Optical Receptacle Ferrule Recess Suppresses Foreign Matter Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical receptacles face issues with loss due to foreign matter at the outer circumferential portion of the fiber stub or plug ferrule moving to the central portion during repeated insertion and removal, leading to increased Wiggle loss due to the shortening of the fiber stub length within the optical receptacle.
Innovation Solution
An optical receptacle design featuring a fiber stub with a ferrule having a convex spherical end surface and a recess to suppress foreign matter movement, maintaining the length where the sleeve holds the fiber stub, thereby preventing loss and reducing Wiggle loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a stepped part is provided in the tip portion of the fiber stub to prevent foreign matter movement, then foreign matter is prevented from moving to the central portion, but the Wiggle loss increases due to shortening of the sleeve holding length
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the foreign matter prevention function from the tip portion of the fiber stub and relocates it to the outer circumferential portion. By providing a stepped part at the outer circumferential portion rather than at the tip, foreign matter is prevented from moving to the central portion without interfering with the optical transmission path or shortening the effective holding length of the sleeve, thus avoiding increased Wiggle loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of preventing foreign matter movement in the axial direction (tip portion), the invention uses a stepped part at the outer circumferential portion to guide foreign matter radially outward and prevent its movement toward the central portion. This dimensional approach prevents foreign matter migration while maintaining the full length of the fiber stub within the sleeve.
2Reliability
If cleaning methods are used to remove foreign matter from the end surface, then initial loss is reduced, but foreign matter cannot be completely removed and moves to the outer circumferential portion during repeated insertion and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The stepped part at the outer circumferential portion is provided in advance to prevent foreign matter from moving to the central portion during repeated insertion and removal operations. This preliminary structural feature ensures that even if foreign matter is present on the end surface, it cannot migrate to the critical central area, thereby maintaining connection reliability without requiring perfect initial cleaning.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the fiber stub length is shortened to accommodate the stepped part structure, then foreign matter prevention is achieved, but the Wiggle loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stepped part is localized to the outer circumferential portion of the fiber stub rather than affecting the entire length. This local modification prevents foreign matter movement while leaving the central and tip portions of the fiber stub unchanged, thereby maintaining the full effective length of the fiber stub within the sleeve and avoiding increased Wiggle loss.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical receptacle including: a fiber stub having a ferrule containing an optical fiber conducting light; a holder holding the fiber stub; and a sleeve. The ends of the sleeve respectively holding a tip of the fiber stub and a plug ferrule inserted into the optical receptacle. The ferrule includes a foreign matter movement suppressor in an end surface thereof which is polished into a convex spherical configuration on a side to be connected to the plug ferrule, and which suppresses movement of foreign matter moving, due to inserting and removing the plug ferrule, from an outer circumferential portion of the ferrule toward a central portion of the end surface.