JP2006184752A - Package, optical waveguide substrate mounted package, and optical waveguide package - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a package, an optical waveguide substrate mounted package, and an optical waveguide package that can reduce tension on an optical fiber and that can improve the workability in positioning an optical fiber. <P>SOLUTION: In the optical waveguide package (1) and the like, an optical waveguide substrate (8), equipped with grooves (4, 6) for positioning optical fibers (2), has a package lower part (10) that is positioned with the positioning grooves (4, 6) facing upward and a package upper part (12) that is positioned on the package lower part (10), in a manner that is movable vertically thereto. The package upper part (12), positioned on the package lower part (10), is provided with holding parts (36a, 36b) that face the positioning grooves (4, 6) of the optical waveguide substrate (8) positioned on the package lower part (10), and that hold downward the optical fibers (2) positioned in these grooves (4, 6). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a package for an optical waveguide substrate, and more particularly to a package for an optical waveguide substrate capable of packaging an optical waveguide and an optical fiber together.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to an optical waveguide substrate package in which an optical waveguide substrate is mounted on such a package, and an optical waveguide package in which an optical waveguide and an optical fiber are packaged together.

Conventionally, an optical waveguide substrate package that can package an optical waveguide and an optical fiber together has been used (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
For example, the package described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a V-shaped groove for positioning the optical fiber is provided in the lower part of the package, and a V-shaped convex part for pressing the optical fiber is provided in the upper part of the package. is doing. When assembling the package, the optical waveguide substrate is positioned at the bottom of the package and the optical fiber is positioned in the groove at the bottom of the package to align the optical waveguide substrate with the optical fiber, and then the optical fiber is aligned at the bottom of the package and the top of the package. Clamp it between the convex parts and fix it.
Further, in the metal package described in Patent Document 2, the resin is filled in the package, whereby the optical fiber is disconnected due to the tension acting on the optical fiber fixed to the optical waveguide substrate, and the adhesion is caused by moisture from the surroundings. It prevents the adhesive strength from decreasing.

Conventionally, an optical waveguide substrate having a positioning groove for positioning an optical fiber is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). For example, the optical waveguide substrate described in Patent Document 3 has a base extending in the longitudinal direction and an optical waveguide laminated at the center in the longitudinal direction on the base, and the optical waveguide is not laminated among the bases. V-shaped cross-sectional grooves for positioning the optical fiber are formed on the upper surfaces of the front end portion and the rear end portion. The cross-sectional dimension of the groove is such that the optical fiber core and the optical waveguide core are automatically aligned with submicron accuracy when an optical fiber is placed in the groove.
When an optical fiber is fixed to the above-described conventional optical waveguide substrate, a glass block is often used as a pressing member for pressing the optical fiber placed in the groove of the optical waveguide substrate. Specifically, the optical fiber is placed in the groove of the optical waveguide substrate, the optical fiber is pressed from above with a glass block, and then the optical fiber, the optical waveguide substrate, and the glass block are fixed to each other with an adhesive.

JP-A-7-13038 JP-A-8-286073 JP 2001-281479 A

In the package described in Patent Document 1 described above, the assembly of the package is relatively easy. However, the position of the optical component such as the optical waveguide substrate built in the lower part of the package is highly accurate (about approximately) Must be within ± 1μm). Therefore, it is desirable to use an optical component mounting apparatus. However, such a mounting apparatus is about 2000 to 30 million yen and is expensive. Further, since the optical fiber is pressed and fixed near the end of the package, there is a problem that tension is applied to the optical fiber and disconnection is likely to occur at that portion.
In the package described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to position the optical waveguide substrate in the package.

The size of the optical waveguide substrate having the positioning groove described in Patent Document 3 is, for example, 0.5 to 10 mm in width and 6 to 35 mm in length, and the size of the glass block is, for example, 0 width. .5-10 mm and length 1-10 mm. It is difficult to position the glass block on the optical waveguide substrate on which the optical fiber is placed by holding the glass block having such a small size by hand.
Instead of positioning the glass block by hand, the glass block is positioned with respect to the optical waveguide substrate by using a positioning device. However, such a positioning device is a dedicated positioning device having a precision guide table part capable of positioning a glass block in micron units and a microscope having a magnification of about 50 to 100 times, and is expensive because it costs about 3 to 5 million yen. It is.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a package, an optical waveguide substrate mounting package, and an optical waveguide package that can reduce the tension applied to the optical fiber and improve the workability when positioning the optical fiber.

In order to achieve the above object, a package according to the present invention is a package for an optical waveguide substrate having an optical fiber positioning groove, and the lower portion of the package in which the optical waveguide substrate is positioned with the optical fiber positioning groove facing upward. An upper portion of the package positioned on the lower portion of the package, the upper portion of the package positioned on the lower portion of the package having a groove for positioning the optical fiber of the optical waveguide substrate positioned on the lower portion of the package. And a pressing portion for pressing the optical fiber positioned in the optical fiber positioning groove downward.
In the package according to the present invention configured as described above, first, the optical waveguide substrate is positioned at the lower part of the package so that the optical fiber positioning groove faces upward. In this state, the optical fiber is placed on the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate for positioning. Next, when the upper part of the package is positioned with respect to the lower part of the package, the pressing part on the upper part of the package automatically faces the optical fiber positioning groove on the optical waveguide substrate. By moving the upper part of the package downward, the optical fiber can be pressed downward.

In the configuration of the present invention, the optical fiber is fixed on the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate by the pressing portion on the upper part of the package, so that it is not necessary to fix the optical fiber on the package as in the conventional case. Therefore, the optical fiber can be easily positioned, and the tension applied to the optical fiber in the vicinity of the package end surface is reduced, so that the disconnection of the optical fiber can be prevented.
Further, in the present invention, the upper part of the package having a relatively large size is used instead of the glass block of the related art having a relatively small size as a holding member for pressing the optical fiber in the groove of the optical waveguide substrate. It is easy to improve workability when positioning the presser member. Further, if the upper part of the package is positioned at the lower part of the package, the pressing part at the upper part of the package can be opposed to the groove of the optical waveguide substrate, so that the workability can be further improved.
Therefore, an expensive dedicated positioning device and positioning tool are not required, and the optical fiber can be positioned on the optical waveguide substrate at an arbitrary work place. Also, when packaging an optical waveguide substrate, the prior art required two steps of positioning and fixing the pressing member and packaging the optical waveguide substrate. However, both steps can be performed in one step. This can simplify and shorten the work.
The upper part of the package and the lower part of the package are preferably fixed while pressed against each other. In particular, it is preferable that at least a part of the optical waveguide positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate is fixed to at least a part of the pressing part at the upper part of the package by an adhesive. Other portions may be fixed by a filler, an adhesive, a clip, or the like, or may be a space.

In an embodiment of the present invention, preferably the package lower part and the package upper part are configured to surround and surround the optical fiber at their end faces.
In the package configured as described above, the tension applied to the optical fiber in the vicinity of the end face of the package is surely reduced, so that the disconnection of the optical fiber can be prevented.

In an embodiment of the package of the present invention, preferably, the lower part of the package has an optical fiber receiving groove, and the optical fiber receiving groove is aligned with the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate positioned at the lower part of the package, It extends to the end face of.
In the package configured as described above, the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate positioned at the lower part of the package and the optical fiber receiving groove at the lower part of the package are aligned, so that the optical fiber is received in the optical fiber receiving groove. The optical fiber can be aligned with the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate. As a result, the optical fiber and the optical waveguide substrate can be easily positioned.

In the embodiment of the package of the present invention, preferably, the optical fiber receiving groove has a cross-sectional dimension capable of directly supporting the optical fiber on the optical waveguide substrate side to be positioned, and is positioned on the end surface side of the lower part of the package. The cross-sectional dimension is larger than the cross-sectional dimension on the optical waveguide substrate side.
In the package configured as described above, the vicinity of the optical fiber has an opening mechanism (gap) in the vicinity of the end face of the package, that is, in the vicinity of the entrance / exit, and disconnection due to the tension acting on the optical fiber can be prevented. The gap in the vicinity of the end face of the package may be a space supporting the optical fiber by filling it with a filler, an adhesive, or the like. Further, the optical fiber cladding may be directly supported near the optical waveguide substrate, and the optical fiber coating layer may be supported near the lower end surface of the package.

In the embodiment of the package of the present invention, preferably, the lower portion of the package has a recess for positioning the optical waveguide substrate.
In the package configured as described above, the optical waveguide substrate can be positioned at the lower portion of the package simply by inserting the optical waveguide substrate into the recess at the lower portion of the package. As a result, the optical waveguide substrate and the lower part of the package can be easily positioned.

In an embodiment of the package of the present invention, preferably the package top and package bottom are positioned by mating with each other. In the embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the upper part of the package and the lower part of the package are positioned by contacting each other.
In the package configured as described above, positioning of the upper part and the lower part of the package becomes easy.

In the package embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the upper part of the package has an upper surface and a lower surface, and has a hole penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface.
In the package configured as described above, when the adhesive, the filler, or the like is filled in the gap between the optical fiber, the optical waveguide substrate, the upper part of the package, and the lower part of the package, the adhesive, the filler, etc. can be easily supplied. . Also, if a plurality of holes are provided, an optical fiber, an adhesive that bonds the upper part of the package and the lower part of the package, an adhesive that fixes the optical fiber and the optical waveguide substrate, an adhesive that fills the gap between the optical waveguide substrate and the upper part of the package, Fillers and the like can be supplied from separate holes.

In an embodiment of the package of the present invention, preferably the top of the package is transparent.
In the package configured as described above, ultraviolet rays can be used when curing with an optical fiber, an optical waveguide substrate, an adhesive filled in the upper part and lower part of the package, a filler, or the like.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the optical waveguide substrate mounting package according to the present invention, an optical waveguide substrate having an optical fiber positioning groove for positioning an optical fiber is positioned and fixed to the above-described package according to the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, an optical waveguide package according to the present invention includes an optical fiber, an optical waveguide substrate provided with an optical fiber positioning groove for positioning the optical fiber, and the optical waveguide substrate facing the optical fiber positioning groove upward And a package upper portion positioned on the lower portion of the package so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the lower portion of the package. The upper portion of the package positioned at the lower portion of the package is positioned at the lower portion of the package. It has a holding part that opposes the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate and presses the optical fiber positioned in the optical fiber positioning groove downward, and is fixed so that the lower part of the package and the upper part of the package are pressed against each other. Yes.
Further, an optical fiber receiving groove that acts as a guide groove may be provided in the lower part of the package so that the optical fiber can be easily positioned.

  In the embodiment of the optical waveguide package of the present invention, it is preferable that at least a part of the holding part at the lower part of the package and at least a part of the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide board facing the optical fiber, the optical waveguide board, the lower part of the package And the upper part of the package is fixed by an adhesive.

  The package, the optical waveguide substrate mounting package, and the optical waveguide package according to the present invention can reduce the tension applied to the optical fiber and improve the workability when positioning the optical fiber.

Embodiments of an optical waveguide package according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical waveguide package according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the optical waveguide package of FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an optical waveguide package 1 according to the present invention includes an optical fiber 2, an optical waveguide substrate 8 provided with grooves 4 and 6 for positioning the optical fiber 2, and the optical waveguide substrate 8 includes the grooves. And a package lower portion 10 positioned with 4 and 6 facing upward, and a package upper portion 12 positioned on the package lower portion 10 so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the package lower portion 10, and the optical fiber 2, the optical waveguide substrate 8, and the package. The gap between the lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 is filled with a filler 14A, an adhesive 14B and a filler 14C (see FIG. 2), and the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 are fixed in a state of being pressed against each other. Yes.

The optical waveguide substrate 8 includes, for example, a splitter, an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer, a switch, and the like. Although there is no particular limitation, in this embodiment, it is an optical branching / merging splitter, and one optical fiber 2 is connected to one side. The four optical fibers 2 are connected to the other side. In the following description, one side will be described as the front side, and the other side will be described as the rear side.
The optical fiber 2 has a core (not shown), a clad 2a formed around the core, and a coating layer 2b coated around the clad 2a. In the portion of the optical fiber 2 surrounded by the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12, the coating layer 2b is removed and the clad 2a is exposed. The outer diameter of the clad 2a is, for example, 125 μm.

  The optical waveguide substrate 8 has a base 16 that extends in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) and an optical waveguide 18 that is laminated on the base 16 in the longitudinal center. The base 16 includes a lower surface 16a which is a vertical positioning surface for positioning the optical waveguide substrate 8 in the vertical direction with respect to the package lower portion 10, a front surface 16b and a rear surface 16c which are longitudinal positioning surfaces for positioning in the longitudinal direction, and a width direction. It has two side surfaces 16d and 16e that are positioning surfaces in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the lower surface 16a is flat and rectangular. The optical waveguide 18 has a core 18a extending in the longitudinal direction and a clad 18b surrounding the core 18a, and the core 18a constitutes a path through which light propagates. The core 18a has one front end 18c and four rear ends 18d, and branches from the front end 18c toward the rear end 18d. The base 16 has a front end portion 20 and a rear end portion 22 on which the optical waveguide 18 is not stacked, and the front end portion 20 and the rear end portion 22 have upper surfaces 20a and 22a, respectively. On the upper surfaces 20a and 22a, one groove 4 and four grooves 6 aligned in the longitudinal direction with the front end 18c and the rear end 18d of the core 18a of the optical waveguide 18 are formed. The cross-sectional shapes of the grooves 4 and 6 are configured such that the core (not shown) of the optical fiber 2 and the core 18a of the optical waveguide 18 are automatically aligned when the optical fiber 2 is placed in the grooves 4 and 6. Yes. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the grooves 4 and 6 is V-shaped.

The package lower part 10 generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a lower face 10a, an end face or front face 10b, an end face or rear face 10c, two side faces 10d and 10e, and an upper face 10f. The lower surface 10a is preferably flat, but may have other shapes. The front surface 10b constitutes a longitudinal positioning surface that positions the upper part of the package in the longitudinal direction with respect to the lower part of the package.
A concave portion 24 for positioning the optical waveguide substrate 8 is provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 10f. The recess 24 includes a bottom surface 24a which is a vertical positioning surface for positioning the optical waveguide substrate 8 in the vertical direction, a front surface 24b and a rear surface 24c which are longitudinal positioning surfaces for positioning in the longitudinal direction, and a width direction in which the optical waveguide substrate 8 is positioned in the width direction. It has two side surfaces 24d and 24e which are positioning surfaces, and preferably has a shape complementary to the base 16 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. The bottom surface 24 a of the recess 24 is in contact with the lower surface 16 a of the base 16 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. The length in the longitudinal direction and the length in the width direction of the concave portion 24 are slightly larger than the length in the longitudinal direction and the length in the width direction of the base 16 of the optical waveguide substrate 8, respectively. 0.1 mm and the longitudinal direction are 0.01-0.3 mm larger.

Grooves 26 and 28 for receiving the optical fiber 2 positioned in the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 are provided on the upper surface 10f. The groove 26 extends from the recess 24 to the front surface 10b, and the groove 28 extends from the recess 24 to the rear surface 10c. On the side of the recess 24, the grooves 26, 28 are preferably aligned with each of the grooves 4, 6 in order to assist or guide the positioning of the optical fiber 2 in the grooves 4, 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8, respectively. . Thus, there are one groove 26 and four grooves 28. On the recess 24 side, the shape of the grooves 26 and 28 is preferably such that the optical fiber is placed in the V grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 and is in contact with the outer diameter of the clad 2a of the optical fiber 2 or more than that. It has a width and depth larger by 0 to 0.05 mm, and more preferably has a width and depth in contact with the outer diameter of the clad 2 a or by 0 to 0.01 mm larger than that.
Further, the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 to be described later are configured so as to be separated from the optical fiber 2 and to surround the end faces 10b and 10c. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional dimension of the groove 26 is preferably larger than the cross-sectional dimension near the recess 24 on the front surface 10 b side of the package lower part 10. Further, the number of the grooves 28 is one on the rear surface 10c side, and the width and depth of the single groove 28 are larger than the entire width and depth of the groove 28 on the recess 24 side, respectively. Is preferred.

  Between the recess 24 and the front surface 10b, there are formed a notch 30 for fitting over the upper surface 10f and the side surface 10d and the upper surface 10f and the side surface 10e. Similarly, a notch 30 is formed between the recess 24 and the rear surface 10C so as to span the upper surface 10f and the side surface 10d and the upper surface 10f and the side surface 10e. These four cutouts 30 are a bottom surface 30a, a front surface 30b and a rear surface 30c, which are longitudinal positioning surfaces for positioning the upper portion of the package with respect to the lower portion of the package, and a width direction positioning surface for positioning in the width direction. And a side surface 30d.

The package upper part 12 generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a lower surface 12a, an end surface or front surface 12b, an end surface or rear surface 12c, two side surfaces 12d and 12e, and an upper surface 12f. The package upper part 12 is preferably transparent in order to transmit ultraviolet rays.
On the lower surface 12a near the front surface 12b, an abutting protrusion 32 is formed extending downward to position the package upper portion 12 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the package lower portion 10. The abutment protrusion 32 has a rear surface 32a that can abut against the front surface 10b of the package lower part 10, and the package upper part 12 is positioned relative to the package lower part 10 by abutting these surfaces 10b and 32a. Is possible. Further, the abutting protrusion 32 has a notch 32 b that constitutes a path of the front optical fiber 2.
The package upper portion 12 further has four fitting protrusions 34 extending downward from the lower surface 12a of the package lower portion 10 so as to be able to fit into the four notches 30 of the package lower portion 10. Each of the four fitting protrusions 34 includes a lower surface 34a, a front surface 34b and a rear surface 34c, which are longitudinal positioning surfaces for positioning the upper portion of the package in the longitudinal direction with respect to the lower portion of the package, and a width direction for positioning in the width direction. And a side surface 34d which is a positioning surface. It is preferable that the abutting protrusion 32 extends downward from the fitting protrusion 34.

  The package upper portion 12 further has two sets of pressing portions 36a and 36b extending downward from the lower surface 12a of the package upper portion 12 in order to press the optical fiber 2 positioned in the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 downward. Yes. The front holding portion 36 a faces the groove 4 of the front end portion 20 of the optical waveguide substrate 8, and the rear holding portion 36 b faces the groove 6 of the rear end portion 22 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. Each of the holding portions 36 a and 36 b is constituted by two projecting portions 38 that are spaced in the longitudinal direction and extend in the width direction of the package upper portion 12. The protruding portion 38 has a lower surface 38a that can press down the optical fiber 2 positioned in the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 in a state where the lower surface 12a of the package upper portion 12 does not contact the optical waveguide 18 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. have.

  Further, the package upper portion 12 is provided with five holes 40a to 40e penetrating from the upper surface 12f to the lower surface 12a. The hole 40a is provided above the portion of the package lower part 10 that supports the front optical fiber. In this embodiment, the hole 40a is provided between the protrusion 32 near the front surface 12b and the front pressing portion 36a. . The hole 40b is provided above the front end portion 20 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. In this embodiment, the hole 40b is provided between the two protruding portions 38 of the front pressing portion 36a. The hole 40 c is provided above the optical waveguide 18 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. The hole 40d is provided above the rear end portion 22 of the optical waveguide substrate 8. In this embodiment, the hole 40d is provided between the two protruding portions 38 of the rear pressing portion 36b. The hole 40e is provided above a portion of the lower 10 of the package that supports the rear optical fiber, and in this embodiment, is provided between the rear surface 12c and the rear pressing portion 36b.

Next, a cross section of the optical waveguide package will be described with reference to FIGS.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. It is preferable that the entire circumference of the optical fiber 2 is surrounded by the filler 14 </ b> A near the end face of the package lower part 10.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. The optical fiber 2 is located on the groove 26. A gap is preferably provided between the upper surface 10f of the package lower part 10 and the lower surface 12a of the package upper part 12, and the gap and hole 40a are filled with a filler 14A.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. The optical fiber 2 is pressed into the groove 4 of the optical waveguide 8 by the protruding portion 38 of the pressing portion 36a of the upper portion 12 of the package. An adhesive 14 </ b> B is filled in a gap between the upper surface 10 f of the package lower part 10 and the lower surface 12 a of the package upper part 12 and a gap between the recess 24 of the package lower part 10 and the optical waveguide substrate 8.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. The gap between the upper surface 10f of the package lower portion 10 and the lower surface 12a of the package upper portion 12, the gap between the concave portion 24 of the package lower portion 10 and the optical waveguide substrate 8, and the hole 40b are filled with an adhesive 14B. .
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. The end face of the optical waveguide 18 can be seen from the hole 40c. When the length of the optical waveguide 18 is long and it is difficult to see the end face of the optical waveguide 18, it is preferable to provide two holes 40 c and install them near the end face of the optical waveguide 18. Filler 14C is filled in the gap between upper surface 10f of package lower part 10 and lower surface 12a of package upper part 12, the gap between recess 24 of package lower part 10 and optical waveguide substrate 8, and hole 40c. . Although not shown in FIG. 2, there is a slight gap between the optical waveguide 18 and the optical fiber 2, and this gap is also filled with the filler 14C.
8 to 11 are cross-sectional views taken along line VIII-VIII, line IX-IX, line XX, and line XI-XI in FIG. 2, respectively. 8 to 11 are the same as FIGS. 6 to 3 except that the number of optical fibers is different.

Next, a method for assembling the optical waveguide package according to the present invention will be described.
First, the optical fiber 2, the optical waveguide 8, the package lower part 10, and the package upper part 12 are assembled. Specifically, the optical waveguide substrate 8 is placed in the recess 24 of the package lower part 10 and positioned. The optical fiber 2 is guided into the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 by inserting the optical fiber 2 into the grooves 26 and 28 of the package lower part 10. The optical fiber 2 is securely placed in the grooves 4 and 6. The optical fiber 2 is preferably placed on the optical waveguide substrate 8 so as to be slightly covered. The package upper portion 12 is positioned in the longitudinal direction with respect to the package lower portion 10 by bringing the rear surface 32 a of the contact protrusion 32 of the package upper portion 12 into contact with the front surface 10 b of the package lower portion 10. While lowering the package upper portion 12 with respect to the package lower portion 10, the fitting protrusion 34 of the package upper portion 12 is fitted into the notch 30 of the package lower portion 10. Accordingly, the holding portions 36a and 36b of the package upper portion 12 are automatically aligned with the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8, respectively. The optical fiber 2 is pushed toward the optical waveguide 18 and abuts against the optical waveguide 18. Whether or not the optical fiber 2 is in contact with the optical waveguide 18 may be confirmed from the hole 40c by using a small light and a loupe.

Next, the optical fiber 2, the optical waveguide 8, the package lower part 10, and the package upper part 12 are bonded and fixed to each other. Specifically, a filler 14A for integrating the optical fiber 2, the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 is filled from the holes 40a and 40e. The filler 14A preferably has flexibility in order to prevent disconnection of the optical fiber 2, and preferably has an elongation rate of 10% or more after curing. Moreover, it is preferable that the elasticity modulus after hardening is larger than 1.1 GPa. The filler 14A is, for example, Noland's urethane-based ultraviolet curable adhesive NEA121 (elongation rate after curing is 30%). In order to fill the filler 14A, a gap is preferably provided between the optical fiber 2 and the lower surface 12a of the upper portion 12 of the package.
Further, an adhesive 14B for fixing the optical fiber 2 to the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 is filled from the holes 40b and 40d. The adhesive 14 </ b> B is preferably an adhesive having a relatively high rigidity in order to prevent an axial shift due to a positional shift of the optical fiber 2. The elastic modulus of the adhesive 14B is preferably 1 GPa or more. The adhesive 14B is, for example, an epoxy ultraviolet curing adhesive WR8774 (elastic modulus 2.5 GPa after curing) manufactured by Kyoritsu Chemical Industry.
Further, a filler 14C is filled into the gap (not shown) between the optical fiber 2 and the optical waveguide substrate 8 from the hole 40c. The filler 14C functions as a refractive index matching material, and a resin having a relatively low elastic modulus is preferable in order to prevent the adhesion interface from peeling off. The elastic modulus of the filler 14C is preferably 1 MPa or less. The filler 14C is, for example, a silicone-based ultraviolet curable adhesive WR8962H (elastic modulus 0.005 MPa after curing) manufactured by Kyoritsu Chemical Industry. In order to reduce the deterioration of the optical waveguide 18 due to moisture, it is preferable to fill the gap between the optical waveguide substrate 8 and the package upper portion 12 with the filler 14C.
Subsequently, while applying a pressing load of 200 to 300 g to the upper portion 12 of the package, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to cure the filler 14A, adhesive 14B, and filler 14C. When using the exemplary fillers and adhesives described above, a proper amount of UV irradiation, for fillers 14A and 14C, a 3~5J / cm ^2, for the adhesive 14B, 20~30J / cm ² It is. Therefore, it is preferable to irradiate the part of the adhesive 14B first and irradiate the parts of the fillers 14A and 14C later. Irradiation to the fillers 14A and 14C may be performed simultaneously or separately.

表１から分かるように、充填剤１４Ａについては、伸び率が大きい材料、接着剤１４Ｂについては、弾性率が大きい接着剤、充填剤１４Ｃについては、弾性率が小さい材料が好ましいことが確認された。
なお、接着剤の弾性率は、硬化させる前のものであり、ＪＩＳ-Ｋ７１２７「プラスチックフィルム及びシートの引張り試験方法」に従って測定した。 Next, an experimental example will be described. Table 1 is an experimental example of the defective rate when the embodiment of the present invention is compared with one in which one of the filler 14A, the adhesive 14B, and the filler 14C is replaced with another material. Specifically, Comparative Example 1 is an example in which a Norland urethane-based thermosetting adhesive NEA155 (elongation rate 5%) having a low elongation rate was used as the filler 14A. Comparative Example 2 is an example in which Daikin's epoxy ultraviolet curable adhesive UV3000 (elastic modulus 0.38 GPa) having a reduced elastic modulus was used as the adhesive 14B. Comparative Example 3 is an example in which an acrylate-based ultraviolet curable adhesive made of NTT-AT having an increased elastic modulus (elastic modulus of 10 MPa) was used as the filler 14C. In each of the experimental examples and comparative examples 1 to 3, a pressure cooker test was performed for 11 samples under the conditions of 121 ° C., 100% RH, and 2 atm. The optical loss increment before and after the test was 0.5 dB or more. What occurred was considered defective.

As can be seen from Table 1, it was confirmed that a material having a high elongation rate is preferable for the filler 14A, an adhesive having a high elastic modulus for the adhesive 14B, and a material having a low elastic modulus is preferable for the filler 14C. .
The elastic modulus of the adhesive is that before curing, and was measured according to JIS-K7127 “Plastic film and sheet tensile test method”.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Is still within the scope of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the case where the optical waveguide substrate is an optical branching / merging splitter has been described. However, if the optical waveguide substrate and the optical fiber are coupled, the optical waveguide substrate is a wavelength branching demultiplexer, an optical path, or the like. A switching optical switch, a photoelectric conversion module, or the like may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 are fixed using the adhesive 14B, but both may be fixed by other methods. For example, the package lower layer 10 and the package upper layer 12 are configured so that the coating layer 2b of the optical fiber 2 remains so as to reach the package lower portion 10 and the package upper portion 12, and the coating layer 2b can be sandwiched. In this case, after the optical fiber 2 is positioned on the optical waveguide 8, the coating layer 2b of the optical fiber 2 may be sandwiched between the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12, and the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 may be sandwiched between clips. The clip is formed, for example, by bending a leaf spring twice into a C-shape. In addition, it is preferable to apply a filler 14C that fills the gap between the optical fiber 2 and the optical waveguide 8 to the tip of the optical fiber.
In the above embodiment, the fillers 14A and 14C are filled in the gaps between the optical fiber 2, the optical waveguide 8, the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12, but they may not be completely filled or omitted. And may remain in space.

In the positioning of the optical fiber 2 and the optical waveguide 18, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the grooves 4 and 6 of the optical waveguide substrate 8 is V-shaped, but the optical fiber 2 and the optical waveguide 18 placed in the grooves 4 and 6. As long as it is configured to align with the core 18a, it may be U-shaped or other shapes.
In positioning between the optical waveguide substrate 8 and the package lower part 10, both vertical positioning surfaces 16a, 24a, both longitudinal positioning surfaces 16b, 16c, 24b, 24c, and both width direction positioning surfaces 16d, 16e, 24d, Although 24e was a plane, it may have any shape as long as positioning is possible. Further, in this embodiment, the positioning surface of the package lower part 10 constitutes the recess 24, but a stepped portion or the like may be used as long as positioning is possible. Further, for example, in the case of an optical waveguide mounting package in which the optical waveguide substrate 8 is fixed to the lower portion 10 of the package, there is no need for a positioning surface on the entire circumference of the optical waveguide substrate 8.
In positioning of the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12, the projecting part 32 for contact is provided on the package upper part 12, but the position thereof is arbitrary, and it may be provided on the package lower part 10. Further, the fitting notch 30 is provided in the package lower part 10 and the fitting protrusion 34 is provided in the package upper part 12. If the fitting type positioning between the package lower part 10 and the package upper part 12 can be performed, the shape and position Is optional, and both may be provided in reverse. Further, the contact protrusion 32 may be omitted if the notch 30 for insertion and the protrusion 34 for insertion can be positioned in the longitudinal direction and the width direction. Further, positioning in the longitudinal direction may be performed by the abutting protrusion, and positioning in the width direction may be performed by the fitting notch 30 and the fitting protrusion 34, or the roles of both may be arbitrarily shared. .

  In the present embodiment, the grooves 26 and 28 for receiving the optical fiber 2 are provided in the package lower part 10. However, the grooves 26 and 28 may be provided in the package upper part 12, and if the path of the optical fiber 2 can be secured, May be omitted.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a packaged optical waveguide substrate according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the packaged optical waveguide substrate of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing in line III-III of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing in line VV of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing in line VII-VII of FIG. It is sectional drawing in line VIII-VIII of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing in line XX of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Packaged optical waveguide board | substrate 2 Optical fiber 4 Groove 6 Groove 8 Optical waveguide board 10 Package lower part 10b Front surface 10c Rear surface 12 Package upper part 12a Lower surface 12f Upper surface 14A Filler 14B Adhesive 14C Filler 26 Groove 28 Groove 30 Fitting notch 32 Protruding part for contact 34 Protruding part for fitting 36a, 36b Presser part

Claims (12)

A package for an optical waveguide substrate having an optical fiber positioning groove,
A lower portion of the package in which the optical waveguide substrate is positioned with its optical fiber positioning groove facing upward;
An upper portion of the package positioned on the lower portion of the package so as to be movable in the vertical direction;
The upper part of the package positioned at the lower part of the package has a holding part that opposes the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate positioned at the lower part of the package and presses down the optical fiber positioned in the optical fiber positioning groove. Features a package.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the package lower part and the package upper part are configured to surround and surround the optical fiber at an end surface thereof.   The lower portion of the package has an optical fiber receiving groove, and the optical fiber receiving groove is aligned with an optical fiber positioning groove of an optical waveguide substrate positioned at the lower portion of the package and extends to an end surface of the lower portion of the package. The package according to claim 1 or 2.   The optical fiber receiving groove has a cross-sectional dimension capable of directly supporting an optical fiber on the optical waveguide substrate side to be positioned, and the cross-sectional dimension on the optical waveguide substrate side to be positioned on the end face side of the lower part of the package. The package of claim 3 having a large cross-sectional dimension.   5. The package according to claim 1, wherein the lower part of the package has a recess for positioning the optical waveguide substrate.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the package and the lower part of the package are positioned by being fitted to each other.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the package and the lower part of the package are positioned by being brought into contact with each other.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the package has an upper surface and a lower surface, and has a hole penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the package is transparent.   An optical waveguide substrate mounting package in which an optical waveguide substrate having an optical fiber positioning groove is positioned and fixed to the package according to claim 1. With optical fiber,
An optical waveguide substrate having an optical fiber positioning groove for positioning the optical fiber;
A lower portion of the package in which the optical waveguide substrate is positioned with its optical fiber positioning groove facing upward;
An upper portion of the package positioned on the lower portion of the package so as to be movable in the vertical direction;
The upper portion of the package positioned at the lower portion of the package is opposed to the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate positioned at the lower portion of the package, and the holding portion that presses down the optical fiber positioned in the optical fiber positioning groove. Have
An optical waveguide package, wherein the lower part of the package and the upper part of the package are fixed so as to be pressed against each other.   The optical fiber, the optical waveguide substrate, the package lower portion and the package upper portion are fixed by an adhesive in at least a part of the pressing portion at the lower portion of the package and at least a portion of the optical fiber positioning groove of the optical waveguide substrate facing the holding portion. The optical waveguide package according to claim 11, wherein:

Images