Fiber collimator array

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of optical fiber collimator arrays.The utility model is through the lapping of ceramic ferrule and septum, forms two-dimensional optical fiber array after fiber insertion, with the advantages that ceramic ferrule is easy to insert fiber, optical fiber guiding distance is long;Since septum is with high-frequency laser cutting and forms two-dimensional distribution positioning groove after splitting, with the advantages that optical fiber positioning precision is high, and with the advantages that processing cost is low, two-dimensional array dot matrix position design is convenient, and two-dimensional array expansion is convenient.Collimator array is composed of optical fiber array and lens array, optical fiber array end surface and lens array end surface are bonded or separated by air gap, when separating by air gap, surrounding board can be used for lapping, compact structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fiber collimator processing, specifically a two-dimensional planar fiber array and a two-dimensional planar collimator array composed therefrom. Background Technology

[0002] Two-dimensional fiber collimator arrays have wide applications in data centers, aerospace, lidar and other fields. For example, CN201480083701 uses a fiber collimator array as a MEMS optical switch.

[0003] The main challenge in manufacturing two-dimensional fiber collimator arrays lies in controlling the fiber positioning accuracy to the micrometer level during the fabrication of the two-dimensional fiber array. Existing technologies can be broadly categorized into three methods: etched perforated plate arrays, V-groove plate stacking, and capillary bundling. Etched perforated plates (e.g., silicon wafers) are relatively thin, requiring multiple stacks to provide sufficient fiber guiding length, resulting in high costs and difficulties in fiber insertion. V-groove plate stacking makes it difficult to control the precision of interlayer spacing and interlayer misalignment, hindering the formation of an array. Capillary bundling (e.g., ceramic ferrules) makes it difficult to easily obtain the required lattice spacing, limiting its applications. CN201810673920 combines perforated plate arrays with a capillary solution, but the deformation generated during the insertion of the ceramic ferrule into the perforated plate also affects the fiber positioning accuracy.

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a structure for a two-dimensional planar fiber array and a two-dimensional planar fiber collimator array formed therefrom, based on existing technologies. The fiber array has high fiber positioning accuracy, is easy to thread, and has low processing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems mentioned in the background section, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0006] An optical fiber collimator array, characterized in that the optical fiber array includes an optical fiber 1, a ceramic ferrule 2 and a spacer 3, wherein the spacer 3 has a positioning groove 31 for accommodating and bonding the outer cylindrical surface of the ceramic ferrule 2, and the optical fiber 1 passes through the core hole of the ceramic ferrule 2 and is bonded to form a two-dimensional optical fiber array.

[0007] The collimator array includes the fiber array and the lens array 6. The end face of the fiber array is bonded to or separated from the end face of the lens array 6 by an air gap, forming a two-dimensional collimator array.

[0008] Furthermore, the material of the partition 3 is ceramic or glass, and after being cut by a high-frequency laser cutting machine, it is split to form an arc-shaped positioning groove 31.

[0009] The partition 3 is rectangular, arc-shaped, or disc-shaped, and is cut with multiple positioning grooves 31 distributed in two dimensions.

[0010] Furthermore, the spacer 3 is cut with extended positioning slots 32 for expansion into a large array.

[0011] Furthermore, the fiber array includes an optical fiber 1, a ceramic ferrule 2, and a spacer 3, and also includes a surrounding plate 5, which is used to connect the lens array 6.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, this utility model mainly has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] By overlapping the ceramic ferrule 2 and the spacer 3, a two-dimensional fiber array is formed after fiber threading, which has the advantages of easy fiber threading and long fiber guiding distance of the ceramic ferrule. Since the spacer 3 is cut by high-frequency laser to form two-dimensional distributed positioning grooves 31, it has the advantages of high fiber positioning accuracy, low processing cost, convenient design of the lattice position of the two-dimensional array, and convenient expansion of the two-dimensional array. The collimator array is composed of the fiber array and the lens array 6. The end face of the fiber array is bonded to the end face of the lens array 6 or separated by an air gap. When the air gap is separated, the surrounding plate 5 can be used for overlapping, resulting in a compact structure. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the fiber optic dot array in a two-dimensional area;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the end face of the two-dimensional fiber array of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a side view of the two-dimensional fiber collimator of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the partition structure of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another type of separator according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another type of separator according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another type of separator according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the extended positioning slot for the two-dimensional fiber optic array of this utility model.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Optical fiber; 2. Ceramic ferrule; 21. Tapered head; 22. Horn mouth; 3. Spacing plate; 31. Positioning slot; 32. Extended positioning slot; 4. Glue potting area; 5. Enclosure plate; 6. Lens array. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are exemplary and are only used to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, taking an orthogonally distributed two-dimensional fiber array as an example, the row spacing Px, layer spacing Py, and interlayer misalignment dx of the fiber must all reach micrometer-level precision. Typically, the distance of the fiber from its theoretical position is less than 3µm to be of practical significance. For example, if the focal length of the lens array to which it is adapted is 5mm, then a 3µm deviation of the fiber from its theoretical position means that the collimated beam will deviate from the theoretical axis by 2 minutes. High-requirement collimator arrays require the deviation of the beam from the theoretical axis to be in the second range.

[0025] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the technical solution of this application is to fabricate a two-dimensional fiber array by assembling a ceramic ferrule 2 and a spacer 3 into a spatial structure. The ceramic ferrule 2 (e.g., a standard LC ferrule with an outer diameter of 1.250 mm and an inner diameter of 0.126 mm) provides a fine aperture for fiber insertion, achieving the effects of "smooth fiber insertion" and "long guiding distance". High-quality ceramic ferrules can achieve an outer diameter accuracy and concentricity of inner and outer holes at the 0.3 µm level. The spacer 3 provides a positioning groove 31 for the ferrule 2 and adheres to the outer cylindrical surface of the ferrule 2. The positioning groove 31 is preferably semi-circular (of course, it can also be a V-groove or other shapes, but the semi-circular positioning effect is the best). The spacer 3 can be made of hard materials such as ceramic or glass, with a thickness of, for example, 2.5 mm. It is formed by cutting lines using a high-frequency fiber laser cutting machine (e.g., a 70 W 1064 nm infrared cutting machine) and then splitting it. The accuracy of the laser-cut circular groove depends on the laser cutting equipment. The cutting accuracy of a high-quality laser cutting machine can also reach the 0.3 µm level. After the ceramic ferrule 2 and spacer 3 are overlapped, they are fixed with adhesive, and then optical fiber 1 (e.g., a standard 0.125mm diameter single-mode fiber) is threaded through. The final positioning accuracy of the two-dimensional fiber array is determined by the combined accuracy of the ceramic ferrule 2, the spacer 3, and the assembly and adhesive bonding accuracy. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiment shown with 4 rows and 5 columns of 20 optical fibers, the point positioning accuracy of the fiber array reaches ±1µm. In the embodiment with 10 rows and 10 columns of 100 optical fibers, the point positioning accuracy of the fiber array reaches ±2µm. This has practical value.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the end face of a two-dimensional fiber array. The ceramic ferrule 2 is fixed in the arc groove 31 of the spacer 3 and bonded. 4 is the potting area. The outer perimeter can be surrounded by a baffle plate 5 and fixed with adhesive (or it can be left unenclosed). Finally, the fiber 1 is inserted into the inner hole of the ceramic ferrule 2 and fixed. The end face is polished to form a 4*5 fiber array. Figure 3This is a side view of a two-dimensional collimator array. The ceramic ferrule 2 typically has a tapered head 21 and a flared tail 22. The tapered head 21 helps reduce polishing workload, while the flared tail 22 facilitates fiber threading. The polished end face of the fiber array faces the lens array 6 and can be bonded to the plane of the lens array 6 or separated by a certain air gap. If an air gap is separated, a structural component is needed to connect the lens array and the fiber array. In this case, the enclosure plate 5 can serve as a structural component. The lens array 6 can be manufactured by etching or molding. The surface polishing angle, coating, and collimator focusing assembly of each component are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0027] Figure 4 The image shows the spacer 3 fabricated for an orthogonal lattice two-dimensional fiber optic array. Since the arc grooves 31 on both opposite sides are formed in a single machining operation, the positioning accuracy of the arc grooves 31 for the interlayer spacing and misalignment of the ceramic ferrule 2 can be guaranteed. When the fiber optic lattice spacing Px and Py are significantly larger than the outer diameter of the ceramic ferrule 2, Figure 2 The multiple septa 3 in the middle can be cut in one cut, and after splitting, they form a whole septa 3, such as Figure 5 The outer diameter of the ceramic insert 2 can be customized, for example, less than 1mm. This means that the design of the spacer 3 can be optimized to ensure that it is easy to split after cutting and has sufficient strength.

[0028] The axial length of the ceramic insert 2 is, for example, 5mm. If the thickness of the spacer 3 is less than 2.5mm, then... Figure 3 The ceramic insert 2 can be connected by two sets of spacers 3. If the thickness of the spacers 3 is thick enough, such as 4mm, then one set of spacers 3 can be used for connection.

[0029] For special requirements, such as unequal-spacing fiber optic array distribution, or such as Figure 6 An arc-shaped rather than a straight line distribution, or like Figure 7 The two-dimensional array with polar coordinate distribution only requires adjusting the design of the spacer 3 (i.e., the laser cutting path) to design the spacer 3 as a rectangular bar, arc bar, or disk shape, which is flexible, convenient, and inexpensive.

[0030] When the collimator array is large, such as 32 rows by 32 columns, the common practice is to use smaller subarrays to create a larger array, for example, by splicing 16 8x8 subarrays. In this case, the two-dimensional fiber optic array needs to have an expansion positioning interface. Figure 8 As shown, expansion positioning slots 32 for interlayer expansion are provided in the vertical direction of the spacer 3, and expansion positioning slots 32 for row expansion are provided in the horizontal direction. The expansion positioning slots 32 are used to accommodate positioning pins, and their shapes can be various such as arc grooves and V-shaped grooves. The end face size of the lens array 6 in the sub-array can be slightly smaller than that of the fiber array in the sub-array. When the sub-arrays are assembled into a large array, gaps are left between each sub-lens array 6.

[0031] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, they are merely explanations of the present invention and not limitations thereof. Those skilled in the art may make modifications, substitutions, and variations to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, as needed, without contributing any inventive step, and such modifications, substitutions, and variations are protected by patent law as long as they fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber collimator array, characterized in that, The array includes an optical fiber array and a lens array (6). The end face of the optical fiber array is bonded to or separated from the end face of the lens array (6) by an air gap to form a two-dimensional collimator array. The optical fiber array includes an optical fiber (1), a ceramic ferrule (2) and a spacer (3). The spacer (3) has a positioning groove (31) for accommodating and bonding the outer cylindrical surface of the ceramic ferrule (2). The optical fiber (1) passes through the core hole of the ceramic ferrule (2) and is bonded to form a two-dimensional optical fiber array.

2. The fiber optic collimator array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the partition (3) is ceramic or glass. After being cut by a high-frequency laser cutting machine, it is split to form an arc-shaped positioning groove (31).

3. The fiber optic collimator array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The partition (3) is rectangular, arc-shaped or disc-shaped, and is cut with multiple positioning grooves (31) distributed in two dimensions.

4. The fiber optic collimator array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spacer (3) is cut with extended positioning slots (32) for expansion into a large array.

5. The fiber optic collimator array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fiber array includes an optical fiber (1), a ceramic ferrule (2), and a spacer (3), and also includes a surrounding plate (5) for mounting the lens array (6).

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