CA1065140A - Method for sealing optical fibers to device encapsulations - Google Patents
Method for sealing optical fibers to device encapsulationsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1065140A CA1065140A CA252,709A CA252709A CA1065140A CA 1065140 A CA1065140 A CA 1065140A CA 252709 A CA252709 A CA 252709A CA 1065140 A CA1065140 A CA 1065140A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- orifice
- fiber
- envelope
- protrusion
- softening temperature
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 12
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 15
- 238000005538 encapsulation Methods 0.000 title abstract description 16
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 title description 4
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 50
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 239000005388 borosilicate glass Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 39
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 235000012239 silicon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 claims description 9
- YBMRDBCBODYGJE-UHFFFAOYSA-N germanium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Ge]=O YBMRDBCBODYGJE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 229910011255 B2O3 Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910052681 coesite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052906 cristobalite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052682 stishovite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052905 tridymite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Calcium oxide Chemical compound [Ca]=O ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- KKCBUQHMOMHUOY-UHFFFAOYSA-N Na2O Inorganic materials [O-2].[Na+].[Na+] KKCBUQHMOMHUOY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- GWEVSGVZZGPLCZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titan oxide Chemical compound O=[Ti]=O GWEVSGVZZGPLCZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- MCMNRKCIXSYSNV-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zirconium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Zr]=O MCMNRKCIXSYSNV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- ZKATWMILCYLAPD-UHFFFAOYSA-N niobium pentoxide Chemical compound O=[Nb](=O)O[Nb](=O)=O ZKATWMILCYLAPD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- DLYUQMMRRRQYAE-UHFFFAOYSA-N tetraphosphorus decaoxide Chemical compound O1P(O2)(=O)OP3(=O)OP1(=O)OP2(=O)O3 DLYUQMMRRRQYAE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 4
- PNEYBMLMFCGWSK-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium oxide Inorganic materials [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Al+3].[Al+3] PNEYBMLMFCGWSK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- 229910052593 corundum Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 2
- 239000002019 doping agent Substances 0.000 claims 2
- MRELNEQAGSRDBK-UHFFFAOYSA-N lanthanum oxide Inorganic materials [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[La+3].[La+3] MRELNEQAGSRDBK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- HTUMBQDCCIXGCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead oxide Chemical compound [O-2].[Pb+2] HTUMBQDCCIXGCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- YEXPOXQUZXUXJW-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead(II) oxide Inorganic materials [Pb]=O YEXPOXQUZXUXJW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- KTUFCUMIWABKDW-UHFFFAOYSA-N oxo(oxolanthaniooxy)lanthanum Chemical compound O=[La]O[La]=O KTUFCUMIWABKDW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- PBCFLUZVCVVTBY-UHFFFAOYSA-N tantalum pentoxide Inorganic materials O=[Ta](=O)O[Ta](=O)=O PBCFLUZVCVVTBY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- QHGNHLZPVBIIPX-UHFFFAOYSA-N tin(II) oxide Inorganic materials [Sn]=O QHGNHLZPVBIIPX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 2
- 229910001845 yogo sapphire Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 2
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 abstract description 4
- 230000004927 fusion Effects 0.000 abstract 1
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 12
- 238000005253 cladding Methods 0.000 description 9
- 239000011162 core material Substances 0.000 description 7
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 4
- OAICVXFJPJFONN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Phosphorus Chemical compound [P] OAICVXFJPJFONN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052732 germanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N germanium atom Chemical compound [Ge] GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011574 phosphorus Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052698 phosphorus Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 235000014786 phosphorus Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 2
- OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N Calcium Chemical compound [Ca] OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M Ilexoside XXIX Chemical compound C[C@@H]1CC[C@@]2(CC[C@@]3(C(=CC[C@H]4[C@]3(CC[C@@H]5[C@@]4(CC[C@@H](C5(C)C)OS(=O)(=O)[O-])C)C)[C@@H]2[C@]1(C)O)C)C(=O)O[C@H]6[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](O6)CO)O)O)O.[Na+] DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M 0.000 description 1
- FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N Magnesium Chemical compound [Mg] FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- ATJFFYVFTNAWJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Tin Chemical compound [Sn] ATJFFYVFTNAWJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- QCWXUUIWCKQGHC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zirconium Chemical compound [Zr] QCWXUUIWCKQGHC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052797 bismuth Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- JCXGWMGPZLAOME-UHFFFAOYSA-N bismuth atom Chemical compound [Bi] JCXGWMGPZLAOME-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011575 calcium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052791 calcium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920002313 fluoropolymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052746 lanthanum Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- FZLIPJUXYLNCLC-UHFFFAOYSA-N lanthanum atom Chemical compound [La] FZLIPJUXYLNCLC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011133 lead Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011777 magnesium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052749 magnesium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052758 niobium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010955 niobium Substances 0.000 description 1
- GUCVJGMIXFAOAE-UHFFFAOYSA-N niobium atom Chemical compound [Nb] GUCVJGMIXFAOAE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000006223 plastic coating Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000002035 prolonged effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011734 sodium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052708 sodium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910052715 tantalum Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- GUVRBAGPIYLISA-UHFFFAOYSA-N tantalum atom Chemical compound [Ta] GUVRBAGPIYLISA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 description 1
- KUAZQDVKQLNFPE-UHFFFAOYSA-N thiram Chemical compound CN(C)C(=S)SSC(=S)N(C)C KUAZQDVKQLNFPE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052718 tin Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910052726 zirconium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/02—Details
- H01L31/0203—Containers; Encapsulations, e.g. encapsulation of photodiodes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2224/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies and methods related thereto as covered by H01L24/00
- H01L2224/01—Means for bonding being attached to, or being formed on, the surface to be connected, e.g. chip-to-package, die-attach, "first-level" interconnects; Manufacturing methods related thereto
- H01L2224/42—Wire connectors; Manufacturing methods related thereto
- H01L2224/47—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the wire connectors after the connecting process
- H01L2224/48—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the wire connectors after the connecting process of an individual wire connector
- H01L2224/4805—Shape
- H01L2224/4809—Loop shape
- H01L2224/48091—Arched
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2224/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies and methods related thereto as covered by H01L24/00
- H01L2224/73—Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L2224/10, H01L2224/18, H01L2224/26, H01L2224/34, H01L2224/42, H01L2224/50, H01L2224/63, H01L2224/71
- H01L2224/732—Location after the connecting process
- H01L2224/73251—Location after the connecting process on different surfaces
- H01L2224/73265—Layer and wire connectors
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)
- Optical Communication System (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A low loss, high integrity seal is disclosed between an optical fiber and a device encapsulation.
Critical parameters include the surface composition of the fiber and the composition and configuration of the encapsulation at the point of the seal. Specifically called for are a silica- containing fiber surface glass and a borosilicate glass encapsulation whose softening temperature is less than or equal to that of the fiber surface glass. In the preferred configuration the fiber is threaded through an orifice at the end of a tubular protrusion of the device encapsulation and the seal in made by simple heat fusion of the rim of the orifice the surface of the fiber.
Critical parameters include the surface composition of the fiber and the composition and configuration of the encapsulation at the point of the seal. Specifically called for are a silica- containing fiber surface glass and a borosilicate glass encapsulation whose softening temperature is less than or equal to that of the fiber surface glass. In the preferred configuration the fiber is threaded through an orifice at the end of a tubular protrusion of the device encapsulation and the seal in made by simple heat fusion of the rim of the orifice the surface of the fiber.
Description
Background of the Invention ~
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1. Field of the Invention The invention is concerned with fiber optical communications.
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1. Field of the Invention The invention is concerned with fiber optical communications.
2. Description of the Prior ~rt Increasing demand for communications facilities ~
for voice, video, and data transmission has created interest ~-in communications systems utilizing light as information carrier. Compared with systems in current use, optical communication promises to lead to a reduction in size of transmission means combined with an increase in information carrying capacity. Specifically, optical transmission lines of a diameter of no more than 0.1 mm have a capacity far greater than that of currently used microwave guides of a diameter on the order of 1 cm.
The physical principles underlying the use of optical fibers in communications are well established.
Light guiding in such fibers is achieved by a change in refractive index from a higher index core portion to a lower index cladding surrounding the core. This change in refractive index need/not be large; for example, effective light guiding can be achieved by a decrease in refractive index of as little as 0.1 percent. The change in refractive index may take the form of one or several steps or it may occur gradually. For example, a gradual change in refractive index with the grading profile chosen to minimize mode dispersion has been advocated for use in fibeFs intended for multi-mode transmission.
: 1 - _ : `
Specific examples of optical fi~ers are the pure silica clad, germania doped silica core fiber disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,775,075, the pure silica core, borosilicate clad fiber disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,778,132, an~ the plastic-clad pure silica core disclosed by L. Blyler, A. Hart and P. Kaiser at the Spring meeting of the Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C. 1974.
U.S. Patent 3,778,132 also discloses the use of an additional layer such as a pure silica layer over the borosilicate cladding.
Whi~e design and development of transmission lines have reached an advanced state, progress has also been made in the development of devices such as light sources, detectors, switches, and modulators. Miniature lasers, light emitting and light detecting diodes, and a variety of thin film optical devices have been proposed for use in optical communications systems.
An important practical aspect of the development of optical systems is the physical and chemical protection ~0 of devices, a purpose for which metal and glass encap- , sulations are suitable. Such use of encapsulations leads - to the problem of making reliable seals between fibers and device encapsulations without introducing undue optical loss at the point of the seal.
Summar~ o~ the Invention_ - The invention provides for a seal between a borosilicate glass encapsulation and an optical fiber lead-ing through an orifice in the glass encapsulation.
Speclfically called for are an orifice located at the end of a tubular protrusion of the glass body whose softening temperature does not exceed that of the surface of the -- ~065140 iber. A glass containing silica is specified as the ~-surface glass of the fiber. The seal is made ~y heat fusing the rim of the orifice to the surface of the fiber.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for making a seal between a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice of said envelope characterized in that said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, said envelope, at least in the vicinity of said orifice, consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope which at least in the vicinity of said orifice closely fits said fiber, and said seal is made by heating the rim of said orifice to the softening temperature of said borosilicate glass whereby said rim is deformed and fused to the surface of said fiber.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided article comprising a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice in said envelope characterized in that said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, said envelope at least in the vicinity of said orifice consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope and the surface of said fiber is fused to the rim of said orifice.
Brief Description of the Drawinq The Figure shows, in cross section, an assembly of an encapsulated optical device and an optical fiber fused to the encapsulation as claimed.
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for voice, video, and data transmission has created interest ~-in communications systems utilizing light as information carrier. Compared with systems in current use, optical communication promises to lead to a reduction in size of transmission means combined with an increase in information carrying capacity. Specifically, optical transmission lines of a diameter of no more than 0.1 mm have a capacity far greater than that of currently used microwave guides of a diameter on the order of 1 cm.
The physical principles underlying the use of optical fibers in communications are well established.
Light guiding in such fibers is achieved by a change in refractive index from a higher index core portion to a lower index cladding surrounding the core. This change in refractive index need/not be large; for example, effective light guiding can be achieved by a decrease in refractive index of as little as 0.1 percent. The change in refractive index may take the form of one or several steps or it may occur gradually. For example, a gradual change in refractive index with the grading profile chosen to minimize mode dispersion has been advocated for use in fibeFs intended for multi-mode transmission.
: 1 - _ : `
Specific examples of optical fi~ers are the pure silica clad, germania doped silica core fiber disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,775,075, the pure silica core, borosilicate clad fiber disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,778,132, an~ the plastic-clad pure silica core disclosed by L. Blyler, A. Hart and P. Kaiser at the Spring meeting of the Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C. 1974.
U.S. Patent 3,778,132 also discloses the use of an additional layer such as a pure silica layer over the borosilicate cladding.
Whi~e design and development of transmission lines have reached an advanced state, progress has also been made in the development of devices such as light sources, detectors, switches, and modulators. Miniature lasers, light emitting and light detecting diodes, and a variety of thin film optical devices have been proposed for use in optical communications systems.
An important practical aspect of the development of optical systems is the physical and chemical protection ~0 of devices, a purpose for which metal and glass encap- , sulations are suitable. Such use of encapsulations leads - to the problem of making reliable seals between fibers and device encapsulations without introducing undue optical loss at the point of the seal.
Summar~ o~ the Invention_ - The invention provides for a seal between a borosilicate glass encapsulation and an optical fiber lead-ing through an orifice in the glass encapsulation.
Speclfically called for are an orifice located at the end of a tubular protrusion of the glass body whose softening temperature does not exceed that of the surface of the -- ~065140 iber. A glass containing silica is specified as the ~-surface glass of the fiber. The seal is made ~y heat fusing the rim of the orifice to the surface of the fiber.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for making a seal between a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice of said envelope characterized in that said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, said envelope, at least in the vicinity of said orifice, consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope which at least in the vicinity of said orifice closely fits said fiber, and said seal is made by heating the rim of said orifice to the softening temperature of said borosilicate glass whereby said rim is deformed and fused to the surface of said fiber.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided article comprising a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice in said envelope characterized in that said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, said envelope at least in the vicinity of said orifice consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope and the surface of said fiber is fused to the rim of said orifice.
Brief Description of the Drawinq The Figure shows, in cross section, an assembly of an encapsulated optical device and an optical fiber fused to the encapsulation as claimed.
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~ 1065~40 Detailed Description l. The Figure The Figure shows photodetector diode 10 with electrodes ll and lead wires 12 mounted on insulator 20 ~`~
which is supported by base 30. Borosilicate glass envelope or encapsulation 40 i5 sealed to base 30 and, by ; the claimed method, to optical fiber 50 which terminates at diode 10 a~d is held in place by silicone positioner 21. In one embodiment of the invention, the borosilicate ~10 glass of the envelope contains B2O3, SiO2, and Na2o in a combined amount of at least 90% by weight.
2. Method and Resultin~ y The optical fiber whose surface is a silica containing glass is fed through the orifice at the end of a tubular borosilicate protrusion which closely fits the fiber in the vicinity of the orifice. The inner diameter of the orifice should exceed the diameter of the fiber by a ~ factor of at most 10, and preferably, at most three or ; even less. The softening temperature of the glass of the tubular protrusion is required not to exceed that of the cladding in order to prevent heat damage to the fiber during fusing. Microscopic observation may be helpful in ascertaining central alignment of the fiber through the orifice.
Sealing of the fiber to the tubular protrusion is effected by localized short-duration heating of the end of the tubular protrusion to its softening point to cause the r~m of the orifice to deform until it comes into contact - 3a -~' ., with an~ is fused to the surface of the fiber. Heating by means of infrared laser radiation from a CO2-laser was found to be effective for sealing. If a single directional heat source such as an unmodified laser beam is used, uniformity of the seal may be enhanced by rotating the assembly during heating. Prolonged heating should be avoided, however, to prevent damage to the cladding such as by extensive mixing of the cladding material with the ~ -material of the protrusion because such mixing generally leads to a weakened seal and to optical loss at the point of the seal.
To prevent undue strain at the point of the seal a close match of thermal expansion coefficients of the glasses being fused is desirable. Fiber surface glasses with a thermal expansion coefficient in the range of from 2 x 10 6 to 6 x 10 6 inches per degree centigrade are particularly suited in this respect for sealing to commercially available borosilicate glasses.
While not directly applicable to seal a plastic-sheathed fiber to an encapsulation, the claimed method can ~ be adapted for this purpose by splicing the sheathed fiber - to a so-called pigtail, i.e., a short section of an unsheathed fiber whose surface is of a suitable glass. In order to maintain continuity in light gathering ability between the fiber and the pigtail, care has to be taken in the selection of core and cladding materials for the pigtail.
Specifically, materials have to be chosen so as to produce a close match between the numerical aperture of the sheathed fiber and the numerical aperture of the pigtail as discugsed, for example in N.S. Kapany, Fiber Optics, A~ademic Press, 1967, on page 9. For example, a pure - silica core, fluorinated polymer sheathed fiber has a numerical aperture of 0.58. To match this numerical aperture in a borosilicate clad fiber whose cladding has a refractive index of 1.448, a core material with a refractive index of at least 1.57 has to be chosen. By applying the claimed method to make a seal between the pigtail and the glass body the plastic-sheathed optical fiber is effectively connected to the encapsulation. The foregoing procedure is important because plastic-sheathed fibers are particularly suited for the transmission of light emitted by a light emitting diode. This suitability is specifically based on the large difference of refractive index between a glass core and a plastic coating, a fact which allows such fibers to efficiently gather and guide light emitted in a broad angular range.
Due to reliance on a silica containing fiber surface glass on the one hand and independence of the internal structure of the fiber on the other, the claimed method is applicable to a great variety of light guiding structures in addition to the pure silica core and germania doped silica core fibers mentioned above. The method is equally applicable with fibers whose core is doped with substances such as the oxides of germanium, sodium, phos-phorus, lead, lanthanum, calcium, tantalum, tin, niobium, zirconium, aluminum and titanium as well as with fibers with doped claddings. The silica containing surface glass may contain substantial amounts of B2O3 and preferably in a combined amount of at most 10 percent by weight, substances such as the oxides of lead, bismuth, phosphorus, germanium, 3C aluminum, or magnesium as may be present as impurities or as added, e.g., to enhance workability or lower the refractive index of the surface glass.
-- 10~5140 While an essentially tubular shape of the - encapsulation is called for in the vicinity of the orifice to be sealed, the shape of the protrusion away from the vicinity of the orifice and the overall shape of the encapsulation are not restricted by this requirement.
Similarly, the composition of the encapsulation away from -the orifice may vary from the borosilicate composition at the orifice and may be partly composed of non-glassy substances such as metals. ' -3. Examples . .
Example 1 A silica-core, (3SiO2-B2O3)-clad fiber was sealed to commercially available borosilicate glass by exposing the orifice to 5 watt CO2-laser radiation for ten seconds.
No appreciable optical loss was introduced into the fiber by making this seal.
Example 2 A pure silica-clad fiber was sealed to a (6SiO2 B2O3)-tube. In spite of a considerable difference in *hermal expansion coefficients between the tube and cladding materials, a satisfactory seal was obtained.
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~ 1065~40 Detailed Description l. The Figure The Figure shows photodetector diode 10 with electrodes ll and lead wires 12 mounted on insulator 20 ~`~
which is supported by base 30. Borosilicate glass envelope or encapsulation 40 i5 sealed to base 30 and, by ; the claimed method, to optical fiber 50 which terminates at diode 10 a~d is held in place by silicone positioner 21. In one embodiment of the invention, the borosilicate ~10 glass of the envelope contains B2O3, SiO2, and Na2o in a combined amount of at least 90% by weight.
2. Method and Resultin~ y The optical fiber whose surface is a silica containing glass is fed through the orifice at the end of a tubular borosilicate protrusion which closely fits the fiber in the vicinity of the orifice. The inner diameter of the orifice should exceed the diameter of the fiber by a ~ factor of at most 10, and preferably, at most three or ; even less. The softening temperature of the glass of the tubular protrusion is required not to exceed that of the cladding in order to prevent heat damage to the fiber during fusing. Microscopic observation may be helpful in ascertaining central alignment of the fiber through the orifice.
Sealing of the fiber to the tubular protrusion is effected by localized short-duration heating of the end of the tubular protrusion to its softening point to cause the r~m of the orifice to deform until it comes into contact - 3a -~' ., with an~ is fused to the surface of the fiber. Heating by means of infrared laser radiation from a CO2-laser was found to be effective for sealing. If a single directional heat source such as an unmodified laser beam is used, uniformity of the seal may be enhanced by rotating the assembly during heating. Prolonged heating should be avoided, however, to prevent damage to the cladding such as by extensive mixing of the cladding material with the ~ -material of the protrusion because such mixing generally leads to a weakened seal and to optical loss at the point of the seal.
To prevent undue strain at the point of the seal a close match of thermal expansion coefficients of the glasses being fused is desirable. Fiber surface glasses with a thermal expansion coefficient in the range of from 2 x 10 6 to 6 x 10 6 inches per degree centigrade are particularly suited in this respect for sealing to commercially available borosilicate glasses.
While not directly applicable to seal a plastic-sheathed fiber to an encapsulation, the claimed method can ~ be adapted for this purpose by splicing the sheathed fiber - to a so-called pigtail, i.e., a short section of an unsheathed fiber whose surface is of a suitable glass. In order to maintain continuity in light gathering ability between the fiber and the pigtail, care has to be taken in the selection of core and cladding materials for the pigtail.
Specifically, materials have to be chosen so as to produce a close match between the numerical aperture of the sheathed fiber and the numerical aperture of the pigtail as discugsed, for example in N.S. Kapany, Fiber Optics, A~ademic Press, 1967, on page 9. For example, a pure - silica core, fluorinated polymer sheathed fiber has a numerical aperture of 0.58. To match this numerical aperture in a borosilicate clad fiber whose cladding has a refractive index of 1.448, a core material with a refractive index of at least 1.57 has to be chosen. By applying the claimed method to make a seal between the pigtail and the glass body the plastic-sheathed optical fiber is effectively connected to the encapsulation. The foregoing procedure is important because plastic-sheathed fibers are particularly suited for the transmission of light emitted by a light emitting diode. This suitability is specifically based on the large difference of refractive index between a glass core and a plastic coating, a fact which allows such fibers to efficiently gather and guide light emitted in a broad angular range.
Due to reliance on a silica containing fiber surface glass on the one hand and independence of the internal structure of the fiber on the other, the claimed method is applicable to a great variety of light guiding structures in addition to the pure silica core and germania doped silica core fibers mentioned above. The method is equally applicable with fibers whose core is doped with substances such as the oxides of germanium, sodium, phos-phorus, lead, lanthanum, calcium, tantalum, tin, niobium, zirconium, aluminum and titanium as well as with fibers with doped claddings. The silica containing surface glass may contain substantial amounts of B2O3 and preferably in a combined amount of at most 10 percent by weight, substances such as the oxides of lead, bismuth, phosphorus, germanium, 3C aluminum, or magnesium as may be present as impurities or as added, e.g., to enhance workability or lower the refractive index of the surface glass.
-- 10~5140 While an essentially tubular shape of the - encapsulation is called for in the vicinity of the orifice to be sealed, the shape of the protrusion away from the vicinity of the orifice and the overall shape of the encapsulation are not restricted by this requirement.
Similarly, the composition of the encapsulation away from -the orifice may vary from the borosilicate composition at the orifice and may be partly composed of non-glassy substances such as metals. ' -3. Examples . .
Example 1 A silica-core, (3SiO2-B2O3)-clad fiber was sealed to commercially available borosilicate glass by exposing the orifice to 5 watt CO2-laser radiation for ten seconds.
No appreciable optical loss was introduced into the fiber by making this seal.
Example 2 A pure silica-clad fiber was sealed to a (6SiO2 B2O3)-tube. In spite of a considerable difference in *hermal expansion coefficients between the tube and cladding materials, a satisfactory seal was obtained.
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J~
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Claims (10)
1. A method for making a seal between a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice of said envelope characterized in that (1) said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, (2) said envelope, at least in the vicinity of said orifice, consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, (3) said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope which at least in the vicinity of said orifice closely fits said fiber, and (4) said seal is made by heating the rim of said orifice to the softening temperature of said borosilicate glass whereby said rim is deformed and fused to the surface of said fiber.
2. Method of claim 1 in which the ratio between the inner diameter of said orifice and the diameter of said fiber is less than or equal to 3:1.
3. Method of claim 1 in which heating is carried out by laser irradiation.
4. Method of claim 1 in which said borosilicate glass of said protrusion contains B2O3, SiO2, and Na2O
in a combined amount of at least 90 percent by weight.
in a combined amount of at least 90 percent by weight.
5. Method of claim 1 in which the core of said fiber consists essentially of silica doped with a dopant selected from the group consisting of TiO2, GeO2, P2O5, PbO, La2O3, CaO, Na2O, Ta2O5, SnO, Nb2O5, ZrO2, and Al2O3
6. Method of claim 1 in which said protrusion at least in the vicinity of said orifice has a thermal expansion coefficient in the range of from 2 x 10-6 to 6 x 10-6 inches per degree centigrade.
7. Article comprising a device envelope and an optical fiber leading through an orifice in said envelope characterized in that (1) said fiber has a silica containing glass surface, (2) said envelope at least in the vicinity of said orifice consists of a borosilicate glass whose softening temperature is less than or equal to the softening temperature of said silica containing glass, (3) said orifice is located at the end of a protrusion of said envelope and (4) the surface of said fiber is fused to the rim of said orifice.
8. Article of claim 7 in which said borosilicate glass of said protrusion contains B2O3, SiO2 and Na2O in a combined amount of at least 90 percent by weight.
9, Article of claim 7 in which the core of said fiber consists essentially of silica doped with a dopant selected from the group consisting of TiO2, GeO2, P2O5, PbO, La2O3, CaO, Na2O, Ta2O5, SnO, Nb2O5, ZrO2, and Al2O3.
10. Article of claim 7 in which said protrusion at least in the vicinity of said orifice has a thermal expansion coefficient in the range of from 2 x 10-6 to 6 x 10-6 inches per degree centigrade.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US58387775A | 1975-06-05 | 1975-06-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1065140A true CA1065140A (en) | 1979-10-30 |
Family
ID=24334959
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA252,709A Expired CA1065140A (en) | 1975-06-05 | 1976-05-17 | Method for sealing optical fibers to device encapsulations |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS524852A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1065140A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2624919A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2313688A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5229749A (en) * | 1975-09-02 | 1977-03-05 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Optical equipment and its manufacturing process |
| JPS5446433A (en) * | 1977-09-21 | 1979-04-12 | Toshiba Corp | Conversational unit to controller |
| US4457582A (en) * | 1977-12-23 | 1984-07-03 | Elliott Brothers (London) Limited | Fibre optic terminals for use with bidirectional optical fibres |
| US4186994A (en) * | 1978-04-21 | 1980-02-05 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Arrangement for coupling between an electrooptic device and an optical fiber |
| US4240090A (en) * | 1978-06-14 | 1980-12-16 | Rca Corporation | Electroluminescent semiconductor device with fiber-optic face plate |
| FR2446497A1 (en) * | 1979-01-09 | 1980-08-08 | Thomson Csf | Opto-electronic coupling head - mounted in transistor type housing for accurate orientation w.r.t. fibre=optic cable |
| FR2448727A1 (en) * | 1979-02-08 | 1980-09-05 | Thomson Csf | OPTO-ELECTRONIC COUPLING HEAD |
| US4296998A (en) * | 1979-12-17 | 1981-10-27 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Encapsulated light source with coupled fiberguide |
| EP0053483B1 (en) * | 1980-11-28 | 1985-10-02 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Method for manufacturing a module for a fiber optic link |
| CN104345405B (en) * | 2013-08-08 | 2016-08-03 | 深圳市物联光通创新科技发展有限公司 | The encapsulating structure of plastic fiber communication photoelectric conversion chip |
-
1976
- 1976-05-17 CA CA252,709A patent/CA1065140A/en not_active Expired
- 1976-06-03 DE DE19762624919 patent/DE2624919A1/en active Pending
- 1976-06-04 FR FR7617060A patent/FR2313688A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1976-06-04 JP JP51064709A patent/JPS524852A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS524852A (en) | 1977-01-14 |
| FR2313688A1 (en) | 1976-12-31 |
| DE2624919A1 (en) | 1976-12-16 |
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