The fiber core at the FA end face will not shift and can still maintain a state of precise tangency with the V-groove 101, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the splice point and the fiber transmission performance. Furthermore, it greatly reduces the scattering and reflection of optical signals during coupling between the FA and the silicon photonic chip, promoting more efficient and stable coupling between the FA and the silicon photonic chip. The communication quality of the optical fiber is greatly improved, ensuring high-quality fiber connections and enhancing the performance and reliability of the entire optical system.

[0036] This invention also provides an optical module, including the aforementioned optical engine.

[0037] The above examples are merely illustrative of this utility model and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this utility model. All designs that are the same as or similar to this utility model are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A fused FA structure, characterized by: The application relates to a fusion type FA structure, which comprises a substrate (1), a cover plate (2), a fiber array and a pigtail (4); the optical fibers of the fiber array are fused with one end of the pigtail (4) to form a fusion area (5); the substrate (1) is provided with a V-shaped groove (101); the optical fibers of the fiber array are arranged in the V-shaped groove (101); the cover plate (2) is fixed on the substrate (1) and covers the fiber array and part of the pigtail (4); a fusion area avoiding groove (201) is arranged on the side, connected with the substrate (1), of the cover plate (2); the pigtail (4) is a single mode optical fiber; and the optical fibers of the fiber array are small mode optical fibers (3).

2. The fused FA structure of claim 1, wherein: The depth of the fusion area avoiding groove (201) is 2um-0.5mm.

3. The fused FA structure of claim 1, wherein: The length of the cover plate (2) is not shorter than the length of the V-shaped groove (101) and does not exceed the length of the substrate (1).

4. The fused FA structure of claim 1, wherein: The cover plate (2) is adhered to the substrate (1) through an adhesive layer.

5. The fused FA structure of claim 1, wherein: The substrate (1) is a silica substrate (1).

6. The fused FA structure of claim 1, wherein: The substrate (1) is provided with a plurality of parallel and side-by-side arranged V-shaped grooves (101).

7. A light engine characterized by: The application further relates to an optical engine comprising an optical chip and the fusion type FA structure according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the light output coupler (6) of the optical chip is coupled with the fiber array of the fusion type FA structure.

8. An optical module characterized by comprising: The application further relates to an optical engine comprising the optical engine according to claim 7.

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