Glass physically sealed high-reliability optical fiber combiner

Abstract

The utility model provides a high-reliability optical fiber combiner physically sealed by glass. The high-reliability optical fiber combiner comprises a glass tube, a glass substrate and two glass plugs for plugging two end parts of the glass tube, the glass substrate is arranged in the glass tube, an input optical fiber array penetrates through the glass plug at one end to be fixed to one end of the glass substrate, and the input optical fiber array comprises at least one signal input optical fiber and a plurality of pumping input optical fibers; an output optical fiber penetrates through the glass plug at the other end and is fixed to the other end of the glass substrate, and a fiber core of the signal input optical fiber is aligned with a fiber core of the output optical fiber. According to the utility model, the problem of sealing failure caused by adopting an organic material for sealing in the traditional process is solved, and the sealing stability and reliability are greatly improved; the thermal expansion mismatch rate of the glass plug and the glass tube is far lower than that of traditional glue sealing, and device damage caused by thermal expansion difference is reduced; the waterproof and moistureproof capabilities are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to optical fiber technical field especially relates to a kind of high reliability optical fiber combiner of glass physical sealing. BACKGROUND

[0002] In optical fiber laser and amplifier applications, the pump combiner is one of the core devices, which mainly couples multiple pump lasers into the inner cladding of the multi-clad fiber, while ensuring low-loss transmission of signal light in the fiber core.

[0003] The packaging process of traditional combiner mainly has two ways of glue sealing and desiccant filling. However, these two ways can meet the general communication requirements, but it is difficult to adapt to the high requirements of vehicle level or submarine cable system. Specifically, the glue used in the glue sealing process is prone to aging and cracking in a humid environment of 85℃ / 85% RH, and the water vapor permeability is greater than 1g / m 2 / day; in the desiccant filling process, the desiccant has the problem of failure after saturation, and its service life is usually less than 5 years, which cannot meet the demand of long service life and high reliability of vehicle level (IEC60068-2-30) and submarine cable system (service life greater than 35 years).

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a high-reliability optical fiber combiner with glass physical sealing to effectively solve the problems existing in the current optical fiber combiner. SUMMARY

[0005] The utility model provides a kind of high reliability optical fiber combiner with glass physical sealing, solve the problem that the waterproof and moisture-proof ability of traditional optical fiber combiner packaging process is insufficient, short service life, cannot meet the demand of vehicle level or submarine cable system.

[0006] The utility model embodiment provides a kind of high reliability optical fiber combiner with glass physical sealing, including glass tube, glass substrate and the two glass plugs of the two end portions of the glass tube;The glass substrate is set in the glass tube, and input fiber array is fixed to the one end of glass substrate through the glass plug of one end, and the input fiber array includes at least one signal input fiber and multiple pump input fibers;Output fiber is fixed to the other end of the glass substrate through the glass plug of the other end, and the core of the signal input fiber is aligned with the core of the output fiber.

[0007] Preferably, the signal input fiber is a single-mode fiber, and the pump input fiber is a multi-mode fiber;The output fiber is a multi-clad fiber, the inner cladding of the output fiber receives pump light, and the core of the output fiber transmits signal light.

[0008] Preferably, the outer surfaces of the signal input fiber, the pump input fiber and the output fiber are each coated with a high-temperature resistant coating.

[0009] Preferably, the input fiber array is fixed to the glass substrate by high-temperature resistant high-refraction glue, and the fixed region is the junction of the bare fiber of the signal input fiber and the pump input fiber and the high-temperature resistant coating.

[0010] Preferably, the output fiber is fixed to the glass substrate by high-temperature resistant high-refraction glue, and the fixed region is the high-temperature resistant coating of the output fiber.

[0011] Preferably, the signal input fiber and the pump input fiber are connected together by fusion taper, and the fusion taper region is coated with high-temperature resistant low-refraction glue.

[0012] Preferably, the outer wall of the glass plug has a taper, and the taper angle is 0.5°-1°.

[0013] Preferably, the gap between the glass plug and the glass tube is filled with glue, and the glue is filled with SiO2 particles.

[0014] Preferably, after the glass plug and the glass tube are installed, local heating is performed to soften and melt the glass tube and the glass plug to be integrated, thereby forming a continuous glass phase.

[0015] Preferably, the outer end of the glass plug is provided with a silica gel layer.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The high-reliability fiber combiner physically sealed by glass provided by the embodiment of the utility model adopts an inorganic sealing system matched by a glass plug and a glass tube, eliminates the problem of sealing failure caused by the use of organic materials (glue, desiccant, etc.) in the traditional process, greatly improves the stability and reliability of the sealing, and reduces the damage of the device caused by the difference in thermal expansion.

[0018] Further, the glass plug is provided with a taper, and the self-adaptation of the glass plug realizes thermal mechanical stress compensation in extreme environments, thereby improving the adaptability of the device in extreme environments.

[0019] Further, the glass plug and the glass tube are heated and fused to be integrated, and the water vapor penetration path is upgraded from the molecular diffusion level of the traditional glue sealing to the atomic lattice migration level of the fusion sealing, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of water vapor penetration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained without creative labor based on these drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the high-reliability fiber combiner physically sealed by glass provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] In the drawings:

[0023] 1-glass tube; 2-glass substrate; 3-high-temperature-resistant high-refraction glue; 4-silica gel layer; 5-pump input optical fiber; 6-signal input optical fiber; 7-high-temperature-resistant low-refraction glue; 8-output optical fiber; 9-glass plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0025] The technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes can not be described in some embodiments.

[0026] Based on the problems in the prior art, the embodiments of the present application provide a high-reliability fiber combiner physically sealed by glass.

[0027] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the high-reliability fiber combiner physically sealed by glass provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Now referring to Figure 1The utility model embodiment provides a kind of high reliability optical fiber combiner of glass physical sealing, including glass tube 1, glass substrate 2 and the two glass plugs 9 of the two end portions of blocking glass tube 1;Glass substrate 2 is set in glass tube 1, input fiber array is fixed to the one end of glass substrate 2 by passing the glass plug 9 of one end, and input fiber array includes at least one signal input fiber 6 and multiple pump input fibers 5;Output fiber 8 is fixed to the other end of glass substrate 2 by passing the glass plug 9 of the other end, and the core of signal input fiber 6 is aligned with the core of output fiber 8.

[0029] In some embodiments, signal input fiber 6 is single-mode fiber, and pump input fiber 5 is multi-mode fiber; output fiber 8 is multi-clad fiber (double-clad fiber or triple-clad fiber), the inner cladding of output fiber 8 receives pump light, and the core of output fiber 8 transmits signal light.

[0030] In some embodiments, the outer surface of signal input fiber 6, pump input fiber 5 and output fiber 8 is coated with a high-temperature-resistant coating.

[0031] Specifically, output fiber 8 uses a low-refractive-index, low-water-absorption, high-temperature-resistant coating, which has a water absorption rate of 1 / 10 of conventional coatings and can work normally at a high temperature of 125℃ and a high water vapor pressure of two atmospheres.

[0032] In some embodiments, input fiber array is fixed to glass substrate 2 by high-temperature-resistant, high-refractive-index glue 3, and the fixed area is the connection between the bare fiber of signal input fiber 6 and pump input fiber 5 and the high-temperature-resistant coating.

[0033] In some embodiments, output fiber 8 is fixed to glass substrate 2 by high-temperature-resistant, high-refractive-index glue 3, and the fixed area is the high-temperature-resistant coating of output fiber 8.

[0034] Specifically, high-temperature-resistant, high-refractive-index glue 3 is high-temperature-resistant glue with a high refractive index, which can work in an environment above 150℃ for a long time, and the refractive index is greater than 1.5.

[0035] In some embodiments, signal input fiber 6 and pump input fiber 5 are connected together by fusion splicing, and the fusion splicing area is coated with high-temperature-resistant, low-refractive-index glue 7.

[0036] Specifically, high-temperature-resistant, low-refractive-index glue 7 is high-temperature-resistant glue with a low refractive index, which can work in an environment above 300℃ for a long time, and the refractive index is less than 1.4.

[0037] In some embodiments, the outer wall of glass plug 9 has a taper, and the taper angle is 0.5°-1°.

[0038] In some embodiments, the gap between the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 is filled with glue, and the glue is filled with SiO2 particles.

[0039] Specifically, the diameter of the SiO2 particles is 40nm-100nm.

[0040] Specifically, the gap between the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 is 0.1mm-0.2mm.

[0041] In some embodiments, after the installation is completed, the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 are locally heated to soften and melt to be integrated, forming a continuous glass phase.

[0042] Specifically, the local heating temperature of the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 is 800℃±20℃, and the heating rate is controlled to be less than 10℃ / min, and nitrogen or argon protection is used in the heating process.

[0043] In some embodiments, the outer end of the glass plug 9 is provided with a silica gel layer 4, and the silica gel layer 4 is semispherical.

[0044] Specifically, the glass plug 9 is made of high borosilicate material.

[0045] In summary, the high-reliability optical fiber combiner with glass physical sealing provided by the embodiments of the present application adopts an inorganic sealing system composed of the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1, eliminates the problem of sealing failure caused by the use of organic materials (glue, desiccant, etc.) in the traditional process, greatly improves the stability and reliability of the sealing, and the thermal expansion mismatch rate of the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 is much lower than that of the traditional glue sealing, which reduces the damage of the device caused by the difference in thermal expansion; the waterproof and moisture-proof ability is greatly improved, the service life and long-term reliability of the product are significantly improved, and the harsh requirements of the vehicle level and submarine cable system can be met.

[0046] Further, the glass plug 9 is provided with a taper, which realizes self-adaptive thermal mechanical stress compensation in extreme environments, and improves the adaptability of the device in extreme environments.

[0047] Further, the glass plug 9 and the glass tube 1 are heated and melted to be integrated, and the water vapor penetration path is upgraded from the molecular diffusion level of the traditional glue sealing to the atomic lattice migration level of the melting sealing, which significantly reduces the possibility of water vapor penetration.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not limited to them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement to part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A glass physically sealed high reliability fiber combiner, characterized by, The device includes a glass tube, a glass substrate, and two glass plugs sealing both ends of the glass tube. The glass substrate is disposed in the glass tube. An input fiber array passes through one end of the glass plug and is fixed to one end of the glass substrate. The input fiber array includes at least one signal input fiber and multiple pump input fibers. An output fiber passes through the other end of the glass plug and is fixed to the other end of the glass substrate, such that the core of the signal input fiber is aligned with the core of the output fiber.

2. The glass physically sealed high reliability fiber combiner of claim 1, wherein, The signal input fiber is a single-mode fiber, the pump input fiber is a multimode fiber, the output fiber is a multi-clad fiber, the inner cladding of the output fiber receives the pump light, and the core of the output fiber transmits the signal light.

3. The high-reliability fiber optic combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surfaces of the signal input fiber, the pump input fiber, and the output fiber are all coated with a high-temperature resistant coating.

4. The high-reliability fiber optic combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 3, characterized in that, The input fiber array is fixed to the glass substrate with high-temperature and high-refractive-index adhesive. The fixed area is the connection between the bare fiber of the signal input fiber and the pump input fiber and the high-temperature coating.

5. The high-reliability fiber optic combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 3, characterized in that, The output optical fiber is fixed to the glass substrate using high-temperature and high-refractive-index adhesive, with the fixing area being the high-temperature coating of the output optical fiber.

6. The high-reliability optical fiber combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal input optical fiber and the pump input optical fiber are connected together by a fused taper method, and the fused taper area is covered with high temperature resistant and low folding adhesive.

7. The high-reliability optical fiber combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer wall of the glass plug has a taper with a taper angle of 0.5° to 1°.

8. The high-reliability fiber optic combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gap between the glass plug and the glass tube is filled with adhesive, and the adhesive contains SiO2 particles.

9. The high-reliability optical fiber combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the glass plug and the glass tube are installed, local heating softens and melts the glass tube and the glass plug, connecting them into one piece to form a continuous glass phase.

10. The high-reliability optical fiber combiner with physical glass sealing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer end of the glass plug is provided with a silicone layer.

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