JP2003114365A - Optical path conversion device and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an optical path conversion device and its manufacturing method which is made an array of optical waveguides for optical coupling, suppress the warpage of the optical waveguides for optical coupling, and can position the optical waveguides for optical coupling, unit by unit. SOLUTION: Array type optical waveguide units 30A ad 30B for optical coupling, manufactured by being buried and integrated in a clad 32 while having four cores 31 arrayed in the same plane so that their optical axes are in parallel, are so arranged between a photoelectric converting element of the array type optical converting element unit 10 and a mirror 40 that the optical axes of the cores 31 cross the optical axis of a core 21 on the mirror 40 and symmetrical about the perpendicular to the intersection on the mirror 40 and cross the center of the element surface of the photoelectric converting element.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical path conversion device for optically coupling between a photoelectric conversion element and an optical waveguide and a method for manufacturing the same, and particularly, between an optical conversion element and an optical waveguide arranged in an array. The present invention relates to a structure and a manufacturing method of arrayed optical coupling units for optical coupling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the aim of developing a high-speed and large-capacity optical communication system and a massively parallel computer for parallel signal processing between a large number of processors, development of an optical interconnection for high-density communication inside the device has been vigorously pursued. Has been done. When performing such optical interconnection, the processing of the transmitted optical signal is performed by the electronic device. An optical waveguide, a boundary device that couples these electronic devices,
A photoelectric conversion element, an LSI or switch for electronic control, or an opto-electric mixed device including an electric circuit for driving an electronic component is required. In particular, VCSEL (Vertical Cavit)
y Surface Emitting Laser), LD (Laser Diode), PD (Pho
There is an increasing demand for devices including photoelectric conversion elements such as to diode.

In response to such a demand, an optical pin with a micromirror is provided on the photoelectric conversion element, a through hole having the same shape as the optical pin is provided on the optical printed board, and the optical pin is fitted into the through hole to form the photoelectric conversion element and the optical element. A technique for optically coupling with a printed circuit board has been proposed, for example, in "Journal of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging" (vol.2, No.5, P368-372, 1999) as "90 degree optical path changing technique in optical circuit mounting".

In the conventional 90-degree optical path changing technique in the conventional optical circuit mounting, as shown in FIG. 14, a core 2 serving as an optical waveguide is embedded in an optical printed circuit board 1 and a through hole 3 cuts the core 2. Thus, the optical pin 5 with the micromirror, which is formed on the optical printed circuit board 1 and fixed to the photoelectric conversion element 4, is fitted into the through hole 3. The through hole 3 is formed on the optical printed board 1 so that the center of the hole is orthogonal to the optical axis of the core 2, and the tip end surface of the optical pin 5 is formed on the micro mirror 5a having an angle of 45 degrees with the optical axis. is doing. Thereby, for example, the light propagating through the core 2 is totally reflected by the micro mirror 5a and guided to the optical pin 5, propagates inside the optical pin 5, and reaches the photoelectric conversion element 4. That is, the core 2 and the photoelectric conversion element 4 are optically coupled by 90-degree optical path conversion.

By adopting this conventional optical path changing technique, the light emitted from the light emitting element to the space or the light emitted from the optical waveguide to the space spreads with an emission angle and the light emitting element and the optical waveguide. It is possible to prevent a decrease in optical coupling between the optical waveguide and the light receiving element. Further, according to this conventional optical path changing technique, the VC is transmitted via the micro mirror 5a.
The photoelectric conversion element has the same structure whether light is made incident on the core 2 from a light emitting element (photoelectric conversion element) such as SEL or emitted from the core 2 to a light receiving element (photoelectric conversion element) such as PD. 4 has an advantage that the core 4 and the core 2 can be optically coupled.

[0006]

Since the conventional optical path changing technique is constructed as described above, the optical pin 5 with the micromirror must be fixed individually to each photoelectric conversion element 4. In addition, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and cost reduction cannot be achieved. Further, the through hole 3 needs to be formed in the optical printed board 1 in order to fit the optical pin 5. The optical pin 5 has a diameter of several μm to several hundreds of μm, and the through hole 3 must be formed so as to have the same diameter as the optical pin 5, so that the processing of the through hole 3 is extremely difficult, Sex becomes worse. This problem becomes more remarkable as the number of through holes 3 increases. Further, it is difficult to form the inner wall surface of the fine through hole 3 without unevenness, and the core 2 is formed due to the unevenness of the end surface of the core 2 formed by the through hole 3.
The optical coupling efficiency between the optical pin 5 and the optical pin 5 is reduced. In addition, in the configuration in which the photoelectric conversion elements 4 are arranged in an array, the optical pins 5 must be fixed one by one to a large number of photoelectric conversion elements 4, which deteriorates the positional accuracy of the optical pins 5. As a result, the optical axis shift between the photoelectric conversion element 4 and the optical pin 5 occurs, resulting in a decrease in optical coupling efficiency. Further, in the configuration in which the layers in which the cores 2 are arrayed are arranged in multiple layers in order to cope with the increase in the number of photoelectric conversion elements 4, the length of the optical pin 5 differs for each core layer, and the long optical pin 5 is provided. Is required. This optical pin 5
The increase in length causes warping of the optical pin 5, deteriorating the positional accuracy of the micro mirror 5a with respect to the optical axis of the core 2, and lowering the optical coupling efficiency.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the optical coupling optical waveguides arranged between the optical waveguide and the photoelectric conversion element are arrayed to form an optical coupling optical waveguide. In addition to suppressing warpage, it is possible to position multiple optical coupling optical waveguides on a unit-by-unit basis, simplifying the manufacturing process and realizing low cost.
An object of the present invention is to obtain an optical path changing device capable of suppressing a decrease in optical coupling efficiency and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0008]

An optical path conversion device according to the present invention is an array type photoelectric conversion element unit in which at least two photoelectric conversion elements are arranged on a substrate, and at least two optical waveguides have their optical axes. An array type optical waveguide unit which is arranged in parallel and arranged on the same plane and integrated with each other, and with respect to the optical axis of the optical waveguide provided at each end of each optical waveguide of the array type optical waveguide unit. A mirror having a predetermined angle and at least two optical coupling optical waveguides are arranged and integrated so that their optical axes are parallel and located on the same plane. Between the conversion element and the mirror, the optical axis of the optical coupling optical waveguide intersects the optical axis of the optical waveguide on the mirror, and is symmetrical with respect to a perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror. Na , In which further comprising an array optical coupling optical waveguide unit being arranged so as to pass through the center of the element surface of the photoelectric conversion element.

The array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is constructed by arranging at least two optical fibers arranged in parallel with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. Is.

The array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is constructed by embedding and integrating at least two cores which are arranged with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. There is something.

In the method for manufacturing an optical path changing device according to the present invention, at least two optical fibers are arranged such that their optical axes are parallel and on the same plane, and the optical fibers are arranged. And the integrated at least two optical fibers are cut into a predetermined length to produce an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling.

Further, in the method for manufacturing an optical path conversion device according to the present invention, the first cladding layer is formed on the substrate, the core layer is laminated on the first cladding layer, and the core layer is patterned. Forming at least two cores having a rectangular cross section and arranged with their long axis directions parallel to each other and on the same plane, and then covering and forming a second cladding layer to form at least the above-mentioned at least two arranged cores. The two cores are embedded and integrated by the first and second clad layers, and then the at least two cores embedded and integrated by the first and second clad layers are formed on the substrate and the first core.
And a step of manufacturing the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling by cutting the second cladding layer together with a predetermined length.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical path changing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a configuration of the optical path changing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In each of the drawings, the array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 includes photoelectric conversion elements 11 such as VCSEL, LD, and PD that are appropriately selected according to specifications and arranged in four rows at predetermined intervals and mounted on a substrate 12. There is. And in each column,
Four photoelectric conversion elements 11 are arranged at a predetermined pitch.

Array type optical waveguide unit 20A, 20B
Are arranged at the same pitch as the array pitch in each row of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 with the optical axes of the cores 21 having rectangular cross sections being parallel to each other and the optical axes being located on the same plane. With four of them arranged, the clad 22
It is embedded in and manufactured. Then, one end surface of each of the units 20A and 20B in the length direction of the core 21 is formed into a flat surface at an angle of 45 degrees (mirror angle θ) with respect to the optical axis of the core 21, and gold plating is applied to form the mirror 40. I am configuring. The other end surface of the unit 20 has a core 21
Is formed on a flat surface having an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the optical axis. The length of the array type optical waveguide unit 20B is
The array-type optical waveguide unit 20A is formed to be shorter by the distance between the columns of the photoelectric conversion elements 11. Here, fluorinated polyimide is used as the material of the core 21 and the clad 22, but the core 21 is made of fluorinated polyimide having a larger refractive index than the fluorinated polyimide of the clad 22. The difference in refractive index between the two is 0.
It is 1 to 1.0%.

Array type optical coupling unit 30 for optical coupling
In A and 30B, each of the columns of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 is arranged so that the core 31 having a rectangular cross section, which serves as an optical waveguide for optical coupling, has its optical axes parallel and the optical axes are located on the same plane. It is manufactured by being embedded in the clad 32 in a state in which four pieces are arranged at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch. Both end surfaces of the units 30A and 30B in the length direction of the core 31 are formed as flat surfaces at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 31. The length of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30B is the same as that of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30B.
Is shortened by the thickness of. Here, although fluorinated polyimide is used as the material of the core 31 and the clad 32, the core 31 is made of fluorinated polyimide having a larger refractive index than the fluorinated polyimide of the clad 32. And the difference in refractive index between the two is 0.1-1.0%
Is.

The array type optical waveguide unit 20
A and 20B are laminated and integrated by aligning the surface positions of the other end faces. Then, the pair of the arrayed optical waveguide units 20A and 20B that are laminated and integrated are separated from each other between the columns of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 and arranged with the mirrors 40 facing each other. On the other hand, the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 30A,
30B includes units 30B and 3 on the substrate 12.
0A, the unit 30A, and the unit 30B are arranged and fixed in four rows in this order. At this time, in the array-type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A and 30B, the optical axes of the cores 31 are respectively aligned with the centers of the element surfaces (light emitting surface or light receiving surface) of the corresponding photoelectric conversion elements 11 in each row. It is positioned.

The array type photoelectric conversion element unit 1
0 is an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 30A, 30
The front end surface of B is arrayed optical waveguide unit 20A, 20B
Is arranged so as to be in close contact with the upper surface of the optical path conversion device 100. At this time, the optical axes of the corresponding core 21 and core 31 intersect on the mirror 40, and
The array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10, the array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B, and the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B are positioned so as to be symmetrical with respect to a perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror 40. As a result, the optical axes of the cores 21 and 31 coincide with each other, and the center of the element surface of the photoelectric conversion element 11 coincides with the optical axis of the core 31.

Optical path changing device 1 configured as described above
00 fixes the array type optical waveguide unit 20A to the substrate 9 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 is fixed to the substrate 9 and incorporated in, for example, an optical communication system or a massively parallel computer. Then, electric wiring is provided inside or outside the substrate 9, the photoelectric conversion element 11 and the electric wiring are electrically connected by solder bumps or wire bonding, and the array-type optical waveguide unit 2
The core 21 of 0A, 20B and an optical device such as an optical switch or a multiplexer / demultiplexer are connected by an optical connector or the like to configure an optical communication system or a massively parallel computer.

The substrate 9 is made of Si, GaAs, A
Inorganic materials such as l ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , and AlN, and organic materials such as epoxy resin, polyimide resin, and acrylic resin are used, but are not limited thereto as long as they can support the optical path conversion device 100. is not.

Next, the operation of the optical path changing device 100 will be described. If the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light emitting element such as VCSEL or LD, the light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11 is array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30A,
After being guided into the core 31 of 30 B and propagating in the core 31, the light is emitted from the end face of the core 31 and reflected by the mirror 40. The light whose optical path is changed by 90 degrees by the mirror 40 is guided into the cores 21 of the array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B and propagates in the cores 21. Further, if the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light receiving element such as PD, the light propagating in the core 21 of the array type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B is reflected by the mirror 40. The light whose optical path is changed by 90 degrees by the mirror 40 is guided into the core 31 of the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B,
The light propagates through the core 31 and is received by the photoelectric conversion element 11.

According to the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain the optical path conversion device 100 in which the core 21 and the photoelectric conversion element 11 can be optically coupled by 90-degree optical path conversion. Since the four cores 31 are embedded and integrated by the clad 32 to form the array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A and 30B, the four photoelectric conversion elements 11 arranged in one row have four cores 31. The core 31 can be fixed in unit, that is, in one step, the manufacturing process is simplified, and the cost is reduced. Further, the array pitch of the four cores 31 is adjusted to the array pitch of the four photoelectric conversion elements 11 to fabricate the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B.
A shift between the optical axis of the core 31 and the center of the element surface of the photoelectric conversion element 11 can be easily suppressed, and a decrease in optical coupling efficiency between the core 31 and the photoelectric conversion element 11 can be suppressed.

Further, since the four cores 31 are buried and integrated by the clad 32 to form the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B, the warpage of the core 31 due to the lengthening of the core 31 is caused. The occurrence of is significantly reduced as compared with the warp that occurs in the optical pin 5 alone as in the prior art. As a result, the length of the core 31 can be ensured with high accuracy, and even if it is applied to a configuration in which the array type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B are laminated in multiple layers, the decrease in optical coupling efficiency can be suppressed.
Further, since it is not necessary to provide the through holes in the array type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B as in the conventional technique, the extremely difficult through hole processing is not necessary and the productivity is improved. Further, since there is no unevenness on the core end surface due to the through-hole processing, that is, the end surface of the core 21 can be formed as a smooth surface, also in that point, the decrease of the optical coupling efficiency can be suppressed.

Further, regardless of whether the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light emitting element or a light receiving element, the photoelectric conversion element 11 and the core 21 have the same structure.
Optical coupling with can be realized. Further, as the photoelectric conversion element 11, an optical path conversion device in which a light receiving element and a light emitting element are mixed can be realized. Furthermore, since the core 21 and the core 31 are optically coupled via the mirror 40, the light emitted from the light emitting element to the space and the light emitted from the optical waveguide to the space spread with an emission angle. It is possible to prevent a decrease in the optical coupling between the light emitting element and the optical waveguide and the optical coupling between the optical waveguide and the light receiving element. The array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 3
Substrate 12 so that 0A and 30B cover photoelectric conversion element 11
Since it is fixed on the photoelectric conversion element 11, the photoelectric conversion element 11 is protected and the life of the photoelectric conversion element 11 is extended.

Now, a method of manufacturing the optical path changing device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
First, the chip of the photoelectric conversion element 11 is placed on the substrate 12 by 4 × 4.
The array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 is manufactured by mounting the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10.

Next, the first fluorinated polyimide solution is spin-coated on the substrate 50 and baked to 10 μm.
A thick first clad layer 51a is formed. Furthermore, the first
The second fluorinated polyimide solution having a higher refractive index than that of
A core layer 53 having a thickness of μm is formed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4A, the first cladding layer 51a and the core layer 53 are formed on the substrate 50 in two layers. Then, apply a photoresist on the core layer 53,
The photoresist is patterned using a photoengraving technique, and then unnecessary portions of the core layer 53 are removed (patterned) by reactive ion etching. Then, the photoresist is removed, and as shown in FIG. 4B, four cores 52 having a width of 5 μm are formed in parallel. The cores 52 are arranged at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch in each row of the photoelectric conversion elements 11. Then, the first
The fluorinated polyimide solution of 1 is spin-coated and baked to form a second cladding layer 51b having a thickness of 10 μm. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4C, a structure 54 in which four cores 52 having a rectangular cross section are embedded in the first and second clad layers 51a and 51b (clad layer 51) is formed. obtain.

Next, the structure 54 is cut into a predetermined length with a diamond blade (not shown), the cut surface is polished, and the structures 55A and 55 shown in FIG. 4D are formed.
Get B. In the structures 55A and 55B, both end surfaces in the length direction of the core 52 are formed as flat surfaces orthogonal to the length direction of the core 52, and the length thereof is the array type optical waveguide unit 20.
It differs by the thickness of B. The substrate 50 of the structures 55A and 55B thus manufactured is removed to obtain array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A and 30B. The core 52 corresponds to the core 31, and the clad layer 51 corresponds to the clad 3.
Equivalent to 2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (e),
Array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 30A, 30B,
The unit 30B, the unit 30A, the unit 30A, and the unit 30B are arranged and fixed in this order on the substrate 12 in four rows. At this time, in the array-type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A and 30B, when the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light receiving element, light is incident from the core 31 and the photoelectric conversion element 1 is received.
The output of No. 1 is monitored and fixed at a position where the output becomes maximum using an adhesive such as a photocurable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin. When the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light emitting element, the light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11 is received by the light receiving element positioned with respect to the core 31, the output of the light receiving element is monitored, and the output is maximized. At a position to be fixed, an adhesive such as a photocurable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin is used for fixing. As a result, the optical axes of the four cores 31 forming the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B respectively coincide with the element plane centers of the corresponding photoelectric conversion elements 11 in each column.

Next, the structure 54 is cut into a predetermined length by using a 90-degree V-shaped diamond blade 57, as shown in FIG.
The structures 56A and 56B shown in (a) are obtained. In these structures 56A and 56B, one end face in the length direction of the core 52 is formed into a flat face having an angle of 45 degrees with the length direction of the core 52, and the other end face is orthogonal to the length direction of the core 52. Heisei has a flat surface. Next, the structures 56A, 56
Both end faces of B are polished, and one end face is covered with gold plating to form the mirror 40. Further, the substrate 50 of the structures 56A and 56B thus manufactured is removed to obtain array type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B. In addition, core 5
2 corresponds to the core 21, and the cladding layer 51 is the cladding 22.
Equivalent to. The array type optical waveguide unit 20
A and 20B are laminated by aligning the surface positions of the other end faces, and fixed using an adhesive such as a photo-curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin. The pair of the integrated array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B are separated from each other between the columns of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 as shown in FIG.
The mirrors 40 are arranged so as to face each other.

Next, the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 1
0 is an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 30A, 30
The front end surface of B is arrayed optical waveguide unit 20A, 20B
Is arranged so as to be in close contact with the upper surface of the. When the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light receiving element, light is made incident from the core 21, the output of the photoelectric conversion element 11 is monitored, and the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 1 is set so that the output becomes maximum.
Positioning and fixing 0. On the other hand, when the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light emitting element, the light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11 is received by the light receiving element positioned with respect to the core 21, the output of the light receiving element is monitored, and the output is maximized. The array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 is positioned and fixed so that Thereby, the corresponding core 21
The array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10, the array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B, and the array so that the optical axes of the core 31 intersect with each other on the mirror 40 and are symmetric with respect to the perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror 40. The optical path conversion device 100 in which the optical waveguide coupling units 30A and 30B are arranged is obtained.

According to the method of manufacturing the optical path changing device according to the first embodiment, the first cladding layer 5 is formed on the substrate 50.
1a, and further the core layer 53 is coated on the first clad layer 51a, the core layer 53 is etched to form four cores 52 arranged at a predetermined pitch, and then the second clad layer 51b is formed. Structure 5 with the core 52 covered and buried in the first and second cladding layers 51a, 51b
4, the structure 54 is cut into a predetermined length, and the substrate 50 is removed to manufacture the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B. Therefore, the array pitch of the cores 31 is highly accurate. Therefore, the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B that can be secured and warp hardly occur can be manufactured.

If the array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A and 30B thus produced are applied to an optical path conversion device, the positions of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 and the cores 31 in each row of the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 will be described. The alignment is performed in units, and the productivity of the optical path conversion device is improved. Similarly, array type optical waveguide units 20A, 20B
Core 21 and array type optical coupling unit 30 for optical coupling
The alignment with the cores 31 of A and 30B is performed in units of units, and the productivity of the optical path conversion device is improved. Further, array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30A, 30B
Has a structure in which warpage is unlikely to occur, the array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B are arranged in layers, and even if the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B are elongated, the units 30A and 30B The decrease in optical coupling efficiency due to the warp can be suppressed.

Since the structure 54 is cut to manufacture the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B, array type optical coupling optical waveguide units having different lengths can be easily manufactured, and the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B can be easily manufactured. It is possible to easily cope with the multi-layered optical waveguide unit. Further, since the structure in which the core 52 is embedded in the clad layer 51 is formed by the patterning technique using the film forming technique such as the spin coating technique or the vacuum film forming technique, the photoengraving technique, and the etching technique, the core 52 is arbitrarily formed. It can be easily arranged with high accuracy at the arrangement pitch. Therefore, it is possible to easily control the distance between the cores 52 (cores 31), and it is possible to accommodate high-density mounting in which the distance between the photoelectric conversion elements 11 is narrowed, and it is possible to realize a compact optical path conversion device. Similarly, the substrate 50 of the structures 55A and 55B
To remove the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 30A,
Since 30B is manufactured, the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B can be downsized, and it is possible to support high-density mounting in which the rows of the photoelectric conversion elements 11 are narrowed, and the optical path conversion device Miniaturization can be realized.

The array type optical waveguide unit 20A,
20B and array type optical coupling unit 30 for optical coupling
Since the end faces of A and 30B are polished, the cores 21 and 3 are
The decrease in optical coupling efficiency due to the unevenness of the one end face is suppressed. Further, since the mirror 40 is formed by plating the end surface of the core 21 with gold, the light emitted from the core 21 and the core 31 is totally reflected by the mirror 40, and the decrease in optical coupling efficiency is suppressed.

Here, in the first embodiment, the substrate 50
For this, an inorganic material such as Si is used, but an organic material such as an epoxy resin, a polyimide resin, or an acrylic resin may be used. Further, although the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B are fixed to the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 in the first embodiment, the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B are provided with the mirror 40. And the array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 may be disposed between the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B.
It may be fixed to the upper surface of 0B (the surface facing the photoelectric conversion element 11).

In the first embodiment, the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B and the array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 are used, or the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B and the array type optical waveguide unit 30 are used. Although the waveguide units 20A and 20B are fixed to each other by using an adhesive, a metallized layer may be formed at a joint portion between both units and a metal joint such as solder joint or metal ultrasonic joint may be used. In the first embodiment, the structure 56A,
Although the support substrate 50 of 56B is removed to produce the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 20A and 20B, the supporting substrate 50 may be thinned to produce the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit. Good. In this case, the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit is increased in size, but the strength of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit can be increased and the occurrence of warpage can be reliably suppressed.

In the first embodiment, the structure 54
However, the method of cutting the structure 54 is not limited to this, and any method capable of accurately cutting the structure 54 may be used, for example, a method such as etching is used. be able to. Further, by performing a polishing process after cutting, it is possible to smooth the cut surface and improve the accuracy of the length. In the first embodiment, the chip of the photoelectric conversion element 11 is the substrate 1
The array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 is manufactured by mounting the photoelectric conversion elements 11 on the substrate 2 in a matrix, but a silicon wafer is used as a substrate, and the photoelectric conversion elements 11 are directly formed on the silicon wafer using a semiconductor manufacturing technique. An array type photoelectric conversion element unit may be produced.

In the first embodiment, the spin coating layer of the second fluorinated polyimide is patterned by reactive ion etching. However, if the second fluorinated polyimide is given photocurability, The spin coat layer can be patterned only by photolithography without using reactive ion etching, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. That is, the spin coat layer is irradiated with light through a photomask formed in a pattern in which core-corresponding portions arranged at a predetermined pitch transmit light, and the light-irradiated portion of the spin coat layer is photocured. Then, the non-irradiated portion, that is, the uncured portion is removed to obtain the cores 52 arranged at a predetermined pitch.

In the first embodiment, the core 21,
Although it has been described that fluorinated polyimide is used as the material of 31 and the clads 22 and 32, the material of the core and the clad is not limited to fluorinated polyimide, and the refraction necessary for waveguiding can be obtained. Also, any material that has a low loss with respect to the propagation wavelength may be used, such as quartz,
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), silicone resin, etc. are used. When an organic material such as PMMA or silicone resin is used for the core and the clad instead of fluorinated polyimide, the same procedure as in the first embodiment is performed.
By combining the spin coating technique and the patterning technique, a structure in which the core is embedded in the clad can be manufactured. When an inorganic material such as quartz is used instead of fluorinated polyimide for the core and the clad,
By combining a vacuum film forming technique such as sputtering and a patterning technique, a structure in which the core is embedded in the clad can be manufactured. Further, the core and the clad can be made of different materials, and further, one of them can be made of an inorganic material such as quartz and the other can be made of an organic material such as fluorinated polyimide.

Embodiment 2. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, array type optical waveguide unit 20C is used.
Is formed on a flat surface whose one end face has an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 21, and the flat surface is gold-plated to form a mirror 40 having a mirror angle (θ) of 30 degrees. ing. The array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 3
In 0C, the end surface is formed into a flat surface having an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 31, and the core 21 (or the core 3
The optical axis of the light emitted from 1) and reflected by the mirror 40 is
The optical axis of the core 31 (or the core 21) is matched. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the core 2
Thus, an optical path conversion device can be obtained in which 1 and the photoelectric conversion element 11 are optical path-converted by 120 degrees to be optically coupled.

Here, the mirror angle (θ) is not limited to 30 degrees, but if it is set arbitrarily, an optical path conversion device can be obtained in which the optical path of the core 21 and the photoelectric conversion element 11 can be optically converted at an arbitrary angle. .

Embodiment 3. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, array type optical waveguide unit 20
Both end surfaces of D and 20E are formed as flat surfaces having an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 21. Further, the array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 30D, 30E have one end face formed into a flat surface having an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 31, and the flat surface is gold-plated to form a mirror. It is formed on the mirror 40 having an angle (θ) of 45 degrees.
Also in this case, the optical axis of the light emitted from the core 21 (or the core 31) and reflected by the mirror 40 is the core 3
1 (or the core 21). The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, also in the third embodiment,
The same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Fourth Embodiment In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a mirror member 41 made of quartz, silicon, metal or the like is used as the array type optical waveguide unit 2.
The mirror 40 is arranged near the end surface of 0D, and the mirror 40 has a mirror 40 having an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the core 21. Although not shown, the optical axis of light emitted from the core 21 (or core 31) and reflected by the mirror 40 in the array type optical coupling unit 30A for optical coupling is the core 31 (or core 21). It is arranged so as to coincide with the optical axis. Although not shown, the array type optical waveguide unit 20E, the mirror member 41 and the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30B are arranged in the same positional relationship. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, also in the fourth embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Embodiment 5. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the structure of the optical path changing device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10A is manufactured by mounting the photoelectric conversion elements 11a formed of light receiving elements and the photoelectric conversion elements 11b formed of light emitting elements on the substrate 12 in a 4 × 4 matrix. . The array-type optical waveguide units 20F and 20G are similar to the array-type optical waveguides 20A and 20B, except that both end faces in the length direction of the core 21 constitute a mirror 40 having a mirror angle of 45 degrees. Is formed in.

The array type optical coupling units 30A and 30B for optical coupling are array type photoelectric conversion element units 10.
The optical axis of the core 31 is positioned and fixed to A so that the optical axis of the core 31 coincides with the element surface centers of the photoelectric conversion elements 11a and 11b. The photoelectric conversion elements 11a and 11b of the two array-type photoelectric conversion element units 10A are optically coupled by the stacked array-type optical waveguide units 20F and 20G and the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B.
Further, the photoelectric conversion elements 11a and 11b of each array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10A are optically coupled to the array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B via the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B, respectively. At this time, the corresponding optical axes of the core 21 and the core 31 intersect each other on the mirror 40 and are symmetrical with respect to the perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror 40, that is, the optical axes of the core 21 and the core 31 coincide with each other. Thus, the array type optical waveguide units 20A, 20B, 20F, 20G and the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A, 30B are positioned. Further, array type optical waveguide units 20A, 2
The end of the core 21 of 0B is optically coupled to an optical device such as an optical switch or a multiplexer / demultiplexer via a connector (not shown).

Next, the operation of the optical path changing device 101 configured as described above will be described. The light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11b of one of the array type photoelectric conversion element units 10A is the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30.
The light enters the cores 31 of A and 30B, propagates in the core 31,
The array type optical waveguide unit 20F, 20G is reflected by one mirror 40 of the array type optical waveguide unit 20F,
It is incident on the 20 G core 21. Then, the light propagates in the core 21, is reflected by the other mirror 40, enters the core 31 of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B, propagates in the core 31, and is the other array-type photoelectric conversion element. The light is received by the photoelectric conversion element 11a of the unit 10A. Further, the array type optical waveguide unit 20 is connected via the connector.
The light that has entered the cores 21 of A and 20B propagates through the core 21, is reflected by the mirror 40, and enters the core 31 of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B.
The light propagates through the inside of 1 and is received by the photoelectric conversion element 11a of one array type photoelectric conversion element unit 10A. Further, the light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11b of the other array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10A enters the core 31 of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30A and 30B, and the core 3
1 and propagates in the array type optical waveguide unit 20A, 20
It is reflected by the mirror 40 of A and enters the core 21,
1 and is transmitted to the optical device via the connector.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment,
It is possible to realize the optical path conversion device 101 capable of optically coupling between the array type photoelectric conversion element units 10A in which the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements are arranged in a composite manner.

Sixth Embodiment In the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a short array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30F is arranged in two layers instead of the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 30A. . The rest of the configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment.

According to the sixth embodiment, since the short array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 30B and 30F are used, warpage due to the lengthening of the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit is generated. As a result, the decrease in optical coupling efficiency is suppressed.

In the sixth embodiment, the short array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is laminated in two layers, but it may be laminated in three layers or more. In this case, the optical coupling efficiency can be improved by adding a lens function to the intermediate array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling.

Embodiment 7. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the array type optical waveguide unit for optical coupling manufactured by embedding the arranged cores 31 having a rectangular cross section in the clad 32 is used. An array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling manufactured by integrating optical fibers is used. The optical fiber is formed by coating a core having a circular cross section with a clad. Also in the optical fiber, the refractive index difference between the core and the clad is set to 0.1 to 1.0%.

In the optical path changing device 102 according to the seventh embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, in the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B, the optical fiber 61 serving as the optical coupling optical waveguide is formed. With the optical axes parallel, and with the optical axes on the same plane,
The photoelectric conversion elements 11 are integrally manufactured in a state where four photoelectric conversion elements 11 are arranged at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch in each row.
Then, the unit 60A in the length direction of the optical fiber 61,
Both end surfaces of 60B are formed as flat surfaces having an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the optical fiber 61. The length of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 60B is shorter than that of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit 60A by the thickness of the array-type optical coupling unit 20B. And
The array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 60A and 60B are
The unit 60B, the unit 60A, the unit 60A, and the unit 60B are arranged in this order in four rows and fixed on the substrate 12. At this time, the array-type optical coupling units for optical coupling 60A and 60B are positioned so that the optical axes of the optical fibers 61 coincide with the centers of the element surfaces of the corresponding photoelectric conversion elements 11 in each row. The rest of the configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment.

Here, a method for manufacturing the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the support substrate 70 made of a silicon wafer is etched to form V grooves 70a arranged at a predetermined pitch. The arrangement pitch of the V grooves 70a is the same as the arrangement pitch of each row of the photoelectric conversion elements 11. Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, the optical fiber 71 having a circular cross section is placed in each V groove 70a. Then, as shown in FIG.
Another support substrate 70 is placed so that the optical fiber 71 is put in the groove 70a, and an epoxy resin is provided between the support substrates 70.
An adhesive 72 such as a polyimide resin or an acrylic resin is filled and cured, and four optical fibers 71 arranged at a predetermined pitch.
A structure 73 in which is integrated is obtained.

Next, the structure 73 is cut into a predetermined length by using a diamond blade (not shown), the cut surface is polished, and the structures 74A and 7A shown in FIG.
You get 4B. In the structures 74A and 74B, both end surfaces in the length direction of the optical fiber 71 are formed as flat surfaces orthogonal to the length direction of the optical fiber 71, and the lengths thereof are different by the thickness of the array type optical waveguide unit 20B. The substrate 70 of the structures 74A and 74B thus manufactured is removed to obtain array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B. The optical fiber 71 corresponds to the optical fiber 61.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12E, array type optical coupling units for optical coupling 60A, 60B.
On the substrate 12, unit 60B, unit 60A,
The units 60A and 60B are arranged in four rows in this order and fixed. At this time, when the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light receiving element, the array-type optical coupling units for optical coupling 60A and 60B allow light to enter from the optical fiber 61, monitor the output of the photoelectric conversion element 11, and output the output. At the position where is maximum, the adhesive is fixed using an adhesive such as a photocurable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin. When the photoelectric conversion element 11 is a light emitting element, the light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element 11 is received by a light receiving element positioned with respect to the optical fiber 61, the output of the light receiving element is monitored, and the output is Fix at the maximum position with an adhesive such as a photo-curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin. Thereby, the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B are configured.
The optical axes of the one optical fiber 61 coincide with the element plane centers of the corresponding photoelectric conversion elements 11 in each row.

The array-type photoelectric conversion element unit 10 to which the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B are fixed in this manner and the stacked array-type optical waveguide units 20A and 20B are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the same manner, the optical path conversion device 102 is manufactured.

In the seventh embodiment, the first embodiment described above is adopted.
In addition to obtaining the same effect as above, since the optical coupling optical waveguide is composed of the optical fiber 61, that is, the core having a circular cross section, it is possible to reduce the loss of light propagating in the optical coupling optical waveguide. Further, since the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B can be produced by cutting the structure 73 in which the inexpensive optical fibers 71 are arrayed and integrated,
The manufacturing process is simplified, the productivity is improved, and the price is reduced.

In the seventh embodiment, the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit in which the optical fibers 61 are arrayed and integrated is used instead of the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit according to the first embodiment. However, an array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit in which optical fibers 61 are arrayed and integrated may be used instead of the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit according to the second to sixth embodiments. Further, in the above-described seventh embodiment, the structure 7 in which the optical fibers 71 are arrayed and integrated
3 is cut into a predetermined length to make the array type optical coupling units 60A and 60B for optical coupling. The structure 73 is cut and applied to the array type optical waveguide unit. It goes without saying that it is good. In addition, although the silicon wafer is used as the supporting substrate 70 in the seventh embodiment, the supporting substrate 70 is used.
Is not limited to a silicon wafer, but may be any material that can accurately support the optical fiber 71, such as a metal material such as copper or nickel, quartz, an inorganic material such as AlN or Al ₂ O ₃ , an epoxy resin, Organic materials such as polyimide resin and acrylic resin are used.

In the seventh embodiment, the supporting substrate 7
Although the V groove 70a is formed by etching at 0, the method of forming the V groove 70a is not limited to etching, and the optical axes of the optical fibers 71 may be parallel and aligned on the same plane. It may be formed on the support substrate 70, and may be formed by dicing, for example. Further, in the seventh embodiment, the optical fiber 71 is attached to the adhesive 7
However, the method of integrating the optical fiber 71 is not limited to the adhesive 72. For example, the optical fiber 71 and the supporting substrate 70 are metal-plated, and a low melting point metal such as solder is used. You may make it join both. Further, although the optical fibers 71 arranged by the pair of support substrates 70 are supported in the seventh embodiment, the optical fibers 71 arranged by one support substrate 70 may be supported.

In the seventh embodiment, the structure 74
Although the array type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B are manufactured by removing the supporting substrates 70 of A and 74B, the supporting substrate 70 is thinned to manufacture the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit. May be. In this case, the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit is increased in size, but the strength of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit can be increased and the occurrence of warpage can be reliably suppressed. In addition, in the seventh embodiment, the structure 73 is cut using the diamond blade.
The cutting method of No. 3 is not limited to this, and may be any method that can cut the structure 73 with high accuracy. In the seventh embodiment, the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B are fixed to the substrate 12 with an adhesive. However, the method for fixing the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide units 60A and 60B is fixed. Is not limited to the adhesive, and for example, the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling 60
Alternatively, metal may be plated on the joint between A and 60B and the support substrate 12, and the two may be joined by a low melting point metal such as solder.

Embodiment 8. The eighth embodiment provides another method of arraying and integrating the optical fibers 71. Here, a method of arraying and integrating the optical fibers according to the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First,
As shown in FIG. 13A, an alignment die 75 having a recess 75a having a depth 1 and a width w is formed. The depth 1 is equal to the diameter of the optical fiber 71, and the width w is formed to be an integral multiple (here, 7 times) of the diameter of the optical fiber 71. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the seven optical fibers 71 are arranged in the concave portions 75 a of the alignment mold 75. At this time, since the width w of the recess 75a is formed to be seven times the diameter of the optical fiber 71, the seven optical fibers 71 are formed.
However, the optical axes are aligned in parallel and on the same plane, and they are arranged without a gap and housed in the recess 75a. further,
As shown in (c) of FIG.
5a is filled and hardened, and the optical fibers 71 are arrayed and integrated.

The structure thus produced is cut into a predetermined length and applied to an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling or an array type optical waveguide unit.

According to the eighth embodiment, the alignment die 75 can be manufactured more easily than the support substrate 70 in which the V groove 70a is formed, and the cost can be reduced.

Here, in the eighth embodiment, the arrayed optical fibers 71 are integrated by the adhesive 72. However, the joint between the optical fiber 71 and the alignment mold 75,
Alternatively, the joint between the optical fibers 71 may be plated with metal and the two may be joined and integrated by a low melting point metal such as solder.

In each of the above embodiments, the difference in the refractive index between the core material and the clad material is 0.1 to 1.0%. It is not limited to the above, and may be appropriately set depending on the application. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the array type optical waveguide unit and the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit are described as having four cores 21 and 31, respectively, but the number of cores 21 and 31 is four. The present invention is not limited to the book, and the effect of the present invention can be obtained when the number is two or more. Similarly, in the array type photoelectric conversion element unit, it is sufficient that two or more photoelectric conversion elements are arranged on the substrate 12. Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the array type optical waveguide unit is assumed to be laminated in two layers, but the array type optical waveguide unit may have a single layer structure of one layer or a laminated structure of two or more layers. Good.

Further, in the optical path conversion device according to the present invention, the wavelength that the photoelectric conversion element 11 can handle is 0.85 μm,
The wavelengths of 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm are generally used, but the wavelengths are not limited thereto, and any wavelength can be used as necessary. Further, the wavelength characteristics of the photoelectric conversion element 11 may be utilized to handle a plurality of wavelengths. In this case, crosstalk of light propagating in the adjacent optical waveguides can be suppressed. It goes without saying that the mode propagating in the optical waveguide may be a single mode or a multi mode.

[0067]

Since the present invention is constituted as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the present invention, the array-type photoelectric conversion element unit in which at least two photoelectric conversion elements are arranged on the substrate and the at least two optical waveguides have their optical axes parallel to each other and on the same plane. An array type optical waveguide unit that is positioned and arrayed integrally, and a mirror that is provided at each end of each optical waveguide of the array type optical waveguide unit and has a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of the optical waveguide, At least two optical waveguides for optical coupling are arrayed and integrated with their optical axes in parallel and on the same plane, and are arranged between the photoelectric conversion elements of the array type optical conversion element unit and the mirrors. The optical axis of the optical coupling optical waveguide intersects the optical axis of the optical waveguide on the mirror and is symmetric with respect to a perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror, and the element surface of the photoelectric conversion element Since the array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit arranged so as to pass through the center is provided, the occurrence of warpage of the optical coupling optical waveguide is suppressed, and a plurality of optical coupling optical waveguides are positioned in units. As a result, it is possible to obtain an optical path conversion device that can simplify the manufacturing process, realize a low price, and suppress a decrease in optical coupling efficiency.

The array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is constructed by arranging and integrating at least two optical fibers with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. The loss of light propagating in the optical coupling optical waveguide can be suppressed.

The array-type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is constructed by embedding and integrating at least two cores arranged with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. Therefore, the cores can be narrowed, and high-density mounting can be achieved.

Further, in the method for manufacturing an optical path changing device according to the present invention, at least two optical fibers are arranged with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane, and the optical fibers are arranged. And then cutting the at least two integrated optical fibers into a predetermined length to produce an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling, which simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the cost. A method of manufacturing an optical path changing device that achieves the above is obtained.

Further, in the method for manufacturing an optical path conversion device according to the present invention, the first cladding layer is formed on the substrate, the core layer is laminated on the first cladding layer, and the core layer is patterned. Forming at least two cores having a rectangular cross section and arranged with their long axis directions parallel to each other and on the same plane, and then covering and forming a second cladding layer to form at least the above-mentioned at least two arranged cores. The two cores are embedded and integrated by the first and second clad layers, and then the at least two cores embedded and integrated by the first and second clad layers are formed on the substrate and the first core.
And a step of manufacturing the array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling by cutting the second clad layer together with a predetermined length, so that the interval between the cores can be narrowed and miniaturization is possible. Is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical path changing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the optical path conversion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a mounted state of the optical path conversion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a process chart for explaining the manufacturing method of the array-type optical coupling unit for optical coupling in the optical path conversion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a process sectional view explaining the method for manufacturing the array-type optical waveguide unit in the optical path conversion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the optical path conversion device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an optical path changing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the optical path conversion device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an optical path changing device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an optical path changing device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an optical path changing device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a process drawing for explaining the manufacturing method of the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit in the optical path conversion device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a process sectional view illustrating the method of manufacturing the array-type optical coupling optical waveguide unit in the optical path conversion device according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional optical path changing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 10A array type photoelectric conversion element unit, 11
Photoelectric conversion element, 11a light receiving element, 11b light emitting element, 1
2 substrates, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E,
20F, 20G array type optical waveguide unit, 21 cores (optical waveguide), 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 3
0E, 30F, 60A, 60B Array type optical waveguide unit for optical coupling, 31 cores (optical waveguide for optical coupling), 32
Clad, 50 substrate, 51a first clad layer,
51b 2nd clad layer, 52 cores, 53 core layers, 71 optical fiber, 100, 101, 102 optical path conversion device.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An array-type photoelectric conversion element unit in which at least two photoelectric conversion elements are arranged on a substrate, and at least two optical waveguides whose optical axes are parallel to each other, and
An array type optical waveguide unit which is positioned on the same plane and arrayed and integrated, and a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of the optical waveguide which is provided at each end of each optical waveguide of the array type optical waveguide unit. And a mirror having at least two optical coupling optical waveguides arranged and integrated with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. The photoelectric conversion element of the array type optical conversion element unit and the mirror And the optical axis of the optical coupling optical waveguide intersects the optical axis of the optical waveguide on the mirror and is symmetric with respect to a perpendicular line at the intersection on the mirror, and the photoelectric conversion An optical path conversion device comprising: an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling, which is arranged so as to pass through the center of the element surface of the element. 2. The array-type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is configured by arranging and integrating at least two optical fibers with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. The optical path changing device according to claim 1. 3. The array-type optical coupling unit for optical coupling is constructed by embedding and integrating at least two cores arranged with their optical axes parallel and on the same plane. The optical path changing device according to claim 1, wherein 4. At least two optical fibers are arranged such that their optical axes are parallel and are on the same plane,
An optical path comprising the steps of integrating the arrayed optical fibers and then cutting the integrated at least two optical fibers to a predetermined length to produce an array type optical coupling optical waveguide unit. Method of manufacturing conversion device. 5. A first clad layer is formed on a substrate, a core layer is laminated on the first clad layer, and the core layer is patterned so that its major axis directions are parallel and the same. At least two cores each having a rectangular cross-section and arranged on a plane are formed, and then a second clad layer is formed to cover the arranged at least two cores to form the first and second cores. The at least two cores embedded by the clad layer and then embedded by the first and second clad layers are provided on the substrate and the first core.
And a method for manufacturing an array type optical coupling unit for optical coupling by cutting the second cladding layer to a predetermined length.