Storage member for light guide body bundle, method for manufacturing the storage member, and intermediate product

Abstract

To accurately position individual fibers of a light guide body and to keep minimum the size of the light guide bodies having ends terminated and connected.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a storage member (1) for a plurality of optical fibers (3) of a light guide body (5) which comprise two end faces (9, 10) located on mutually opposite sides, and the storage member is manufactured from glass and has a plurality of linear passages (7), wherein the passages extend from the one end face (9) of the storage member to the other end face and also each have at least one end part made open, so that one optical fiber can be inserted into each passage. The passage has a length larger than its lateral dimension, the storage member has a length given by a distance of each end face and larger than a maximum lateral dimension of the storage member, and a separation face (13) formed at least partially or sectionally in the form of a fracture surface (131) extends on an outer peripheral surface (11) of the storage member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of light guides, and more particularly to termination connections for light guides.

[0002] Typically, light guides are provided with terminations that facilitate the placement and installation of the light guide for light input or output. For this purpose, an end sleeve or ferrule may be provided, into which the light guide is inserted and fixed. For example, German Patent Application No. DE 102017104398 A1 discloses a ferrule for terminating a light guide, which has two plastic parts joined together, one of which is transparent and has a passage for accommodating one or more optical fibers of the light guide. The fiber then emits its light through the plastic part or absorbs light that enters the fiber end through the plastic part.

[0003] WO 2015 / 169685 discloses a light guide with an integrated optical element. The light guide may be a rigid light guide in the form of a fiber rod or light guide rod, or a flexible light guide, whose light entrance and / or exit faces are glued or heated and fused together, respectively. The glass light guide region terminates in a glass end face. At least one transparent plastic optical element is integrated into this glass end face, so that electromagnetic radiation guided into the light guide during operation is guided through the glass end face into the transparent plastic of the optical element and exits there again.

[0004] The end connections of the light guides may be combined with signal converters to receive or generate optical signals.For example, EP 2 600 181 A1 envisages a method for coupling a glass fibre bundle to an optical conversion element, in which the glass fibre bundle is inserted into a sleeve from one side and the optical conversion element is inserted from the other side, and the sleeve is filled with a curable transparent compound (14), thereby embedding the optical conversion element and the glass fibre bundle within the compound.

[0005] In the optical connector known from DE 10392977 T5, a plurality of insertion holes for inserting optical fibers are arranged at a defined distance, with the accuracy of the center-to-center distance between adjacent insertion holes being within ±0.5 μm and the parallelism of adjacent insertion holes in the longitudinal direction being within ±0.1°.

[0006] Depending on the application, it may be desirable to accurately position the individual fibers of the light guide and to minimize the dimensions of the light guide terminated at the end, thereby, for example, preventing significant widening of the light guide. One possible application in this regard is, for example, a light guide for an endoscope. Other applications, such as fiber assemblies for spectroscopic applications, are also important here. Typical configurations, such as thin-walled coaxial tubes, can only solve this problem to a limited extent. Another problem lies in the handling of correspondingly small components. Furthermore, the use of an excessive number of different materials may be undesirable. Therefore, it may be advantageous for the termination to include a material that is the same as, or at least corresponds to, the optical fiber. Among other things, this may be advantageous so that the fiber and the end sleeve have as similar a thermal expansion coefficient as possible.

[0007] The above-mentioned problems can be solved by the subject matter of the respective independent claims. Advantageous configurations of the invention are set out in the respective dependent claims.

[0008] Based on this, the present invention provides a housing for a plurality of optical fibers of a light guide, the housing having two opposite end faces, the housing being made of glass and having a plurality of linear passages. The passages extend from one end face of the housing to the other end face. The direction of the passages may be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing or oblique to the longitudinal direction. Preferably, the passages also extend parallel to one another. Each passage is open at at least one end, allowing one optical fiber to be inserted into each passage. The passages have a length greater than their transverse dimension, particularly their diameter in the case of a circular cross section. Similarly, the housing has a length greater than the maximum transverse dimension of the housing, given the distance between the end faces. An elongated separation surface is preferably present or extends on the outer peripheral surface of the housing, and preferably this separation surface is at least partially or sectionally formed in the form of a fracture surface. In the case of an elongated separation surface, this fracture surface preferably extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing. In this way, the receiving element or end sleeve allows the individual fibers of the light guide to be individually restrained in their respective channels and positioned in a defined manner. The separation surface is created by removing the receiving element from the larger glass section. This allows for easy handling of the receiving element even at very small dimensions. In a preferred configuration, the receiving element is simply removed from the larger glass section by breaking it off. In this case, a fractured surface serves as the separation surface. In one preferred embodiment, only a single separation surface is present, corresponding to a single connection to the larger glass section during manufacturing. However, more than one such separation surface may also be present, for example, if a more stable connection to the larger glass section during manufacturing is desired. However, in this case, it is advantageous not to provide an excessive number of connections or separation surfaces. Therefore, it is particularly preferred if there are no more than 10 separation surfaces, especially no more than 5 separation surfaces.

[0009] A suitable method for producing such a receiving element or end sleeve is a laser-assisted method, in which an ultrashort-pulse laser is used to create a defect, and the substrate thus preprocessed is subjected to an etching process, which expands the defect and ultimately separates the substrate at the defect. Corresponding methods are known in principle from German Patent Application Publication No. DE 102018100299, PCT / CN2019 / 086830, or European Patent Application Publication No. 3936485. Furthermore, a laser processing apparatus using an ultrashort-pulse laser, which can also remove finely structured contours, is known from German Patent Application Publication No. DE 102017100755.

[0010] In particular, a method of manufacturing a containment member according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: - providing a glass plate; - irradiating a glass plate with an ultrashort pulse laser, whereby the laser beam of the ultrashort pulse laser is focused within the glass and leaves a plurality of localized scratches therein; - then moving a laser beam of an ultrashort pulse laser along a set path across the glass plate, thereby producing localized scratches aligned along this path and located next to each other; - then exposing the glass plate to an etching medium; - widening the local flaws with an etching medium, thereby separating the glass plate along a path that extends to include the contour of the receiving element connected to the holding portion via the web, and by etching and separating, releasing a predetermined portion of the glass plate, thereby obtaining a glass element with a holding portion and a receiving element connected to the holding portion via the web; - removing the receiving member by separating the web from the holding portion; It is envisaged that the method has:

[0011] Based on this, the receiving element is manufactured from a glass plate so that the side portions of the glass plate form the end faces of the receiving element. Processing the glass plate to remove the glass plate portions results in an intermediate product for manufacturing a receiving element according to the present disclosure, where the intermediate product has the form of a glass plate with parallel side surfaces located on opposite sides. The intermediate product is divided into a holding element and a receiving element according to the present disclosure, connected to the holding element via a web, where the end faces of the receiving element are formed by the side portions or are located within the side of the intermediate product. Thus, in this case, the passages in the receiving element extend transversely to the side of the intermediate product, i.e., from one side to the other. Due to the combination of the receiving element and the holding element, this intermediate product particularly advantageously allows for easy handling of small components. It is particularly true of the manufacturing method and the intermediate product that several receiving elements can be manufactured in parallel and connected to the holding elements. Therefore, a preferred configuration envisages that the intermediate product is provided with several receiving elements, each connected to the holding element by a web.

[0012] As mentioned above, in one preferred embodiment, the glass plate is structured by a method comprising a step of laser-assisted introduction of localized defects followed by etching of these defects. However, other methods, other laser-assisted methods, such as laser ablation, are also conceivable. More generally, the present disclosure therefore also contemplates a manufacturing method for producing a receiving element by providing a glass plate and then structuring the glass plate while removing portions of the glass plate, thereby obtaining the above-mentioned intermediate product.

[0013] The glass of the aforementioned materials or the aforementioned glass plate is generally soda-lime glass or borosilicate glass. Depending on the specific chemical and / or optical requirements, other special glasses are also conceivable. It should be noted that in this specification, the term glass or glass plate is also understood as a special case for quartz glass or glass ceramic, for example aluminosilicate glass ceramic, materials.

[0014] The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a light guide terminated in a housing member. [Figure 2] 10A-10C are plan views of an end face of a storage member, each showing several exemplary arrangements of passages within the storage member. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 shows a housing member having a non-through passage. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 shows a receiving member having a diagonally extending passageway. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an end face of a storage member to which a web is connected. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 1A-1C show method steps for manufacturing an intermediate product for a receiving element; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows a unit that uses an ultrashort pulse laser to create localized scratches in a glass plate. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an optical microscope photograph of an intermediate product for manufacturing a storage member. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an optical microscope photograph of an intermediate product for manufacturing a storage member. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 shows a variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is an optical microscope image showing the housing member as viewed from the side. [Figure 13]10 is an optical microscope image showing the end face of the container member as viewed from above, together with the intermediate product. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a structured glass plate. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a glass plate processed by an ultrashort pulse laser.

[0016] Detailed Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 shows a light guide 5 terminated in a housing member 1 according to the present disclosure. The housing member 1 includes a glass portion 2 or is made of glass. Preferably, the housing member 1 has a cylindrical or more generally prismatic shape with two end faces 9, 10. The end faces 9, 10 are preferably oriented parallel to one another. The housing member has a plurality of, preferably linear, passages 7, which extend longitudinally, i.e., from end face 9 to end face 10. The passages 7 are open to at least one of the end faces 9, 10 so that the optical fibers 3 of the light guide 5 can be introduced into the housing member 1. In the illustrated example, the passages 7 are open on both sides. Thus, here, the ends of the optical fibers 3 are exposed; however, in this case, a seal, e.g., including a transparent material, could also be provided, allowing light to pass through the transparent material. Because the passages 7 have an elongated shape, their length, which here also corresponds to the length 100 of the housing member 1, is greater than their lateral dimension 103.

[0017] An elongated separation surface 13 is located on the outer circumferential surface 11 of the receiving element 1, which also extends in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element 1, like the passage 7. This separation surface 13 is generated when the receiving element 1 is cut from the intermediate product, where it merges into a web connected to the holding part. Preferably, the receiving element 1 is simply broken off from the intermediate product, so that the separation surface 13 has the shape of a fracture surface or a characteristic topography.

[0018] The housing member 1 itself preferably has an elongated shape, so that the length 100 of the housing member 1 is greater than the maximum lateral dimension 101 of the housing member 1. The lateral dimension 101 of the housing member 1 is preferably in the range of 100 μm to 5 mm. Preferably, it is at most 0.4 mm, particularly in an embodiment where there are no other structures next to the optical fiber passage as in the illustrated example. In one example, the housing member 1 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 170 μm.

[0019] In one alternative embodiment, the length 100 of the containing member 1 is generally in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, preferably in the range of 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0020] The area between two adjacent passages 7 may be considered a wall 6. One feature of the storage member 1 according to the present disclosure is that the wall thickness 102 of the wall 6 between the passages 7 can be kept extremely thin. This applies in particular to the ratio of the wall thickness 102 to the length 100 of the storage member 1. The minimum wall thickness of two adjacent passages 7 is 5 μm to 1 mm in one typical embodiment, with the minimum wall thickness preferably being in the range of 10 μm to 100 μm, and the web width between the passages or between the passages relative to the edges may be different. In another alternative or additional embodiment, the ratio of the length 100 of the storage member 1 to the minimum wall thickness between two adjacent passages 7 may be at least 50:1. These dimensions and ratios generally do not necessarily apply to all passages 7, since the passages 7 may extend with different dimensions and / or spacings.

[0021] The dimensions of the passage 7 are also adapted to the dimensions of the optical fiber 3 to be housed therein. For example, the transverse dimension 103 of the passage 7 is in the range of 10 μm to 2 mm in one alternative or additional embodiment. In one example, a passage 7 provided for an optical fiber 3 of a light guide 5 having a diameter of 50 μm has a diameter or more generally a transverse dimension of 55 μm. In addition to a circular cross-section, the passage 7 may have other cross-sectional shapes. For example, the passage may have an elliptical, but also substantially square, or more generally rectangular or polygonal shape. However, typically, in the case of angular cross-sectional shapes, the corners are slightly rounded due to the etching process suitable for manufacturing.

[0022] The receiving member 1 shown in the example of Figure 1 has a total of seven passages. Preferably, the number of passages 7 is generally in the low two-digit range, i.e., at most 50. Preferably, the number of passages is in the range of 2 to 40, particularly preferably in the range of 2 to 20.

[0023] In order to obtain a particularly compact arrangement, the passages 7 may also occupy a hexagonal arrangement, which embodiment is also realized in the example shown in FIG.

[0024] In particular, the laser-assisted structuring method mentioned at the beginning allows such structures to be produced with a high aspect ratio, and this also depends on whether the production takes place in a composite of the receiving element and the structured glass plate connected to the receiving element via a web, and therefore whether a strip-shaped separation surface 13 is present on the receiving element 1 or not. Thus, in general, whether or not a separation surface 13 is present, in one alternative embodiment, a receiving element 1 for a plurality of optical fibers 3 of a light guide 5 is provided, having two end faces 9, 10 located on opposite sides of each other, the receiving element 1 being made of glass and having a plurality of linear passages 7 which extend in a direction from one end face 9 of the receiving element 1 to the other end face 10 thereof, the passages 7 being open at least at one end or end face 9, 10 of the receiving element 1, respectively, so that the optical fibers 3 can be inserted into the passages 7, the passages 7 having a length greater than their lateral dimensions, the receiving element 1 having a length given by the distance between the end faces 9, 10 which is greater than the maximum lateral dimension of the receiving element 1, the receiving element 1 having, in an advantageous configuration, the following characteristics: the ratio of the area enclosed by the contours of the end faces 9, 10 to the total area of ​​the openings 70 of the passages 7 within the end faces 9, 10 is less than 3.0; the minimum wall thickness between two adjacent channels 7 is between 10 μm and 100 μm, preferably at most 20 μm; the ratio of the length of the receiving member 1 to the minimum wall thickness between two adjacent passages 7 is at least 50:1; The length of the housing member 1 is within the range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. the maximum lateral dimension, in particular the diameter, of the receiving element 1 is between 100 μm and 5 mm, preferably at most 0.4 mm; It has at least one of the following:

[0025] Typically, the glass portion 2 or glass of the receiving member 1 is transparent within the visible spectral range, i.e., within the light wavelength range of approximately 750 nm to 400 nm. In one alternative embodiment, the glass portion 2 or glass of the receiving member 1 is opaque at least within a portion of the visible spectral range of 400 nm to 750 nm. In one more general embodiment, the opacity may also exist in at least one subrange within a broader spectral range that also includes near-infrared and ultraviolet light. In this embodiment, the glass is opaque at least within a portion of the spectral range of 1000 nm to 350 nm. In this case, an embodiment with opaque glass may be particularly advantageous when attempting to suppress crosstalk of optical signals between the passages 7 of the receiving member 1.

[0026] Such opaque glass can also be processed in some cases by introducing localized scratches into the glass and then widening them by etching. This is particularly true when the glass is opaque in a subrange of the spectrum but transparent in another subrange. In this case, the laser beam may nevertheless penetrate into the volume of the glass in the transparent subrange and cause deep scratches.

[0027] In an alternative or additional embodiment, at least a portion of the surface of the containing member 1, including the inner surfaces of the passages 7, may be coated with a light-impermeable coating. The term opaque glass or light-impermeable coating, in the sense of the present disclosure, means that at least 90% of the light that would otherwise be transmitted from one passage to the next is blocked. This blocking occurs by absorption and / or, in the case of a light-impermeable coating, possibly also by reflection.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows different examples of different arrangements and shapes of the passages 7 in plan views of one end face of the housing member 1. In the embodiment realized in example (a), the passages 7 are distributed in a ring shape around the central passage 8. Incidentally, this also applies to the embodiment with seven passages shown in FIG. 1 . Apart from this, in the example of partial view (a) of FIG. 2, the arrangement of the passages 7 is not hexagonal. The passages 7, 8 do not necessarily have to have the same transverse dimensions and / or the same shape. For example, for certain applications, it may be highly advantageous to provide a passage, such as the central passage 8 in example (a), which preferably has a larger transverse dimension, in particular a larger diameter, than the other passages 7. The central passage 8 may have a different function from the surrounding passages 7. For example, optical fibers 3 used for illumination can be inserted into the surrounding passages 7, while a sensor capable of receiving optical signals, for example, is inserted into the central passage 8.

[0029] Partial view (b) shows another embodiment with a hexagonal arrangement of passages 7, in which the receiving member has a total of ten passages 7.

[0030] In the example shown in sub-view (c), the passages 7 are arranged in a linear row. Such an arrangement may be suitable for spectroscopic applications, for example.

[0031] As already explained with reference to example (a) in FIG. 2, the receiving element may also have other functions integrated therein besides the positional fixation of the optical fiber 3. The receiving element shown in example (d) has a central passage 8, similar to example (a). This central passage 8 is specifically designed to accommodate the camera 4 or at least one optical sensor, preferably the camera sensor 400. For this reason, in this example, the passage 8 is not circular but has a rectangular cross-section with rounded corners. Unlike the example shown in example (d), this passage does not necessarily have to be surrounded by other passages 7. Of course, other configurations are also possible, for example, in which multiple passages 7 for the optical fiber 3 and a passage for the camera 4 are arranged in adjacent areas. In other words, in one refinement, and without being limited to the illustrated example, the receiving element 1 generally has at least one passage 7 for accommodating the optical fiber 3 and one passage for accommodating the camera 4 or an optical sensor, such as the camera sensor 400. The camera sensor typically has a size of 0.5 × 0.5 mm to 1.5 × 1.5 mm. In this case, this also corresponds to the preferred range of lateral dimensions of the passages 7, 8 provided for the camera sensor. The configuration shown in example (d) is particularly suitable for the distal end of an endoscope. In this case, light illuminating the object to be examined is emitted via an optical fiber 3 housed in the passage 7, and the object thus illuminated is photographed by a camera 4 or an optical sensor, preferably a camera sensor 400. Therefore, without being limited to a specific example, in general, one embodiment envisages an endoscope having an illumination light guide 30, the distal end of which includes a housing member 1 according to the present disclosure. In this case, in addition to the embodiment with a camera 4 or a camera sensor 400, it is also conceivable that image information is transmitted optically, for example, via an optical fiber. For example, an image guide may also be arranged in the central passage 8.

[0032] In the embodiments shown so far, the receiving element 1 has a substantially cylindrical basic shape. However, as already mentioned, other shapes are possible and can be easily produced by the manufacturing methods described herein. In this regard, partial view (e) shows an embodiment having an outer circumferential surface with a rounded square contour.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the receiving element 1 without through-holes (7). The through-holes 7 are open only toward one end face 10 of the glass part 2 or the receiving element 1. In this view, all visible through-holes or blind holes are used. However, it is also possible to use through-holes or blind holes for one or more through-holes. Based on this, it is generally assumed that in one embodiment of the receiving element, at least one of the through-holes 7 is used as a blind hole. One advantage of this arrangement is that the optical fiber 3 can be applied in the blind hole, eliminating the need for grinding or polishing the end face. This naturally leads to cost savings. Furthermore, compared to the embodiment with the fiber applied in the through-hole, the end face is free of polymer components and, in particular, forms a continuous glass surface.

[0034] In the example of FIG. 3, the passages 7 also extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the receiving element 1. However, it is also possible for at least one of the passages 7 to extend obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction or longitudinal axis of the receiving element 1. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the two passages 7 visible in the cross section extend obliquely relative to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, these passages 7 extend obliquely relative to each other, particularly in the direction from one end face 10 to the other end face 9, close to each other. Accordingly, apart from the specific example shown, the passages 7 may generally be arranged so that the spacing between them varies along the longitudinal direction. Obliquely extending passages 7 can be easily achieved by using the laser-assisted method described above to irradiate a laser beam obliquely onto the glass plate from which the receiving element 1 is to be manufactured. One application of such a receiving element may be to concentrate light emitted from an optical fiber into a predetermined spatial area or, conversely, to narrow the detection area when detecting light.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the end face 9 of the receiving element 1 with a continuous web 14, as obtained after etching and peeling off a portion of the glass plate by the manufacturing process described above. The web 14 merges into the outer peripheral surface 11 of the receiving element 1 or is connected to the receiving element at the outer peripheral surface 11. In one refinement, the web 14 may have a tapered portion 17, which facilitates separation for removing the receiving element 1. The tapered portion 17 thus forms a target breaking point. When the web 14 is separated, preferably at the tapered portion 17 as shown in FIG. 5, the receiving element 1 is obtained with a separation surface, preferably a fracture surface, at the location of the web 14. During separation, a portion of the web 14 may remain on the receiving element 1. In this case, the separation surface is located on the web 14 extending in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element 1. In other words, in this case, the separation surface, preferably a fracture surface, is located on a protrusion. In some cases, this could interfere with attachment to another component, for example, to an opening in a plug connector provided for this purpose. To avoid this, the outer surface 11 can have a chamfer 15 or a recess extending in a strip in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element 1, with the web 14 extending into the chamfer 15 or recess, as shown. In this case, when the web 14 is separated, a receiving element 1 is obtained whose separation surface extends into the chamfer or recess. In this case, the web 14 can generally be separated so that the separation surface is located inside a circumscribing circle 18 that surrounds the contour of the cross section of the receiving element 1 or also corresponds to the contour of one of the end faces 9, 10.

[0036] Figure 6 shows a variation of the example shown in Figure 5. Whereas in the example shown in Figure 5 the web 14 is provided with a chamfer 15 at the extension, the embodiment shown in Figure 6 additionally has a recess 16. In other words, the web 14 is connected to the receiving element 1 in the region where the contour of the outer circumferential surface 11 is concavely curved. As in the embodiment with the chamfer 15, the recess 16 has a strip-like shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element 1.

[0037] In FIG. 7, the method steps for producing an intermediate product for the receiving element 1 are shown.

[0038] From a wafer formed as a glass plate 20, n × m wafer cells 21 are to be produced, each containing at least one receiving element 1 that remains connected to the wafer or glass plate 20 via a web 14. The glass plate 20 is shown in the partial view (a) of FIG. 7. At the start of the method, before the construction of the glass plate, the wafer cells 21 do not yet exist as structures. To do this, a laser is first used to produce parallel blanks 22 of the receiving element 1, still connected to the glass plate by its web 14, in the n × m wafer cells. Each blank 22 is surrounded by an opening 24. In this case, a wafer cell 21 is formed by an opening 24 and each blank 22 located therein. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that multiple blanks 22 are arranged within one opening 24. Furthermore, the partial view (b) of FIG. 7 shows an enlarged partial view of the partial view (a), in which multiple wafer cells 21, each with a blank 22 in its opening 24, can be seen. After the blank 22 or the receiving member 1 has been produced, it remains connected to the glass plate 20 via the web 14, with the remaining part of the glass plate 20 forming a holding part 32 for the receiving member 1.

[0039] As shown in partial view (c), the blank 22 of the receiving element 1 is first laser-machined to prepare its outer contour and the contour and position of the passages for the subsequent etching process. In this case, the contours indicated by the dashed lines are machined with a laser, resulting in multiple adjacent scratches. For this purpose, the laser beam of an ultrashort-pulse laser is moved along a set path 23 across the glass plate 20, resulting in local scratches aligned next to each other along this path 23. The contour to be produced is thus not formed as a continuous line, but rather as a series of adjacent scratches, particularly in the form of holes or apertures. This forms the initial contour 25 of the receiving element 1 or blank 22 within the opening 24. The distance to the final contour 27 of the receiving element 1 roughly corresponds to the radius of the outer, here smaller, passages 7. In these smaller passages 7, only initial holes or single scratches 52 are punched. For larger passages (e.g., the central passage), the path 23 can be a circle reduced by the etching distance or etching removal volume 26. For reasons of clarity, only the etching direction or etched away portion 26 with respect to the final contour 27 is visualized by the arrows.

[0040] Typically, the etching process itself has an isotropic effect. This is the case, for example, when etching is preferably performed wet chemically. Examples of suitable etching media are hydrofluoric acid and alkaline solutions, such as NaOH or KOH. A primarily isotropic etching effect can be taken into account when the initial laser processing results in localized scratches 52 along the path 23. Furthermore, a corresponding adjustment distance can also be taken into account. Anisotropic etching processes, in which material removal is performed in a directional manner, are also possible, as are commonly used in semiconductor technology. Examples of such processes are reactive ion etching (RIE) or electric-field-assisted plasma etching. In this case, the etching process is primarily oriented perpendicular to the wafer surface. Using such methods and corresponding masking, either formed as an etching mask or applied as a thin lacquer layer by photolithography in an intermediate step, significantly finer structures can be produced.

[0041] FIG. 8 further illustrates a preferred method for producing the receiving element 1 by using an ultrashort-pulse laser to create a localized scratch 52. For this method, a glass plate 20 or a glass wafer is prepared. The glass plate 20 is then irradiated with an ultrashort-pulse laser 50, which focuses a laser beam 51 into the glass, leaving a localized scratch 52 there. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a single lens 53 is provided for focusing. Preferably, an elongated or filament-like localized scratch 52 is created. The localized scratch 52 may extend, in particular, from the side 36 of the glass plate 20 to the opposite side 38. This facilitates the action of the etching medium and thus the separation process. To create such an elongated scratch 52, for example, a lens 53 with a strong spherical aberration can be used. The resulting erosion shifts the focus in the beam direction. The use of an axicon is just one of many other possibilities. Using such a conical prism lens, a line focus and a Gauss-Bessel beam can be formed on the glass.

[0042] As shown, a laser beam 51 of an ultrashort pulse laser 50 is moved along a set path 23 across the glass plate 20, thereby creating localized scratches 52 aligned next to each other along the path 23. The direction of the laser beam movement is clearly indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8 . As shown, the path 23 mimics the contour of the receiving member 1 connected to the surrounding glass plate 20 via a thin web. In other words, the path 23 extends to include the contour of the receiving member 1 connected to the holding portion 32 via the web 14. When the path is completely removed and the scratches are continuously created, the glass plate 20 is exposed to an etching medium, which widens the localized scratches 52, thereby separating the glass plate 20 along the path 23. In the illustrated example, the portion 34 surrounded by the path 23 is thus peeled off, and as a result, the receiving member 1, as shown in the partial view (b) of FIG. 7, is located within the opening 24 created by the peeling of this inner portion. The receiving member can then be removed from the holding portion at a later point in time.

[0043] The etching step and peeling of the portion 34 results in an intermediate product having a structure similar to that illustrated in FIG. 7 . FIGS. 9 and 10 show micrographs of such an intermediate product 40. In this case, FIG. 9 shows the intermediate product 40 in a plan view of one of its side surfaces 36 or in a plan view of one end surface 9 of the receiving element 1, which is located within or forms part of the side surface 36. FIG. 10 shows an oblique perspective view of the receiving element 1. As can be seen from these figures, the web 14 can be made very thin, allowing for easy separation of the receiving element 1 from the holding portion 32. As mentioned above, the separation surface preferably has the surface morphology of a fracture surface. However, other separation methods are also conceivable. For example, the web 14 can be separated by melting due to the localized energy action of a laser beam. In this case, the separation surface would have the form of a strip-like area with a melted surface. The lateral dimension of the receiving element 1 in this example is approximately 170 μm. The thickness of the intermediate product 40 and thus the longitudinal dimension 100 of the receiving member 1 is 2 mm. The transverse dimension of the passage 7, or here the diameter based on the circular cross section, is 55 μm. An optical fiber 3 having a diameter of 50 μm can thus be received in the passage 7.

[0044] 10, the outer peripheral surface 11 of the receiving element 1 forms an etched surface with a noticeable roughness, which is produced by the action of the etching medium on the local scratches 52.

[0045] In addition to use as a distal ferrule for an endoscope, the housing member 1 according to the present disclosure may be used generally as a positioning aid for placing fibers in spectrometers, and in communications technology as a positioning aid for multiple individual data transmission fibers for LED or sensor arrays.

[0046] Furthermore, the receiving element 1 and the production of the receiving element 1 are not limited to a particular type of glass. However, it is highly advantageous to use glasses that can be easily formed into glass plates with an adjustable thickness and that can be particularly easily structured to produce the above-mentioned intermediate products. In this regard, suitable and preferred glasses are described below.

[0047] In one embodiment, the containing member 1 comprises the following components (by weight): SiO258~65 B2O36~10.5 Al2O314~25 MgO 0-3 CaO 0-9 BaO 3-8 ZnO 0-2 The glass is made from a composition comprising:

[0048] In this case, it applies to this composition that the sum of the contents of MgO, CaO and BaO is in the range of 8 to 18% by weight. This glass is distinguished by its low or negligible alkali oxide content. In one embodiment in this respect, the glass of the container member 1 has the following composition (in % by weight): SiO261 B2O310 Al2O318 MgO 2.8 CaO 4.8 BaO 3.3 It has the following characteristics.

[0049] This composition provides the following properties: α(20-300) 3.2·10 -6 / K T g 717℃ Density 2.43g / cm 3 is obtained.

[0050] In one alternative embodiment, the containment member is made from soda-lime glass. In a refinement of this embodiment, the glass has the following composition (by weight): SiO255~75 Na2O 0~15 K2O 2~14 Al2O30~15 MgO 0-4 CaO 3~12 BaO 0~15 ZnO 0-5 TiO20~2 The composition includes:

[0051] In one alternative embodiment of the receiving element 1 with a glass body 2 made of soda-lime glass, this glass has the following components (in % by weight): SiO269+ / -5 Na2O 8+ / -2 K2O 8+ / -2 CaO 7+ / -2 BaO 2+ / -2 ZnO 4+ / -2 TiO21+ / -1 SiO280+ / -5 B2O313+ / -5 Al2O32.5+ / -2 Na2O 3.5+ / -2 K2O 1+ / -1 It has the following characteristics.

[0052] This composition gives the following glass properties: α(20-300) 3.25·10 -6 / K T g 525℃ Density 2.2g / cm 3 can be obtained.

[0053] This glass is particularly advantageous in that it can be easily formed into glass plates by the float process.

[0054] In a second embodiment of borosilicate glass, the glass of the receiving member 1 has the following components (in % by weight): SiO264.0 B2O38.3 Al2O34.0 Na2O 6.5 K2O 7.0 ZnO 5.5 TiO24.0 Sb2O30.6 Cl - 0.1 The composition includes:

[0055] This composition gives the following glass properties: α(20-300) 7.2·10 -6 / K Tg 557℃ Density 2.5g / cm 3 can be obtained.

[0056] As mentioned at the outset, materials based on pure quartz or particularly transparent glass ceramics are also conceivable.

[0057] FIG. 11 shows a variant of the example shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment described so far, particularly as shown in FIG. 1, the separation surface 13 extends along the entire length of the receiving element 1, i.e., from one end face 9 to the other end face 10. Accordingly, the web 14 connecting the receiving element 1 to the holding portion 32 of the glass plate 20 is essentially the same length as the receiving element 1. However, this may make it difficult to remove the receiving element 1 from the glass plate 20. Furthermore, the receiving element 1 may be very delicate, and its wall thickness may be at least partially similar to that of the web 14. Therefore, the force exerted during separation may damage the receiving element 1. Therefore, in order to significantly facilitate separation, a refinement of the receiving element 1 according to the present disclosure may envisage that the separation surface 13 has a fracture surface 131 extending only along part of the length of the receiving element 1. In other words, the length of the fracture surface 131 measured in the longitudinal direction of the housing member 1 is smaller than the longitudinal dimension 100 of the housing member 1. An example in this regard is shown in FIG. 11 , a variant of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the fracture surface 131 is significantly shorter than the housing member 1. However, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the fracture surface 131 may also have an elongated shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing member 1. In this case, the aspect ratio of the fracture surface width to the fracture surface length is preferably at least 1:3, particularly preferably at least 1:10. In general, the length of the fracture surface 131 is at least 100 μm in a more preferred configuration, even if it is shortened compared to the length of the housing member 1. That is, for example, if the length of the fracture surface 131 is 100 μm and the length of the housing member 1 is 1 mm, the fracture surface 131 will extend over 1 / 10 of the length of the housing member 1. The separation surface 13 may further have a separation surface portion 132 which is not a fracture surface 131. For example, such a separation surface 13 can be obtained by first producing an intermediate product 40 in the form of a glass plate 20 as shown in Figure 10 and then separating the web 14 in parts, for example by grinding or generally by a polishing method, thereby shortening the web length. In this case, the separation surface portion 132 is preferably formed as an elongated ground surface.

[0058] However, in one preferred embodiment, there is no other part of the separation surface 13 other than the one or possibly several fracture surfaces 131. In other words, in this case, the separation surface 13 is formed by fracture surfaces 131 whose length, measured in the longitudinal direction of the receiving member 1, is shorter than the longitudinal dimension 100 of the receiving member.

[0059] More preferably, in the case of such a fracture surface 131 that is shortened compared to the length of the receiving element 1, the fracture surface 131 is adjacent to one of the end faces 9, 10 of the receiving element or starts from the end of the receiving element 1 that is defined by one of the end faces 9, 10. This is particularly advantageous in order to have a longer lever for breaking off the receiving element.

[0060] FIG. 12 shows an optical microscope photograph of a rectangular receiving element 1, such as that shown in FIG. 13 or a similar one. The receiving element 1 has a length of 1043 μm and a transverse dimension or edge length of 388 μm. As can be seen in the illustrated example, breaking off the receiving element 1 from the web 14 can leave protrusions 42 on the receiving element 1 or its outer surface 11, with the fracture surface 131 extending over the protrusions 42. In particular, the protrusions 42 can be wedge-shaped, as in the example shown in FIG. 12. The contours of the protrusions 42 are highlighted by white lines in the figure. Such protrusions 42 are particularly well suited for orienting the receiving element 1 in a suitable holder. In general, without being limited to the specific example shown, one refinement envisages that the fracture surface 131 extends at least partially over the protrusions 42, which can preferably be wedge-shaped. Such protrusions may also be present in the case of a continuous fracture surface 131 extending over the entire length of the receiving element 1. On this basis, in one refinement it is envisaged that the separation surface 13 comprises a fracture surface 131, which in this case extends at least partially over the protrusion 42, which may be formed in a wedge shape. This wedge-shaped protrusion 42 feature may be present in particular if the fracture surface 131 is shorter than the receiving element 1.

[0061] FIG. 13 shows an optical microscope photograph of an intermediate product 40 in the form of a glass plate 20, showing the side surfaces 36, 38 of the glass plate 20 and the corresponding end surfaces 9 and 10 of the receiving element 1, which are connected to the holding portion 32 by the web 14, viewed from above. FIG. 13 also shows an example of a non-circular receiving element 1. The receiving element 1 shown has the shape of a chamfered body, in which a number of channels 7 are arranged side by side in a line. The width of the receiving element 1 may be considered the transverse dimension here. Two photographs (a) and (b) show the glass plate 20, taken from above on opposite side surfaces 36, 38 of the glass plate 20, respectively. In photograph (a), the end surface 9 of the receiving element 1 is visible, and in photograph (b), the end surface 10 of the receiving element 1 is visible. In photograph (b), the web 14 can be seen as a continuous connection. In contrast, the web 14 on the opposite side of the glass plate 20 is interrupted by a recess 140. To produce such recesses 140, grooves 44 extending transversely to the web 14 may be provided when structuring the glass plate 20. Without being limited to the particular example shown, one refinement of the intermediate product 40 therefore envisages that the web 14 has a height that is at least partially reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate 20, in which case the web 14 is preferably provided with recesses 140 that have a height that is reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate 20.

[0062] In FIG. 14, the intermediate product 40 is shown together with the glass plate 20 in a perspective view, again for clarity and sketch purposes. In FIG. 15, the structured glass plate 20 of the intermediate product 40 is further shown in a cross section through the recess 140. Based on FIGS. 14 and 15, it is clear that the height of the webs 14 is reduced by the recess 140. The recess 140 preferably allows the web height to be reduced significantly more than in the merely schematic view shown in FIG. 14. In the view shown in FIG. 15, the remaining height h of the webs 14 is already less than half the thickness of the glass plate 20. Preferably, the recess 140 has a depth of at least half the thickness of the glass plate 20. In order not to significantly reduce the stability, the depth of the recess 140 is, in another refinement, at most 4 / 5, preferably at most 3 / 4 of the thickness of the glass plate 20 for glass thicknesses of up to 1 mm. For glass thicknesses of 1 mm to 5 mm or more, the recesses 140 may have a depth of up to 9 / 10 of the glass thickness, but at least 100 μm regardless of the glass thickness. As explained with reference to Figures 13 and 14, the glass plate 20 may generally have a groove 44 formed on one of the sides 36, 38 of the glass plate 20 and intersecting the web 14, thereby reducing the height of the web 14 compared to the thickness of the glass plate 20.

[0063] 11 to 15 , which are excellent in that the web height is reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate or the length of the fracture surface 131 is reduced compared to the length of the receiving member 1, can generally be manufactured by a modification of the above-mentioned laser-assisted etching method. As described above, this method assumes that a laser beam 51 of an ultrashort pulse laser 50 is moved along a set path 23 across the glass plate 20, thereby creating local scratches 52 aligned next to each other along this path 23, and then the glass plate 20 is exposed to an etching medium, which widens the local scratches 52 and separates the glass plate 20 along the path 23, where the path 23 extends to include the outline of the receiving member 1 connected to the holding portion 32 via the web 14, and the etching and separation removes a predetermined portion 34 of the glass plate 20, resulting in a glass member 35 comprising the holding portion 32 and the receiving member 1 connected to the holding portion 32 via the web 14. These steps result in an intermediate product 40, from which the receiving element 1 can then be removed by separating the web 14. One refinement of this method envisages using an ultrashort-pulse laser to produce local scratches 52 that have a length reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate 20 or that end short of one of the side surfaces 38, 36. In this regard, FIG. 16 shows a cross-section of a glass plate 20 correspondingly processed with an ultrashort-pulse laser. For clarity, the glass plate 20 and the cross-section are selected in this case so that, after etching, an intermediate product 40 corresponding to the example shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. The local scratches 52 are particularly preferably filament-shaped, forming narrow channels extending transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the side surfaces 36, 38 into the glass plate 20. To form a profile in the glass plate that contains the receiving element 1 in the opening surrounding the receiving element 1 and to form a channel 7 for receiving a light guide, a plurality of local scratches in the form of filaments 54 are produced that traverse the glass plate 20 from one side surface 36 to the opposite side surface 38.These flaws are created next to each other according to a predetermined contour. In the view shown in FIG. 16, each contour line is cross-sectioned, so that only the individual filaments 54 are visible. To form the recesses 140, localized flaws 52 are created in one or more lines, closely spaced, in the form of filaments 55 with shortened lengths that terminate inside the glass plate 20. These filaments 55 start from one of the side surfaces 36, 38, for example, side surface 36, and terminate inside the glass plate 20, i.e., in this case, short of side surface 38. During etching, this results in the formation of recesses 140 with a depth that essentially corresponds to the length of the filaments 55.

[0064] Without being limited to the illustrated example, in general, this improvement of the method envisages using a laser beam 51 to create localized flaws 52 in the form of filaments 54 that completely traverse the glass plate 20 along at least one set path, and in this case additionally creating side-by-side localized flaws 52 in the form of filaments 55 that terminate inside the glass plate 20, followed by etching the areas of the filaments 55 that terminate inside the glass plate 20 to form recesses 140 that reduce the height of the webs connecting the receiving member 1 to the holding portion 32 compared to the thickness of the glass plate 20.

[0065] Methods for forming cavities or recesses are also described in DE 102018110211 A1, the entire disclosure of which regarding the formation of recesses or cavities being also subject to the present disclosure.

[0066] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the configuration and production of the receiving element 1 and the intermediate product 40 are not limited to the specific examples shown. Therefore, various configurations may be combined with one another. The intermediate product 40 is not limited to the configuration in which the receiving element 1 is held by the web 14 in the individual openings 24 of the holding portion 32. Many other configurations are conceivable, such as a strip-shaped holding portion 32 in which the web 14 freely projects outward together with the receiving element 1. Such an embodiment may be advantageous, for example, to make the receiving element 1 particularly easy to grasp, break off, and remove. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Storage member 2 Glass part 3. Optical Fiber 4. Camera 5 Light guide 6. Wall between adjacent aisles 7 7. Passageway inside 1 8 Center aisle 9,10 1 end face 11 Outer surface 13 Separation plane 14. Web 15 Chamfered part 16. Depression 17 Tapered section 18 Circumscribed Circle 20 glass plates 21 cells Material for 22 1 23 First laser processing path, contour 24 Aperture 25 Initial Contour 26 Etching distance, etching removal amount 27 Final Contour 32 Holding part 50 Ultrashort pulse laser Part 34 of 20 35 Glass components 36,38 20,40 sides 40 Intermediate products 42 Protrusion 44 Groove 51 Laser Beam 52 Localized wounds 53 Lens 54 Filament traversing glass plate 20 55 Filament ending inside glass plate 20 70 7 opening Longitudinal dimension of 100 1 101 1 horizontal dimension 102 6 wall thickness 103 7 transverse dimension / diameter 131 Fracture surface 132 Separation surface without fracture surface 140 14 recess 400 camera sensor

Claims

1. 1. A housing (1) for a plurality of optical fibers (3) of a light guide (5) having two opposite end faces (9, 10), the housing (1) being made of glass and having a plurality of linear passages (7) extending from one end face (9) of the housing (1) towards the other end face (10), each of the passages (7) being open at least at one end (9, 10) so that one optical fiber (3) can be inserted into each of the passages (7), the passages (7) having a length greater than their lateral dimensions, the housing (1) having a length given by the distance between the end faces (9, 10) and greater than the maximum lateral dimension of the housing (1), and a separation surface (13) formed at least partially or sectionally in the form of a fracture surface (131) extending on an outer circumferential surface (11) of the housing (1).

2. 2. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1, wherein the separating surface (13) is elongated and extends in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element (1).

3. 3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation surface (13) has a fracture surface (131) extending only along a portion of the receiving element (1).

4. 4. The receiving element (1) according to claim 3, wherein the fracture surface (131) is adjacent to one of the end faces (9, 10) of the receiving element (1).

5. 3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation surface (13) has a fracture surface (131), which at least partially extends over the protrusion (42).

6. 3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving element (1) is provided with an etched surface.

7. the number of said passages (7) is in the range of 2 to 40, preferably in the range of 2 to 20; At least one of the passages (7) is formed as a blind hole. At least one of the passages (7) extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction of the receiving member (1); 3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least one of the following features:

8. 3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation surface (13) is arranged on a web (14) extending in the longitudinal direction of the receiving element (1).

9. The outer peripheral surface (11) has a chamfered portion (15) or a recess (16) extending in a band-like shape in the longitudinal direction, and the separation surface extends within the chamfered portion (15) or the recess (16). The separation surface (13) is located inside a circumscribing circle (18) surrounding the contour of one of the end surfaces (9, 10).

3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least one of the following features:

10. The following arrangement of the passages (7), seen in plan view of one of said end faces (9, 10), namely: The passages (7) occupy a hexagonal arrangement. The passages (7) are distributed annularly around a central passage (8), The passages (7) extend parallel to one another. In addition to said at least one passage (7) for accommodating an optical fiber (3), passages (7, 8) for accommodating a camera (4) or an optical sensor, in particular a camera sensor (400), are provided.

3. The receiving element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:

11. The container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass of the container (1) is opaque at least in a part of the spectral range from 1000 nm to 350 nm, preferably at least in a part of the spectral range from 400 nm to 750 nm.

12. A method for manufacturing a receiving member (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: Providing a glass plate (20); irradiating the glass plate (20) with an ultrashort pulse laser (50), whereby a laser beam (51) of the ultrashort pulse laser (50) is focused into the glass to leave a plurality of localized scratches (52) therein; At this time, the laser beam (51) of the ultrashort pulse laser (50) is moved along a set path (23) across the glass plate (20), thereby causing the localized scratches (52) aligned along the path (23) and located next to each other; Then exposing the glass plate (20) to an etching medium; widening the localized flaws (52) with the etching medium, separating the glass plate (20) along the paths (23), the paths (23) extending to include the contours of the receiving member (1) connected to the holding portion (32) via the webs (14); and removing a predetermined portion (34) of the glass plate (20) by etching and separation, thereby obtaining a glass element (35) comprising the holding portion (32) and the receiving member (1) connected to the holding portion (32) via the webs (14); removing the receiving member (1) by separating the web (14) from the holding portion (32); A method having the following.

13. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the laser beam is used to produce the localized defects (52) in the form of filaments (54) that traverse the glass plate (20) along at least one of the set paths (23) and to additionally produce side-by-side localized defects (52) in the form of filaments (55) that terminate inside the glass plate (20), and then etching areas of the filaments (55) that terminate inside the glass plate (20) to form recesses (140) that reduce the height of the web (14) connecting the receiving member (1) to the holding portion (32) compared to the thickness of the glass plate (20).

14. 1. An intermediate product (40) for producing a container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, the intermediate product (40) having the form of a glass plate (20) with parallel side surfaces (36, 38) located on opposite sides, the intermediate product (40) being divided into a holding portion (32) and a container (1) according to claim 1 or 2 connected to the holding portion (32) via a web (14), end faces (9, 10) of the container (1) being formed by portions of the side surfaces (36, 38), and a passage (7) in the container (1) extending transversely to the side surfaces (36, 38) of the intermediate product (40).

15. 15. The intermediate product (40) of claim 14, wherein the web (14) has a height that is at least partially reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate (20).

16. 16. The intermediate product (40) of claim 15, wherein the glass plate (20) has a groove (44) formed on one of the sides (36, 38) of the glass plate (20) and intersecting the web (14), whereby the height of the web (14) is reduced compared to the thickness of the glass plate (20).

Images