Integrated Ferrule Optical Connector Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical connectors face challenges in reducing size while maintaining alignment accuracy, leading to increased coupling losses due to misalignment issues when trying to miniaturize beyond certain limits.
Innovation Solution
The optical connector design integrates the ferrule section directly into the optical waveguide, with thick-walled cladding layers at the ends serving as ferrules, eliminating the need for separate ferrules and ensuring precise core alignment through molded construction, reducing coupling losses and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of optical connectors is reduced beyond conventional limits, then miniaturization is achieved, but alignment accuracy deteriorates leading to increased coupling losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ferrule structure with the optical waveguide by making the cladding layer thick-walled at the end portions to form integrated ferrule sections. This eliminates the need for separate ferrules and ensures precise alignment between connected optical waveguides, resolving the contradiction between miniaturization and alignment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The cladding layer is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thick-walled at the end portions (forming ferrule sections) and thin-walled in the intermediate portions. This local variation in structure allows the connector to be compact overall while maintaining precise alignment at the connection points, thus achieving both miniaturization and high alignment accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate ferrules are used for optical connection, then alignment is facilitated, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the ferrule function directly into the optical waveguide structure by thickening the cladding layer at the ends. This integration eliminates separate ferrule components and assembly steps, reducing device complexity while maintaining alignment precision through the molded ferrule sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical waveguide's own cladding layer serves the dual function of both guiding light and providing the ferrule structure for connection. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external ferrules, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining alignment capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical connector reduced in size and capable of reducing optical coupling losses when optical waveguides are connected to each other, and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The optical connector comprises: an optical waveguide including cores for transmitting light, an under cladding layer provided under the cores, and an over cladding layer provided over the cores; and a ferrule section for optical connection provided in each end portion of the optical waveguide. Part of at least one of the over cladding layer and the under cladding layer lying in a location corresponding to each end portion of the optical waveguide is thick-walled to become the ferrule section for optical connection. A thin-walled part of the optical connector lying between the ferrule sections is an optical waveguide section. The optical connector requires no additional component as a ferrule, and is made small in size.