JP2007017775A - Optical recording apparatus using optical waveguide array - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array which prevents a laser beam obstructive to optical recording from being emitted onto a photosensitive material. <P>SOLUTION: The optical recording apparatus, in which a photosensitive material is scanned by modulation scanning a plurality of laser beams emitted from an optical waveguide array, is characterized in that a metallic film is vapor-deposited on an overclad layer of the optical waveguide array comprising a substrate, a waveguide formed thereon, and the overclad layer formed on the substrate and the waveguide. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array such as a laser printer or an optical disk apparatus that performs optical recording at a high speed with a plurality of beams.

  An optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array is already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-33784 A

  When polishing the optical waveguide array entrance / exit end face, it is necessary to bond a plate on the over clad layer using a thermosetting adhesive so that the end face does not come off. However, since the adhesive has a higher refractive index than that of the overcladding layer, the adhesive portion sandwiched between the plate and the overcladding layer becomes the waveguide layer, and the laser beam that is not coupled to the incident end face of the optical waveguide array is adhesive. The light is incident on the part, guided, and emitted from the exit end face. Normally, as shown in Patent Document 1, scattered light can be blocked by collimating the outgoing beam with a coupling lens and providing a stop at the focal position of the image plane. Since the emitted laser light passes through the stop provided at the focal position of the image plane, it cannot be cut. For this reason, the photosensitive material is irradiated with laser light guided through the adhesive portion, which becomes an obstacle to optical recording.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent laser light from being guided to an adhesive portion that bonds a plate on an over clad layer, and to block laser light that hinders optical recording.

  The object is to provide an optical recording apparatus that modulates and scans a plurality of laser beams emitted from an optical waveguide array and scans them on a photosensitive material, a substrate, a waveguide formed on the substrate, the substrate and the waveguide. This is achieved by depositing a metal film on the over clad layer of the optical waveguide array comprising an over clad layer formed on the waveguide.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the photosensitive material from being irradiated with a laser beam that hinders optical recording.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The optical waveguide array portion of the optical recording apparatus using the optical waveguide array of the present invention will be described using one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the optical waveguide includes a substrate 15, a waveguide 14, and an over clad layer 13. As the substrate 15, a quartz glass plate or a silicon wafer with a thermal oxide film having a thickness of about 10 to 20 (μm) is used. A film in which SiO ₂ is doped with a material such as TiO ₂ or GeO _{2 is formed} thereon as the waveguide layer 14 with a film thickness of about 1 to 5 (μm) by an EB vapor deposition apparatus or a CVD apparatus. Thereafter, a waveguide pattern is formed by a lithography process, and a film having a refractive index lower than that of the waveguide 14 is about 5 to 30 (μm) by a flame volume method, a CVD method, a sputter deposition method or the like as the over clad layer 13. Deposit. After that, the substrate 15 is cut and end face polishing is performed. If polishing is performed in this state, the end face is deviated as shown in FIG. 4, and polishing is performed so that the optical waveguide entrance / exit end face portion is in a good state. I can't.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the plate 17 is bonded to the over clad layer 13 with a thermosetting adhesive and polished. Then, it can grind | polish so that an optical waveguide entrance / exit end surface may be in a favorable state. However, the refractive index of the adhesive 16 is usually higher than the refractive index of the overcladding layer 13, and if a quartz glass plate is used for the bonded plate 17, the refractive index of the adhesive 16 is higher than that of the quartz glass plate. The adhesive portion 16 becomes a planar optical waveguide. Laser light which is incident on the optical waveguide incident end face and is not coupled to the adhesive portion 16 is incident and guided, and is emitted from the outgoing end face. Even if the bonded plate 16 is a metal, it propagates through the adhesive portion in the radiation mode and is emitted from the emission end face.

  Normally, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light emitted from the optical waveguide is collimated by the coupling lens, and is not coupled at the incident end surface of the optical waveguide by providing a stop 7 at the image plane focal position of the coupling lens. Excluding light. However, the light guided through the adhesive 14 and emitted from the end face passes through the stop and cannot be removed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a metal film 16 is vapor-deposited on the over clad layer 13, and a plate 17 is adhered on the metal film 16, whereby light that is not coupled to the optical waveguide is guided to the adhesive 14. 1 is prevented from being irradiated with light that hinders optical recording on the photosensitive material 1 shown in FIG.

  An embodiment of an optical system of an optical recording apparatus using the optical waveguide array of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The semiconductor laser module 10 efficiently guides laser light generated from the semiconductor laser 12 into the optical fiber 11, connects the exit end face of the optical fiber 11 to one incident end face in the optical waveguide array 9, and Laser light is guided into the optical waveguide. Similarly, the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser 12 is guided to all the optical waveguides in the optical waveguide array 9. A plurality of beams emitted from the optical waveguide array 9 are collimated using a collimator lens 8, and a diaphragm 7 having a diameter equivalent to the beam diameter is installed at the focal position of the image plane of the collimator lens 8. This removes light that is not coupled to the optical waveguide. The plurality of beams that have passed through the stop are combined on the polygon mirror 3 by passing through the lens 6 and the lens 5. Further, by installing a cylindrical lens 4 in front of the polygon mirror 3, the beam is narrowed down in the sub-scanning direction on the polygon mirror 3 to correct the surface tilt of the polygon mirror 3. The beam reflected on the polygon mirror 3 passes through the fθ lens 2 and is then imaged and scanned on the photosensitive drum 1.

The schematic diagram which shows one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a diaphragm portion in the configuration of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the edge of the end surface when polished without bonding a plate on the over clad layer. Explanatory drawing when not sticking a board on an over clad layer. Explanatory drawing at the time of adhere | attaching a board on an over clad layer. Explanatory drawing at the time of vapor-depositing a metal film on the over clad layer of this invention, and adhere | attaching a board on it.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Photosensitive drum, 2 ... f (theta) lens, 3 ... Polygon mirror, 4 ... Cylindrical lens, 5, 6 ... Lens, 7 ... Aperture, 8 ... Collimator lens, 9 ... Optical waveguide array, 10 ... Semiconductor laser module, 11 ... Light Fibers, 12 ... semiconductor laser, 13 ... over clad layer, 14 ... waveguide, 15 ... substrate, 16 ... adhesive, 17 ... plate, 18 ... metal film.

Claims (8)

  In an optical recording apparatus that modulates and scans a plurality of laser beams emitted from an optical waveguide array and scans them onto a photosensitive material, the substrate, a waveguide formed on the substrate, and the substrate and the waveguide are formed. An optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array, wherein a metal film is vapor-deposited on the over cladding layer of the optical waveguide array comprising an over clad layer.   2. An optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein a glass plate is bonded onto the metal film with an adhesive.   2. An optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein a metal plate is bonded onto the metal film with an adhesive.   2. The optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of a quartz glass plate.   2. The optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein a material of the substrate is a silicon wafer with a thermal oxide film.   2. The optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein the over clad layer is a SiO2 film.   4. The optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive is a thermosetting adhesive. 2. An optical recording apparatus using an optical waveguide array according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of beams emitted from the optical waveguide array are collimated by a coupling lens, and a stop is provided at an image plane focal position of the coupling lens.

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