Method for manufacturing optical component and optical waveguide

Abstract

In this method for manufacturing two or more layers of optical components including a support layer and one or more other layers, the support layer is a photosensitive substrate (81) containing a photosensitive substance in at least a part thereof, a pair of punched parts (82) to be both ends in the width direction of the outer frame shape of the longitudinal optical component are formed on the photosensitive substrate (81) serving as the support layer by lithography, a film to be the other layer is laminated on the support layer, and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pair of punched parts (82) formed on the support layer are cut off to singulate the optical component.

Description

Optical component manufacturing method and optical waveguide

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical component and an optical waveguide.

[0002] Silicon photonics, a technology for integrating silicon optical circuits on a silicon chip, has been attracting attention. In silicon photonics, a polymer optical waveguide utilizing adiabatic coupling is known as a waveguide for transmitting optical signals between an optical waveguide formed in an optical integrated circuit and an optical fiber. Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2005-102666) discloses a polymer optical waveguide comprising a plurality of cores arranged in parallel along the direction of light propagation, an underclad, and an overclad. The cores have pitch-converting regions between one end and the other end of the cores. The underclad and the overclad are punched out from the outermost core, thereby forming a lighter and more compact polymer optical waveguide.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide resin film, which improves the productivity of optical waveguides by cutting out areas of the optical waveguide film where suppression of light attenuation is required using precision cutting means that are excellent in precision processing, and cutting out other areas using high-process cutting means that are superior in processing such as cutting speed and curve processing rather than precision processing.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 7396272 Japanese Patent No. 6183531

[0005] In Patent Document 2, the purpose is to achieve both improved processing precision and improved productivity by using a dicing blade as precision cutting means and cutting with a cutting saw or punching with a blade as high-precision processing means. However, as shown in Figure 8 of Patent Document 1, for example, when the outer frame shape of the optical waveguide is complex, including curves, the surface roughness of the cut surface increases, burrs are easily formed, and cutting along the outer frame of the optical waveguide is time-consuming, which causes problems in that it may not be possible to fully achieve both improved processing precision and improved productivity.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical component and an optical waveguide that can achieve both high processing accuracy for the outer frame shape of the optical component and high productivity.

[0007] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration: (1) A method for manufacturing an optical component with two or more layers including a support layer and one or more other layers, wherein the support layer is a photosensitive substrate at least partially containing a photosensitive material, a pair of cutouts that become both widthwise ends of the outer frame shape of the longitudinal optical component are formed in the photosensitive substrate that serves as the support layer by photolithography, the other layers are laminated on the support layer, and the longitudinal ends of the pair of cutouts formed in the support layer are cut away in the width direction to individualize the optical component. (2) An optical waveguide manufactured by the method for manufacturing an optical component described in (1), wherein a patterned core is laminated on an underclad that serves as the support layer, and an overclad is further laminated on the core and a portion of the underclad other than the core, and at least one of the cutouts has a deformation region that deforms in the width direction according to the shape of the core.

[0008] According to the present invention, by forming cutouts in advance in the support layer by photolithography, the outer frame shape of the optical component can be easily formed even if the outer frame shape includes inclined or curved portions, and burrs and modifications are less likely to occur in the outer frame portion of the optical component, and the surface roughness of the processed portion is also reduced, thereby achieving both productivity and processing precision for the optical component.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a polymer optical waveguide. FIG. 2 is an end view of the optical waveguide portion side of the polymer optical waveguide shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an end view of the coupling portion of the polymer optical waveguide shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a composite optical waveguide in which a polymer optical waveguide and a silicon optical waveguide are coupled. FIG. 5 is a side view of the composite optical waveguide of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the polymer optical waveguide shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a plan view of yet another example of the configuration of a polymer optical waveguide of the present invention. FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e) are plan views showing yet another example of the configuration of a polymer optical waveguide. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a cutout portion is formed in a support layer by a pretreatment step. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a core is formed in a support layer by a core lamination step. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a cutting position in a cutting step.

[0010] Hereinafter, a structural example of an optical waveguide of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as a polymer optical waveguide) and a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, which is one embodiment of a method for manufacturing an optical component of the present invention, will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one structural example of a polymer optical waveguide. Fig. 2 is an end view of the optical waveguide portion side of the polymer optical waveguide shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of a coupling portion of the polymer optical waveguide shown in Fig. 1.

[0011] 1, the polymer optical waveguide 10 includes cores 11a and 11b, an underclad 12, and an overclad 13. The underclad 12 has a lower refractive index than the cores 11a and 11b and surrounds the cores 11a and 11b. The overclad 13 has a lower refractive index than the cores 11a and 11b and surrounds the cores 11a and 11b on the opposite side from the underclad 12. The polymer optical waveguide 10 has, along the light propagation direction, a coupling portion 14 where the overclad 13 is not present and the cores 11a and 11b and the underclad 12 around the cores 11a and 11b are exposed, and an optical waveguide portion 15 where the cores 11a and 11b are covered with the underclad 12 and the overclad 13.

[0012] 1, two cores 11a and 11b are arranged in parallel along the direction of light propagation in the cores in the polymer optical waveguide 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "direction of light propagation in the polymer optical waveguide") However, the number of cores in the polymer optical waveguide of the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cores may be one, or three or more.

[0013] The polymer optical waveguide 10 shown in Fig. 1 has a region where the core width varies along the light propagation direction in the polymer optical waveguide. Specifically, the core width varies between one end and the other end of the polymer optical waveguide 10 in the light propagation direction. In this specification, the term "core width" refers to the width of the core in the thickness direction and the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the polymer optical waveguide in a cross section perpendicular to the light propagation direction in the polymer optical waveguide. In this specification, the term "core height" refers to the height of the core in the thickness direction of the polymer optical waveguide in a cross section perpendicular to the light propagation direction in the polymer optical waveguide.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the polymer optical waveguide 10 has a quadrilateral shape on the optical waveguide portion 15 side (one end side) in which the core height and core width of the cores 11a, 11b are approximately the same. As shown in Fig. 3, the polymer optical waveguide 10 has a quadrilateral shape on the coupling portion 14 side (the other end side) in which the core width is longer than the core height of the cores 11a, 11b. In the illustrated polymer optical waveguide 10, the core width of the cores 11a, 11b is wider on the coupling portion 14 side (the other end side) than on the optical waveguide portion 15 side (one end side).

[0015] In the polymer optical waveguide 10, a coupling portion 14 where the overclad 13 is not present and the cores 11a, 11b and the underclad 12 around the cores 11a, 11b are exposed is used as an adiabatic coupling site with the silicon optical waveguide.

[0016] Next, another configuration example of a polymer optical waveguide will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a composite optical waveguide in which a polymer optical waveguide and a silicon optical waveguide are coupled. FIG. 5 is a side view of the composite optical waveguide of FIG. 4. In the composite optical waveguide 20 shown in FIG. 4, a silicon optical waveguide 30 and a polymer optical waveguide 40 are adiabatically coupled. The polymer optical waveguide 40 is similar to the polymer optical waveguide 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that it includes a core 41, an underclad 42, and an overclad 43, as well as a coupling portion 44 and an optical waveguide portion 45. The optical waveguide portion 45 of the polymer optical waveguide 40 is housed in a connector 50 for butt coupling (direct coupling) with a single-mode optical fiber or the like.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the polymer optical waveguide shown in FIG. 4 , except that the polymer optical waveguide 40 is inverted. The polymer optical waveguide 40 shown in FIG. 6 has multiple (eight in the illustrated example) cores 41 arranged in parallel along the light propagation direction. The pitch between the multiple cores 41 differs between the optical waveguide section 45 side (one end) of the polymer optical waveguide 40 and the coupling section 44 side (the other end). On the optical waveguide section 45 side, the pitch is preferably 30 to 500 μm, more preferably 50 to 300 μm, and even more preferably 70 to 250 μm. This allows the diameter of the optical fiber to be maintained at 70 μm or more, thereby increasing the packing density of the cores 41 while maintaining the mechanical strength of the optical fiber. On the coupling section 44 side, the pitch is preferably 5 to 200 μm, more preferably 10 to 100 μm. This allows the cores 41 to be packed densely while further reducing crosstalk. That is, the polymer optical waveguide 40 has a pitch changing region 46 that changes the pitch between the multiple cores 41 .

[0018] In the pitch conversion region 46, if the bending radius of the core 41 is large, the distance required for pitch conversion becomes long, and the polymer optical waveguide 40 becomes large. For this reason, it is preferable that the bending radius of the core 41 is small. However, if the bending radius of the core 41 is small, bending loss increases.

[0019] Next, another configuration example of a polymer optical waveguide will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a plan view of yet another configuration example of a polymer optical waveguide of the present invention. The polymer optical waveguide 60 shown in Fig. 7 is similar to the polymer optical waveguide 40 shown in Fig. 6 in that it (1) includes multiple cores 61a, 61b, and 61c arranged in parallel along the light propagation direction, an underclad 62, and an overclad 63, (2) includes a coupling section 64 where the overclad 63 is not present and the core 61a and the underclad 62 around the core 61a are exposed, and an optical waveguide section 65 where the cores 61a, 61b, and 61c are covered with the underclad 62 and the overclad 63, (3) the pitch between the multiple cores 61a is different between the optical waveguide section 65 side (one end) and the coupling section 64 side (the other end) of the polymer optical waveguide 60, and (4) includes a pitch conversion region 66 that converts the pitch between the multiple cores.

[0020] However, in the polymer optical waveguide 60 shown in Figure 7, some of the cores 61a, 61b, and 61c may have only an optical waveguide portion 65, without an overclad 63 and without a coupling portion 64 where the core and the underclad 62 around the core are exposed. These cores 61b and 61c having only an optical waveguide portion are optical measurement cores used during inspections such as propagation loss measurement. The inclusion of the optical measurement cores 61b and 61c facilitates inspections such as propagation loss measurement. The pitch between the cores 61b and 61c for optical measurement may be the same between one end and the other end of the cores 61b and 61c, or may have a pitch changing region that changes the pitch between the cores 61b and 61c.

[0021] Next, another configuration example of a polymer optical waveguide will be described with reference to FIGS. 8( a) to 8(e). FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e) are plan views showing yet another configuration example of a polymer optical waveguide. Polymer optical waveguides 70a to 70e shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e) each include cores 71a to 71e, underclads 72a to 72e, and overclads 73a to 73e. Note that cores 71a to 71e only represent the two outermost cores among multiple cores arranged in parallel along the light propagation direction. The right side of each polymer optical waveguide 70a to 70e shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e) is a coupling portion 74a to 74e where no overclad is present and the core and the underclad surrounding the core are exposed. 8(a) to 8(e), the left side of each polymer optical waveguide 70a to 70e is an optical waveguide section 75a to 75e in which a core is covered with an underclad and an overclad. The polymer optical waveguides 70a to 70e have pitch conversion regions 76a to 76e, which convert the pitch between the multiple cores, between the optical waveguide section 75a to 75e and the coupling section 74a to 74e.

[0022] In the polymer optical waveguides 70a-70e shown in Figures 8(a)-8(e), the underclads 72a-72e on the coupling sections 74a-74e have been punched out from the outermost cores 71a-71e. The underclads 72a-72e and overclads 73a-73e in the pitch conversion regions 76a-76e adjacent to the coupling sections 74a-74e have also been punched out from the outermost cores 71a-71e. The use of polymer optical waveguides 70a-70e with these shapes allows for smaller silicon chips to be connected compared to rectangular polymer optical waveguides 10, 40, and 60. The outer shape (outer frame shape) of the polymer optical waveguide can be molded into any shape depending on the core shape, etc.

[0023] Next, a method for manufacturing the optical waveguide shown in Fig. 8(a) will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 12 as one embodiment of a method for manufacturing an optical component according to the present invention. Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a cutout 82 has been formed in the support layer by the pretreatment step. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a core has been formed in the support layer by the core lamination step. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the cutting position in the cutting step.

[0024] (Method of Manufacturing Optical Waveguide) As shown in FIG. 9 , the method of manufacturing an optical waveguide according to this embodiment includes a support layer forming step S110, a pre-processing step S120, a core lamination step S130, an overclad lamination step S140, and a cutting step S150. The support layer forming step S110 forms a photosensitive substrate 81 on a base material, which serves as a support layer constituting the underclad 72a. The pre-processing step S120 uses photolithography to form a pair of cutouts 82, 82 that serve as both ends of the outer frame shape of the underclad 72a in the width direction in the photosensitive substrate 81 on the base material. The core lamination step S130 forms a core pattern using the core 71a between the pair of cutouts 82, 82 formed in the photosensitive substrate 81, which serves as a support layer (above the underclad 72a). In the overclad lamination step S140, an overclad 73a is laminated on the cores 71a and the underclad 72a other than the cores 71a so as to cover the cores 71a, thereby forming the optical waveguide film 90. In the cutting step S150, the polymer optical waveguides 70a are individually cut out from the optical waveguide film 90 in which the plurality of polymer optical waveguides 70a are arranged.

[0025] In the support layer formation step S110, a photosensitive layer (hereinafter referred to as the photosensitive layer) is first formed on a substrate (not shown), such as a glass wafer, to form a photosensitive substrate 81 that constitutes the underclad 72a made of the photosensitive layer on the substrate. Examples of photosensitive materials that can be used to form the photosensitive layer include, without exception, radically polymerizable compounds, cationic polymerizable compounds, anionic polymerizable compounds, and mixtures of these with thermosetting compounds. The photosensitive substrate 81 is not limited to the underclad 72a itself being made of a photosensitive material, as described above. For example, the photosensitive substrate 81 may be formed by forming a thin-film material substrate made of a curable resin composition (R1) cured by light irradiation or heat on a substrate (not shown), such as a glass wafer, and then forming a photosensitive layer on the surface of this material substrate, thereby forming a thin-film material substrate below the underclad 72a made of the photosensitive layer.

[0026] Next, an example of the pretreatment step S120 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . In the pretreatment step S120, first, an exposure process is performed in which the photosensitive substrate 81 is irradiated with actinic light through a photomask having the shape of the cutouts 82, 82. The shape of the cutouts 82, 82 is determined according to the shape of the pitch conversion region 76a of the optical waveguide. Next, the exposed photosensitive substrate 81 is subjected to a development process in which the photosensitive layer in the exposed portion along the cutouts 82 is removed using a developer such as various solvents or an alkaline solution. As a result, a pair of cutouts 82, 82 that form part of the outer frame shape of the undercladding 72a is formed in the photosensitive substrate 81 from which the photosensitive layer has been removed. After the core 71a is formed, post-baking (heating at 100°C or higher) may be performed as needed.

[0027] The photosensitive material constituting the photosensitive layer is not limited to a positive-type photosensitive material that removes the photosensitive layer in the exposed portions in the pretreatment step S120 as described above. That is, the photosensitive material constituting the photosensitive layer may be a negative-type photosensitive material that hardens in the exposed portions. In this case, in the pretreatment step S120, an exposure process is performed in which actinic rays are irradiated onto the portions other than the cutouts 82, 82 using a photomask that covers the cutouts 82, 82.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 10 , a pair of cutouts 82 formed in the photosensitive substrate 81 are arranged in a row in both the extension direction and width direction of the polymer optical waveguide 70a (underclad 72a). The underclads 72a arranged in the width direction are formed so that their ends on the coupling portion 74a side (one end) and their ends on the optical waveguide 75a side (the other end) are aligned. Adjacent underclads 72a in the extension direction and width direction on the photosensitive substrate 81 may be arranged upside down in the longitudinal direction as long as their longitudinal ends are aligned in the width direction. In other words, adjacent underclads 72a in the width direction may be formed so that their ends on the coupling portion 74a side (one end) and their ends on the optical waveguide 75a side (the other end) are aligned. Similarly, adjacent undercladdings 72a in the extending direction on the photosensitive substrate 81 may be arranged so that their longitudinal directions are reversed.

[0029] As a result, a pair of cutouts 82, 82 are formed by a photomask pattern, allowing for efficient simultaneous formation of multiple underclads 72a arranged side by side on the photosensitive substrate 81. Furthermore, even when the pitch conversion region 76a formed by the cutouts 82 includes a curved bend, the region can be formed with high precision. The cutouts 82 are preferably gently curved. Furthermore, the cutouts 82 are not limited to curved shapes, but may be formed by combining multiple straight lines. In this case, the connecting portions of the straight lines are preferably rounded. Furthermore, the cutouts 82 are not limited to shapes that widen in the width direction toward one end of the longitudinal direction, but may instead be shapes that are narrowed at the center in the longitudinal direction and widen in the width direction at both longitudinal ends.

[0030] In addition, the method for forming a pair of cutouts 82, 82 that constitute a pair of side edge portions that are on the outer side in the width direction of the outer frame shape of the underclad 72a by arranging multiple portions in the width direction of the photosensitive substrate 81 may be any method that utilizes photolithography, and is not limited to the above method.

[0031] Next, an example of the core lamination step S130 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In the core lamination step S130, first, a curable resin composition (R2) is applied onto the underclad 72 formed between a pair of punched portions 82 to form a coating film that will become a core layer. Next, processing such as patterning is performed on the coating film made of the curable resin composition (R2) by photolithography, to form a core 71a on the underclad.

[0032] The method for forming the core 71 a on the underclad 72 a is not limited to the above method, and may be, for example, a method in which a curable resin composition is first applied to a support layer to form a coating film that will become a core layer, a photosensitive layer that conforms to a core pattern is then formed on the core layer, the core layer is then etched to form the core 71 a in a predetermined core pattern, and the photosensitive layer is then removed.

[0033] Next, an example of the overclad lamination step S140 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In the overclad lamination step S140, first, a coating liquid containing a curable resin composition (R3) is applied to a part or all of the underclad 72a and the core 71a. Then, the curable resin composition is cured by light irradiation or heat to form the overclad 73a.

[0034] As a result, the core 71a and the overclad 73a are laminated on the underclad 72a formed on the support layer made of the photosensitive substrate 81, thereby forming an optical waveguide film 90 in which multiple polymer optical waveguides 70a are arranged side by side.

[0035] Moreover, the overclad 73a can be formed by photolithography with a joint portion (exposed portion) that exposes the core 71a and the underclad 72a around the core 71a.

[0036] From the viewpoint of light propagation loss, the composition ratio of the curable resin composition (R1) and the curable resin composition (R3) is preferably the same.

[0037] Next, an example of the cutting step S150 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. In the cutting step S150, the polymer optical waveguides 70a are separated from the optical waveguide film 90 by cutting, with a dicing blade or a laser, along a coupling portion-side cutting line X1 connecting the ends of one end of a pair of cutouts 82, 82 formed in the optical waveguide film 90 and an optical waveguide portion-side cutting line X2 connecting the ends of the other end of the pair of cutouts 82, 82.

[0038] In the optical waveguide film 90, the polymer optical waveguides 70a before being singulated are arranged in a line in the width direction, and the polymer optical waveguides 70a lined up in the width direction have their ends on the coupling section side (one end) and the ends on the optical waveguide section side (the other end) aligned. Therefore, the coupling section-side cutting line X1 and the optical waveguide section-side cutting line X2 used to singulate each of the polymer optical waveguides 70a lined up in the width direction are aligned on the same straight line. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 12 .

[0039] According to this configuration, the cutting path for cutting the optical waveguide film 90 with a dicing blade or the like is simple and linear, thereby improving the efficiency of the singulation process and maintaining high processing accuracy. Furthermore, by cutting the optical waveguide film 90 linearly twice, along the coupling portion-side cutting line X1 and the optical waveguide portion-side cutting line X2, it is possible to singulate all of the polymer optical waveguides 70a arranged side by side in the width direction of the optical waveguide film 90. This also improves the efficiency of the singulation process for cutting the polymer optical waveguides 70a from the optical waveguide film 90.

[0040] In addition, by making the overall thickness of the optical waveguide film 90 in which the polymer optical waveguide 70a is formed 20 μm or more and the thickness of the underclad 72a in which the cut-out portion 82 is formed 10 μm or more, the polymer optical waveguide 70a is less likely to be damaged when cut out from the optical waveguide film 90, thereby improving yield.

[0041] (Operation and Effects) According to the above-described optical waveguide manufacturing method, the outer widthwise side edge portions of the outer frame shape of the manufactured polymer optical waveguide 70a, including the pitch conversion region, are formed by photolithographically forming the cutouts 82. Therefore, even if the cutouts 82 have a shape including a curved portion, they can be processed with high precision. Furthermore, compared to punching the outer frame shape of the polymer optical waveguide 70a with a blade or cutting it out with a laser, burrs and denaturation do not occur on the cross section, and the surface roughness of the processed surface is reduced. Specifically, by using photolithography to form the cutouts 82, the surface roughness Ra of the processed surface at both widthwise ends of the polymer optical waveguide 70a is 30 nm or less. Furthermore, the process of cutting the polymer optical waveguide 70a from the optical waveguide film 90 using a dicing blade or the like is simplified. As described above, according to the above-described method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, even when the polymer optical waveguide 70a has an irregular shape having an outer shape corresponding to the pitch change region, it is possible to achieve both processing accuracy and productivity.

[0042] In addition, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, a manufacturing process for an irregularly shaped polymer optical waveguide 70a in which the outer portion of the core 71a is removed according to the curved shape of the core as shown in Figure 8(a) has been described, but the rectangular polymer optical waveguides 10, 40, and 60 shown in Figures 1 to 7 can also be manufactured using similar processes. Furthermore, in the above example, a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide has been described as an example of an optical component, but any optical component having two or more layers including a support layer and one or more other layers may be used, and is not limited to the above-mentioned optical waveguide.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0044] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) A method for manufacturing an optical component with two or more layers, including a support layer and one or more other layers, wherein the support layer is a photosensitive substrate at least partially containing a photosensitive material, and a pair of cutouts that become both ends of the width direction of the outer frame shape of the longitudinal optical component are formed in the photosensitive substrate that serves as the support layer by photolithography, and the other layer is laminated on the support layer, and the optical component is individualized by cutting out the longitudinal ends of the pair of cutouts formed in the support layer in the width direction. This configuration makes it possible to achieve both high processing accuracy for the outer frame shape of the optical component and high productivity. Furthermore, even if both ends of the width direction of the optical component have any shape, including slopes and curves, high precision can be achieved.

[0045] (2) The method for manufacturing an optical component according to (1), wherein the cutout portion extending in the longitudinal direction has a deformation region along which at least two tangent lines can be drawn. This configuration allows for the accurate manufacturing of optical components with complex outer shapes according to the intended use.

[0046] (3) The method for manufacturing an optical component according to (1) or (2), wherein both longitudinal ends of the optical component are cut off with a dicing blade or a laser. This configuration ensures processing accuracy at both longitudinal ends of the optical component and facilitates singulation of the optical component.

[0047] (4) The method for manufacturing an optical component according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the support layer has a plurality of pairs of cutouts arranged side by side in the width direction, and the positions of both longitudinal ends of pairs of cutouts adjacent to each other in the width direction coincide with each other. With this configuration, the cutting lines along which the optical component is cut when it is singulated are straight, thereby improving workability, productivity, and processing accuracy.

[0048] (5) The method for manufacturing an optical component according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the optical component is an optical waveguide, a patterned core is laminated on an underclad that is the support layer, an overclad is further laminated on the core and the underclad portion other than the core, and at least one of the pair of cutouts has a deformation region that deforms in the width direction according to the shape of the core. With this configuration, an optical waveguide with excellent processing accuracy can be manufactured at low cost.

[0049] (6) An optical waveguide manufactured by the method for manufacturing an optical component according to (5). According to this configuration, an optical waveguide with excellent processing accuracy can be manufactured at low cost.

[0050] (7) The optical waveguide according to (6), wherein the surface roughness of the cutout portion is 30 nm or less. With this configuration, the processing precision of the outer frame shape of the optical component is improved, and therefore the assembly precision when incorporating it into other components is also improved.

[0051] (8) The optical waveguide according to (6) or (7), wherein the thickness of the underclad is 10 μm or more, and the overall thickness is 20 μm or more. With this configuration, optical waveguides with high processing accuracy can be stably manufactured.

[0052] (9) The optical waveguide according to any one of (6) to (8), wherein the deformation region of the punched portion has a curved shape. With this configuration, the underclad is less likely to be damaged when the optical waveguide is singulated, thereby improving yield.

[0053] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0054] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-134254) filed on August 9, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 polymer optical waveguide 11a core 11b core 12 underclad 13 overclad 14 coupling section 15 optical waveguide section 20 composite optical waveguide 30 silicon optical waveguide 40 polymer optical waveguide 41 core 42 underclad 43 overclad 44 coupling section 45 optical waveguide section 46 pitch conversion region (deformation region) 50 connector 60 polymer optical waveguide 61a core 61b core 61c core 62 underclad 63 overclad 64 coupling section 65 optical waveguide section 66 pitch conversion region (deformation region) 70a to 70e polymer optical waveguides 71a to 71e cores 72a to 72e underclads 73a to 73e overclads 74a to 74e: Coupling portions 75a to 75e: Optical waveguide portions 76a to 76e: Pitch conversion regions (deformation regions) 81: Photosensitive substrate 82: Cutout portions 90: Optical waveguide film

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an optical component having two or more layers, including a support layer and one or more other layers, wherein the support layer is a photosensitive substrate containing a photosensitive substance in at least a portion thereof, a pair of cutouts that become both ends in the width direction of the outer frame shape of the longitudinal optical component are formed in the photosensitive substrate that will become the support layer by a photolithography method, the other layer is laminated on top of the support layer, and the longitudinal ends of the pair of cutouts formed in the support layer are cut out in the width direction to individualize the optical component.

2. The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 1, wherein the cutout extending in the longitudinal direction has a deformation region along which at least two tangent lines can be drawn.

3. The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 1, wherein both longitudinal ends of the optical component are cut off with a dicing blade or a laser.

4. The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 1, wherein the support layer has a plurality of pairs of cutouts arranged side by side in the width direction, and the positions of both longitudinal ends of pairs of cutouts adjacent in the width direction are aligned.

5. A method for manufacturing an optical component according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the optical component is an optical waveguide, a patterned core is laminated on an underclad that is the support layer, and an overclad is further laminated on the core and the underclad portion other than the core, and at least one of the pair of cutouts has a deformation region that deforms in the width direction according to the shape of the core.

6. An optical waveguide manufactured by the method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 5.

7. The optical waveguide according to claim 6, wherein the surface roughness of the cutout portion is 30 nm or less.

8. The optical waveguide according to claim 6, wherein the thickness of the underclad is 10 μm or more, and the total thickness is 20 μm or more.

9. The optical waveguide according to claim 6, wherein the deformation region of the cutout has a curved shape.

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