JP2005338308A - Semiconductor optical parts and their manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure with which high density packaging is made possible and hermetically seal is also realized for an optical communication module. <P>SOLUTION: Electrode wiring metal 2, which is constituted by a metal or the like, is formed on the side surface or the side surface and the end face of an optical fiber 1. A semiconductor optical element 3 such as a PD and an LD is arranged on the end face side, that is an optically incident and outgoing window, of the optical fiber 1. The electrode wiring metal 2 on the side surface or the end face of the optical fiber 1 and the semiconductor optical element 3 are electrically connected and the vicinity of the element 3 is covered by low melting glass 4 or resin and the low melting glass and sealed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a semiconductor optical component for optical communication, and more particularly, to a structure in which an optical fiber and an optical element are combined, and a method for manufacturing a member necessary for combining the optical fiber and the optical element.

With the spread of optical communication networks, expansion of transmission capacity is required. In recent years, optical communication systems using the WDM system that can dramatically increase transmission capacity have begun to spread. In order to realize this WDM, a plurality of light emitting elements (LD or LED) having different wavelengths and a plurality of light receiving elements (PD) capable of receiving an optical signal for each wavelength are required.

The conventional optical module has an extremely large package size (several mm to several tens of mm) as compared with the optical fiber diameter (about φ0.125 mm to φ1 mm) as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-295003. For this reason, when a plurality of optical modules are mounted, there is a problem that the high-density mounting of the optical modules is difficult due to restrictions on the package size.

In order to realize high-density mounting, a light receiving module often uses a PD array in which a plurality of PDs are arranged. In this case, since the high-density mounting becomes easy, the utility value is high, but there is a problem that it is difficult to hermetically seal the PD array. Since the PD for optical communication uses an InP epiwafer, there is a disadvantage that the life is shortened when used in a high humidity atmosphere. Therefore, it is important to hermetically seal and not expose to a high humidity atmosphere.
JP 2003-295003 A

In order to solve the above problem, the semiconductor optical component according to the first invention of the present application is formed with the electrode wiring metal 2 made of metal or the like on the side surface or the side surface and the end surface of the optical fiber 1 as shown in FIG. A semiconductor optical element 3 such as PD or LD is installed on the end face side of the optical fiber 1 corresponding to the light exit / incident window, and the electrode wiring metal 2 on the side surface or end face of the optical fiber 1 and the semiconductor optical element 3 are electrically connected. It is characterized by being connected to.

As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor optical component according to the second invention of the present application is sealed by covering the semiconductor optical element 3 of the semiconductor optical component according to the first invention of the present application with low-melting glass 4 or resin or the like. It is characterized by being.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the semiconductor optical component according to the third invention of the present application, the electrode wiring guide 5 is fixed to the side surface of the optical fiber 1, and the semiconductor optical element 3 is electrically connected to the two metals of the electrode wiring guide 5. It is connected and sealed with a low melting point glass 4, a resin or the like or a lid 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor optical component according to the fourth invention of the present application has a guide 7 in contact with the side surface of the optical fiber 1 and a substrate 8 with a via hole to which the semiconductor optical element 3 is fixed. It is characterized by being stopped.

As shown in FIG. 5, the semiconductor optical component according to the fifth invention of the present application sandwiches the semiconductor optical element 3 between the first conductivity type guide 9 in contact with the side surface of the optical fiber 1 and the second conductivity type substrate 10. A spacer 11 that is fixed and prevents an excessive load from being applied to the semiconductor optical element 3 is bonded and hermetically sealed to each of the first conductive type guide 9 and the second conductive type substrate 10. To do.

A method for manufacturing the electrode wiring guide 5 used in the semiconductor optical component according to the third aspect of the present invention will be described below.

The manufacturing method of the electrode wiring guide 5 according to the sixth invention of the present application is such that an insulating material plate and a conductive material plate are bonded together, and the outer diameter of the optical fiber is attached to the insulating material plate or the insulating material plate and the conductive material plate. It is characterized by opening a hole of a degree.

In the manufacturing method of the electrode wiring guide 5 according to the seventh invention of the present application, a groove having a width of about the outer diameter of an optical fiber and a depth of a radius is formed on a substrate in which an insulating material is formed on a conductive material. The insulating materials of the respective substrates are bonded to each other.

In the method of manufacturing the electrode wiring guide 5 according to the eighth invention of the present application, a V-shaped groove (V groove) is formed in a substrate made of a semiconductor material or an insulating material, and is opposed to the V groove forming surface of the substrate. A conductive material is formed on the surface, and the V-groove surfaces of the substrate are fixed with an insulating material interposed therebetween or bonded with an insulating adhesive.

In the semiconductor optical component according to the first invention of the present application, since the semiconductor optical element is directly fixed to the end face of the optical fiber corresponding to the light exit / incident window, only a space about the size of the semiconductor optical element or the diameter of the optical fiber is required. Since the size of a general semiconductor optical element is about several hundred μm, the mounting area can be extremely reduced as compared with a conventional optical module, and ultra-high density mounting is possible.

In the semiconductor optical component according to the second invention of the present application, since the optical component of the first invention is covered with a low melting point glass or the like, there is a risk that the optical element may fail due to heat load, but the humidity of the outside air is cut off. Therefore, long life and high reliability can be expected.

The semiconductor optical component according to the third invention of the present application cannot be mounted with a higher density than the first and second inventions, but can be mounted with a higher density than the conventional optical module and can be hermetically sealed. It is. Further, since it becomes possible to fix the electrode wiring guide to the optical fiber after fixing the semiconductor optical element to the electrode wiring guide, the mounting becomes relatively easier than in the first and second inventions. Furthermore, wire bonding at the time of mounting becomes easy by making the outer shape of the electrode wiring guide into a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The semiconductor optical component according to the fourth invention of the present application needs to have a smaller semiconductor optical element size than the third invention, and is difficult to connect with the electrode formed on the via hole substrate. Lower cost for guide processing than the invention.

The semiconductor optical component according to the fifth invention of the present application has a disadvantage that hermetic sealing becomes difficult due to variations in the thickness of the semiconductor optical element. However, as in the first to fourth inventions, the anode and cathode of the semiconductor optical element. It is not necessary to form both electrodes on one side, and it is possible to mount a typical front-illuminated PD, surface-emitting LD, etc. of the front surface anode electrode and back surface cathode electrode as they are.

In the manufacturing method according to the sixth invention of the present application, the insulating material plate can be formed by sandwiching the conductive material plate between the conductive material plates and making holes, so that steps such as etching, masking, and vapor deposition are omitted, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

In the manufacturing method according to the seventh invention of the present application, it may be difficult to fix the semiconductor optical element to be mounted depending on the bonding accuracy of the substrates. However, when a minute hole with an optical fiber outer diameter of 125 μm is formed, It is relatively easy compared to the invention.

The manufacturing method according to the eighth invention of the present application has the same disadvantages as the seventh application of the present application and is not suitable for airtightness. However, the Si-V groove technology generally used in the optical communication industry is problematic. If used, it can be manufactured at low cost and relatively stably.

The best mode of the present application will be described below as an example. In this embodiment, the case of a PD as a semiconductor optical element is considered, but a surface-emitting LD or LED can be similarly manufactured. Moreover, the Example of the manufacturing method of the electrode wiring guide 5 used for this invention 3rd invention is described in the Example of 3rd invention.

An embodiment of the first invention of the present application will be described below. FIG. 1 is a completed view of the semiconductor optical component of this embodiment, which is formed by combining the optical fiber of FIG. 6 and the PD of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optical fiber used in the first invention of the present application. The optical fiber 1 uses a single mode fiber or the like having a cladding diameter of 125 μm, and a metal film such as Cr / Au is formed on the side surface and end surface of the optical fiber 1 with a thickness of about 1 μm. The metal film is not formed in the vicinity of the core 13 (φ9.5 μm) of the optical fiber, and is divided into two parts for the anode and the cathode. The metal film is referred to as electrode wiring metal 2.

The pattern of the electrode wiring metal 2 is formed by masking using a masking tape or photoresist, forming a metal film by vapor deposition or the like, and then removing the mask portion. In the pattern formation, a metal film may be formed on the entire surface, the pattern portion may be masked, and the pattern may be formed by etching.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a PD used in the first invention of the present application. In the PD, a light receiving window 14, an anode electrode 15, and a cathode electrode 16 are formed on the pn junction side (surface side). Since the PD having both anode and cathode electrodes formed on the surface like the PD is an element that is widely used for flip chip mounting, details such as the cross-sectional structure of the PD are omitted. To do.

The size of the PD is preferably an optical fiber diameter of 125 μm or less, but may be about 350 μm to 500 μm.

The electrode wiring metal 2 divided into the anode and cathode for the end face of the optical fiber in FIG. 6 and the anode electrode 15 and the cathode electrode 16 on the PD surface in FIG. 7 are fixed with AuSn solder or the like, respectively. 1 which is the semiconductor optical component of the present invention is completed.

An embodiment of the second invention of the present application will be described below. FIG. 2 is a completed perspective view of the semiconductor optical component of this example.

In the semiconductor optical component of this example, the low temperature glass 4 (PbO—SiO 2 —B 2 O 3 or PbO—P 2 O 3 —SnF 2) having a melting point of about 300 ° C. to 500 ° C. is provided in the vicinity of the PD corresponding to the semiconductor optical element 3 of the first example. ) Or Tick glass (PbF2-SnF2-SnO-P2O3) or the like. It is formed by immersing it in the vicinity of the PD in a low melting point glass melted with a crucible or the like, or by dropping the melted low melting point glass.

In the case of this example, if the vicinity of the PD is directly immersed in the liquefied low melting point glass, the element may be damaged due to thermal damage. In some cases, the AuSn solder is melted by heat and the PD is peeled off from the optical fiber. Therefore, the vicinity of the PD may be first covered with a resin and then sealed with a low melting point glass.

An embodiment of the third invention of the present application will be described below. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a finished product of the semiconductor optical component of this example. The finished product of this embodiment is formed by combining the members shown in FIG. In addition, the Example of the manufacturing method of the electrode wiring guide 5 was also described in the present Example.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of members used in the third invention of the present application. For the optical fiber 1, a single mode fiber having a cladding diameter of 125 μm is used.

A hole 20 for inserting the optical fiber 1 is formed in the electrode wiring guide 5. The outer shape of the electrode wiring guide 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the electrode wiring guide 5 is formed in a columnar shape, it is considered that the guide 5 is difficult to be fixed and wire connection is difficult, and these problems are solved by making the electrode wiring guide 5 into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The size of the electrode wiring guide 5 is preferably about 1 mm square in consideration of high-density mounting.

As Example 1 of the manufacturing method of the electrode wiring guide 5, as shown in FIG. 9, one plate of an insulating material 18 such as ceramic and two plates of a conductive material such as a metal 19 are used. It manufactures by pinching and pinching, opening the hole 20 about the outer diameter of the optical fiber 1 in the insulating substance 18 or the insulating substance 18, and the metal 19, and cutting out separately.

As Example 2 of the manufacturing method of the said electrode wiring guide 5, as shown in FIG. 10, the insulating substance 18 like a ceramic material is formed on the board | plate of a conductive substance like the metal 19, and the optical fiber 1 of FIG. The groove 21 is formed with a width of about the outer diameter and a depth of about half of the outer diameter. It manufactures by adhere | attaching the insulating substances 18 of the said 2 metal plate 22 with a groove | channel.

As a third embodiment of the method for manufacturing the electrode wiring guide 5, as shown in FIG. 11, a V-shaped groove (V groove) along a crystal orientation by photolithography and wet etching is formed on a semiconductor substrate 23 such as silicon. 24). When forming the V groove 24, the substrate 23 may be inclined and the V groove 24 may be processed with a dicing saw. In this case, an equivalent shape can be obtained even if the substrate 23 has no crystal orientation. The V-groove 24 may be formed at the same depth from the optical fiber insertion side 25 to the PD fixing side 26, but if the V-groove on the PD fixing side 26 is shallow enough to see the optical fiber core 13 from the end face, When inserting an optical fiber at the time of mounting, there is no need to worry that the end face of the optical fiber hits the PD and damages the light receiving surface.

A conductive material is formed on the back surface and the end surface of the V-groove forming substrate 27. In this case, the metal 19 (for example, Cr / Au or the like) is preferably deposited by tilting the V groove forming substrate 27. The V-groove forming substrates 27 formed with the metal 19 are fixed to each other with the insulating material 18 interposed therebetween, or the V-groove forming substrates 27 are bonded to each other with an insulating adhesive or the like.

As Example 4 of the electrode wiring guide 5, an insulating material such as a ceramic with a hole having an outer diameter of an optical fiber is used, and wiring is formed by the same manufacturing method as the electrode wiring metal forming method of Example 1. To manufacture.

The electrode wiring guide 5 is formed on the side surface of the optical fiber 1 by combining a conductive material such as a metal and an insulating material such as a ceramic material. Even if the conductive material and the insulating material are different members, if they are combined to form a structure similar to that of this embodiment, they can be regarded as the same as this embodiment.

The PD uses the element of FIG. The size of the PD 17 is desirably larger than the diameter of the optical fiber 1, and about 500 μm square is easy to mount.

The PD 17 is disposed on the end surface of the electrode wiring guide 5, and the two metals formed on the electrode wiring guide 5 are electrically connected to the anode electrode 15 and the cathode electrode 16 on the surface of the PD 17 with AuSn solder, respectively. One PD 17 is fixed to the electrode wiring guide 5.

Sealing with the lid 6 completes. In this case, it is necessary to give sufficient consideration so that the two electrodes of the electrode wiring guide 5 do not short-circuit. Further, similarly to Example 2, the vicinity of the PD may be sealed with a low melting point glass or the like, or a resin and a low melting point glass.

An embodiment of the fourth invention of the present application will be described below. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a finished product of the semiconductor optical component of this example. The finished product of this embodiment is formed by combining the members shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of members used in the fourth invention of the present application. For the optical fiber 1, a single mode fiber having a cladding diameter of 125 μm is used.

The guide 7 has a cylindrical shape, the inner diameter of the hole 20 formed in the guide 7 on the optical fiber 1 insertion side is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 1, and the inner diameter of the via hole substrate 8 fixed side is wide enough to prevent the PD 17 from contacting. Is formed. The outer diameter of the guide 7 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the via-hole substrate 8 and is preferably about φ1 mm in consideration of high-density mounting. The material of the guide 7 is preferably a metal.

As the PD 17, an antireflection film coated on the back surface of the element shown in FIG. 7 is used. Since the PD 17 is an element that is widely and generally used for back-illuminated flip chip mounting, details of the cross-sectional structure and the like of the PD are omitted.

FIG. 13 shows the front surface (PD mounting surface) and back surface of the via-hole substrate. The broken line indicates the PD mounting location 29. The via-hole substrate 8 is formed of an insulating substrate 30 and a metal 19 (for example, Au, Cu, Al, etc.), and the metal 19 on the surface of the insulating substrate 30 and the metal 19 on the back surface are electrically connected. is there. The metal 19 and the anode electrode 15 and the cathode electrode 16 of the PD 17 are fixed with AuSn solder or the like, respectively. You may use what the lead wire is connected to the metal 19 part of the said via-hole board | substrate 8. FIG.

The via-hole substrate 8 on which the PD 17 is mounted and the guide 7 are fixed with solder 31 or the like, and the guide 7 and the optical fiber 1 are fixed. If the optical fiber 1 has a metal film on the side surface, it can be fixed to the guide 7 with solder and can be hermetically sealed. However, the guide 7 can be formed with an adhesive, low melting point glass, or the like without forming the metal film. And the optical fiber 1 may be fixed.

An embodiment of the fifth invention of the present application will be described below. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a completed product of the semiconductor optical component of this example. The finished product of this embodiment is formed by combining the members shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a member used in the fifth invention of the present application. For the optical fiber 1, a single mode fiber having a cladding diameter of 125 μm is used.

The inner diameter of the hole 20 formed in the first conductivity type guide 9 is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 1 and narrower than the PD17 size. The outer shape is almost the same as that of the second conductivity type substrate 10 and is preferably about 1 mm square considering high-density mounting. The material of the first conductivity type guide 9 is preferably a metal, but may be a ceramic or the like with a metal film formed on the surface.

The material of the second conductivity type substrate 10 is preferably a metal, but may be one in which a metal film is formed on the surface of an insulating material such as ceramic.

In the present embodiment, an example in which a typical front-illuminated type InGaAs-PD used for optical communication is used as the PD 17 is shown. The PD 17 has a light receiving window 14 and an anode electrode 15 on the front surface, and a cathode electrode on the back surface. In the case of the combination of the present embodiment, the first conductivity type guide 9 becomes the anode, and the second conductivity type substrate 10 becomes the cathode. Depending on the PD, the polarity of the electrodes can be reversed.

The spacer 11 is inserted so as not to apply an excessive load to the PD 17 and to seal it. The thickness of the spacer 11 is about the same as the thickness of the PD 17, and the material is preferably an insulating material such as ceramic. The inner diameter is PD17 size or more, and the outer shape is about the same as the first conductive type guide 9 and the second conductive type substrate 10. A metal film is formed at a location where the first conductivity type guide 9 and the second conductivity type substrate 10 are in contact with each other, and can be fixed with solder or the like.

The PD 17 is fixed to the second conductivity type substrate 10 with solder, silver paste or the like, and the spacer 11 is fixed to the second conductivity type substrate 10 with solder or the like. The second conductivity type substrate 10 to which the PD 17 and the spacer 11 are fixed is fixed to the first conductivity type guide 9 with solder or the like, and the first conductivity type guide 9 and the optical fiber 1 are fixed with an adhesive or low melting point glass or the like. When a metal film is formed on the side surface of the optical fiber 1, it can be fixed with solder.

In this embodiment, if there is variation in the thickness of the PD 17, the PD 17 cannot be brought into contact with the first conductivity type guide 9 and becomes open, or a load is applied too much and the PD 17 is destroyed. Therefore, it is preferable to insert a spring 12 larger than the inner diameter of the guide 9 and smaller than the PD 17 size between the PD 17 and the first conductivity type guide 9 to absorb the thickness variation of the PD 17. Instead of the spring 12, a conductive material that is soft enough not to apply a load to the PD 17 may be used as the load absorbing material.

In the first and second embodiments, an electrode wiring pattern is provided on the optical fiber itself, and the PD is directly mounted on the optical fiber. There is no application for such a structure, and it can be said that the present application is highly novel. In the third to fifth embodiments, the PD is not particularly devised, and can be sufficiently handled by the mounting technology possessed by the current optical communication device manufacturers. The present structure in which the guide fixed to the optical fiber serves as an electrode is judged to be highly novel.

In the above embodiment, the diameter of the optical fiber is exemplified by the diameter of the clad. However, in the present invention, a coated optical fiber may be used.

Semiconductor optical component perspective view which is an embodiment of the first invention (Embodiment 1) Semiconductor optical component perspective view of an embodiment of the second invention (Example 2) Sectional view of a semiconductor optical component which is an embodiment of the third invention (Example 3) Sectional view of a semiconductor optical component which is an embodiment of the fourth invention (Example 4) Sectional view of a semiconductor optical component which is an embodiment of the fifth invention (Example 5) Optical fiber perspective view PD perspective view Member configuration perspective view used in Example 3 Example 1 of electrode wiring guide manufacturing method Example 2 of electrode wiring guide manufacturing method Example 3 of electrode wiring guide manufacturing method Member configuration perspective view used in Example 4 Via hole board schematic diagram Member configuration perspective view used in Example 5

Explanation of symbols

1: optical fiber 2: electrode wiring metal 3: semiconductor optical element 4: low melting point glass 5: electrode wiring guide 6: lid 7: guide 8: via hole substrate 9: first conductivity type guide 10: second conductivity type substrate 11: spacer 12: Spring 13: Optical fiber core 14: Light receiving window 15: Anode electrode 16: Cathode electrode 17: PD (light receiving element)
18: insulating material 19: metal 20: hole 21: groove 22: grooved metal plate 23: substrate 24: V groove 25: optical fiber insertion side 26: PD fixing side 27: V groove forming substrate 28: vapor deposition direction 29: PD Mounting location 30: Insulating substrate 31: Solder

Claims (16)

An electrode wiring metal made of a conductive material is formed on the side surface or side surface and end surface of the optical fiber, and a semiconductor optical element is installed on the end surface of the optical fiber corresponding to the light entrance / exit window, and the electrode wiring metal on the side surface or end surface of the optical fiber and the semiconductor A semiconductor optical component characterized in that an optical element is electrically connected. 2. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity of the semiconductor optical element is covered with an insulating material such as low-melting glass or resin. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity of the semiconductor optical element is covered with a resin, and the glass is covered with a glass such as a low-melting glass from the top of the resin. 4. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor optical component is a light receiving element. An electrode wiring guide formed of a conductive material and an insulating material is fixed to the side surface or side surface and end surface of the optical fiber, and the conductive material of the electrode wiring guide and the electrode of the semiconductor optical element are electrically connected. A semiconductor optical component characterized by the above. 6. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 5, wherein the vicinity of the semiconductor optical element is covered with an insulating material such as low-melting glass or resin. 6. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 5, wherein the semiconductor optical element is hermetically sealed by covering a lid in the vicinity of the semiconductor optical element. 6. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 5, wherein the semiconductor optical element is fixed to a surface of the electrode wiring guide facing the optical fiber insertion side. 6. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 5, wherein the semiconductor optical element is a light receiving element. A semiconductor is formed on a via-hole substrate that is formed of a guide fixed to the side surface of an optical fiber, an insulating substrate, and a conductive material, and the conductive material on the surface of the insulating substrate is electrically connected to the conductive material on the back surface. An optical element is fixed, and the via hole substrate and the guide are fixed. A semiconductor optical element is sandwiched and fixed between a first conductivity type guide in contact with the side surface of the optical fiber and a second conductivity type substrate, and a spacer formed of an insulating material is provided between the first conductivity type guide and the second conductivity type. A semiconductor optical component which is bonded to each of the substrates. A load absorbing material such as a spring formed of a conductive material is inserted between the first conductive type guide and the semiconductor optical element so that an excessive load is not applied due to a thickness variation of the semiconductor optical element. The semiconductor optical component according to claim 11. A method of manufacturing the electrode wiring guide, comprising: bonding a plate-like insulating substance and a conductive substance, and forming a hole having an outer diameter of an optical fiber in the insulating substance or the insulating substance and the conductive substance. An electrode having a width of about the outer diameter of an optical fiber and a depth of about a radius formed on a substrate having an insulating material formed on a conductive material, and the insulating materials of the substrate are bonded together Manufacturing method of wiring guide. A V-shaped groove (V-groove) is formed in a substrate made of a semiconductor material or an insulating material, a conductive material is formed on a surface of the substrate facing the V-groove forming surface, and the V-groove surface side of the substrate is formed. The method for producing an electrode wiring guide, wherein an insulating substance is sandwiched between the V-groove surfaces or the V-groove surfaces are fixed with an insulating adhesive. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein a conductive material is also formed on a surface of the substrate on the semiconductor optical element fixing side.

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