Transparent Glass Mediator for UV Curing in Optical Butt Connections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated optical devices face challenges in achieving stable butt connections between optical waveguides due to incomplete curing of UV curing adhesives, caused by light absorption in Si and InP substrates, leading to insufficient adhesive strength and alignment issues, which result in varying connection losses and reliability concerns.
Innovation Solution
A butt coupling method where a transparent glass substrate is used to transmit UV light to the bonding region, ensuring complete curing of the adhesive and stable alignment by forming a groove on the SiP chip to receive the glass substrate, allowing for flush processing of the connection end faces and efficient UV curing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UV curing adhesive is used to bond PLC and SiP substrates, then bonding speed is improved, but adhesive curing is incomplete due to light absorption by Si and InP substrates
Solution Approach 1:
A UV-transparent glass substrate is introduced as an intermediary component between the UV light source and the bonding region. This glass substrate transmits UV light through to the adhesive layer, enabling complete curing while maintaining the fast bonding speed advantage of UV curing adhesives.
2Manufacturing precision
If butt connection is used to connect waveguides, then alignment precision is improved, but connection stability deteriorates due to incomplete adhesive curing
Solution Approach 1:
The UV-transparent glass substrate serves as a mediator that enables complete UV light transmission to the adhesive, ensuring stable and reliable butt connections between waveguides while maintaining the precision of the alignment process.
3Productivity
If UV curing adhesive is used for bonding, then bonding efficiency is improved, but connection loss variation increases due to insufficient adhesive strength
Solution Approach 1:
The glass substrate acts as a UV light transmission intermediary that ensures complete adhesive curing throughout the bonding region, resulting in consistent adhesive strength and reduced connection loss variation while maintaining high bonding efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables stable optical coupling with reduced loss variation and improved long-term reliability by ensuring complete adhesive curing and precise alignment of the optical waveguides, enhancing the integration of optical circuits and function elements.
Implementation Method 1
a transparent glass substrate is used to transmit UV light to the bonding region
Implementation Method 2
the connection end face of the optical circuit and an end face of the butt coupling holding substrate are processed to be flush with each other, and the optical circuit and the optical function element are fixed by a UV curing adhesive filling the connection end face being cured by UV light transmitted through the butt coupling holding substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated optical device capable of easily connecting waveguides and achieving stable optical coupling is provided. In the integrated optical device in which an optical circuit that is provided on a substrate that does not transmit light from an ultraviolet range to a visible range and performs optical signal processing and an optical function element made of a material that does not transmit light in the ranges are butt-connected, in the optical circuit, a butt coupling holding substrate that transmits light in the ranges is mounted in a groove that reaches a connection end face where an input/output waveguide is formed, the connection end face of the optical circuit and an end face of the butt coupling holding substrate are processed to be flush with each other, and the optical circuit and the optical function element are fixed by a UV curing adhesive filling the connection end face.