Integrated Optical Module Adhesive Groove Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Integrated optical modules face challenges in maintaining stable optical coupling due to thermal expansion and humidity changes, which cause positional changes and separation of the PLC chip, leading to optical axis displacement and property deterioration.

Innovation Solution

The integrated optical module incorporates a groove with a penetrating hole around the seat of the mount to accommodate overflowing adhesive, preventing pressure on the PLC chip during humidity changes and ensuring stable adhesion, with the groove's volume designed to accommodate excess adhesive and the hole allowing for easy observation and removal of excess adhesive.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If adhesive is applied to fix the PLC chip to the mount seat, then the PLC chip is securely fixed, but excessive adhesive overflows and causes positional changes and separation during humidity changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion strengthVSAvoidoptical coupling stability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the harmful element (excessive adhesive) from the system by providing a groove that collects and isolates the overflowed adhesive, preventing it from causing positional changes and separation of the PLC chip during humidity changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The groove acts as an intermediary structure between the adhesive and the PLC chip, accommodating the adhesive overflow and preventing direct contact between the adhesive and the chip, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of adhesive expansion during humidity changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the PLC chip is fixed to the mount seat, then the chip is held in position, but thermal expansion and humidity changes cause positional changes and optical axis displacement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositional stabilityVSAvoidoptical coupling stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the source of instability (excessive adhesive) by providing a groove that collects adhesive overflow, preventing it from causing positional changes during thermal expansion and humidity changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful adhesive overflow into a beneficial feature by using the groove to accommodate the excess adhesive, transforming it from a source of instability into a protective element that allows for thermal and humidity expansion without affecting optical coupling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 configuration minimizes positional changes and separations of the PLC chip, maintaining stable optical coupling and reducing optical axis displacement, thereby enhancing the reliability and performance of the optical interference circuit.

Implementation Method 1

When humidity changes, the adhesive 38 made of a resin swells, but the seat 42 of the mount 40 made of a metal does not change in volume. Hence, if humidity changes with the overflowing adhesive staying around the adhesion surface, the overflowing adhesive 38 swells to generate force F pushing up the PLC chip 33.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHumidity absorption and swelling:

Data Source

PatentEP2878982B1Integrated optical module
Publication Date: 2019.04.10 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP
  • EP2878982B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2878982B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2878982B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An objective is to provide an integrated optical module which can avoid positional change and separation of a PLC chip when humidity changes. Provided is an integrated optical module characterized in that the integrated optical module includes: a PLC chip (33) ; a seat (42) bonded and fixed to part of a lower surface of the PLC chip (33) with an adhesive which is applied to an upper surface of the seat (42) ; and a support portion (41) supporting the seat (42), in which a groove where an adhesive overflowing from the upper surface of the seat (42) is to stay is formed in an upper surface of the support portion (41) at a portion surrounding the seat (42), the upper surface of the seat serving as an adhesion surface.