JP2003222775A - Optical communication component and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance junction strength between a base material and a foundation layer of a holder, prevent the foundation layer from peeling after fixing and prevent an optical element and an optical fiber from dropping by preventing corrosion of the base material, and further to equalize a thickness of the foundation layer of the holder, enhance junction strength and prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from dropping. <P>SOLUTION: The foundation layer is provided on a surface of the holder on a fixed side of the optical element or the optical fiber. A diffusion layer comprising only a constituent of the foundation layer and a constituent of the base material of the holder is provided on a boundary between the foundation layer and the base material of the holder. A metal foil or a metal thin plate as the foundation layer is placed on a surface of the base material of the holder. The metal foil or the metal thin plate and the base material of the holder are pressed. The foundation layer fixed to the base material of the holder is formed by diffusion junction. The optical element or the optical fiber is fixed to the holder through the foundation layer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical communication component which is a member constituting an optical system used for optical communication and the like, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical communication equipment, various inspection devices, various optical sensors, laser devices, etc., have optical isolators, optical fibers, receptacles, lenses, and other optical elements or optical fibers fixed to a holder. Many parts are used.

A lens holder shown in FIG. 3 will be described as a typical example of an optical communication component in which these optical elements or optical fibers are fixed and used.

The lens holder includes a holder 4 and an optical element 5,
Furthermore, the holder 4 and the optical element 5 are composed of solder 6 or low melting point glass 6.

The base material of the holder 4 is mainly stainless steel or kovar, and after the outer shape and the central hole are formed by cutting, gold, nickel, copper, tin, zinc, lead, chrome are formed. A material having the underlying layer 4a formed by vapor deposition or plating of the above was used.

On the other hand, as the optical element 5, an optical element which is a member constituting an optical system such as a lens, a polarizer, an analyzer, a Faraday rotator, etc. is used, and a gold,
The underlying layer 5a is formed by vapor deposition or plating of nickel, copper, tin, zinc, lead, chromium or the like.

Next, solder such as gold / tin solder or lead / tin solder is used as the solder 6, and the holder 4 and the optical element 5 are used.
It was fixed via the underlayers 4a and 5a. Also,
Depending on the material of the optical element 5 and the holder 4, the low melting point glass 6 may be used for fixing in order to reduce the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the respective materials.

[0008]

However, in the above conventional example, the base layer 4a of the holder 4 is fixed to the base material of the holder 4 by metal bonding by vapor deposition or plating.
Since the bonding strength between the holder and the base material is small, the holder may drop off together with the optical element 5 after the solder fixing. In addition, since the bonding strength is low, the underlying layer 4a may be peeled off when the holder 4 is gripped with tweezers or the like, and as a result, the solder 6 is not wet and the optical element 5 cannot be fixed. In the case of fixing by using, the base material was corroded at the portion where the underlayer 4a was peeled off, the bonding strength was lowered, and as a result, the optical element 5 sometimes fell off.

Further, since the base layer 4a of the holder 4 is fixed to the base material of the holder 4 by vapor deposition, sputtering, ion plating or plating, the thickness of the base layer 4a varies greatly, and the solder is thin at the thin portion. There is a problem that the optical element 5 and the optical fiber cannot be fixed because they do not get wet and fall off.

In view of the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention enhances the bonding strength between the base material of the holder and the underlayer of the holder to prevent the underlayer from peeling and prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off. In addition, by increasing the bonding strength, the underlayer is prevented from peeling when the holder is gripped with tweezers, the corrosion of the base material is prevented, and the optical element or optical fiber is prevented from falling off. The purpose of the present invention is to make the thickness of the formation uniform and increase the bonding strength to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, in the optical communication component according to claim 1, an underlayer is provided on the base material surface of the holder on the side where the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed, and It is characterized in that a diffusion layer composed only of the constituent components of the base layer and the base material of the holder is provided at the boundary between the base layer and the base material of the holder.

According to this structure, the base material of the holder and the base layer are firmly bonded to the base material of the holder by the diffusion layer, so that the base layer is peeled off and dropped after fixing the optical element and the optical fiber. There is no such thing. In addition, since the bonding strength is increased, the peeling of the underlayer when gripping the holder with tweezers, etc. can be prevented, corrosion of the base material can be prevented, and when bonding with solder or low-melting glass, the bonding strength is reduced. It is possible to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical communication component, the base material of the holder is at least one of Kovar, copper, stainless steel, iron / nickel alloy, iron / nickel / chromium alloy, iron / chromium alloy, aluminum and magnesium. It is characterized in that it is made of one kind, and the underlayer is made of at least one kind of gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, zinc, nickel, chromium, kovar, stainless steel, aluminum and magnesium.

As the material of the base material, it is desirable to use Kovar or stainless steel. By doing so, it is possible to match the coefficient of thermal expansion with the optical element or the optical fiber, and it is possible to prevent the optical element or the optical fiber from falling off even when heat is applied during use. Further, since the workability such as cutting of the base material is good, various shapes can be formed.

Gold is preferably used as the material of the underlayer. By doing this, gold /
When tin solder is used, the solder wets well, and higher joint strength can be maintained. Even when the low melting point glass is bonded, the base material can be prevented from being corroded, so that stable bonding strength can be obtained.

As described above, in consideration of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical element or the optical fiber to be fixed for the base material and the workability such as cutting, and for the underlayer, the solder wettability and the corrosion prevention effect are taken into consideration in various combinations. It is possible to use.

Next, in a method for manufacturing an optical communication component according to a third aspect of the present invention, a metal foil or a metal thin plate as a base layer is placed on the surface of the base material of the holder, and the metal foil or metal thin plate and the mother of the holder are placed. It is characterized in that a base layer fixed to the base material of the holder is formed by diffusion bonding by pressure contact with the material, and the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed to the holder via the base layer.

With this structure, since the base material of the holder and the base layer are firmly bonded to the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding, the base layer is peeled off and dropped after fixing the optical element and the optical fiber. Will disappear. Also, by increasing the bonding strength, peeling of the underlayer when gripping the holder with tweezers etc. can be prevented, corrosion of the base material can be prevented, and when bonding with solder or low-melting glass, the bonding strength decreases It is possible to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off. Further, since the underlayer is formed by pressure contact and the thickness of this underlayer is uniform, the solder wettability is improved. Therefore, since the bonding strength between the base layer and the solder is increased,
It is possible to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off.

Further, according to the manufacturing method of claim 4, a metal foil or a metal thin plate as an underlayer is placed on the surface of the base material of the plate-shaped holder, and the metal foil or the metal thin plate and the base material of the holder are By pressing, a step of forming a base layer fixed to the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding, the plate-shaped holder on which the base layer is formed is rolled into a cylindrical shape, and a step of welding a seam, and The method is characterized by including a step of fixing an optical element or an optical fiber to the holder via the underlayer.

According to this structure, since the pressing step of forming the underlayer using the base material of the plate-shaped holder is performed, the pressing step can be performed easily and effectively.

Further, the manufacturing method of claim 5 is characterized in that, after forming the underlayer, the holder is further subjected to drawing processing.

According to this structure, the base material of the holder and the underlayer can be more strongly pressure-bonded to each other, and the joining force between them can be increased, and the uniformity of the thickness of the underlayer can be increased. Further, it is possible to obtain a communication component that holds an optical element having a small diameter or an optical fiber.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a lens holder according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an optical communication component of the present invention in which an optical element 2 is fixed to a holder. In this optical communication component, a base layer 1b is provided on the surface of the base material of the holder 1 on the side where the optical element 2 is fixed by a pressure contact method described later, and the base layer 1b and the base material of the holder 1 are separated from each other. A holder 1 is used in which a diffusion layer 1c, which is composed only of the constituent components of the base layer 1b and the constituent material of the base material of the holder 1, is provided at the boundary portion.

As the material of the base material of the holder 1, it is desirable to use stainless steel having a small expansion coefficient.
Other metals or non-metals can be used. For example, metals include kovar, iron / nickel alloys, iron / nickel / chromium alloys, iron / chrome alloys, etc., and non-ferrous metals include copper, aluminum, magnesium, etc.

These materials are used for the purpose of matching the coefficient of thermal expansion with the optical element and the optical fiber as described above, and also when the lens holder is incorporated into an optical communication device or the like, the thermal expansion of the other material. There is also a purpose to prevent the optical device from falling off by adjusting to the coefficient.

Further, in the present embodiment, the holder 1
In consideration of fixing the lens holder with solder when incorporating the lens holder into an optical communication device or the like, the base layer 1a is also provided on the outer peripheral side of the holder.
Equipped with. On the other hand, when YAG welding is directly fixed to the holder when it is incorporated in an optical communication device, the base layer 1a on the outer peripheral side of the holder is not provided in consideration of weldability, and the base material is used as it is, or A base layer 1a for welding made of a material having good weldability is provided.

The optical element 2 is not only the lens, the polarizer, the analyzer and the Faraday rotator described in the above-mentioned conventional example, but also a rotator, a reflecting mirror, a semitransparent reflecting mirror, a beam splitter, a filter, a prism and a diffraction grating. , Birefringent crystals such as calcite, rutile, and LN crystals, 1/2 λ wavelength plate, ¼ λ wavelength plate, mirrors, and all other members constituting the optical system can be applied. Furthermore, it is possible to use an optical fiber other than the optical element 2. In the case of an optical fiber, most of them are about 0.125 mm, which is a very thin line. Therefore, the inner hole of the holder 1 is also very small and requires a highly accurate hole. In this case, by using a drawing process as described below, it is possible to make the inner hole extremely small and highly accurate.

A base layer 2a is formed on the fixed surface of the optical element 2 as in the case of the holder 1. This underlayer 2a can be formed by a method such as plating or vapor deposition.

Gold / tin solder or lead / tin solder is used as the material of the solder 3, while the base layers 1a, 1b,
As the material of 2a, gold,
Use solderable material such as silver, copper, lead, nickel, chrome, tin.

Here, as a typical combination of the material of the solder 3 and the material of the solder base layers 1a, 1b, 2a, nickel and gold are used for the solder base layers 1a, 1b, 2a, and gold is used for the solder 3. It is preferred to use / tin. In addition, it is also possible to freely set the combination of materials such as nickel and lead for the solder base layers 1a, 1b and 2a, and lead / tin for the solder 3, in accordance with the intended use.

Although the solder 3 is used for joining the holder 1 and the optical element 2 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. You may use melting point glass and epoxy resin. In that case, the base layer 1b plays a role of preventing corrosion of the base material.

The solder 3 used here as a bonding agent can be used without problems even with a low melting point glass or an adhesive such as an epoxy resin, and since the base material and the underlayer are firmly bonded,
Stable bonding is possible without a decrease in bonding strength due to corrosion of the base material.

According to the optical communication component thus configured, the base material of the holder 1 and the base layer 1b are formed by the diffusion layer 1c.
Is firmly bonded to the base material of the holder 1, so that the boundary portion between the base material of the holder 1 and the base layer 1b is unlikely to peel off. This can prevent the optical element 2 from falling off.

Further, the above-mentioned optical communication component is shown in FIG.
It can be manufactured by the method described below with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), a metal foil or a metal thin plate to be the base layers 1b and 1a is placed on the surface of the base material of the plate-shaped holder 1, and the metal foil or metal thin plate and the above The base material of the holder 1 is pressed against the base material while being rolled to form the base layers 1a and 1b fixed to the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding. At this time, by changing the thickness of the base material of the holder 1 and the metal foil or the metal thin plate, and the applied pressure, the base material of the holder 1 and the solder base layers 1a, 1b.
The thickness can be set freely, and since the thickness is stable, the solder will not get wet due to the thickness variation of the surface material due to conventional evaporation or plating, and as a result the optical element There is no need to fix it.

The base material of the holder 1 and the base layer 1
Since a and 1b are pressed against each other with a high pressure, strong bonding is possible, and the problem of peeling, which has been conventionally encountered in the case of metal bonding such as vapor deposition or plating, is eliminated. Here, it is desirable that the step of pressure contact is performed at a high temperature. By performing at a high temperature, diffusion of the base material and the underlayer is promoted, the base material and the underlayer can be easily joined, and a stronger diffusion layer (alloy layer) can be obtained. .

A suitable range of the pressure for this pressure contact varies depending on the material and the above-mentioned thickness, but generally, the pressure is such that the wall thickness after the pressure is applied is 80% or less of the wall thickness before the pressure is applied. It is desirable to apply. By doing so, more reliable joining becomes possible. Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the holder 1 is rolled into a cylindrical shape, and the joint is subjected to TIG welding or Co ₂
The tubular holder 1 is made by welding. The outer diameter of the pipe at this time is in a state before being drawn, which will be described later, and thus is larger than the final product.

Further, a drawing process as shown in FIG. 2 (c) is performed. Pass the tubular holder 1 through the die 7 and pull it out until the outer diameter φD reaches a prescribed size. Here, it is possible to freely set the outer diameter by changing the size of the die 7. In addition, since it is formed by drawing and a highly accurate shape can be stably produced, it is optimal for parts that require high accuracy such as optical parts.

After the drawing process such as the drawing process described above, FIG.
The holder 1 is obtained by cutting to a prescribed height h by cutting (cutting) as shown in (d). Further, the holder 1 is completed by cutting a part.

Next, a method of assembling the optical communication component of the present invention will be described.

An optical element 2 (with a base layer 2a) is put into the inner hole of the holder 1, and a solder 3 which is preformed to be larger than the optical element and which has been preformed is placed on the holder 1 and heated to fix the solder.

The preform of the solder 3 is preliminarily extruded, press-molded, injection-molded, or the like by a molding means such as the optical element 2.
The outer diameter is larger than the outer diameter, or after the molding, mechanical processing or punching press processing is performed to finish the desired shape.

At this time, the preform of the solder 3 is preferably larger than the outer diameter of the optical element. This is because in the process of melting the solder 3, the preform does not adhere to the upper surface of the optical element 2 when the preform shrinks.

The solder 3 used here as a bonding agent can be used without problems even with a low-melting glass or an adhesive such as an epoxy resin, and since the base material and the underlayer are firmly bonded,
Stable bonding is possible without lowering the bonding strength due to corrosion of the base material.

[0046]

EXAMPLES Here, an experiment was conducted by the following method.

An optical communication component as an embodiment of the present invention,
As a comparative example, ten conventional optical communication components shown in FIG. 3 were produced, and the thickness of the underlayer of these holders and the strength when the optical element was peeled from the holder were measured.

In both the embodiment of the present invention and the conventional example, the outer diameter of the holder 1 is 3.00 mm, the inner diameter is 1.20 mm, and the thickness is 1.5.
The base material was 0 mm and stainless steel SUS304 was used. Further, gold was pressure-contacted as the underlayer in the examples of the present invention, and gold was plated on the underlayer in the conventional example.

As the optical element 2, both samples use a polarizer in which metal particles are dispersed in glass and have an outer diameter of 1.10 m.
m, thickness 0.5 mm, and the outer peripheral surface was plated with gold.

As the solder 3, gold / tin solder was used for both samples and heated at 330 ° C. for 5 seconds to melt the solder.
And the optical element 2 was fixed.

Table 1 shows the evaluation results of the above samples.

[0052]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, the average thickness of the underlayer of the conventional optical communication component is 0.73 μm, and the variation is 1.95.
The average thickness of the underlayer of the optical communication component of the present invention was 1.45 μm and the variation was 0.13 μm, and the peeling load of the optical element was Minimum value 0.01 kgf, average value 1.59 kgf
In contrast, the product of the present invention has a minimum value of 3.00 kgf,
The result was an average value of 3.52. From the above, it can be confirmed that the optical element is prevented from falling off due to the large variation in the thickness of the underlayer, which has occurred in the conventional product, and the optical element can be reliably fixed.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, the underlayer is provided on the surface of the holder on the side where the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed, and the underlayer is provided at the boundary between the underlayer and the base material of the holder. By providing the diffusion layer consisting only of the constituent components of the stratum and the constituent components of the holder base material, the holder base material and the underlayer are firmly bonded to the holder base material. The base layer will not peel off after being fixed. In addition, the increased bonding strength prevents the base layer from peeling off when gripping the holder with tweezers, etc., and prevents corrosion of the base material, thus reducing the bonding strength when bonding with solder or low-melting glass. It is possible to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off due to.

The base material of the holder is Kovar,
It is made of at least one of copper, stainless steel, iron / nickel alloy, iron / nickel / chromium alloy, iron / chromium alloy, aluminum and magnesium, and the underlayer is gold,
Silver, copper, tin, lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, kovar,
When it is made of at least one of stainless steel, aluminum, and magnesium, it is possible to match the coefficient of thermal expansion between the base material and the optical element or optical fiber, and further, when incorporated in optical equipment, the thermal expansion coefficient with the material of the other party. Since the coefficient can be matched, it is possible to prevent the optical element or the optical fiber from dropping off or dropping off from the optical device even when heat is applied during use. Further, since it becomes possible to improve workability such as cutting of the base material, it is possible to form various shapes. Further, since the material of the base layer can be matched with the material of the solder used, the solder is well wetted and higher joint strength can be maintained. Even in the case of joining with a joining agent such as low melting point glass or epoxy resin, the base material can be prevented from being corroded, so that stable joining strength can be obtained.

Next, in the method for manufacturing an optical communication component of the present invention, a metal foil or a metal thin plate as an underlayer is placed on the surface of the base material of the holder, and the metal foil or metal thin plate and the mother of the holder are placed. A base layer fixed to the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding is formed by pressure contact with the material, and the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed to the holder via the base layer. Since the material and the base layer are firmly bonded to the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding, the base layer is not peeled off and dropped after the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed by soldering. In addition, by increasing the bonding strength, peeling of the underlayer when gripping the holder with tweezers etc. can be prevented and corrosion of the base material can be prevented, so when bonding with solder or low melting glass, the bonding strength is reduced. It is possible to prevent the optical element and the optical fiber from falling off due to.
Further, since the underlayer is formed by pressure contact and the thickness of this underlayer is uniform, the solder wettability is improved. Therefore, the bonding strength between the base layer and the solder is increased, and the optical element and the optical fiber can be prevented from falling off.

Further, diffusion bonding is carried out by placing a metal foil or a metal thin plate as a base layer on the surface of the base material of the plate-shaped holder and pressing the metal foil or the metal thin plate with the base material of the holder. A step of forming an underlayer fixed to the base material of the holder by, a step of rolling a plate-shaped holder on which this underlayer is formed into a cylindrical shape, and welding a seam, and the holder through the underlayer In the case of the manufacturing method including the step of fixing the optical element or the optical fiber to the above, since the pressing step of forming the underlayer using the base material of the plate-shaped holder is performed, the pressing step can be easily and effectively performed. .

Further, in the above manufacturing method, when the holder is further drawn after forming the underlayer,
The base material of the holder and the underlayer can be pressed against each other more strongly, and the joining force between the two can be enhanced, and the uniformity of the thickness of the underlayer can be enhanced. Further, it is possible to obtain a communication component that holds an optical element having a small diameter or an optical fiber.

[0059]

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is a plan view of an optical communication component of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view thereof.

2A is a plan view showing a pressure welding step of an optical communication component of the present invention, FIG. 2B is a plan view showing a rolling step of an optical communication component of the present invention, and FIG. It is a plan view and a sectional view showing a drawing process of the optical communication component of the invention,
(D) is sectional drawing and a top view which show the cutting process of the components for optical communication of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional lens holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Holder 1a: Underlayer 1b: Underlayer 1c: Diffusion layer 2: Optical element 2a: Underlayer 3: Solder 7: Dice φD: outer diameter h: height

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical communication component in which an optical element or an optical fiber is fixed to a holder, and a base layer for fixing a solder on a surface of a base material of the holder on the side where the optical element or the optical fiber is fixed, or In addition to providing a base layer for preventing corrosion of the base material, a diffusion layer consisting only of the constituent components of the base layer and the base material of the holder is provided at the boundary between the base layer and the base material of the holder. Optical communication parts characterized by 2. The base material of the holder is made of at least one of kovar, copper, stainless steel, iron / nickel alloy, iron / nickel / chromium alloy, iron / chromium alloy, aluminum and magnesium, and the base layer is Gold, silver, copper,
The optical communication component according to claim 1, which is made of at least one of tin, lead, zinc, nickel, chromium, kovar, stainless steel, aluminum, and magnesium. 3. The holder by diffusion bonding by placing a metal foil or a metal thin plate as a base layer on the surface of the base material of the holder and pressing the metal foil or the metal thin plate against the base material of the holder by diffusion bonding. A method for manufacturing an optical communication component, which comprises forming an underlayer fixed to the base material of 1. and fixing the optical element or the optical fiber to the holder via the underlayer. 4. Diffusion bonding by placing a metal foil or a metal thin plate as a base layer on the surface of a base material of a plate-shaped holder and press-contacting the metal foil or metal thin plate with the base material of the holder. A step of forming an underlayer fixed to the base material of the holder by, a step of rolling a plate-shaped holder on which this underlayer is formed into a cylindrical shape, and welding a seam, and the holder through the underlayer A method of manufacturing an optical communication component, comprising the step of fixing an optical element or an optical fiber. 5. The method for manufacturing an optical communication component according to claim 3, wherein the holder is further subjected to drawing after forming the base layer.