A small-size fiber array and CPO silicon photonics engine
By introducing inclined steps into the fiber optic array and using different adhesive bonding methods, the problem of excessively wide channel spacing in the fiber optic array was solved, achieving a compact design of the fiber optic array and improving space utilization efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 武汉钧恒科技有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
In traditional CPO silicon photonics engines, the channel spacing of the fiber array is too wide, wasting valuable space density.
By adding an inclined step between the V-groove of the fiber array and the mounting plane, the optical fibers are divided into odd and even paths, and the cladding of the odd and even paths is bonded with hard and soft adhesives respectively, thereby reducing the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves.
It effectively reduces the width of the fiber array, avoids wasting space density, and maintains the fiber's resistance to bending and tensile strength.
Smart Images
Figure CN224581718U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of optical engine technology, specifically to a small-sized fiber array and a CPO silicon photonics engine. Background Technology
[0002] The structure of the fiber array used in traditional CPO silicon photonics engines is as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the fiber optic array includes a substrate and a cover plate. Multiple V-grooves, evenly spaced and extending through the optical ends, are formed on the upper surface of the substrate. A mounting plane, lower than the V-grooves and extending through their tail ends, is also present on the upper surface of the substrate. The total length of the substrate is 5 mm. Multiple optical fibers are arranged in rows, with the bare fibers entering the V-grooves. The cladding of the optical fibers is bonded with soft adhesive. A cover plate is provided on the substrate in the area corresponding to the V-grooves to press down the bare fibers. Since the bare fibers are made of pure silica and have a size of 125 μm, they are prone to breakage during bending and pulling. Therefore, a 250 μm plastic cladding is used to ensure bending and pulling strength, preventing fiber breakage during fiber cabling and winding. Thus, the channel spacing of this fiber optic array is 250 μm (i.e., 0.25 mm). Since the fiber optic array is an eight-channel array, the center-to-center distance between the first and eighth channels is 1.75 mm. This spacing results in a relatively wide fiber optic array, significantly wasting valuable CPO space density. Utility Model Content
[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a small-size fiber array and a CPO silicon photonics engine to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.
[0004] The technical solution of this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: A small-sized fiber optic array includes: a substrate and multiple optical fibers. Multiple V-grooves, arranged in equal intervals and extending through the optical ends, are formed on the upper surface of the substrate. A mounting plane, lower than the V-grooves and extending through their ends, is provided on the upper surface of the substrate. An inclined step is provided on the upper surface of the substrate between the V-grooves and the mounting plane, the height of which is greater than the outer diameter of the cladding in the optical fiber. The cladding of the optical fiber corresponding to the odd-numbered V-grooves is bonded to the mounting plane with rigid adhesive, and its bare fiber enters the V-groove after passing through the inclined step. The cladding of the optical fiber corresponding to the even-numbered V-grooves is bonded above the cladding of the odd-numbered optical fibers with soft adhesive, and its bare fiber enters the V-groove after passing through the inclined step. A cover plate is provided on the substrate in the area corresponding to the V-groove to press down the bare optical fiber.
[0005] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By adding a sloping step with a height larger than the outer diameter of the cladding in the optical fiber between the V-groove and the mounting plane, multiple optical fibers that were originally distributed in a single layer can be divided into odd and even paths. The cladding of the optical fiber corresponding to the odd-numbered V-groove is bonded to the mounting plane with hard adhesive, and the bare optical fiber enters the V-groove of the odd-numbered path after passing through the sloping step. The cladding of the optical fiber corresponding to the even-numbered V-groove is bonded to the top of the cladding of the odd-numbered optical fiber with soft adhesive, and the bare optical fiber enters the V-groove of the even-numbered path after passing through the sloping step. This reduces the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves, thereby reducing the size of the substrate in the width direction. When this small-sized fiber array is applied to a CPO silicon photonics engine, the space density of the CPO silicon photonics engine can be avoided due to its smaller width, while the bending and tensile strength of the optical fiber remains unchanged.
[0006] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.
[0007] Furthermore, soft adhesive covers the bare optical fiber that passes through the inclined steps.
[0008] Furthermore, the soft adhesive uses UV adhesive.
[0009] Furthermore, the rigid adhesive uses UV adhesive.
[0010] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the fiber cladding is 0.25 mm, and the height of the inclined step is 0.255 mm.
[0011] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the bare optical fiber in the optical fiber is 0.125 mm, and the minimum center-to-center distance between two adjacent V-grooves on the substrate is 0.127 mm.
[0012] The further beneficial effects of the above are as follows: compared with the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves in the prior art of 0.25mm, the present invention can reduce the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves 110 by 0.123mm, so the width of the substrate is reduced by (N-1)×0.123mm compared with the prior art, where N is the number of V-grooves 110.
[0013] Furthermore, there are a total of eight optical fibers and eight V-grooves.
[0014] The further beneficial effect of adopting the above is that the width of the substrate is reduced by 0.861 mm compared with the prior art.
[0015] Furthermore, the total length of the substrate is 7.5 mm, and the bottom edge length of the inclined step is 2.5 mm.
[0016] Based on the above technical solution, this utility model also provides a CPO silicon photonics engine, including: the small-sized fiber array mentioned above.
[0017] The further beneficial effect of adopting the above is that, since the width of the fiber array is reduced, the wasted space density of the CPO silicon photonics engine can be avoided. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a fiber optic array in the prior art; Figure 2 This is a right view of a fiber optic array in the prior art, with units in mm; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the small-to-medium-sized fiber optic array of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a right view of the small-sized fiber optic array of this utility model, with units in mm.
[0019] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows: 1. Substrate, 110, V-groove, 120, Mounting plane, 130, Inclined step, 2. Optical fiber, 210, Cladding, 220, Bare optical fiber, 3. Rigid adhesive, 4. Soft adhesive, 5. Cover plate. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The principles and features of this utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model.
[0021] Example 1 like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, a small-sized fiber array includes: a substrate 1 and multiple optical fibers 2. Multiple V-grooves 110 penetrating its optical end are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 1. The multiple V-grooves 110 are arranged in a row with equal spacing. A mounting plane 120 penetrating its tail end is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 1. The mounting plane 120 is lower than the V-grooves 110. An inclined step 130 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 1 between the V-grooves 110 and the mounting plane 120. That is, the mounting plane 120 is located at the lower end of the inclined step 130, and the V-grooves 110 are located at the upper end of the inclined step 130. The height of the inclined step 130 is larger than the outer diameter of the cladding 210 in the optical fiber 2. The cladding 210 of the optical fiber 2 corresponding to the odd-numbered V-groove 110 is bonded to the mounting plane 120 with hard adhesive 3, and the bare optical fiber 220 of the optical fiber 2 enters the V-groove 110 of the odd-numbered path after passing through the inclined step 130. The cladding 210 of the optical fiber 2 corresponding to the even-numbered V-groove 110 is bonded to the top of the cladding 210 of the corresponding odd-numbered optical fiber 2 (here, odd-numbered optical fiber 2 refers to the aforementioned optical fiber 2 corresponding to the odd-numbered V-groove 110), and the bare optical fiber 220 of the optical fiber 2 enters the V-groove 110 of the even-numbered path after passing through the inclined step 130. For example, if the V-groove 110 has eight paths, then the optical fiber 2 will have... There are eight optical fibers 2. The cladding 210 of the first, third, fifth, and seventh optical fibers 2 is bonded to the mounting plane 120 with hard adhesive 3. The bare optical fibers 220 of the first, third, fifth, and seventh optical fibers 2 enter the V-groove 110 of the odd-numbered fibers after passing through the inclined step 130. The cladding 210 of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth optical fibers 2 is bonded to the top of the cladding 210 of the first, third, fifth, and seventh optical fibers 2 with soft adhesive 4. The bare optical fibers 220 of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth optical fibers 2 enter the V-groove 110 of the even-numbered fibers after passing through the inclined step 130. This is just an example for ease of understanding. The soft adhesive 4 holds the cladding 210 of all the optical fibers 2 together. Alternatively, it can be understood as follows: all optical fibers 2 are distributed in a layered manner with multiple fibers in each layer. The cladding 210 of the lower layer optical fiber 2 is bonded to the mounting plane 120 with hard adhesive 3, and the bare optical fiber 220 of the lower layer optical fiber 2 enters the V-groove 110 of the odd-numbered paths after passing through the inclined step 130. The cladding 210 of the upper layer optical fiber 2 is bonded to the upper layer cladding 210 of the lower layer optical fiber 2 with soft adhesive 4, and the bare optical fiber 220 of the upper layer optical fiber 2 enters the V-groove 110 of the even-numbered paths after passing through the inclined step 130. A cover plate 5 is provided on the substrate 1 in the area corresponding to the V groove 110 to press down the bare optical fiber 220 inside the V groove 110.
[0022] By adding a sloping step 130 with a height larger than the outer diameter of the cladding 210 in the optical fiber 2 between the V-groove 110 and the mounting plane 120, the multiple optical fibers 2, originally distributed in a single layer, can be divided into odd and even paths. The cladding 210 of the optical fiber 2 in the odd-numbered V-groove 110 is bonded to the mounting plane 120 with hard adhesive 3, and the bare optical fiber 220 of the optical fiber 2 enters the V-groove 110 of the odd-numbered path after passing through the sloping step 130. The cladding 210 of the optical fiber 2 in the even-numbered V-groove 110 is bonded to the odd-numbered path with soft adhesive 4. Above the cladding 210 of fiber 2 (where odd-numbered fiber 2 refers to fiber 2 corresponding to odd-numbered V-grooves 110), and the bare fiber 220 of fiber 2 enters the even-numbered V-grooves 110 after passing through the inclined step 130, thereby reducing the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves 110, and thus reducing the size of the substrate 1 in the width direction. When this small-sized fiber array is applied in a CPO silicon photonics engine, the space density of the CPO silicon photonics engine can be avoided due to its smaller width, while the bending and tensile strength of the fiber remains unchanged.
[0023] Example 2 like Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment is a further improvement on embodiment 1, as detailed below: The soft adhesive 4 covers the bare optical fiber 220 that passes through the inclined step 130. The soft adhesive 4 is preferably made of UV adhesive, and the hard adhesive 3 is also preferably made of UV adhesive.
[0024] Example 3 like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment is a further improvement on embodiment 1 or 2, as detailed below: The outer diameter of the cladding 210 of optical fiber 2 is 0.25 mm, which is consistent with the prior art. The height of the inclined step 130 is 0.255 mm, which means that the optical fiber 2 corresponding to the even number of V-grooves 110 can remain horizontal. The outer diameter of the bare optical fiber 220 in optical fiber 2 is 0.125 mm, which is also consistent with the prior art. The minimum center distance between two adjacent V-grooves 110 on the substrate 1 is 0.127 mm, while it is 0.25 mm in the prior art. Thus, this invention can reduce the center distance between two adjacent V-grooves 110 by 0.123 mm. In this way, the width of the substrate 1 is reduced by (N-1) × 0.123 mm compared with the prior art, where N is the number of V-grooves 110.
[0025] Furthermore, the total number of optical fibers 2 is eight, and the number of V-grooves 110 is eight. Taking the aforementioned odd-numbered and even-numbered paths as examples, the cladding 210 of the first, third, fifth, and seventh optical fibers 2 is bonded to the mounting plane 120 with hard adhesive 3, while the cladding 210 of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth optical fibers 2 is bonded to the top of the cladding 210 of the first, third, fifth, and seventh optical fibers 2 with soft adhesive 4. In this way, the width of the substrate 1 is reduced by 0.861 mm compared to the prior art.
[0026] The total length of substrate 1 is 7.5 mm, and the bottom edge length of inclined step 130 is 2.5 mm. That is, the total length of substrate 1 is longer than that of the prior art, but the width of substrate 1 is smaller than that of the prior art. Because its width is smaller, the space density of CPO silicon photonics engine can be avoided.
[0027] Example 4 A CPO silicon photonics engine includes: a small-sized fiber array as described in any of the embodiments 1 to 3.
[0028] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A small form-factor fiber array, comprising: The substrate (1) and multiple optical fibers (2) are provided. Multiple V-grooves (110) are arranged in equal intervals on the upper surface of the substrate (1) and extend through its optical end. A mounting plane (120) lower than the V-grooves (110) and extending through their tail ends is provided on the upper surface of the substrate (1). The substrate (1) is characterized by a sloping step (130) between the V-grooves (110) and the mounting plane (120) on its upper surface. The height of the sloping step (130) is greater than the outer diameter of the cladding (210) in the optical fiber (2). The optical fibers corresponding to the odd number of V-grooves (110) are... (2) The cladding (210) of the fiber is bonded to the mounting plane (120) with hard glue (3), and its bare optical fiber (220) enters the V-groove (110) of the odd-numbered path after passing through the inclined step (130); the cladding (210) of the fiber (2) corresponding to the V-groove (110) of the even-numbered path is bonded to the cladding (210) of the fiber (2) of the odd-numbered path with soft glue (4), and its bare optical fiber (220) enters the V-groove (110) of the even-numbered path after passing through the inclined step (130). A cover plate (5) is provided on the substrate (1) in the area corresponding to the V-groove (110) to press down the bare optical fiber (220).
2. A small size fiber array according to claim 1, wherein, The soft adhesive (4) covers the bare optical fiber (220) that passes through the inclined step (130).
3. A small size fiber array according to claim 1, wherein, The soft adhesive (4) is made of UV adhesive.
4. A small-sized fiber optic array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hard adhesive (3) is a UV adhesive.
5. The small form factor fiber array of claim 1, wherein, The outer diameter of the cladding (210) of the optical fiber (2) is 0.25 mm, and the height of the inclined step (130) is 0.255 mm.
6. A small form-factor fiber array according to claim 5, wherein, The outer diameter of the bare optical fiber (220) in the optical fiber (2) is 0.125 mm, and the minimum center-to-center distance between two adjacent V-grooves (110) on the substrate (1) is 0.127 mm.
7. A small form-factor fiber array according to claim 6, wherein, The total number of optical fibers (2) is eight, and the number of V-grooves (110) is eight.
8. The small form factor fiber array of claim 1, wherein, The total length of the substrate (1) is 7.5 mm, and the bottom edge length of the inclined step (130) is 2.5 mm.
9. A CPO silicon light light engine characterized by, include: The small-sized fiber optic array as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.