JP2002323644A - Holding clip equipped with position adjustment structure for optical fiber and semiconductor laser module equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position adjustment structure for an optical fiber, with which a holding clip is plastically deformed by a comparatively small force in a narrow space and an operator easily predicts the amount of the plastic deformation. SOLUTION: The structure is provided with two base plates 25 for fixing the structure on a base 3, a holding action part 27 formed between two base plates, and deforming action parts 29 formed between respective base plates and the action part, and stress concentration parts 35 and 37 are formed at the deforming action parts 29. It is preferable that the stress concentration parts are formed at bending parts 31 and 33.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for adjusting a positional relationship between a laser light source and an input end of an optical fiber, and more particularly to a structure of a holding clip for holding an optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The structure of a conventional semiconductor laser module is shown in FIG. The semiconductor laser module 101 is mounted on the base 10.
And a light source pedestal 10 on the upper surface of the base 103.
5, a semiconductor laser light source 107 is provided.
On the other hand, the optical fiber 109 is held by two holding clips 111 and 112 before and after in the longitudinal axis direction, and the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser light source 107 enters from the input end 110 of the optical fiber 109, and The signal is output to the other end side through the inside of the circuit 109. The front and rear holding clips 111 and 112 are holding action portions 114 for holding the optical fiber 109 inside.
And a base plate 113 for fixing the holding clip on the base 103. The base plate 113 is laser-welded to a position indicated by reference numeral 115 on the base plate 113. It is fixed to the table 103.

The front holding clip 111 has relatively high rigidity and holds the optical fiber 109 so as to firmly fix the front end thereof. On the other hand, a deformation action bending portion 118 is formed in the rear holding clip 112, thereby allowing deformation within a certain range while holding the optical fiber 109.

[0004] With such a configuration, the rear holding clip 11 can be rotated around the front holding clip 111 as a rotation center.
By deforming the two sides, the optical output can be adjusted by changing the positional relationship between the input end 110 of the optical fiber 109 and the semiconductor laser light source 107.

[0005]

However, in order to plastically deform the rear holding clip 112, a relatively large stress is applied to the rear holding clip 112 as schematically shown in FIG. I have to do it. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a large force to the rear holding clip 112 and
Also, a sufficient space for elastic deformation is required. Furthermore, after the rear holding clip 112 is largely elastically deformed, it is difficult to predict how much plastic deformation will be completed when the shape is restored, which is one of the causes of the difficulty in adjusting the light output. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber position adjusting structure capable of plastically deforming a holding clip in a small space with a relatively small force, so that an operator can easily predict the amount of plastic deformation. And

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have made intensive efforts to achieve the above object, and as a result, have reduced the difference between the amount of elastic deformation and the amount of plastic deformation of the holding clip, thereby alleviating the above problems at once. Focusing on the fact that it can be solved, the present invention has been achieved.

That is, the holding clip provided with the optical fiber position adjusting structure of the present invention comprises two base plates for fixing to a base, a holding action portion formed between the two base plates, and each of the base plates. And a deformation action portion formed between the holding action portion and the holding action portion, wherein the deformation action portion is formed with a stress concentration portion where stress is more likely to be applied than an adjacent portion. is there.

In the above invention, the deforming portion is bent from the base plate through the first bent portion, then extends in the opposite direction through the second bent portion, and is connected to a lower end of the holding portion. You may. Further, in the above invention, the stress concentration portion may be formed around the first bent portion and the second bent portion. In the above invention, the stress concentration portion may be formed by making a cut in a plate material forming the holding clip.

[0010] In the above invention, the cut may be formed in a wedge shape. In the above invention, the stress concentration portion may be formed by thinning a plate material forming a holding clip. Further, a semiconductor laser module according to the present invention includes any one of the above-described holding clips as a rear holding clip.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a semiconductor laser module 1 to which a holding clip provided with an optical fiber position adjusting structure of the present invention is applied. The semiconductor laser module 1 includes a base 3, and a semiconductor laser light source 7 is provided on a top surface of the base 3 via a light source base 5.
The light source base 5 is fixed to the base 3, and the semiconductor laser light source 7 is fixed to the light source base 5.

A front holding clip 11 for holding the side of the optical fiber 9 close to the semiconductor laser light source 7 on the upper surface of the base 3;
A rear holding clip 13 for holding a side far from the semiconductor laser light source 7 is provided. These front holding clips 11
The upper surface of the base 3 below the rear holding clip 13 is a concave portion 15 cut into a square groove as an example of a predetermined depth. The recess 15 is provided with the optical fiber 9 as described later.
To provide a space for the optical fiber 9 to move when adjusting the light output by moving the
Provide space to accept part of

The optical fiber 9 includes a fiber line 17 located at the center and a metal ferrule 19 formed around the fiber line 17.
The laser light incident from the input end 21 is received by the core in the fiber line 17, and the laser light travels in the optical fiber 9 while reflecting the laser light at the interface between the core and the clad. It has a structure.

The front holding clip 11 is formed by appropriately bending or curving a metal flat plate material.
And a holding section 27 formed between the two base plates 25. The holding action portion 27 has an inverted U shape, and the lower end is directly connected to the inner end of the base plate 25.
The holding action portion 27 of the front holding clip 11 firmly holds the metal ferrule 19 of the optical fiber 9 so that the optical fiber 9 does not easily move.

Similarly to the front holding clip 11, the rear holding clip 13 is formed by appropriately bending or curving a metal plate material.
And a holding section 27 formed between the two base plates 25. The rear holding clip 13 is the front holding clip 11
In contrast to this, a deformation action portion 29 having the characteristic configuration of the present invention is formed between each base plate 25 and the holding action portion 27.

As shown in FIG. 2, the deforming portion 29 is bent downward from the inner end of the base plate 25 via the first bent portion 31 and then upwardly through the U-shaped second bent portion 33. It extends toward the lower end of the holding action portion 27. The first bent portion 31 has a first wedge-shaped first outer side just below the base plate 25.
A notch 35 is formed, and in the second bent portion 33,
A wedge-shaped second cut 37 is formed outside the lowermost end. The first bent portion 31 and the second bent portion 33 are portions where stress is most concentrated when a vertical or horizontal force is applied to the deformation acting portion 29. In this specification, such a portion where stress is concentrated is referred to. Defined as stress concentration area. That is, the “stress concentration portion where stress is more likely to be applied than the adjacent portion” refers to a stress concentration portion that allows the stress to be concentrated to exceed the yield stress of the material even with a small nominal stress.

Since the wedge-shaped cuts 35 and 37 are formed in the stress concentration portion, the following effects are exhibited. The portion where the first cut 35 is formed is a portion where stress is concentrated and plastic deformation is likely to occur when a stress is applied from the lateral direction as indicated by an arrow 39 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the acting force and the amount of deformation when a stress is applied to the deformation acting portion 29 from the lateral direction. Note that this schematic diagram is schematically illustrated for easy understanding of the present invention, and does not necessarily accurately represent an actual relationship.

When a stress f is applied to the deforming portion 29 by pressing the rear end of the metal ferrule 19 (see an arrow in FIG. 4), the deforming portion 29 is temporarily set to A as shown by a solid line in FIG. (A> 0), but after the stress f is released, only a small amount of elastic deformation is restored.
(0 <B <A) can be plastically deformed. The amount B of the plastic deformation is larger than the amount C of plastic deformation when the stress is released after the elastic deformation is performed by the same amount A when no cut is formed at the stress concentration portion indicated by the broken line in FIG. Become.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, in order to elastically deform by the same amount A, the stress f applied when the first cut 35 is formed is applied when the cut is not formed. It may be smaller than the stress F.

From these facts, when a predetermined amount of plastic deformation is caused by applying a stress to the deformation acting portion 29 from the lateral direction, the cut is formed when the first cut 35 is formed. It can be seen that the amount of elastic deformation in advance is smaller than in the case where there is no stress, and that the stress applied at that time is also smaller.

The portion where the second cut 37 is formed is a portion where stress is concentrated and plastic deformation is likely to occur when a vertical stress as shown by an arrow 41 in FIG. 2 is applied. The relationship shown in FIG. 3 also holds for the second cut 37 as in the case of the first cut 35. Therefore, when a predetermined amount of plastic deformation is performed by applying a vertical stress to the deformation action portion 29, In the case where the cut 37 is formed, the amount of elastic deformation in advance is smaller than that in the case where the cut is not formed, and less stress is applied at that time.

Next, another embodiment of the rear holding clip 13 having an optical fiber position adjusting structure will be described.
FIG. 5 shows the rear holding clip 13 in which the clip of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is rotated by 180 degrees. Therefore, the deforming portion 29 is bent upward from the inner end of the base plate 25 through the first bent portion 31, and then extends downward through the inverted U-shaped second bent portion 33 to hold the holding portion 27. Is connected to the upper end. The first bent portion 31 has a first wedge-shaped notch 35 formed directly above the base plate 25, and the second bent portion 33 has a wedge-shaped second notch 37 formed outside the uppermost end.
Are formed. Rear holding clip 1 having such a configuration
3 also performs the same operation as the embodiment shown in FIG.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, after the deformation acting portion 29 is bent upward from the inner end of the base plate 25 via the first bent portion 31, the inverted bent V-shaped second bent portion 33 is formed. Extends downward through the third bent portion 34 having a V-shape.
Is turned upward again and is connected to the lower end of the holding action portion 27. The first bent portion 31 includes the base plate 25
A first wedge-shaped notch 35 is formed on the outer side immediately above the second bent portion 33, and a second wedge-shaped notch 37 is formed on the outer side of the uppermost end of the second bent portion 33. Further, a wedge-shaped third cut 43 is formed in the third bent portion 34 immediately before the bent portion, and a wedge-shaped fourth cut 45 is formed outside the lowermost end of the third bent portion 34. . In such an embodiment, the effect described with reference to FIG. 2 is exerted more effectively as the number of cuts increases.

As described above, the holding clip provided with the optical fiber position adjusting structure of the present invention has been described by taking the rear holding clip 13 of the semiconductor laser module 1 shown in FIG. 1 as an example.
Even when the number of holding clips for holding the optical fiber 9 is single, three or more, or when the basic configuration is different from that shown in FIG. The stress concentration portions as described above can be formed in the deformation action portions of all the holding clips that can be formed. For example, in FIG. 1, the front holding clip 11 and the rear holding clip 1
3, the stress concentration portion can be formed in the same manner as described above in a form in which the base plates 25 of the front holding clip 11 and the rear holding clip 13 are connected to each other to form one holding clip.

In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, a wedge-shaped cut is formed as a stress concentration portion at the bent portion of the deforming portion 29, but it may be a portion where stress is substantially applied. For example, a cut may be formed in a portion other than the bent portion. Further, the notch does not necessarily need to be wedge-shaped, but may be a notch-shaped notch that is more easily deformed than other parts when stress is applied. Further, the stress concentration portion may be formed by post-processing such as a notch, or may be realized as a form in which, for example, the thickness is reduced from the beginning of the formation of the holding clip. When a part of the holding clip is thinned to be a stress concentration portion, it is preferable that the thickness is approximately 50% of the thickness of an adjacent portion, for example.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stress applied to the deformation acting portion concentrates on the stress concentration portion, and the deformation acting portion is deformed beyond the elastic limit at the stress concentration portion. When the stress on the stress concentration part is released, the elastic deformation of the deformation acting part slightly returns, but plastic deformation occurs in the stress concentration part,
The deformation action portion does not return its shape any more, and the deformation of the deformation action portion is maintained. Further, in the stress concentration portion, even if the amount of elastic deformation is small, relatively large plastic deformation can be performed, so that the region where the holding clip is elastically deformed in advance can be made a relatively narrow space. Further, the holding clip can be plastically deformed by a relatively small force, and the operator can easily predict the amount of plastic deformation because the difference between the amount of elastic deformation and the amount of plastic deformation is small.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the optical fiber is easily elastically deformed at the first bent portion and the second bent portion while holding the optical fiber.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, stress is easily applied to the first bent portion and the second bent portion when the first bent portion and the second bent portion are elastically deformed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the portion where the cut is formed is more likely to be plastically deformed than the portion adjacent to the notch. Therefore, even if a slight elastic deformation is performed, the plastic deformation can be surely performed. .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since stress is easily applied locally, a large amount of plastic deformation can be brought about at the cut portion even by very slight elastic deformation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the thinly formed portion is more likely to be plastically deformed than the portion adjacent to the thinned portion. .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the rear holding clip is easier to move than the front holding clip, the light supported by the rear holding clip with the front end of the optical fiber supported by the front holding clip as a fulcrum. The rear end of the fiber can be moved. Thereby, the front end side of the optical fiber can be moved by a small distance, and fine adjustment for increasing the optical output becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal structure of a semiconductor laser module to which a holding clip provided with an optical fiber position adjusting structure of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a holding clip after applying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic graph showing a change in a deformation amount when a lateral stress is applied to a first cut formed in a rear holding clip.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the semiconductor laser module showing a state in which stress is applied to a rear holding clip from a lateral direction.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the holding clip after applying the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the holding clip after applying the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional semiconductor laser module.

FIG. 8 is a schematic graph showing a change in a deformation amount when a stress is applied to a conventional rear holding clip.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 semiconductor laser module 3 base 5 light source pedestal 7 semiconductor laser light source 9 optical fiber 11 front holding clip 13 rear holding clip 15 concave portion 17 fiber line 19 metal ferrule 21 input end 25 base plate 27 holding action portion 29 deformation action portion 31 First bent portion 33 Second bent portion 34 Third bent portion 35 First cut 37 Second cut 39 Arrow showing stress from the lateral direction 41 Arrow showing stress in the vertical direction 43 Third cut 45 Fourth cut

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A base for fixing to a base, a holding portion formed between the two base plates, and a deforming portion formed between each base plate and the holding portion. And a stress concentration portion on which stress is more easily applied than an adjacent portion is formed in the deformation action portion, wherein the holding clip has an optical fiber position adjusting structure. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
An optical fiber position adjusting structure characterized by extending from the base plate via the first bent portion and then extending in the opposite direction via the second bent portion and being connected to the holding action portion. Retaining clip. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the stress concentration portion is
A holding clip provided with an optical fiber position adjusting structure, which is formed around the first bent portion and the second bent portion. 4. The optical fiber position adjusting structure according to claim 1, wherein the stress concentration portion is formed by cutting a plate material forming a holding clip. Holding clip. 5. The holding clip according to claim 4, wherein the cut is formed in a wedge shape. 6. The optical fiber position adjusting structure according to claim 1, wherein the stress concentration portion is formed by thinning a plate material forming a holding clip. Holding clip. 7. A semiconductor laser module comprising the holding clip according to claim 1 as a rear holding clip.