JP2001330760A - Active optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compactly structured active optical connector having electric connecting terminals and an optical transmission line, with which electric/optic conversion is performed by connecting a signal from an electric connector to a light emitting element and with which optic/electric conversion is performed by coupling an optical signal from the optical transmission line with a light receiving element. SOLUTION: In the active optical connector, an optical waveguide 108, which is formed in a photonic crystal structure 103, is arranged adjacently to a mutual electric/optic converting element 102, and perform optical coupling between the mutual electric/optic converting element 102 and a waveguide medium 105 for optical transmission.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical wiring device comprising modules, cables, connectors and the like for transmitting signals such as clocks and management control, and for transmitting data such as processors, memories and graphics. In particular, an active optical connector using a multi-dimensional refractive index periodic structure, ie, a photonic structure, which performs connection by electricity, performs transmission by light, and has a period equal to or less than the optical wavelength (light is emitted to connectors at both ends of an optical transmission medium). Element and / or a light receiving element and a circuit associated therewith).

[0002] A dielectric multilayer film having a refractive index period equal to or less than the light wavelength has excellent characteristics as a mirror. Such a structure is regarded as a one-dimensional photonic structure. On the other hand, a structure having a refractive index period equal to or smaller than the light wavelength in the biaxial or triaxial directions is called a two-dimensional or three-dimensional photonic structure. Since the propagation of light waves of a specific wavelength determined by the refractive index and the period is prohibited inside these structures, application to optical functional devices such as waveguides and filters is expected. This forbidden band is called a photonic band gap.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electric wiring is exclusively used as a wiring device for interconnecting mounting boards such as a circuit board and a multi-chip module. However, the components mounted on the mounting board, especially the processor, clock oscillator,
Signal transmissions from and / or to graphics LSIs, memories, etc., deal with high-speed, wide-band signals, which poses various restrictions and problems in implementation. For example, there are the following restrictions and problems.

(1) Delay in signal transmission In electric wiring, signal propagation is delayed by a time constant determined by the product of stray capacitance and resistance. With the increase in the bandwidth of transmitted information, the frequency of signals has been increased, and signal delay between wirings has become a major problem.

(2) Transmission Distance Limitation Transmission loss cannot be increased because transmission loss increases with higher frequencies.

(3) The problem of electromagnetic radiation As the clock frequency becomes higher, electromagnetic radiation from the wiring is more likely to occur. If it is a digital signal, its harmonics also cause electromagnetic radiation. For this reason, noise, signal deterioration, and electromagnetic interference to the outside are likely to occur.

(4) The problem of power consumption The wiring capacity is increased by increasing the wiring distance and increasing the clock frequency.
The charge / discharge energy of (the stray capacitance of the line or the bonding pad) has increased, and this has become a situation where power consumption is dominant.

(5) Problem of Wiring Volume / Weight For the purpose of impedance matching and electromagnetic confinement, it is necessary to devise wiring such as twisted wires and twisted pairs. Also, with the increase in the number of wirings, the number of mountings and cables is increasing and complicated. Regarding the electric wiring, a method for transmitting a differential signal having a small amplitude through a shield line has been developed to solve the above-mentioned limitations and problems, and transmission of about 1 Gbps is possible.
However, the range of use is limited due to the expensive interface ICs and cables, and further higher speeds are extremely difficult.

The problems mentioned in the above (1) to (5) are as follows.
With the increasing speed of information and the complexity of processing, it will become even more serious in the future. Therefore, the problem cannot be completely solved as long as transmission is performed by electric signals.

[0010]

When light is used as the transmission means, the above-mentioned problems are substantially improved. It is for the following reasons.

(1) Low-loss and wide-band characteristics Although an optical line has a propagation loss due to absorption, reflection and scattering, it has different transmission characteristics from an electric line in which impedance must be considered. Although there is a trade-off between transmission distance and transmission frequency, all optical lines are superior to electric lines.

(2) Electromagnetic interference resistance Light does not generate electromagnetic induction. No electromagnetic radiation occurs. Suitable for use under severe conditions of electromagnetic environment.

(3) Necessity of grounding Photons have no charge and do not need to charge the wiring capacitance. There is no propagation delay due to the time constant determined by the wiring resistance and capacitance.
There is no power consumption associated with charging and discharging the line.

(4) Compact and lightweight The dielectric or polymer material constituting the optical line is copper,
Lighter than electrical wiring materials such as gold and aluminum. Even with the same cable, the optical fiber is so small and light that it is incomparable to an electrical cable.

Conventionally, modules for forming single wires or arrays using optical fibers as serial interfaces or parallel interfaces have been developed for optical transmission. However, optical connection between an optical connector composed of an optical fiber or an optical waveguide and a light emitting / receiving element mounted on a substrate or a device side requires high precision and high robustness, resulting in high cost and deterioration of attachment / detachment. was there.

The above problem can be solved by integrating an electro-optical mutual conversion element on the line connector side and making the connector terminals electrically connectable. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-80360, an electric signal from an electric connector or the like is connected to an optical modulator to which light of a CW oscillation semiconductor laser (LD) is guided and converted into an optical signal. Conversely, the optical signal is converted to a photodetector (PD).
And is converted into an electric signal to an electric connector or the like via an amplifier. However, since the light emitted from the LD is introduced into the optical waveguide leading to the optical modulator, it is necessary to couple the light to the end face of the optical waveguide, and it is difficult to align the laser light source with the end face of the optical waveguide and to stabilize the position. , Leading to an increase in size. Further, there is a problem that the device itself becomes large due to an optical branching path for branching the laser emission light and introducing it into the optical modulator.

In the 1996 IEICE Electronics Society Conference, lecture number SC-5-1, LE
An active optical connector mounting a D submodule, a PD submodule, a transmission circuit, and a reception circuit is disclosed. However, fiber optic connectors in the connector,
It is a form in which an electrical connector and each submodule are mounted, and miniaturization, high speed, low power consumption, and the like are limited by the performance of each component.

Regarding the structure for connecting the surface-in / out-out type electro-optical mutual conversion element and the optical fiber, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-223985 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-300961 discloses an oblique reflecting mirror at the exit end of the optical fiber. It is formed to achieve vertical optical path conversion. However, it was necessary to cut the optical connection waveguide or the end of the optical fiber at an angle of 45 degrees, which was difficult in terms of economy, connectivity, and reliability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The purpose is a wiring device having an optical transmission line, in which a signal from an electric connector is connected to a light emitting element to convert from electricity to light, and an optical signal from the optical transmission line is coupled to a light receiving element. It is an object of the present invention to provide an active optical connector having an electric connection terminal and an optical transmission line, which converts light into electricity.

[0020]

According to the present invention, an optical waveguide formed in a photonic crystal structure is disposed adjacent to an electro-optical conversion element. The optical waveguide optically connects the electro-optical mutual conversion element and the optical transmission waveguide medium.

In the active optical connector according to the present invention, (1) the structure is such that a circuit board or a multi-chip module can be connected via an electrical connector, so that it is easy to attach and detach, and (2) the structure is compact. Because of this, mounting space on boards, modules, etc. can be reduced, (3) compatibility with any electrical connector can be provided, and (4) simple structure allows easy manufacture and control. (5) Low cost because it is easy to fabricate, (6) High-speed broadband wiring is possible,
(7) It has a feature of high resistance to electromagnetic environment.

Based on the above basic configuration, the following:
More specific forms are possible. The optical waveguide formed in the photonic crystal structure is formed by bending the light emitted from the light emitting element, which is one of the electro-optical interconversion elements, in a right angle direction or an angle direction. A mode may be adopted in which the light is guided into a medium and the light propagating in the waveguide medium for optical transmission is bent in a right angle direction or an angle direction so as to be incident on a light receiving element which is one of the electro-optical mutual conversion elements. In this case, since the optical waveguide can adopt a configuration in which the optical path is sharply bent with little light loss, the configuration can be made compact.

The optical waveguide is formed by providing a refractive index region different from the surroundings in a part of a three-dimensional periodic refractive index structure, or a two-dimensional periodic array having a defect part in a part. It is formed by laminating spherical structures, or by laminating periodic microsphere structures having a defect part in a part formed by using a mold composed of two-dimensional periodic microsphere structures. I do.

[0024] An electrical terminal which is a connector terminal connected to the electro-optical mutual conversion element and connected to the outside may be further provided, and the optical transmission waveguide medium may be an optical fiber which is a transmission cable.

The electro-optical mutual conversion element may be a surface emitting laser which is a light emitting element, or a surface light receiving type photodetector which is a light receiving element.

A light emitting element driving circuit is provided adjacent to or integrated with the light emitting element of the electro-optical mutual converting element, or a light receiving element driving circuit is adjacent or integrated with the light receiving element of the electro optical inter converting element. May be provided.

Active optical connectors are typically dedicated to transmitting clock signals, management control signals, and multiple data.

One end of an optical fiber formed in the photonic crystal structure is connected to one end of an optical fiber serving as the optical transmission waveguide medium, and the other end of the optical waveguide is the electro-optical mutual conversion element. A light emitting element is disposed adjacent to the optical fiber, which is the optical transmission waveguide medium, and the other end of the optical waveguide formed in the photonic crystal structure is connected to the other end of the optical fiber. A light-receiving element, which is an electro-optical mutual conversion element, may be arranged adjacently, and the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element may be optically connected via the optical fiber.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining a first embodiment of an optical connection structure constituting an active optical connector according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a photonic crystal waveguide structure 103 composed of a three-dimensional periodic refractive index structure is bonded onto a surface emitting laser 102 which is one of electro-optical conversion elements mounted on a Si substrate 101. Have been. Similarly, on the Si substrate 101, an optical fiber arrayed in a V-groove 104 for fixing the optical fiber.
105 is mounted with its end face close to the photonic crystal waveguide structure 103. Photonic crystal waveguide structure 103
1, a photonic crystal defect 108 is formed so as to guide light from a surface emitting laser emission window 106 to an optical fiber core 107 for connection. In the illustrated example, a portion where one or several rows of microspheres are missing in each layer continues in the stacking direction to form a waveguide for the photonic crystal defect 108.

The light emitted from the surface emitting laser 102 has its optical path changed from the vertical direction to the in-plane direction along the photonic crystal defect 108 and enters the optical fiber 105. When the surface emitting laser 102 is replaced with a surface light receiving element, a structure is obtained in which light from the optical fiber 105 can be detected by the surface light receiving element.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an active optical connector using the photonic crystal waveguide structure. In FIG. 2, a surface emitting laser 201 (four arrays in the illustrated example) is mounted on a Si substrate 202. On the Si substrate 202, a photodetector 203 (four arrays in the illustrated example), a laser driving circuit 204, and a photodetection amplification circuit 205 are further integrated. The Si substrate 202 is mounted on the package 206 by solder plating.

Surface emitting laser 201 and photodetector 203
A photonic crystal waveguide structure 207 is bonded from above. In contact with the photonic crystal waveguide structure 207, a V groove array 208 made of Si is formed on the Si substrate 202. The optical fibers 209 (four in the illustrated example are connected to the surface-emitting laser 201 and four are connected to the photodetector 203) are arranged in a V-groove array 208 made of the Si, and the end face thereof is a photonic crystal. It is mounted so as to be coupled to each waveguide composed of photonic crystal defects in the waveguide structure 207.

At the outer end of the package 206 on which the Si substrate 202 is mounted, a plug row 210 wire-bonded to an input terminal to the laser drive circuit 204 and an output terminal from the photodetection amplification circuit 205 is formed. The plug array 210 also includes terminals for supplying power to the laser drive circuit 204 and the photodetection amplifier circuit 205. The left and right sides of FIG. 2 have a paired structure such that the surface emitting laser 201 and the photodetector 203 are connected by each optical fiber 209.

The above elements are fixed to a package as shown in FIG. 3 to form a plug connector 301. The active optical connector 302 thus manufactured is used for connection between a circuit board or a multi-chip module 304 on which the receptacle connector 303 is mounted.

The surface emitting laser 201 has a vertical cavity structure as shown in FIG. That is, the multilayer reflective films 402 and 404 having high reflectivity (usually 99% or more) are formed so as to sandwich the active layer 403. As is well known, due to this structure, in the surface emitting laser 201, of the light generated in the active layer 403, the light of the wavelength resonated by the multilayer reflection films 402 and 404 is amplified and leads to oscillation, Emitting light 409 results.

As shown in FIG. 4, the surface emitting laser according to the present embodiment has an n-AlAs / AlGaAs 30
A multi-layer reflective film 402 composed of a pair, an active layer 403 composed of a GaAs / AlGaAs multiple quantum well sandwiched between AlGaAs spacers, p-Al
A multilayer reflective film 404 composed of 20 pairs of As / A1GaAs is formed by one epitaxial growth. In the present embodiment, Fabry-Perot determined by the photoluminescence wavelength determined by the active layer 403, the reflection wavelength band of the multilayer reflective films 402 and 404, and the interval between the multilayer reflective films 402 and 404 so that the oscillation wavelength becomes 830 nm. It controls the etalon wavelength.

The uppermost portion of the p-side multilayer reflective film 404 is made of p-GaAs in order to improve conduction with the electrodes. Furthermore, etching is performed vertically to the lower portion of the active layer 403 in a donut shape having an inner diameter of 10 μm-φ and an outer diameter of 40 μm-φ by a reactive ion etching method or the like. Then, after Kubira allowed the active layer 403 by selective wet etching, the insulation at the SiN _x film 405
Is formed, a buried layer 406 made of polyimide is formed, and a p-electrode pattern 407 is formed. Further, after forming an n-electrode 408 on the back surface of the thinned n-GaAs substrate 401, alloying is performed and the p-electrode 407 and the n-electrode 408 and GaAs are formed.
Ohmic contact with the s layer has been obtained.

The photonic crystal waveguide structure 207 is manufactured as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, first, a suspension containing microspheres 501 made of a metal or the like having a particle size smaller than the light wavelength serving as a master is left on an inclined glass substrate 502. By the action of the surface tension of the suspension, the evaporation phenomenon, and the force between the particles, the microspheres 501 form a periodic dense structure in a self-organizing manner (FIG. 5 (a)). The microspheres 501 arranged as described above, which are arranged in a plane, are used as a master to perform patterning.

First, the microsphere 501 serving as the master is subjected to metal plating to perform molding. Subsequently, the master 501 and the mold substrate 503 made of a plated body are peeled off to form a mold (FIG. 5).
(b)). The two molds 503 and 504 produced as described above are bonded face to face, the gap is filled with an ultraviolet curable resin, prebaked, and then the mold 504 on one side is peeled off.
(FIG. 5 (c)). Periodic microsphere 50 made of ultraviolet curable resin
The ultraviolet irradiation 507 of the waveguide pattern to come to each layer is performed by each photomask 506 so that the three-dimensional waveguide structure 207 is formed by laminating 5 (FIG. 5D). That is,
Irradiation with ultraviolet rays is performed so that the resin in the portion that becomes the waveguide core is not cured. In this way, development is performed with the mold 503 attached, thereby forming a two-dimensional periodic microsphere 508 in which only a portion to be a desired waveguide core is removed. The two-dimensional periodic microspheres 508 are pressed against the support substrate 509 and transferred from the mold 503 (FIG. 5).
(e)). The above steps are sequentially performed, and the two-dimensional periodic microspheres 508 are stacked (FIG. 5F). Support substrates 509, 51 from top to bottom
Defect row (optical waveguide) in three dimensions by sandwiching at 0
Is formed (FIG. 5G).

In the electroplating for forming the mold substrate 503, the thickness of the plating layer can be easily controlled by controlling the plating time and the plating temperature. The main plating metals are Ni, Au, Pt, Cr, Cu, Ag, Zn
As alloys, there are Cu-Zn, Sn-Co, Ni-Fe, Zn-Ni, etc., but any other material that can be electroplated can be used. Further, dispersion plating by adding a dispersing particles such as _{A1 2 0 3, Ti0 2,} PTFE in plating bath can also be utilized. A mold is formed on the substrate 503 having the periodic hemispherical plating layer formed as described above. As a method of forming a mold, a method in which a liquid in which a mold material (resin, glass, or the like) is melted or dissolved is applied to a substrate having a periodic hemispherical plating layer facing each other, and then cured. At this time, a material that improves the releasability between the mold material and the plating layer is selected as each material. By peeling off, a mold 505 composed of periodic microspheres can be formed.

As another method for peeling, there is the following method for introducing a sacrificial layer. The mold substrate is formed by electroplating. For that purpose, a sacrificial layer is formed on the periodic microsphere substrate 501. Next, a mold electrode layer for electroplating is formed. Using this mold electrode layer as a cathode, electroplating is performed in a plating solution containing metal ions to form a mold. Thereafter, the sacrificial layer is removed by etching, and the mold having the mold electrode layer and the periodic microsphere substrate 501 can be separated. Next, the mold substrate 503 can be formed by etching away the mold electrode layer.

The above photonic crystal waveguide structure 207
Since no microspheres are formed in the region serving as the waveguide core, light propagates along the defect region. The defect region 108 is bent in a vertical plane so as to connect the electro-optical mutual conversion element and the optical fiber (see FIG. 1). The photonic crystal waveguide structure 207 formed as described above
Is mounted on the surface emitting laser 201.

The same applies to the configuration on the optical receiving side. As shown schematically in FIG. 6, the light 602 that has propagated through the optical fiber 601 is introduced into the photonic crystal waveguide structure 603, the direction is changed vertically downward, and detected by the light absorption layer 605 of the photodetector 604. Is done.

With the above configuration, even if an optical fiber is surface-mounted on a Si substrate on which an electro-optical interconversion element is mounted in the same manner as the element, the light of the surface emitting laser emitted in the vertical direction of the substrate is not changed. It is possible to efficiently couple to the fiber. Similarly, light propagating through the optical fiber is detected by the surface incident type photodetector. Therefore, it is possible to configure a very small and highly reliable wiring device that can transmit light by using light even though the connection terminal is a general electric terminal, and freely transmit signals and data between boards and modules. Can be.

(Second Embodiment) Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

In the active optical connector, as shown in FIG. 7, a V-groove 702 made of Si for positioning and fixing an optical fiber 707 on a ceramic substrate 701, an electro-optical mutual conversion element 708 for changing the light propagation direction. A Si substrate 704 supporting a photonic crystal waveguide structure 703 for efficiently connecting the optical fiber 707 to the optical fiber 707 is mounted. As for the photonic crystal waveguide structure 703 on the Si substrate 704, first, a PSG (phosphorus silica glass) layer 705 is formed as a buffer layer (protective layer) on the Si substrate 704, and then microspheres are once arranged. It is produced by sequentially laminating microsphere layers produced from a mold for molding formed from a product. As described in the first embodiment, the defect forming the waveguide core 709 is realized by not forming a microsphere at a stage of forming a microsphere layer from a mold. Also on the top of the laminated microsphere layer
A PSG buffer layer 706 is formed.

The arrangement period of the microspheres is such that a photonic band gap is formed such that light propagation is prohibited in directions other than the propagation direction of the waveguide core 709. Its period is the effective refractive index n _0, the propagation wavelength lambda, a schematic λ / (2 n ₀₎ degree. This is the same in other embodiments. A drive IC chip for a surface emitting laser and an amplifier for a photodetector are formed on a ceramic substrate 701 on which the above elements are formed.
IC chip is mounted.

The optical fiber 707 and the photoelectric conversion chip are optically connected by the photonic crystal waveguide structure 703. That is, as shown in FIG.
Due to the defect structure 709 formed in the photonic crystal waveguide structure 703 immediately below the photodetector 8 (not shown) and the photodetector (not shown), the light propagation is bent from the in-plane direction to the vertical direction or vice versa. An optical signal from the surface emitting laser 708 is guided to an optical fiber 707 and transmitted through the optical fiber 707 as schematically shown by reference numeral 710.

The surface emitting laser 708 has a conductive layer on a Si substrate 711.
712, mounted via a solder plating layer 713 (which is conductive). Si substrate 711, conductive layer 712, solder plating layer 713,
An opening is formed for light input / output so that optical coupling with the optical fiber 707 can be performed. The light receiving element is formed of Si or GaAs when the wavelength of the light emitting element is in the 0.8 μm band. If it is designed in the 1.3 μm band or 1.55 μm band, which is the Si transmission wavelength, there is no need to open an opening in the Si substrate 711. Implement on top.

Subsequently, the surface emitting laser 708 is mounted on the photonic crystal waveguide structure 703 via an adhesive 714 (for example, epoxy) (the adhesive layer and the buffer layer are the same as those of the first embodiment). It is also used for bonding between the electro-optical mutual conversion element and the electro-optical mutual conversion element and the photonic crystal waveguide structure 103).

FIG. 8 shows an overview of the use of the active optical connector 801 described with reference to FIG. Plug connector with photoelectric conversion chip mounted
803 is electrically connected to a receptacle connector 804 on the board. Various mounted components 805 such as a processor, a memory, and a graphic LSI are mounted on the multilayer circuit board 802. High-speed signals and data are transmitted by light on the optical transmission path 806 through an electro-optical mutual conversion element such as a surface emitting laser and a photodetector. Even in the case of a low-frequency digital signal or the like, it is preferable to transmit the digital signal through an optical transmission line because its harmonics easily generate electromagnetic noise.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

A surface emitting laser 901 and a photodetector 902 having a light absorbing layer 912 are formed by crystal growth on the same wafer, and only the front multilayer reflector 903 of every other photodetector has a reflectance. It is etched for the purpose of lowering. The layer configuration is the same as in the first embodiment. On the front multilayer reflection film 903, a p-GaAs layer serving as a contact layer is also crystal-grown.
Further, a contact electrode 904 is deposited. However, in FIG. 9, the n-GaAs wafer side (the rear multilayer film reflecting mirror 911 side) is omitted.

On the photonic crystal waveguide structures 905 and 906, a conductive layer (for example, Au / Ni / Cu multilayer thin film) 907 is formed at a position where the surface emitting laser 901 and the photodetector 902 are mounted. Have been. Furthermore, a solder plating layer (for example, A
A u / Sn eutectic solder 908 is formed.

The fabricated surface emitting laser 901 and photodetector 902
The p-electrode 904 side is mounted on the conductive layer 907 on the optical waveguide structures 905 and 906 via the solder plating layer 908 with the front side down. In the conductive layer 907 and the solder plating layer 908, light transmitting windows for the surface emitting laser 901 and the photodetector 902 are opened. The photonic crystal waveguide structures 905 and 906 are formed by periodically arranging and stacking microspheres one by one. The defect region is formed three-dimensionally by removing microspheres in each layer. Waveguide cores 909 and 910 each composed of a defect row of a photonic crystal are formed immediately below the surface emitting laser 901 and the photodetector 902, and these are connected to an optical fiber. The waveguide cores 909 and 910 have a structure in which light can be propagated obliquely up and down by making the microspheres obliquely defects.

Since the photodetector 902 has a resonator structure sandwiched between the multilayer reflective films 903 and 911, it has a strong sensitivity to the propagation wavelength. However, since the multilayer reflective film 903 formed on the front surface of the light absorbing layer 912 does not have high reflectance, the bandwidth of the resonance wavelength is relatively wide, and even if the oscillation wavelength of the surface emitting laser fluctuates slightly, its sensitivity is not changed. Has no effect. With the above effect, the light propagated through the photonic crystal waveguide structures 905 and 906 is detected by the light absorption layer 912.

Since the surface emitting laser 901 has an operation current as low as about mA, in this embodiment, light transmission is performed by directly applying signals and data from the buffer CMOS of the mounted component to the surface emitting laser. I have. Furthermore, since the detection sensitivity of the photodetector 902 is improved by virtue of the resonator structure using the multilayer reflective film, reception is performed by detecting a voltage change generated in the photodetector. Therefore, the light emitting element driving circuit and the light receiving element amplifying circuit become unnecessary. Since the electro-optical conversion in the active optical connector is achieved by the surface emitting laser and the photodetector with the resonator, the miniaturization and power saving of the active optical connector can be promoted. FIG. 10 shows an example in which an active optical connector according to the present invention is used for wiring between a board 1001 in a computer, a storage device 1002, and an external device 1003. Generation of electromagnetic radiation noise can be suppressed low.

[0060]

As described above, by using the active optical connector according to the present invention, generation of electromagnetic radiation noise from the transmission line is suppressed, and high-speed signal transmission with low power can be performed regardless of the distance of the transmission line. I can do it. Further, according to the present invention, since an optical transmission medium such as an optical fiber and an electro-optical mutual conversion element are integrated and mounted, and can be easily coupled via a photonic crystal waveguide structure, excellent mass productivity is achieved. A highly efficient active optical connector can be manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a photonic crystal waveguide structure constituting a first embodiment of an active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an application example of an active optical connector according to the present invention to inter-board wiring.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a surface emitting laser constituting an active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a photonic crystal waveguide structure constituting an active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of coupling a light receiving element and an optical fiber in an active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection between a light emitting device and an optical fiber in a second embodiment of the active optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating another example in which the active optical connector according to the present invention is used for wiring a board.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the active optical connector according to the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the coupling between the photonic crystal waveguide structure, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element in the example.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the active optical connector according to the present invention is used for wiring inside and outside the device.

[Explanation of symbols]

101,202,701,704,711 Substrate 102,201,708,901 Surface emitting laser 103,207,603,703,905,906 Photonic crystal waveguide structure 104,208,702 V-groove 105,209,601,707,806 Optical fiber 106 Laser emission window 107 Optical fiber core 108,709,909,910 Photonic crystal defect (waveguide core) 203,604,902 Photodetector 204 Circuit 206 Drive circuit 205 206 210 Plug 301,803 Plug connector 302,801,1001,1002,1003 Active optical connector 303,804 Receptacle connector 304,802 Circuit board 401 Laser board 402,404,903,911 Multilayer reflective film 403 Active layer 405 Insulating film 406 Buried layer 407,408,904 Electrode 409 Emitting light 501 Two-dimensional periodic microsphere master 502 Support substrate 504 type 505 Two-dimensional periodic microsphere 506 Photomask 507 Irradiation light 508 Two-dimensional photonic crystal structure 509,510 Support substrate 511 Three-dimensional photonic crystal structure 602,710 Propagation light 605,912 Light absorption layer 705,706 Protective layer (buffer layer) 712,907 Conductive layer 713,908 solder plating layer 714 an adhesive layer 805 mounted components

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01S 5/026 G02B 6/12 N 5/183 A H01L 31/02 C F-term (Reference) 2H037 AA01 BA02 BA11 BA24 CA36 2H047 KA03 KA12 MA07 QA05 5F073 AA74 AB13 AB14 AB17 AB28 BA01 BA09 CA04 CB02 DA22 DA25 EA14 FA02 FA06 FA27 GA01 GA12 5F088 AA01 EA06 JA14 5F089 AA01 AA06 AC10 AC16

Claims (12)

[Claims] An optical waveguide formed in a photonic crystal structure is disposed adjacent to an electro-optical interconversion element, and the optical waveguide optically connects the electro-optical interconversion element and a waveguide medium for optical transmission. An active optical connector, characterized in that: 2. An optical waveguide formed in said photonic crystal structure, said optical waveguide being formed by bending a light emitted from a light emitting element which is one of said electro-optical interconversion elements in a right angle direction. 2. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the active optical connector is introduced into a medium, and the light propagating in the optical transmission waveguide medium is bent in a right angle direction so as to be incident on a light receiving element which is one of the electro-optical mutual conversion elements. 3. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide is provided with a refractive index region different from the surroundings in a part of the three-dimensional periodic refractive index structure. 4. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein said optical waveguide is formed by laminating two-dimensionally periodically arranged microsphere structures each having a defective portion in a part thereof. 5. The optical waveguide is formed by laminating a periodic microsphere structure having a defect in a part formed by using a mold composed of two-dimensionally periodically arrayed microsphere structures. 4. The active optical connector according to 4. 6. The optical transmission waveguide medium according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical terminal which is a connector terminal connected to the electro-optical mutual conversion element and externally connected, and wherein the optical transmission waveguide medium is an optical fiber which is a transmission cable. The active optical connector according to any one of the above. 7. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element of the electro-optical mutual conversion element is a surface emitting laser. 8. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving element of the electro-optical mutual conversion element is a surface light receiving type photodetector. 9. The active optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a light emitting element driving circuit provided adjacent to or integrated with the light emitting element among the electro-optical mutual conversion elements. 10. The active optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a light-receiving element driving circuit is provided adjacent to or integrated with the light-receiving element in the electro-optical mutual conversion element. 11. The active optical connector according to claim 1, which is used for transmitting a clock signal, a management control signal, and a plurality of data. 12. An optical fiber as the optical transmission waveguide medium, one end of an optical waveguide formed in the photonic crystal structure is connected to one end of the optical fiber, and the electro-optical mutual conversion element is connected to the other end of the optical waveguide. A light emitting element is disposed adjacent to the optical waveguide, and one end of an optical waveguide formed in the photonic crystal structure is connected to the other end of the optical fiber serving as the optical transmission waveguide medium. 2. A light receiving element, which is the electro-optical mutual conversion element, is disposed adjacent to the light emitting element, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element are optically connected via the optical fiber.
2. The active optical connector according to claim 1.