Parallel multi-channel tunable attenuator and optical communication device

Abstract

The utility model relates to optical communication technical field, concretely relates to a kind of adjustable attenuator and optical communication device of parallel multi-channel.The adjustable attenuator includes optical fiber module, one-way focusing assembly and array MEMS component, the optical fiber module includes at least two groups of optical fiber components, and each group of the optical fiber component includes incident optical fiber and emergent optical fiber, array MEMS component includes MEMS chip and at least two mirror surfaces arranged on the MEMS chip, the mirror surface is set with the incident optical fiber one-to-one correspondence;Optical signal enters one-way focusing assembly along incident optical fiber and outputs compressed light spot, compressed light spot enters corresponding mirror surface, and after being reflected by the mirror surface, it is output along emergent optical fiber by one-way focusing assembly;Wherein, the angle of the mirror surface is adjusted to control the attenuation of optical signal.The above structure space occupation area is greatly reduced, more suitable for application in optical communication device with limited space, and the application scenarios of attenuator are widened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to a parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator and optical communication device. Background Technology

[0002] In the 5G era, the amount of information is growing explosively, and optical communication technology, as a key support for information transmission, faces higher requirements.

[0003] With the increase in 5G information volume and interaction, the widely used mechanical attenuator has revealed significant shortcomings. This type of attenuator can only attenuate a single optical signal. When it is necessary to control the attenuation of multiple optical signals simultaneously, it can only be achieved by increasing the number of attenuators. However, this approach significantly increases the space occupied by the attenuator, making it difficult to apply in space-constrained optical communication devices and greatly limiting the applicability of attenuators. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model provides a parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator and optical communication device to solve the problem that attenuators are difficult to apply in optical communication devices with limited space, which greatly limits the applicability of attenuators.

[0005] This utility model discloses a parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator, comprising: an optical fiber module, a unidirectional focusing component, and an array MEMS component. The optical fiber module includes at least two sets of optical fiber components, each set including an incident optical fiber and an outgoing optical fiber. The array MEMS component includes a MEMS chip and at least two mirrors disposed on the MEMS chip, with each mirror corresponding to one of the incident optical fibers. The optical signal enters the unidirectional focusing component along the incident optical fiber and outputs a compressed light spot. The compressed light spot enters the corresponding mirror, is reflected by the mirror, and is output along the outgoing optical fiber through the unidirectional focusing component. The attenuation of the optical signal is controlled by adjusting the angle of the mirror.

[0006] Optionally, the unidirectional focusing assembly includes a collimating lens and a cylindrical lens disposed opposite to each other, the fiber optic assembly is located on one side of the focal plane of the collimating lens, and the array MEMS assembly is located on one side of the focal plane of the cylindrical lens.

[0007] Optionally, the diameter of the compressed light spot is D, and the length of the mirror is L; wherein, D < L.

[0008] Optionally, the focal length of the collimating lens is The focal length of the cylindrical lens is The mode field diameter of the incident optical fiber is d, and the width of the mirror is W; wherein, .

[0009] Optionally, the focusing direction of the cylindrical lens is the same as the width direction of the mirror surface.

[0010] Optionally, the optical fiber module uses multi-core optical fiber or small cladding diameter optical fiber; when the optical fiber module uses multi-core optical fiber, the optical fiber module has four transmission channels, including two sets of parallel transmission channels.

[0011] Optionally, the collimating lens is a spherical lens with a surface curvature radius of 3.0mm to 5.0mm; the cylindrical lens has an annular curvature radius of 2.0mm to 3.0mm.

[0012] Optionally, the fiber optic module, the collimating lens, the cylindrical lens, and the array MEMS component are packaged using a TO structure.

[0013] Optionally, the parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator further includes: a TO cap, the array MEMS component disposed inside the TO cap, a support disposed on the array MEMS component, a cylindrical lens disposed on the support, a welding glass tube and a docking glass tube disposed sequentially on the side of the TO cap away from the MEMS component, a collimating lens disposed on the welding glass tube and extending into the TO cap, and an optical fiber module disposed on the docking glass tube.

[0014] This utility model also discloses an optical communication device, including the above-described parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator and optical communication device provided in this embodiment are as follows: By setting at least two sets of optical fiber components and corresponding mirrors, multiple optical signals enter the unidirectional focusing component in parallel through the incident optical fiber. After processing the optical signals, the unidirectional focusing component outputs a compressed light spot, which can enter the mirror on the MEMS chip. After being reflected by the corresponding mirror, it passes through the unidirectional focusing component again and is finally output along the parallel outgoing optical fiber. In this process, the reflection efficiency of the optical signal is changed by adjusting the angle of the mirror, thereby achieving attenuation control of the optical signal intensity. In this embodiment, while performing independent attenuation processing on multiple optical signals, the volume is effectively controlled. Compared with the method of achieving multi-channel attenuation by increasing the number of mechanical blocking attenuators, the space occupied by this parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator is greatly reduced, making it more suitable for application in optical communication devices with limited space and broadening the application scenarios of attenuators. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 This is an optical path diagram of two sets of optical fiber components in parallel, provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-core optical fiber module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the array MEMS component provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator provided in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0021] The labels for the attached figures are as follows:

[0022] 10. Fiber optic module; 110. Fiber optic assembly; 111. Incident fiber; 112. Outgoing fiber; 20. Unidirectional focusing assembly; 210. Collimating lens; 220. Cylindrical lens; 30. Array MEMS assembly; 310. Mirror; 320. MEMS chip; 330. Spot area; 410. TO cap; 420. Support; 430. Welding glass tube; 440. Docking glass tube. Detailed Implementation

[0023] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The preferred embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] This utility model embodiment provides a parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the system includes: an optical fiber module 10, a unidirectional focusing component 20, and an array MEMS component 30. The optical fiber module 10 includes at least two sets of optical fiber components 110, each set of optical fiber components 110 including an incident optical fiber 111 and an outgoing optical fiber 112. The array MEMS component 30 includes a MEMS chip 320 and at least two mirrors 310 disposed on the MEMS chip 320. The mirrors 310 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the incident optical fibers 111. The optical signal enters the unidirectional focusing component 20 along the incident optical fiber 111 and outputs a compressed light spot. The compressed light spot enters the corresponding mirror 310, is reflected by the mirror 310, and is output along the outgoing optical fiber 112 through the unidirectional focusing component 20. The attenuation of the optical signal is controlled by adjusting the angle of the mirror 310.

[0025] In this embodiment, by setting at least two sets of optical fiber components 110 and corresponding mirrors 310, multiple optical signals enter the unidirectional focusing component 20 in parallel through the incident optical fiber 111. The unidirectional focusing component 20 processes the optical signals and outputs a compressed light spot, which can enter the mirror 310 on the MEMS chip. After being reflected by the corresponding mirror 310, it passes through the unidirectional focusing component 20 again and is finally output along the parallel output optical fiber 112. In this process, the reflection efficiency of the optical signal is changed by adjusting the angle of the mirror 310, thereby achieving attenuation control of the optical signal intensity. The parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator of this embodiment performs independent attenuation processing on multiple optical signals while effectively controlling the volume. Compared with the method of achieving multi-channel attenuation by increasing the number of mechanical blocking attenuators, the space occupied by this parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator is greatly reduced, making it more suitable for application in space-constrained optical communication devices and broadening the application scenarios of attenuators.

[0026] As a preferred embodiment, refer to Figure 2 The unidirectional focusing component 20 includes a collimating lens 210 and a cylindrical lens 220 arranged opposite to each other. The fiber optic component 110 is located on one side of the focal plane of the collimating lens 210, and the array MEMS component 30 is located on one side of the focal plane of the cylindrical lens 220.

[0027] The combination and specific positioning of the collimating lens 210 and cylindrical lens 220 make the transmission of optical signals within the attenuator more orderly and efficient. The collimating lens 210 focuses the diverging optical signal, reducing divergence loss during transmission; the focusing effect of the cylindrical lens 220 compresses the optical signal into a spot shape suitable for processing by the mirror 310, improving the interaction efficiency between the optical signal and the mirror 310. This optimized optical signal transmission path helps improve the overall performance of the attenuator, reduce transmission loss, ensure optical signal quality, and enhance the stability of the adjustable attenuator.

[0028] As a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the compressed light spot is D, and the length of the mirror 310 is L; wherein, D < L.

[0029] In this embodiment, the diameter of the compressed light spot is set to be smaller than the length of the mirror 310 to ensure that the compressed light spot can fall completely on the corresponding mirror 310, guaranteeing that the optical signal can be effectively reflected and processed by the mirror 310. If the diameter of the compressed light spot is too large, exceeding the length of the mirror 310, some of the optical signal will overflow the mirror 310 and cannot be reflected by the mirror 310, resulting in inaccurate energy loss and attenuation control of the optical signal. When the diameter of the compressed light spot is smaller than the length of the mirror 310, the mirror 310 can completely cover the light spot, fully utilizing its function of reflecting and attenuating the optical signal.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment, the focal length of the collimating lens 210 is... The focal length of the cylindrical lens 220 is The mode field diameter of the incident fiber 111 is d, and the width of the mirror 310 is W; where, .

[0031] In this embodiment, satisfying the above-described relationship ensures that the light signal spot completely covers the mirror 310 in the width direction, guaranteeing effective reflection and attenuation adjustment of the light signal across the entire width of the mirror 310. This fully utilizes the attenuation function of the mirror 310, enabling more efficient processing of the light signal. By appropriately selecting the focal lengths of the collimating lens 210 and the cylindrical lens 220, and matching suitable mode field diameters and the width of the mirror 310, the distribution of the light signal on the mirror 310 can be optimized, improving the performance of the attenuator.

[0032] As a preferred embodiment, the focusing direction of the cylindrical lens 220 is the same as the width direction of the mirror 310.

[0033] The cylindrical lens 220 has directional focusing characteristics, and its focusing direction determines the direction in which the light signal is compressed. The width direction of the mirror 310 is the extension direction of the mirror 310 perpendicular to the light signal transmission direction. Setting the focusing direction of the cylindrical lens 220 to be the same as the width direction of the mirror 310 is to ensure that the light signal spot after being focused by the cylindrical lens 220 can better match the mirror 310 in the width direction, ensuring that the light signal can fully cover the mirror 310, improving the utilization efficiency of the mirror 310 and the attenuation effect of the light signal.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, refer to Figure 3 The fiber optic module 10 uses multi-core fiber or small cladding diameter fiber; when the fiber optic module 10 uses multi-core fiber, the fiber optic module 10 has four transmission channels, including two sets of parallel transmission channels.

[0035] The use of multi-core or small-cladding-diameter fibers can effectively reduce channel spacing, allowing the adjustable attenuator in this embodiment to accommodate more fiber optic components 110 in parallel, thus improving performance. (Refer to...) Figures 1 to 3 An example of two sets of parallel optical fiber assemblies 110 is given, wherein the two sets of parallel optical fiber assemblies 110 adopt... Figure 2 The multi-core optical fiber shown has optical signals incident on each group of incident optical fibers 111 and exited along the exiting optical fibers 112. Figure 3 The shadow area in the image is the incident light spot area 330 of the compressed light spot, which swings left and right along the horizontal direction when adjusting the angle of the mirror 310.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, the collimating lens 210 is a spherical lens with a surface curvature radius of 3.0mm to 5.0mm; the cylindrical lens 220 has an annular curvature radius of 2.0mm to 3.0mm.

[0037] By selecting appropriate parameters for the collimating lens 210 and the cylindrical lens 220, it is possible to ensure good optical performance during optical signal processing. This helps improve the attenuator's processing efficiency and attenuation accuracy, ensuring the quality of the optical signal during attenuation.

[0038] As a preferred embodiment, the fiber optic module 10, collimating lens 210, cylindrical lens 220, and array MEMS component 30 are packaged using a TO structure.

[0039] TO structure is a commonly used semiconductor device packaging form, characterized by its compact structure, good sealing performance, and excellent heat dissipation. It provides good physical protection for adjustable attenuators, preventing damage to internal components from external factors such as dust and moisture, thus extending the attenuator's lifespan.

[0040] As a preferred embodiment, refer to Figure 4 The parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator also includes: a TO cap 410, an array MEMS component 30 disposed inside the TO cap 410, a support 420 disposed on the array MEMS component 30, a cylindrical lens 220 disposed on the support 420, a welding glass tube 430 and a docking glass tube 440 disposed sequentially on the side of the TO cap 410 away from the MEMS component, a collimating lens 210 disposed on the welding glass tube 430 and extending into the TO cap 410, and an optical fiber module 10 disposed on the docking glass tube.

[0041] In this embodiment, the specific composition of the TO packaging structure is given, which provides a stable installation environment for the fiber optic module 10, collimating lens 210, cylindrical lens 220, and array MEMS component 30. This packaging structure combines the various components in a reasonable way to form a complete attenuator module, protecting the internal components from the influence of the external environment and ensuring the normal operation of the attenuator.

[0042] This application also discloses an optical communication device, including the parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator described in the foregoing embodiments. This optical communication device incorporates the same structure and beneficial effects as the parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator described in the foregoing embodiments. The structure and beneficial effects of the parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator have been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0043] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Those skilled in the art can modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and all such modifications and substitutions should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator, characterized in that, include: The fiber optic module, the unidirectional focusing component, and the array MEMS component are provided. The fiber optic module includes at least two sets of fiber optic components, each set of fiber optic components including an incident fiber and an outgoing fiber. The array MEMS component includes a MEMS chip and at least two mirrors disposed on the MEMS chip. The mirrors are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the incident fiber. The optical signal enters the unidirectional focusing component along the incident optical fiber and outputs a compressed light spot. The compressed light spot enters the corresponding mirror surface and is reflected by the mirror surface before being output along the exit optical fiber through the unidirectional focusing component. The attenuation of the light signal is controlled by adjusting the angle of the mirror.

2. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unidirectional focusing assembly includes a collimating lens and a cylindrical lens arranged opposite to each other. The fiber optic assembly is located on one side of the focal plane of the collimating lens, and the array MEMS assembly is located on one side of the focal plane of the cylindrical lens.

3. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The diameter of the compressed light spot is D, and the length of the mirror is L; Where D < L.

4. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The focal length of the collimating lens is The focal length of the cylindrical lens is The mode field diameter of the incident optical fiber is d, and the width of the mirror is W; in, .

5. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 4, characterized in that, The focusing direction of the cylindrical lens is the same as the width direction of the mirror surface.

6. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The optical fiber module uses multi-core optical fiber or small cladding diameter optical fiber; when the optical fiber module uses multi-core optical fiber, the optical fiber module has four transmission channels, including two sets of parallel transmission channels.

7. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The collimating lens is a spherical lens with a surface curvature radius of 3.0mm to 5.0mm; the cylindrical lens has an annular curvature radius of 2.0mm to 3.0mm.

8. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 6, characterized in that, The fiber optic module, the collimating lens, the cylindrical lens, and the array MEMS component are packaged using a TO structure.

9. The adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel operation according to claim 8, characterized in that, The parallel multi-channel adjustable attenuator also includes: The TO cap contains an array of MEMS components, a support is mounted on the array of MEMS components, a cylindrical lens is mounted on the support, a welding glass tube and a docking glass tube are sequentially mounted on the side of the TO cap away from the MEMS components, a collimating lens is mounted on the welding glass tube and extends into the TO cap, and an optical fiber module is mounted on the docking glass tube.

10. An optical communication device, characterized in that, Includes the adjustable attenuator with parallel multi-channel as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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