EP0198030A1 - Agencement d'alignement lateral de guide d'ondes optique - Google Patents

Agencement d'alignement lateral de guide d'ondes optique

Info

Publication number
EP0198030A1
EP0198030A1 EP19850905254 EP85905254A EP0198030A1 EP 0198030 A1 EP0198030 A1 EP 0198030A1 EP 19850905254 EP19850905254 EP 19850905254 EP 85905254 A EP85905254 A EP 85905254A EP 0198030 A1 EP0198030 A1 EP 0198030A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
alignment
substrate
optical
optical communication
width
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.)
Ceased
Application number
EP19850905254
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Edmond Joseph Murphy
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
AT&T Corp
Original Assignee
American Telephone and Telegraph Co Inc
AT&T Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by American Telephone and Telegraph Co Inc, AT&T Corp filed Critical American Telephone and Telegraph Co Inc
Publication of EP0198030A1 publication Critical patent/EP0198030A1/fr
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
    • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
    • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
    • G02B6/3873—Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends, e.g. tubes, sleeves, V-grooves, rods, pins, balls
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/28—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals
    • G02B6/2804—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers
    • G02B6/2821—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals
    • G02B6/2826—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals using mechanical machining means for shaping of the couplers, e.g. grinding or polishing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/30—Optical coupling means for use between fibre and thin-film device
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
    • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
    • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
    • G02B6/3833—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture
    • G02B6/3834—Means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule
    • G02B6/3838—Means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule using grooves for light guides
    • G02B6/3839—Means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule using grooves for light guides for a plurality of light guides

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an optical waveguide lateral alignment technique and, more particularly, to an interlocking ridge and groove technique which is utilized to join together a pair of substrates and prevent motion in the lateral direction.
  • This alignment technique is applicable to coupling a substrate containing waveguides to one containing fibers, as well as waveguide-to-waveguide coupling.
  • the Sheem technique utilizes a two-dimensional, intersecting groove pattern formed in a silicon substrate wherein a groove in one direction is deeper than the corresponding intersecting groove, and an alignment fiber rests in the deeper groove.
  • the shallow groove accommodates an optical fiber sized to contact the alignment fiber.
  • the alignment fiber is tapered so that as it slides along the groove, it raises or lowers the optical fiber to a level which yields maximum optical transmission. This alignment technique becomes extremely time consuming when a large array of optical fibers must be individually aligned.
  • the present invention relates to an optical waveguide lateral alignment technique and, more particularly, to an interlocking groove and ridge alignment technique which is utilized to join together a pair of optical substrates and prevent motion in the lateral direction.
  • This alignment technique is applicable to coupling a substrate containing optical waveguides to one containing optical fibers, as well as coupling a pair of substrates which both contain optical waveguides.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the coupling arrangement of the present invention for coupling an array of optical fibers to an array of waveguides
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a waveguide substrate including alignment ridges formed in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a silicon chip for holding a fiber array including alignment grooves formed in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 4 illustrates in a cut-away view an optical fiber-to-waveguide coupler utilizing the alignment ridges and grooves of the present invention as illustrates in FIGS. 2 and 3;
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention for providing waveguide-to-waveguide coupling.
  • the present invention relates to such an automatic alignment arrangement which relies an a novel interlocking ridge and groove structure between a pair of optical substrates to automatically align the two pieces in the lateral direction.
  • the present technique is equally applicable to single mode and multimode guided wave devices in glass, lithium niobate ( i b ⁇ 3) and various semiconductor or other materials.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary waveguide-to- - 4 -
  • a waveguide substrate 10 is shown in phantom is FIG. 1, and is illustrated in detail in FIG. 2.
  • Substrate 10 may comprise any suitable material, for example LiNb ⁇ 3 , which is compatible with optical transmission systems.
  • a plurality of waveguides 12 are included in substrate 10, where waveguides 12 may be formed by diffusing titanium into the lithium niobate.
  • a chip 14 for example, a silicon chip, is designed to hold a plurality of optical fibers 16 in a plurality of corresponding v-grooves 18. Although silicon is a preferred material, other appropriate materials may be utilized to hold fiber array 16.
  • a cover plate 20 is disposed over silicon chip 14 so as to
  • the described alignment configuration is equally applicable in multimode and single mode transmission systems.
  • the principle of this alignment arrangement can be demonstrated by defining a set of coordinates as shown in FIG. 2.
  • the x and y coordinates are defined in the plane of a top surface 28 of waveguide substrate 10, with the y-axis along the length of the plurality of waveguides 12 and the x-axis across the width of substrate 10.
  • the z- axis is perpendicular to this plane and ⁇ ⁇ , ⁇ , and ⁇ are defined as the rotational movements about their respective axes.
  • the y and ⁇ _ positions are completely determined by butting endface 22 of cover plate 20 and the ends of fibers 16 against endface 26 of substrate 10, while z, ⁇ ⁇ and ⁇ are determined by placing silicon chip 14 in contact with top surface 28 of waveguide substrate 10.
  • This active alignment is usually accomplished by monitoring the optical throughput and adjusting the coupling arrangement until maximum optical throughput is - 5 -
  • the present invention provides an alignment arrangement which does not require the constant, active measurement of the optical throughput to achieve alignment in the lateral direction, defined above as the x-axis direction. Instead, a set of grooves and ridges are formed on a pair of substrates to be coupled (the grooves on a first substrate and the ridges on the second, remaining substrate) which interlock when the pair of substrates are brought into contact and prevent any substantial movement in the lateral direction.
  • Waveguide substrate 10, illustrated in FIG. 2 contains a pair of alignment ridges 32 and 34 for use in accordance with the present invention.
  • alignment ridges 32 and 34 may also be formed from titanium to simplify the addition of alignment ridges to the standard manufacturing process.
  • any other material which is capable of adhering to the top surface of substrate 10 may be utilized in practicing the present invention.
  • Si ⁇ 2 has been found to be a preferred material to use in forming alignment ridges.
  • Alignment ridges 32 and 34, as shown in FIG. 2, have a height, denoted H, of approximately one micron and a width, denoted W R , of approximately 10 microns.
  • alignment ridges 32 and 34 may comprise any suitable cross-section, for example, square, triangular, rounded, etc., which will mate with the grooves and prevent motion in the lateral direction.
  • any number of alignment ridges may be utilized in accordance with the present invention, where only a pair of ridges are shown in FIG. 2 for illustrative purposes. For example, it may be desirable to interleave alignment ridges with waveguides. - 6 -
  • alignment ridge 32 is disposed a distance d ⁇ from the left-most waveguide 12r and augment ridge 34 is disposed a distance 2 from the right-most waveguide 12 R .
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a view in perspective of silicon chip 14, including the plurality of v-grooves 18 utilized to hold the plurality of optical fibers 16.
  • Alignment grooves 36 and 38 may be formed by narrowing a pair of the illustrated v-grooves 18 ' from the diameter necessary to hold ' an optical fiber to a diameter approximately equal to the width of alignment ridges 32 and 34, for example, from a diameter of approximately 150 microns to approximately 10 microns.
  • alignment groove 36 is disposed a distance d 2 from the top-most fiber v-groove 18 ⁇ and alignment groove 38 is disposed a distance d 2 from the bottom-most fiber v-groove 18 ⁇ .
  • Alignment grooves 36, 38 have a depth D and width W Q which allow the alignment grooves and ridges to interlock and prevent lateral motion.
  • FIG. 4 contains an alternative view of this embodiment of the present invention, as taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 , which clearly illustrates the interlocking alignment ridge and groove arrangement of the present invention.
  • alignment grooves 36 and 38 have both a depth D and width W capable of accommodating alignment ridges 34 and 32, respectively, without allowing any motion in the lateral direction.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention which is used to align a pair of optical substrates which both contain at least one optical waveguide. In most instances, both substrates will contain an array of optical waveguides.
  • waveguide substrate 10 includes a plurality of waveguides 12 and - 8 -
  • a substrate 140 is illustrated in FIG. 5 which includes a pair of alignment grooves 360 and 380 which mate with alignment ridges 34 and 32 respectively.
  • Substrate 140 may comprise silicon or any other suitable material.
  • Waveguide substrate 100 is similar to substrate 10 previously discussed. That is, waveguide substrate 100 includes a plurality of waveguides 120 which are diffused into a top surface 280 of substrate 100.
  • waveguides 12 of substrate 10 titanium may be used as the diffusion material to create waveguides 120.
  • waveguides 12 and 120 In order to provide complete optical communication between substrate 10 and substrate 100, waveguides 12 and 120 must be identical in number and placement. However, if it is desired to only communicate between selected waveguides, the actual number of waveguides may vary. Full transmission of the optical signal between waveguides 12 and 120 is achieved when an endface 26 of substrate 10 is butted against an endface 260 of substrate 100.. In accordance with the present invention, lateral motion between substrate 140 and waveguide substrate 100 is prevented by including alignment ridges on substrate 100 which will interlock with alignment grooves 380 and 360 of substrate 140.
  • substrate 100 includes alignment ridges 320 and 340, which correspond in both size and placement with alignment ridges 32 and 34 substrate 10.
  • alignment ridge 320 is positioned a distance d ⁇ from left-most waveguide 120 L and alignment ridge 340 is positioned a distance d 2 from right-most waveguide 120 R , where both alignment ridges have the height H and the width W R .
  • substrate 100 is not required to have the - 9 -

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)

Abstract

Un agencement permet d'obtenir automatiquement l'aligement latéral d'une paire de substrats optiquement couplés. Une arête d'alignement (32) est formée sur la surface supérieure d'un premier substrat (10), disposée parallèlement à une pluralité de guides d'ondes optiques (12) formés dans le premier substrat. Une rainure correspondante d'alignement (38) est formée dans un deuxième substrat (14) pouvant contenir une pluralités de fibres (16) retenues dans des rainures triangulaires associées (18).
EP19850905254 1984-09-28 1985-09-30 Agencement d'alignement lateral de guide d'ondes optique Ceased EP0198030A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US65563084A 1984-09-28 1984-09-28
US655630 1984-09-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0198030A1 true EP0198030A1 (fr) 1986-10-22

Family

ID=24629702

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19850905254 Ceased EP0198030A1 (fr) 1984-09-28 1985-09-30 Agencement d'alignement lateral de guide d'ondes optique

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0198030A1 (fr)
JP (1) JPS62500471A (fr)
WO (1) WO1986002172A1 (fr)

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GB2191601A (en) * 1986-06-12 1987-12-16 Gen Electric Co Plc Alignment of arrays of optical waveguides
US4778243A (en) * 1986-12-08 1988-10-18 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Connector element for a light waveguide
FR2612301B1 (fr) * 1987-03-12 1991-08-23 Corning Glass Works Composant optique integre et sa fabrication
US4796975A (en) * 1987-05-14 1989-01-10 Amphenol Corporation Method of aligning and attaching optical fibers to substrate optical waveguides and substrate optical waveguide having fibers attached thereto
GB2208943B (en) * 1987-08-19 1991-07-31 Plessey Co Plc Alignment of fibre arrays
DE3728053A1 (de) * 1987-08-20 1989-03-02 Siemens Ag Loesbarer mehrfach-spleissverbinder fuer lichtwellenleiter
US4789214A (en) * 1987-09-21 1988-12-06 Tacan Corporation Micro-optical building block system and method of making same
GB8827242D0 (en) * 1988-11-22 1988-12-29 Plessey Co Plc Optical coupling of optical fibres & optical devices
JP2773990B2 (ja) * 1991-04-15 1998-07-09 日本碍子株式会社 光導波路基板と光ファイバ整列用基板との結合体の製造方法
SE500945C2 (sv) * 1992-05-19 1994-10-03 Stiftelsen Inst Foer Mikroelek Skarvdon för ljusfibrer
EP0721122A1 (fr) * 1994-12-07 1996-07-10 AT&T Corp. Dispositifs et procédés pour interconnecter des réseaux de guides de transmission optiques
US5611014A (en) * 1994-12-07 1997-03-11 Lucent Technologies Inc. Optoelectronic device connecting techniques
SE512121C2 (sv) 1995-12-19 2000-01-31 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Förfarande för att passivt upplinjera ett vågledardon på ett substrat
US5703973A (en) * 1996-03-29 1997-12-30 Lucent Technologies Inc. Optical integrated circuit having passively aligned fibers and method using same
KR19990061766A (ko) * 1997-12-31 1999-07-26 윤종용 광섬유 및 광도파로 소자 접속 구조
SE513858C2 (sv) 1998-03-06 2000-11-13 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Flerskiktsstruktur samt förfarande för att tillverka flerskiktsmoduler
JP3850569B2 (ja) * 1998-12-09 2006-11-29 富士通株式会社 フェルールアセンブリ及び光モジュール
EP1168011A1 (fr) * 2000-06-21 2002-01-02 Corning Incorporated Alignement hybride de composants optiques utilisant des substrats calibrés
GB2374156A (en) * 2001-04-02 2002-10-09 Kamelian Ltd Aligning array of optical fibres with waveguides of optical device
WO2002082149A1 (fr) 2001-04-02 2002-10-17 Kamelian Limited Alignement de fibres optiques avec un dispositif optique
GB2379748B (en) * 2001-06-22 2003-09-10 Bookham Technology Plc An optical chip with an optically conductive element
WO2018225820A1 (fr) 2017-06-07 2018-12-13 日本電信電話株式会社 Structure de connexion pour puce de guide d'ondes optique
JP7222136B2 (ja) * 2019-01-24 2023-02-14 京セラ株式会社 光コネクタモジュール及び光導波路基板の製造方法
JP7138056B2 (ja) * 2019-01-24 2022-09-15 京セラ株式会社 光コネクタモジュール及び光導波路基板の製造方法

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US4511207A (en) * 1981-11-19 1985-04-16 The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University Fiber optic data distributor
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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS62500471A (ja) 1987-02-26
WO1986002172A1 (fr) 1986-04-10

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Inventor name: MURPHY, EDMOND, JOSEPH