JP2005242394A - Connector plug and optical fiber connector using the connector plug - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a connector plug using an optical fiber ferrule in which an optical characteristic is made stable and no problem exists for external appearance. <P>SOLUTION: The connector plug is a cylindrical body having a through-hole to store an optical fiber along the shaft direction and is provided with a through-hole prior to joining and fixing the optical fiber, an optical fiber ferrule in which a radius of curvature R1 of a connecting section to a tip surface is set within a range of 0.0005 mm≤R1≤0.02 mm and a flange which is fixed to the back tip section of the optical fiber ferrule. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a connector plug and an optical fiber connector using a ferrule for fixing an optical fiber used for optical communication and the like.

  Conventionally, an optical fiber ferrule for fixing an optical fiber used for optical signal processing such as optical communication is composed of an optical fiber connector used for connecting optical fibers or a semiconductor laser and an optical fiber. Used in semiconductor laser modules and the like.

As an example, as shown schematically in FIG. 8, the optical fiber connector is a light made of zirconia ceramics that is inserted and bonded and fixed to a single-mode optical fiber 5 made of quartz, and then polished to a substantially convex spherical shape on the tip surface 11. The front end surfaces 11 of the fiber ferrule (hereinafter referred to as ferrule 1) are brought into contact with each other for optical connection.

FIG. 9 shows the ferrule 1 before the optical fiber 5 is bonded and the tip surface 11 is polished. In this ferrule 1, since the shape of the connecting portion 16 between the through hole 12 and the tip surface 11 is not particularly defined, chipping occurs in the connecting portion 16 in the ferrule 1 in which the tip surface 11 is finished by conventional grinding. In addition, in the ferrule 1 that has been polished to remove the chipping, a sag of a large curved surface has occurred in the connecting portion 16 from the tip surface 11 to the inner peripheral surface.

Further, the connecting portion 18 between the outer peripheral surface 13 of the ferrule 1 and the front end chamfered portion 14 and the connecting portion 19 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the rear end chamfered portion 17 are specified to be curved, but zirconia ceramics have a workability. Because of the badness, most ferrules 1 have a radius of curvature of 0.01 mm to 0.0
Only about 2 mm was processed.

  In the conventional optical fiber ferrule 1, chipping and hole sagging occur at the joint 16 between the through-hole 12 and the tip surface 11, so that the tip surface 11 after the optical fiber 5 is bonded is polished. Since the optical fiber 5 is not completely covered with the through-hole 12 at the front end surface 11 and is not sufficiently fixed, the optical fiber 5 may be cracked, and chipping and hole sagging may remain after polishing. There was a problem of appearance dirty.

  Further, when the ferrule 1 is used as an optical fiber connector, the sleeve is damaged at the connecting portion 18 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the tip chamfered portion 14 when inserted into a phosphor bronze sleeve (not shown). There is a problem that the black sleeve shavings adhere to the outer peripheral surface 13 and eventually the shavings adhere to the front end surface of the optical fiber, and the connection loss is deteriorated, and the cylindricality and straightness of the sleeve can be reduced by repeated insertion and removal. There was a problem that the connection loss was not stable because it deteriorated.

  Further, when a metal flange is press-fitted into the rear end surface 17, the flange may be bent or the ferrule 1 may be bent because it is not smoothly inserted at the connecting portion 19 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the rear end chamfered portion 17. There was a problem that burrs and breakage occurred.

  In view of the above, the connector plug of the present invention is a cylindrical body having a through hole for housing the optical fiber in the axial direction, and the curvature of the connecting portion between the through hole and the front end surface before the optical fiber is bonded and fixed. An optical fiber ferrule having a radius R1 in a range of 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.02 mm and a flange fixed to the rear end portion of the ferrule are provided.

  Further, the connector plug of the present invention has a chamfered portion on the outer periphery of the front end surface of the ferrule, and the curvature radius R2 of the connecting portion between the front end chamfered portion and the outer peripheral surface is in a range of 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm. It is characterized by.

  Furthermore, the connector plug of the present invention includes a chamfered portion on the outer periphery of the rear end surface of the ferrule, and a curvature radius R3 of a connecting portion between the rear end chamfered portion and the outer peripheral surface is set in a range of 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm. It is characterized by that.

  Furthermore, the connector plug of the present invention is characterized in that the ferrule is zirconia ceramics.

  Furthermore, the connector plug of the present invention is a processing method of the connector plug, wherein after polishing the inner surface of the through hole of the ferrule, the tip surface of the ferrule is used with a diamond grindstone having an average particle size of 2 μm or less. It has the process of processing so that the overload between this diamond grindstone and a ferrule may be released.

  The optical fiber connector of the present invention is characterized in that a pair of the above-mentioned connector plugs are provided, and the tip surfaces of the ferrules in the pair of connector plugs are brought into contact with each other and optically connected.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by setting the radius of curvature of the connecting portion between the through hole and the front end surface of the connector plug before fixing the ferrule optical fiber to a range of 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.02 mm. The ferrule 1 having stable optical characteristics and no problem in appearance can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, the radius of curvature of the joint between the outer peripheral surface and the chamfered portion at the front end and the joint between the outer peripheral surface and the chamfered portion at the rear end is set to 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm and 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm, respectively. As a result, the ferrule 1 can be obtained which has stable optical characteristics and is free from bending of the flange and ferrule application.

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

  FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ferrule used for a connector plug according to an embodiment of the present invention. A tip chamfered portion 14 is provided at a connecting portion between a substantially convex spherical tip surface 11 and an outer peripheral surface 13 of the ferrule 1. In the center, the through hole 12 is connected to the conical fiber insertion guide 12a in the axial direction from the front end surface 11 and extends to the rear end portion 15. Further, a rear end chamfered portion 17 is provided at a connecting portion between the rear end portion 15 and the outer peripheral surface 13, and the flange 2 is fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flange 2 described above is disposed in the plug housing 4 in a state of being biased by a spring 3 or the like, and an attachment member 6 such as a screw is provided on the outer periphery of the plug housing 4. The optical fiber 5 is inserted into the through-hole 12 and fixed using an adhesive 100 such as an epoxy adhesive to constitute the connector plug 8. On the other hand, the adapter 9 is provided with a sleeve 7 for inserting the ferrule 1 and a screw 91 that matches the mounting member 6.

  Now, the connector plug 8 is inserted from both sides of the adapter 9, the ferrule 1 is inserted into the sleeve 7, the tip surfaces 11 of the ferrules 1 are brought into contact with each other, and fixed with the mounting member 6, the optical fiber connector is Can be configured.

  The ferrule 1 has general dimensions of an outer diameter D = φ2.5 mm, a length L = 10.5 mm, and a through hole d = φ0.126 mm.

  Next, the connecting portion 16 between the through hole 12 and the front end surface 11 of the present invention, the connecting portion 18 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the front end chamfered portion 14 connected thereto, and the connecting portion 19 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the rear end chamfered portion 17. Will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 4A, the radius of curvature of the connecting portion 16 between the through hole 12 and the tip surface 11 is R1, and the range is 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.02 mm. When the radius of curvature R1 is less than 0.0005 mm, the ferrule 1 is too sharp when glass or ceramics, so that chipping is likely to occur during processing of the end face 11 and chipping occurs due to an impact that collides with the tray during carrying. Also, if the radius of curvature R1 exceeds 0.02 mm, the optical fiber is not fully covered with the through-hole 12 at the end face 11 in the polishing after the fiber bonding, so that the optical fiber is not sufficiently fixed, and the optical fiber is cracked. Occasionally, hole sagging and chipping remain after polishing and the appearance becomes dirty. Here, the tip end face 11 can achieve the same effect whether it is flat or spherical.

In the present invention, the connecting portion 16 between the through hole 12 and the distal end surface 11 is defined as a radius of curvature, but this may include not only the R shape but also sag, chipping, chipping, and the like of the connecting portion 16. In this case, the numerical value is defined using a larger value in the radial direction of the tip surface 11 and the longitudinal direction of the through hole 12.

For example, in the case where there is a chip of 0.0008 mm in the radial direction and 0.0003 mm in the longitudinal direction at the connecting portion 16, the maximum value is 0.0008 mm, which is within the scope of the present invention. Further, if there is a chip of 0.032 mm in the radial direction and 0.020 mm in the longitudinal direction, it is out of the scope of the present invention.

Next, in FIG.4 (b), the curvature radius R2 of the connection part 18 of the outer peripheral surface 13 and the front-end | tip chamfering part 14 connected to it is set as the range of 0.03 mm <= R2 <5mm. If the radius of curvature R2 is less than 0.03 mm, when the ferrule 1 is inserted into the phosphor bronze sleeve, the sleeve 18 is damaged at the connecting portion 18 between the outer peripheral surface 13 and the tip chamfered portion 14, and the outer periphery of the ferrule 1 A black sleeve shavings adheres to the surface 13 to make the appearance dirty, and eventually the shavings adhere to the end face of the optical fiber and cause a reduction in connection loss. Furthermore, repeated insertion / extraction deteriorates the cylindricity and roundness of the sleeve, which causes unstable connection loss. Further, when the curvature radius R2 is 5 mm or more, the straight portion of the outer peripheral surface 13 is shortened and cannot be firmly held by the sleeve.

Furthermore, in FIG.4 (c), the curvature radius R3 of the connection part 19 of the outer peripheral surface 13 and the rear-end chamfering part 17 is made into the range of 0.03 mm <= R3 <2mm. When the radius of curvature R3 is less than 0.03 mm, the outer peripheral surface 13 and the rear end chamfered portion 1 are pressed when the metal flange 2 is press-fitted into the rear end surface 17.
7, the flange 2 may be bent, or the ferrule 1 may be broken or broken. Further, when the curvature radius R3 is 2 mm or more, the straight portion of the outer peripheral surface 13 is shortened, and pressure input to the flange 2 cannot be ensured.

  Here, the connecting portions 16, 18, and 19 are represented by R1, R2, and R3 and the radius of curvature. However, the shape may not be a perfect circle but may be an ellipse or a shape having curved corners.

  For example, various R-shaped cross-sectional views at the connecting portion 16 are shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 5A is a complete circle. (B) is an ellipse and is long in the vertical direction in the figure. In (c), the central portion is linear and both ends are circular. (D) shows a pop-out type in which two straight lines merge at an intermediate point. In any shape, it has a cross-sectional shape connected by a smooth line.

  If the R portion in the figure shows a long value in the vertical and horizontal directions and this R is within the scope of the present invention, the same effect can be obtained.

In the present invention, the ferrule 1 is in a state before the fiber is bonded and the tip surface 11 is polished. Therefore, in this ferrule 1, the optical fiber is bonded to the through hole 12 and the tip surface 11 is polished. By this polishing process, the R of the connecting portion 16 is eliminated, the optical fiber is not cracked, and the appearance is clean. It becomes.

As described above, by setting the curvature radii of the connecting portions 16, 18, and 19 to ranges of 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.02 mm, 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm, and 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm, respectively, the optical characteristics are improved. A ferrule 1 which is stable and has no problem in appearance can be obtained.

Next, as the material of the ferrule 1, ceramics whose main component is zirconia is particularly optimal. Specifically, it contains ZrO ₂ as a main component and one or more of Y ₂ O ₃ , MgO, CaO, CeO ₂ , Dy ₂ O _{3 and the} like as a stabilizer, and is mainly composed of tetragonal crystals. Partially stabilized zirconia ceramics are used. Moreover, when manufacturing the ferrule 1 made of such zirconia ceramics, it is obtained by using the above raw material powder, forming it into a predetermined shape by extrusion molding, injection molding, press molding or the like and then firing it.

As this zirconia ceramics, those having an average crystal grain size of 0.1 to 1.0 μm and a porosity of 3% or less can be applied. Here, when the average crystal grain size exceeds 1.0 μm, voids between the crystals become large and a good outer peripheral surface cannot be obtained, and the particle size is stably reduced to 0.1 μm or less when pulverizing with a ball mill or the like when mixing raw materials. It is difficult to adjust, and after firing, the crystal grows and the diameter is further increased. The porosity represents the percentage of voids contained in the ferrule individual as a percentage. When the porosity exceeds 3%, the pore portion deteriorates the surface roughness of the tip surface 11.

  The material of the flange 2 fixed to the rear end portion 15 of the ferrule 1 is made of metal such as stainless steel, copper alloy with nickel plating, brass with nickel plating, or white with nickel plating Can be used.

  The ferrule 1 can be applied to both single mode and multimode.

  Next, the processing method of the connection part 16 of the ferrule 1 used for this invention is demonstrated.

  The inner peripheral surface of the through hole 12 of the ferrule 1 is finished to a predetermined inner diameter in advance by polishing. Thereafter, a substantially convex spherical surface is processed so that the distal end surface 11 has a curvature radius of 10 mm to 25 mm. There are two methods for forming the spherical surface: a grindstone shape transfer type and a spherical surface generation type.

  Among these, as shown in FIG. 6, the grindstone shape transfer mold rotates a cylindrical grindstone 113 having a recess 112 having a radius of curvature of 10 to 25 mm on the outer peripheral surface 111 at a speed of about 500 to 20000 rpm, and the ferrule 1 is moved to the grindstone. The shape of the grindstone 113 is transferred to the front end surface 11 of the ferrule 1 by rotating it at a speed of 1/2 to 1/100 with respect to 113 and bringing the front end surface 11 into contact with the grindstone 113 perpendicularly. Processing method.

  If a fine diamond grindstone having an average particle diameter of 2 μm or less is used for the grindstone 113, the radius of curvature of the joint portion 16 is finished to 0.0005 mm to 0.02 mm.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the spherical spherical surface forming is arranged such that the spherical cup grindstone 115 is inclined with respect to the rotation center of the ferrule 1, and both the ferrule 1 and the spherical cup grindstone 115 are rotated to project on the tip surface 11. This is a processing method for forming a spherical surface.

  If a fine diamond grindstone having an average particle diameter of 2 μm or less is used for the tip portion 116 of the spherical cup grindstone 115, the radius of curvature of the connecting portion 16 is finished to 0.0005 mm to 0.02 mm.

In either of these two methods, a rotating mechanism for the grindstone 113 and a rotating mechanism for the ferrule 1 that are sufficiently rigid are used. Further, when an overload occurs during processing, for example, air is released. By using a spindle or an automatic overload control device or the like, the connecting portion 16 can have a very small radius of curvature as described above without causing chipping.

In either of these two methods, the radius of curvature of the connecting portion 16 of the ferrule 1 can be finished to 0.0005 mm to 0.02 mm, and the ferrule 1 does not have the optical fiber 5 and is automatically supplied during processing. In addition, automatic discharge becomes possible and processing can be performed by rotating the ferrule 1, so that it is possible to form a convex spherical surface with high speed and stable quality.

  The reason why the average particle size of the grindstone is set to 2 μm or less is that when it exceeds 2 μm, the hole sag increases and chipping also occurs. Then, by using a diamond grindstone having an average particle diameter of 2 μm or less, the surface roughness of the tip surface 11 can be made to be a mirror surface having a surface roughness of 0.2 μm or less, and according to this processing method, the tip surface 11 and the connecting portion 16 are simultaneously formed. Can be processed.

Next, with regard to the processing of the connecting portions 18 and 19, if the post-processing outer peripheral surface 13 of the front end chamfered portion 14 and the rear end chamfered portion 17 is polished, edges are generated in the connecting portions 18 and 19. In order to process the connecting portions 18 and 19 into a curved surface, brush polishing is generally performed, and the radii of curvature R2 and R3 depend on the average particle diameter of diamond abrasive grains and the processing time. In order to fit within the range of 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm and 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm of the present invention, it is appropriate that the average grain size of diamond abrasive grains is 1 μm to 5 μm and the processing time is 10 minutes to 60 minutes.

As described above, by setting the curvature radii of the connecting portions 16, 18, and 19 to ranges of 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.02 mm, 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm, and 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm, respectively, the optical characteristics are improved. A ferrule 1 which is stable and has no problem in appearance can be obtained.

  Here, the experiment was conducted by the following method.

  The outer diameter D of the zirconia ceramic single mode ferrule shown in FIG. 1 is 2.5 mm, the length L is 10.5 mm, the through hole d is 0.126 mm, and the connecting portion 14 between the through hole 12 and the tip surface 11 is formed. 100 samples each having a curvature radius changed to 0.0004 mm, 0.0006 mm, 0.002 mm, 0.005 mm, 0.010 mm, 0.020 mm, 0.025 mm, and 0.03 mm were prepared. After inserting and fixing the fiber, only the front end surface of the optical fiber was finish-polished, and the presence or absence of cracks on the front end surface of the optical fiber after polishing and the state of the connecting portion 14 were observed. Here, the case where hole sag or chipping remained in the joint portion 14 was counted as a defect.

The results are shown in Table 1. The numbers in the table are the number of defects.

As a result, the optical fiber connector using the ferrule 1 having the radius of curvature of the connecting portion 16 of 0.0004 mm has chipping in the connecting portion 16, and the optical fiber connector using the ferrule 1 having 0.025 mm and 0.03 mm. The optical fiber connector using the ferrule 1 of 0.0006 mm, 0.002 mm, 0.005 mm, 0.010 mm, and 0.020 mm according to the present invention is cracked compared to the case where cracks, hole sag, and chipping occur. It can be seen that there is no sag or chipping.

  Next, in the same manner as described above, the outer diameter D of the single mode ferrule made of zirconia ceramics shown in FIG. 1 is 2.5 mm, the length L is 10.5 mm, the through hole d is 0.126 mm, the outer peripheral surface 13 and the tip chamfered portion. 14 samples with the radius of curvature of the connecting portion 18 connected to 14 changed to 0.025 mm, 0.030 mm, 0.1 mm, 1.0 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, 6.0 mm, respectively, 500 times The connection loss value before and after the test was confirmed.

The results are shown in Table 2. The values in the table are average values of 5 samples.

From this result, it can be seen that the connection loss of the sample having the curvature radius of the connecting portion 18 of 0.025 mm has deteriorated during the insertion / extraction, and the connection loss of the samples having the curvature radius of 5 mm and 6 mm is poor from the initial state. Compared to this, the present invention is 0.030 mm, 0.10 mm, 1.
It can be seen that the connection loss before and after repeated insertion and removal is stable for the 0 mm and 4.0 mm samples.

  Finally, similarly, the outer diameter D and the rear end chamfered portion of the single mode ferrule made of zirconia ceramics shown in FIG. 50 samples each having a radius of curvature of the connecting portion 19 to 17 changed to 0.025 mm, 0.030 mm, 0.1 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, and 3.0 mm were made of metal. The flange 2 was press-fitted and the flange 2 was bent, and the ferrule 1 was checked for cracks and breakage.

The results are shown in Table 3. The numbers in the table are the number of defects.

  As a result, the sample with a radius of curvature of the joint 19 of 0.025 mm is bent in the flange, and the ferrule is bent and chipped, and the sample with a radius of curvature of 2 mm and 3 mm cannot be secured and can be easily removed. doing. Compared to this, the samples of 0.030 mm, 0.10 mm, 1.0 mm, and 1.5 mm according to the present invention have no abnormality in the flange 2 and the ferrule 1 after press-fitting of the flange 2, and the flange does not easily come off. Understand.

It is sectional drawing which shows the state which fixed the flange to the ferrule for optical fibers in the connector plug of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the optical fiber connector using the ferrule for optical fibers in the connector plug of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the optical fiber connector using the connector plug of this invention. (A)-(c) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the connection part of the ferrule for optical fibers in the connector plug of this invention. It is a figure explaining the curvature radius of the connection part of this invention. It is a figure which shows the processing method of the ferrule for optical fiber connectors in the connector plug of this invention. It is a figure which shows the processing method of the ferrule for optical fiber connectors in the connector plug of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the junction part of a common optical fiber connector. It is a perspective view which shows the ferrule for common optical fiber connectors.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ferrule 11 Front end surface 12 Through-hole 13 Outer peripheral surface 14 Front end chamfering part 15 Rear end part 16 Connecting part 17 Rear end chamfering part 18 Connecting part 19 Connecting part 2 Flange 3 Spring 4 Plug housing 5 Optical fiber 6 Mounting member 7 Sleeve 8 Connector Plug 9 Adapter 91 Screw 111 Outer peripheral surface 112 Recess 113 Whetstone 115 Spherical cup grindstone 116 Tip portion R1, R2, R3 Curvature radius

Claims (6)

It is a cylindrical body having a through hole for accommodating an optical fiber in the axial direction, and the curvature radius R1 of the connecting portion between the through hole and the front end surface before the optical fiber is bonded and fixed is 0.0005 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0. A connector plug comprising a ferrule having a range of 02 mm and a flange fixed to a rear end portion of the ferrule. The chamfered portion is provided on the outer periphery of the front end surface of the ferrule, and the curvature radius R2 of the connecting portion between the front end chamfered portion and the outer peripheral surface is set in a range of 0.03 mm ≦ R2 <5 mm. Connector plug. The chamfered portion is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end surface of the ferrule, and the curvature radius R3 of the connecting portion between the rear end chamfered portion and the outer peripheral surface is set in a range of 0.03 mm ≦ R3 <2 mm. The connector plug according to 2. The connector plug according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule is zirconia ceramics. 5. The method for processing a connector plug according to claim 1, wherein after the inner surface of the through hole of the ferrule is polished, the tip surface of the ferrule is used with a diamond grindstone having an average particle size of 2 [mu] m or less. A processing method comprising a step of processing so as to release an overload between the ferrule and the ferrule. An optical fiber connector comprising a pair of the connector plugs according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and optically connecting the ferrule tip surfaces of the pair of connector plugs in contact with each other.

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