An optical waveguide chip coupling patch device

Abstract

An optical waveguide chip coupling patch device is used to realize precise coupling between an optical waveguide chip and an SLD light source chip. The device is composed of a base, a screw column, an adjusting nut, a spring, a horizontal plate, a support column, a pressing nail, a pressing cap and a fiber guide groove. The support column, the screw column and the fiber guide groove are installed on the base, the horizontal plate is installed on the support column, the spring and the adjusting nut are installed on the screw column, the spring is between the horizontal plate and the adjusting nut and forms a compression force, the pressing nail is installed at the front end of the horizontal plate, and the pressing cap is installed at the end of the pressing nail. In the process of coupling patch, rotating the adjusting nut can make the spring in the contraction state, so that the pressing force is applied to the optical waveguide chip through the pressing cap. By using the pressing force, the problem that the optical fiber bending stress and the vibration in the turnover process may cause the displacement of the optical waveguide chip can be solved, so as to improve the precision and efficiency of the coupling alignment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an optical waveguide chip coupling patch device, belonging to the field of optical fiber sensor manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] Integrated optoelectronic devices (hereinafter referred to as devices) play a crucial role in optimizing optical path performance and improving the reliability of optoelectronic systems. Devices typically contain core components such as SLD (Silicon Diode Light Source) chips, optical waveguide chips, and photodetectors. Light emitted from the SLD chip is precisely coupled through a lens group and then enters the optical waveguide chip. The optical waveguide chip performs beam splitting and coupling on the light before finally outputting it to the photodetector. To ensure the accuracy of the output from the optical waveguide chip, the optical waveguide chip and the SLD chip must be coupled, aligned, and bonded together, with an alignment accuracy requirement of 50 μm.

[0003] However, in existing technologies, the optical waveguide chip is highly susceptible to the bending stress of the optical fiber during the coupling alignment process, leading to positional misalignment and inaccurate alignment with the SLD light source chip. Furthermore, after alignment, the optical waveguide chip and SLD light source chip require bonding with thermosetting adhesive, which typically takes more than an hour to cure. During this curing process, vibrations generated by device handling, placement, and movement further affect the accuracy of the coupling alignment. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an optical waveguide chip coupling and patching device. This device eliminates the influence of fiber bending stress and device vibration on the coupling alignment of the optical waveguide chip and the SLD light source chip by applying different pressing pressures to the optical waveguide chip, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the coupling alignment.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is:

[0006] An optical waveguide chip coupling patch device includes: a base, screw posts, adjusting nuts, springs, a horizontal plate, support posts, pressure pins, pressing caps, and fiber guide channels;

[0007] The base has a first circular hole, a second circular hole, and a device mounting slot. The first circular hole is near the edge of the base, and the second circular hole is near the center of the base. The screw post and the support post are fixed to the base through the second circular hole and the first circular hole, respectively. The support post has a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate has a rectangular opening in the middle and a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate is fitted onto the screw post and the support post through the rectangular opening, and is installed on the support post by a pin passing through the through holes on the horizontal plate and the support post. The part of the screw post above the horizontal plate is fitted with a flat washer, a spring, another flat washer, and an adjusting nut from bottom to top. The pressure pin is fixed to the end of the horizontal plate near the device mounting slot, and the end of the pressure pin is fitted with a pressing cap. The fiber guide channel is attached to the base with high-temperature resistant double-sided tape and is adjacent to the device mounting slot.

[0008] When installing the device into the device mounting slot, press down on the end of the horizontal plate near the support column. The horizontal plate rotates around the pin fixed on the support column, and the end with the pressure pin is lifted up.

[0009] Rotating the adjusting nut changes the spring's contraction state, thus altering the pressure of the pressing cap on the pressure pin on the optical waveguide chip.

[0010] The first and second circular holes are aligned with the center of the device mounting slot, and the first and second circular holes are located on the same side of the device mounting slot, while the fiber guide slot is located on the other side of the device mounting slot.

[0011] Furthermore, the dimensions of the device mounting slot are matched to the device to prevent the device from wobbling within the slot.

[0012] Furthermore, one end of the support column is threaded, and the other end is a rectangular column; the through hole on the side of the support column is located at one end of the rectangular column; the first circular hole is also threaded inside, which matches the thread of the support column, thereby fixing the support column to the base.

[0013] Furthermore, the width of the rectangular opening in the middle of the horizontal plate matches the width of the support column, so that the horizontal plate is limited in the vertical direction when rotating around the pin fixed on the support column.

[0014] Furthermore, the front end of the horizontal plate near the device mounting slot is herringbone shaped, and the top of the herringbone shape has a threaded hole for installing pressure pins.

[0015] Furthermore, a slit is provided in the middle of the fiber guide groove as a fiber channel; the fiber channel is directly opposite the fiber outlet of the device, and its width matches the width of the optical fiber. During the coupling patching process, the fiber channel limits the optical fiber and prevents the optical fiber from swinging randomly, which would affect the coupling patching accuracy.

[0016] The advantages of this utility model compared with the prior art are:

[0017] (1) In the process of coupling and aligning the optical waveguide chip and the SLD light source chip, this utility model solves the problem that the optical waveguide chip may be displaced due to the bending stress of the optical fiber by using pressure, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of coupling and alignment.

[0018] (2) During the curing process, the optical waveguide chip can be fixed on the device by pressing, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of displacement of the optical waveguide chip caused by vibration during device turnover, placement, transfer and other operations, and ensuring the coupling alignment accuracy with the SLD light source chip.

[0019] (3) This utility model can achieve coupling alignment and patching with a precision of 50um when used with a stereo microscope and a three-dimensional slide, without the need for an expensive patching machine or coupling stage, which greatly reduces equipment costs. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the optical waveguide chip coupling patch device of this utility model;

[0021] In the diagram, 1-base; 2-screw post; 3-adjusting nut; 4-spring; 5-level plate; 6-support post; 7-pressure nail; 8-press cap; 9-fiber guide groove; 10-device; 11-optical fiber; 12-optical waveguide chip; 13-bonding surface; 14-SLD light source chip. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The specific embodiments of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model provides an optical waveguide chip coupling patch device, including: a base 1, a screw post 2, an adjusting nut 3, a spring 4, a horizontal plate 5, a support post 6, a pressure nail 7, a pressing cap 8, and a fiber guide groove 9;

[0024] The base 1 has a first circular hole, a second circular hole, and a device mounting slot. The first circular hole is near the edge of the base 1, and the second circular hole is near the center of the base 1. The screw post 2 and the support post 6 are fixed to the base 1 through the second circular hole and the first circular hole, respectively. The support post 6 has a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate 5 has a rectangular opening in the middle and a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate 5 is fitted onto the screw post 2 and the support post 6 through the rectangular opening, and is installed on the support post 6 by using a pin passing through the through hole on the horizontal plate 5 and the support post 6. The part of the screw post 2 above the horizontal plate 5 is fitted with a flat washer, a spring 4, a flat washer, and an adjusting nut 3 from bottom to top. The pressure pin 7 is fixed to the end of the horizontal plate 5 near the device mounting slot, and the end of the pressure pin 7 is fitted with a pressing cap 8. The fiber guide groove 9 is attached to the base 1 with high-temperature resistant double-sided tape and is adjacent to the device mounting slot.

[0025] When installing device 10 onto the device mounting slot, press down on one end of the horizontal plate 5 near the support column 6. The horizontal plate 5 rotates around the pin fixed on the support column 6, and the end with the pressure pin 7 is raised.

[0026] Rotating the adjusting nut 3 changes the contraction state of the spring 4, thereby changing the pressure of the pressing cap 8 on the pressure pin 7 on the optical waveguide chip 12.

[0027] The base 1 is a round base with a diameter of 72mm and a thickness of 4mm, made of aluminum alloy; the screw post 2 is made of stainless steel, with a length of 35mm and 12mm long M4 threads on both sides.

[0028] The two washers fitted into the screw post 2 are both 4mm in diameter, the spring 4 is 15mm long, the adjusting nut 3 is M4 type, the pressure pin 7 is M1.6 type and 10mm long, and the pressing cap 8 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material with an outer diameter of 3.0mm, an inner diameter of 1.5mm, and a depth of 2.0mm.

[0029] The first and second circular holes are aligned with the center of the device mounting slot. The first and second circular holes are located on the same side of the device mounting slot, while the fiber guide groove 9 is located on the other side of the device mounting slot. The diameter of both the first and second circular holes is 4 mm. The length, width, and depth dimensions of the device mounting slot are 22.05 mm * 16.05 mm * 1.0 mm. The dimensions of the device mounting slot match those of the device 10, ensuring that the device 10 does not wobble within the device mounting slot.

[0030] One end of the support column 6 is provided with a 5mm M4 thread, and the other end is a rectangular column with length, width and height of 4.5mm*4.5mm*10mm; the through hole on the side of the support column 6 has a diameter of 1.0mm and is provided at one end of the rectangular column; the first circular hole is also provided with an M4 thread, which matches the thread of the support column 6, so that the support column 6 is fixed on the base 1.

[0031] The horizontal plate 5 is made of aluminum alloy and has a length, width, and thickness of 40mm*12.6mm*2mm. The rectangular opening inside the horizontal plate 5 has a length of 28mm and a width of 4.55mm. The width matches the width of the support column 6, so that the horizontal plate 5 can be limited in the vertical direction when rotating around the pin fixed on the support column 6. The diameter of the through hole on the side of the horizontal plate 5 is 1.0mm.

[0032] The front end of the horizontal plate 5 near the component mounting slot is herringbone shaped, and the top of the herringbone shape is provided with an M1.6 threaded hole for installing the pressure nail 7.

[0033] The fiber guide groove 9 is stepped, with two steps, and its length, width and height are 18mm*10mm*7.8mm, with the heights of the upper and lower steps being 3.5mm and 4.3mm respectively. A gap is provided in the middle of the fiber guide groove 9 as a fiber channel. The fiber channel is directly opposite the fiber outlet of the device 10, and its width is 0.5mm, which matches the width of the optical fiber 11. During the coupling patching process, the fiber channel limits the optical fiber 11 to prevent the optical fiber 11 from swinging randomly and affecting the coupling patching accuracy.

[0034] The operating procedure for coupling patch application using the device in conjunction with a microscope and a three-dimensional sliding stage is as follows:

[0035] (1) The optical fiber 11 of the optical waveguide chip 12 is passed out from the fiber outlet of the device 10 from the inside to the outside, and glue is applied to the bonding surface 13 of the device 10 to initially bond the optical waveguide chip 12 to the device 10.

[0036] (2) Press one end of the horizontal plate 5 near the support column 6 to make the other end of the horizontal plate 5 lift up. At this time, the device 10 with the optical waveguide chip 12 attached beforehand is installed into the device mounting slot.

[0037] (3) Stop pressing the horizontal plate 5, so that the pressing cap 8 on the pressing nail 7 touches the optical waveguide chip 12 inside the device 10, and at the same time confines the optical fiber 11 of the device 10 within the fiber guide groove 9.

[0038] (4) Install the entire device onto the three-dimensional slide.

[0039] (5) Rotate the adjusting nut 3 to compress the spring 4 to 4 / 5 of its free length, about 12mm. At this time, the spring 4 is in a state of small compression force. Press the cap 8 to apply a small pressing force to the optical waveguide chip 12.

[0040] (6) With the aid of a microscope and a three-dimensional slide, the position of the optical waveguide chip 12 is finely adjusted so that it is coupled and aligned with the SLD light source chip 14. During the fine adjustment process, the pressing force applied by the pressing cap 8 to the optical waveguide chip 12 can effectively solve the problem that the optical waveguide chip may be displaced due to the bending stress of the optical fiber, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the coupling alignment.

[0041] (7) Further rotate the adjusting nut 3 so that the spring 4 is compressed to 1 / 2 of its free length, about 7.5mm. At this time, the spring 4 is in a state of greater compression force, and the pressing cap 8 applies a greater pressing force to the optical waveguide chip 12, thereby fixing the optical waveguide chip 12.

[0042] (8) Remove the entire device from the three-dimensional slide and transfer it to the oven for curing. Since the pressing cap 8 applies a large pressing force to the optical waveguide chip 12, the vibration generated during the device's turnover, placement and other operations will not cause the optical waveguide chip to shift, further ensuring the accuracy of the coupling alignment.

[0043] (9) After curing, remove the device and then remove the device 10 from the device to complete the entire optical waveguide chip mounting process.

[0044] The optical waveguide chip and SLD light source chip are coupled and aligned according to the above process, with an accuracy of up to 50μm. The whole process does not require the use of expensive pick-and-place machines or coupling stages, which greatly reduces equipment costs.

[0045] The parts of this utility model that are not described in detail are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide chip coupling patch device, characterized in that... include: Base (1), screw post (2), adjusting nut (3), spring (4), level plate (5), support post (6), pressure nail (7), pressing cap (8) and fiber guide groove (9); The base (1) is provided with a first round hole, a second round hole and a device mounting slot. The first round hole is close to the edge of the base (1) and the second round hole is close to the center of the base (1). The screw post (2) and the support post (6) are fixed to the base (1) through the second round hole and the first round hole respectively. The support post (6) has a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate (5) has a rectangular opening in the middle and a through hole on its side. The horizontal plate (5) is fitted onto the screw post (2) and the support post (6) through the rectangular opening and is installed on the support post (6) by using a pin to pass through the through hole on the horizontal plate (5) and the support post (6). The part of the screw post (2) above the horizontal plate (5) is fitted with a flat washer, a spring (4), a flat washer and an adjusting nut (3) from bottom to top. The pressure pin (7) is fixed to the end of the horizontal plate (5) near the device mounting slot, and the end of the pressure pin (7) is fitted with a pressing cap (8). The fiber guide groove (9) is pasted on the base (1) with high temperature resistant double-sided tape and is adjacent to the device mounting slot.

2. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the device (10) is installed on the device mounting slot, press the end of the horizontal plate (5) near the support column (6), and the horizontal plate (5) rotates around the pin fixed on the support column (6) as an axis, and the end with the pressure pin (7) is raised.

3. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Rotate the adjusting nut (3) to change the contraction state of the spring (4) and change the pressure of the pressing cap (8) on the pressure pin (7) on the optical waveguide chip (12).

4. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first and second circular holes are aligned with the center of the device mounting slot. The first and second circular holes are located on the same side of the device mounting slot, while the fiber guide groove (9) is located on the other side of the device mounting slot.

5. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The size of the device mounting slot is matched with that of the device (10) so that the device (10) will not wobble in the device mounting slot.

6. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: One end of the support column (6) is threaded, and the other end is a rectangular column; the through hole on the side of the support column (6) is set at one end of the rectangular column; the first circular hole is also threaded, which matches the thread of the support column (6), so that the support column (6) is fixed on the base (1).

7. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The width of the rectangular opening in the middle of the horizontal plate (5) matches the width of the support column (6), so that the horizontal plate (5) is limited in the vertical direction when rotating around the pin fixed on the support column (6).

8. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The front end of the horizontal plate (5) near the device mounting slot is herringbone shaped, and the top of the herringbone shape is provided with a threaded hole for installing a pressure pin (7).

9. The optical waveguide chip coupling patch device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: A slit is provided in the middle of the fiber guide groove (9) as a fiber groove; the fiber groove is directly opposite the fiber outlet of the device (10), and its width matches the width of the optical fiber (11). During the coupling patching process, the fiber groove limits the optical fiber (11) to prevent the optical fiber (11) from swinging randomly and affecting the coupling patching accuracy.

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