JP2007033609A - Method of manufacturing optical module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved method of manufacturing an optical module in which an oblique cutting direction of a fiber can be accurately and easily formed. <P>SOLUTION: This method of manufacturing an optical module, on which a plurality of fibers and an array of lenses are mounted, comprises: a process of mounting a plurality of fibers 320 on a silicon optical bench 310; a process of fixing a part of the plurality of fibers to the silicon optical bench; a process of holding the plurality of fibers with a holding substrate 350; a process of cutting a part of the holding substrate and at least a part of the plurality of fibers unfixed to the substrate, as well as obliquely cutting the end face of the plurality of fibers at a prescribed angle; and a process of mounting the array of lenses 330 optically corresponding to the plurality of fibers, in the region where a part of the holding substrate and at least a part of the plurality of fibers unfixed to the substrate are cut. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an optical module suitable for application to an optical communication device, and in particular, a fiber whose end is cut obliquely (obliquely cut fiber) and a silicon microlens (hereinafter also simply referred to as a lens). Relates to a method of manufacturing an optical module such as a fiber collimator mounted on a silicon optical bench.

  In an optical system such as a collimating system between fibers, an oblique cut fiber having an end face that is obliquely cut is often used in order to suppress reflection at the fiber end face. As an example, in the fiber collimator disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-197762, the lens is a coaxial fiber collimator (refractive, wavelength = 1550 nm, lens diameter = 125 μm, thickness = 100 μm), and is attached to both ends of the lens. The mounted single mode fiber is an 8 ° cut fiber. These are manufactured by mounting and fixing a single mode fiber and a lens cut in advance by 8 ° on a common silicon optical bench.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-197762

  However, in the conventional fiber collimator, the process of mounting the single mode fiber with the cut end face on the silicon optical bench is not easy, and it takes a lot of man-hours. The cut angle of the end face of a single mode fiber (usually about 7 to 10 °) is an optically important angle. However, the angle is small for visual confirmation in the mounting process, so the oblique cut direction It was very difficult to determine.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional method of manufacturing a fiber collimator, and an object of the present invention is a novel and capable of forming an oblique cut direction of a fiber accurately and easily. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for manufacturing an optical module.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an optical module in which a fiber is mounted on a substrate, the step of fixing the fiber on the substrate, and a fiber end face being predetermined. And a method of manufacturing an optical module, characterized in that it includes a step of performing oblique cutting at an angle.

  According to such a manufacturing method, an ordinary fiber that has not been subjected to oblique cutting processing is mounted and fixed on a substrate, and then the end face is polished so that the fiber has a desired cut angle. It is possible to form an oblique angle. Also, when mounting the fiber, it is not necessary to consider the direction of fiber rotation, so the mounting process is very easy. For oblique cutting of the fiber, it is possible to use means such as a dicing saw with an inclined blade. In this way, it is possible to manufacture an optical module in which an optically important oblique cut process is applied to the end face of the fiber from the viewpoint of reducing reflected light.

  Furthermore, it is possible to include a step of mounting a lens whose one side (front surface or back surface) is obliquely cut at a predetermined angle in a subsequent step of obliquely cutting the end face of the fiber at a predetermined angle. ). Since the lens is less likely to be mistaken in the mounting direction compared to the fiber, it is possible to mount a lens that has been cut obliquely in advance. In this way, it is possible to manufacture an optical module in which an optically important oblique cut is made on one side (front or back side) of the lens.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an optical module in which a fiber and a lens are mounted on a substrate, the step of fixing the fiber and the lens on the substrate, An optical module manufacturing method is provided, which includes a step of obliquely cutting the end surface of the lens at a predetermined angle and a step of obliquely cutting one side (front surface or back surface) of the lens at a predetermined angle ( Claim 3).

  According to this manufacturing method, after mounting and fixing ordinary fibers and lenses that have not been subjected to oblique cutting treatment on the substrate, end polishing is performed so that the fibers and lenses have a desired cut angle. On the other hand, it is possible to form an accurate oblique angle. Also, when mounting the fiber, it is not necessary to consider the direction of fiber rotation, so the mounting process is very easy. Furthermore, since the fiber and the lens can be processed at a time, it is possible to reduce the number of processes when manufacturing the optical module on which the fiber and the lens are mounted. For oblique cutting of the fiber and the lens, for example, means such as a dicing saw with a slanted blade can be used. In this way, it is possible to manufacture an optical module in which the end face of the fiber and one side (front or back) of the lens are subjected to optically important oblique cut processing from the viewpoint of reducing reflected light.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an optical module having a plurality of fibers and an arrayed lens mounted on a substrate, wherein the plurality of fibers are mounted on the substrate. At least one of a step of fixing a part of the plurality of fibers to the substrate, a step of holding the plurality of fibers by the holding substrate, and a part of the holding substrate and a portion of the plurality of fibers not fixed to the substrate. And a step of obliquely cutting the end faces of the plurality of fibers at a predetermined angle, and a region where at least a part of the holding substrate and a part not fixed to the plurality of fiber substrates are deleted, And a step of mounting an optically corresponding array of lenses on a plurality of fibers. An optical module manufacturing method is provided.

  According to such a manufacturing method, an ordinary fiber that has not been subjected to oblique cutting processing is mounted and fixed on a substrate, and then the end surface is polished so that the fiber has a desired cut angle. It is possible to form an oblique angle. Also, when mounting the fiber, it is not necessary to consider the direction of fiber rotation, so the mounting process is very easy. Furthermore, since a plurality of fibers can be processed at a time, the number of processes can be reduced in manufacturing an optical module mounted with a plurality of fibers. For oblique cutting of the fiber, it is possible to use means such as a dicing saw with an inclined blade. In this way, it is possible to manufacture an optical module in which an optically important oblique cut process is applied to the end face of the fiber from the viewpoint of reducing reflected light.

  The array-shaped lens may have one surface (front surface or back surface) obliquely cut at a predetermined angle (claim 5). Since the lens is less likely to be mistaken in the mounting direction compared to the fiber, it is possible to mount a lens that has been cut obliquely in advance. In this way, it is possible to manufacture an optical module in which an optically important oblique cut is made on one side (front or back side) of the lens.

  Alternatively, the step of mounting the arrayed lens may include a step of obliquely cutting one surface (front surface or back surface) of the arrayed lens at a predetermined angle. Since the fiber and the lens can be processed at a time, the number of processes can be reduced in manufacturing the optical module on which the fiber and the lens are mounted.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a new and improved optical module manufacturing method capable of accurately and easily forming the oblique cut direction of the fiber.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an optical module manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In the following embodiments, a fiber collimator will be described as an example of an optical module. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any optical module in which fibers, lenses, and the like are mounted on a substrate. It is applicable to.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, as an example of the optical module according to the present embodiment, a fiber collimator including a single mode fiber (hereinafter simply referred to as a fiber) and a silicon microlens (hereinafter simply referred to as a lens). Will be described.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a fiber collimator according to the present embodiment.
In the fiber collimator 100 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a fiber 120 and a lens 130 are mounted on a silicon optical bench 110. As an example of the arrangement relationship between the fiber 120 and the lens 130, the distance between the lens 130 and the fiber 120 is 250 μm, and the distance between two opposing lenses 130 is 300 μm.

  As a substrate constituting the silicon optical bench 110, for example, a silicon substrate having a mature processing technology can be adopted as a platform. On the upper surface of the silicon optical bench 110, a V-shaped groove 110a having a V-shaped cross section is formed as shown in FIG. The V-shaped groove 110a is precisely manufactured with a configuration having a (111) plane group of silicon on the slope. As shown in FIG. 2, the fiber 120 and the lens 130 are mounted and fixed on a V-shaped groove 110 a formed in the silicon optical bench 110.

  The fiber 120 has an end face that is cut obliquely in order to suppress reflection at the end face. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the end surface portion (reference numeral A) of the fiber 120 of FIG. In this embodiment, as the fiber 120, as shown in FIG. 3, an 8 ° cut fiber whose end face is cut at 8 ° is used. However, in the present invention, the angle of the end face of the fiber 120 is not limited to 8 °. Any angle that is optically important from the viewpoint of reducing reflected light or the like may be used. For example, the angle of the fiber end face can be set to about 7 to 10 °.

  As the lens 130, a coaxial fiber collimator (refractive, wavelength = 1550 nm, lens diameter = 125 μm, thickness = 100 μm) can be used. As shown in FIG. 1, the lens 130 converts the emitted light emitted from the fiber 120 into collimated light, and condenses the collimated light incident from the opposing lens 130 onto the lens 120.

The configuration of the fiber collimator 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above.
Next, a method for manufacturing the fiber collimator 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing each step of the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator 100 according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the lens 130 is mounted on the silicon optical bench 110 in which the V-groove 110a is formed. In addition, a normal fiber 120 that is not subjected to processing such as oblique cutting is mounted on the silicon optical bench 110. At this time, since the tip of the fiber 120 is rotationally symmetric, there is no need to consider the mounting direction. Then, the fiber 120 and the lens 130 mounted on the silicon optical bench 110 are completely fixed with an epoxy resin or the like.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cutting angle is set to 8 ° using a dicing saw 140 having an inclined blade with respect to the fiber 120 fixed on the silicon optical bench 110. , Polish the end face accurately. As described above, the present embodiment is characterized in that after the fiber 120 is mounted and fixed on the silicon optical bench 110, end face polishing is performed so as to obtain a desired cut angle.

  Through the above steps, the fiber collimator 100 is completed as shown in FIG.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the fiber 120 is mounted and fixed on the silicon optical bench 110, and then the end surface is polished so as to have a desired cut angle. Can be formed. Further, when mounting the fiber 120, it is not necessary to consider the rotation direction of the fiber 120, so the mounting process becomes very easy.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, as an example of the optical module according to the present embodiment, a fiber collimator including a single mode fiber (hereinafter simply referred to as a fiber) and a silicon microlens (hereinafter simply referred to as a lens). Will be described.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the fiber collimator according to the present embodiment.
In the fiber collimator 200 according to the present embodiment, a fiber 220 and a lens 230 are mounted on a silicon optical bench 210 as shown in FIG. As an example of the positional relationship between the fiber 220 and the lens 230, the distance between the lens 230 and the fiber 220 is 250 μm, and the distance between two opposing lenses 230 is 300 μm.

  As a substrate constituting the silicon optical bench 210, for example, a silicon substrate having a mature processing technology can be adopted as a platform. On the upper surface of the silicon optical bench 210, as shown in FIG. 6, a V groove 210a having a V-shaped cross section is formed. The V-groove 210a is precisely manufactured in such a configuration that the silicon has a (111) plane group on the slope. The fiber 220 and the lens 230 are mounted and fixed on a V-groove 210a formed in the silicon optical bench 210 as shown in FIG.

  The fiber 220 of this embodiment is substantially the same as the fiber 120 of the first embodiment, and an 8 ° cut fiber having an end face that is obliquely cut to suppress reflection at the end face is used.

  As the lens 230, a coaxial fiber collimator (refractive, wavelength = 1550 nm, lens diameter = 125 μm, thickness = 100 μm) can be used. As shown in FIG. 5, the lens 230 converts the emitted light emitted from the fiber 220 into collimated light, and condenses the collimated light incident from the opposing lens 230 onto the lens 220.

  The lens 230 of this embodiment has a surface that is cut obliquely in order to suppress reflection on the front surface (or back surface). FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of one side portion (reference numeral B) of the lens 230 of FIG. In the present embodiment, as the lens 230, as shown in FIG. 7, an 8 ° cut lens having one side cut at 8 ° is used. However, in the present invention, the angle on one side of the lens 230 is not limited to 8 °. Any angle that is optically important from the standpoint of reducing reflected light or the like may be used, and for example, it may be about 7 to 10 °. Further, it may not be the same as the oblique cut angle of the fiber 220.

The configuration of the fiber collimator 200 according to the present embodiment has been described above.
Next, a method for manufacturing the fiber collimator 200 will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing each step of the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator 200 according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 8A, a normal lens 230 that is not subjected to an oblique cutting process or the like is mounted on the silicon optical bench 210 in which the V groove 210a is formed. Further, a normal fiber 220 that is not subjected to a process such as oblique cutting is mounted on the silicon optical bench 210. At this time, since the tip of the single mode fiber 220 is rotationally symmetric, there is no need to consider the mounting direction. Then, the fiber 220 and the lens 230 mounted on the silicon optical bench 210 are completely fixed with an epoxy resin or the like.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, a dicing saw 240 having a blade inclined obliquely with respect to the front surface (or back surface) of the fiber 220 and the lens 230 fixed on the silicon optical bench 210 is used. The surface is accurately polished so that the desired cut angle is obtained. As described above, the present embodiment is characterized in that the same oblique cutting process is performed on the lens 230 at the same time as the fire 220.

  Through the above steps, the fiber collimator 200 is completed as shown in FIG.

(Effect of 2nd Embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the fiber 220 is mounted and fixed on the silicon optical bench 210, and then the end surface is polished so as to have a desired cut angle. Can be formed. Further, when mounting the fiber 220, it is not necessary to consider the rotation direction of the fiber 220, so the mounting process becomes very easy.

  Further, by performing the same oblique cutting process on the front surface (or back surface) of the lens 230, further reduction of reflected light can be realized.

  In this embodiment, the lens 230 is mounted on the silicon optical bench 210 and then the oblique cut is formed using the dicing saw 240. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a desired cut angle may be formed in advance on the lens 230 and then mounted on the silicon optical bench 210. In the case of a lens, even if it is mounted after a desired cut angle has been formed in advance, there is a low possibility that the mounting direction will be wrong. Therefore, such a process order can also be adopted.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, as an example of the optical module according to the present embodiment, a fiber collimator equipped with a single mode fiber (hereinafter simply referred to as a fiber) and a silicon microlens (hereinafter simply referred to as a lens). The manufacturing method will be described.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the fiber collimator according to the present embodiment.
In the fiber collimator 100 according to the present embodiment, a fiber 320 and a lens 330 are mounted on a silicon optical bench 310 as shown in FIG. As an example of the arrangement relationship between the fiber 320 and the lens 330, the distance between the lens 330 and the fiber 320 is 250 μm, and the distance between two opposing lenses 330 is 300 μm.

  As a substrate constituting the silicon optical bench 310, for example, a silicon substrate having a mature processing technology can be adopted as a platform. On the upper surface of the silicon optical bench 310, as shown in FIG. 10, four V grooves 310a having a V-shaped cross section are formed. These V-grooves 310a are precisely manufactured in a configuration having a (111) plane group of silicon on a slope. The fiber 320 and the lens 330 are mounted and fixed on a V-groove 310a formed in the silicon optical bench 310 as shown in FIG.

  The fiber 320 of this embodiment is substantially the same as the fiber 120 of the first embodiment, and an 8 ° cut fiber having an end face that is obliquely cut to suppress reflection at the end face. In the present embodiment, as an example, four fibers 320 are mounted as shown in FIG. The number of fibers 320 can be any number. Further, the angle of the end face of each fiber 320 is not limited to 8 °, and the fibers 320 may not have the same angle.

  The lens 330 uses a coaxial fiber collimator (refractive, wavelength = 1550 nm, lens diameter = 125 μm, thickness = 100 μm. The lens 330 according to the present embodiment includes four V-grooves 310a so as to be fitted into the four V-grooves 310a. 9, the lens 330 converts the emitted light emitted from each fiber 320 into collimated light as shown in FIG. The collimated light incident on the lens 320 is collected on the lens 320.

The configuration of the fiber collimator 300 according to the present embodiment has been described above.
Next, a method for manufacturing the fiber collimator 300 will be described. FIGS. 11 and 12 are explanatory views showing each step of the method for manufacturing the fiber collimator 300 according to the present embodiment.

  First, four normal fibers 320 that are not subjected to oblique cutting or the like are mounted on the silicon optical bench 310 in which a plurality of V grooves 310a shown in FIG. 11A are formed (FIG. 11B). ). At this time, since the tip of each fiber 320 is rotationally symmetric, there is no need to consider the mounting direction.

  Then, the fiber 320 mounted on the silicon optical bench 310 is completely fixed with an epoxy resin 340. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11C, the region where the fiber 320 is deleted in the subsequent process (non-fixed region) does not use the epoxy resin 340, and the region where the fiber 320 is not deleted in the subsequent process (fixed region). The fiber 320 is fixed only using the epoxy resin 340. Further, it is held by the holding substrate 350 (FIG. 11C).

  Next, with respect to each fiber 320 fixed on the silicon optical bench 310, the end face is accurately polished using a dicing saw 360 having an inclined blade so that the cut angle is 8 ° (see FIG. 11 (d)).

  A part of the fiber 320 and a part of the holding base material 350 which are scraped by the dicing saw 360 and become unnecessary are removed (FIG. 12E).

  The lens 320 is mounted in a space formed by removing a part of the fiber 320 and a part of the holding substrate 350 (FIG. 12F).

  Through the above steps, the fiber collimator 300 shown in FIG. 9 is completed.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the fiber 320 is mounted and fixed on the silicon optical bench 310, end face polishing is performed so as to obtain a desired cut angle. Can be formed. Further, when the four fibers 320 are mounted, it is not necessary to consider the rotation direction of the fibers 320, so the mounting process becomes very easy. The more fibers 320 to be mounted, the more effective.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of fibers can be processed at a time, the number of processes can be reduced in producing a fiber collimator mounted with a plurality of fibers.

  As an application example of this embodiment, the front surface (or the back surface) of the lens 330 may be subjected to oblique cutting similar to that of the second embodiment. The oblique cutting process may be performed in advance before mounting the lens 330 on the silicon optical bench 310, or after the lens 330 is mounted on the silicon optical bench 310, the oblique cutting process may be performed using a dicing saw. .

  The preferred embodiments of the optical module manufacturing method according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in an optical module manufacturing method suitable for application to an optical communication device, and in particular, a silicon optical in which a fiber whose tip is cut obliquely (obliquely cut fiber) and a silicon microlens are mounted. It can be used in a method for manufacturing an optical module such as a fiber collimator formed on a bench.

It is a side view which shows roughly the fiber collimator concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view showing roughly the fiber collimator concerning a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of a fiber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows roughly the fiber collimator concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the fiber collimator concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of a lens. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows roughly the fiber collimator concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the fiber collimator concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the fiber collimator concerning 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Fiber collimator 110 Silicon optical bench (silicon substrate)
110a V groove 120 Fiber 130 Lens 140 Dicing saw 300 Fiber collimator 310 Silicon optical bench (silicon substrate)
310a V groove 320 Fiber 330 Lens 340 Epoxy resin 350 Holding substrate 360 Dicing saw

Claims (6)

An optical module manufacturing method in which a fiber is mounted on a substrate,
Fixing the fiber on the substrate;
Obliquely cutting the end face of the fiber at a predetermined angle;
A method for manufacturing an optical module, comprising: Furthermore, in a subsequent process of obliquely cutting the end face of the fiber at a predetermined angle,
The method of manufacturing an optical module according to claim 1, further comprising a step of mounting a lens whose one surface is obliquely cut at a predetermined angle. An optical module manufacturing method in which a fiber and a lens are mounted on a substrate,
Fixing the fiber and lens on the substrate;
Obliquely cutting the end face of the fiber at a predetermined angle;
A step of obliquely cutting one side of the lens at a predetermined angle;
A method for manufacturing an optical module, comprising: An optical module manufacturing method in which a plurality of fibers and an array of lenses are mounted on a substrate,
Mounting a plurality of fibers on a substrate;
Fixing a part of the plurality of fibers to the substrate;
Holding the plurality of fibers with a holding substrate;
Removing a part of the holding substrate and at least a part of the plurality of fibers not fixed to the substrate, and obliquely cutting end faces of the plurality of fibers at a predetermined angle;
Mounting an array of lenses optically corresponding to the plurality of fibers in a region where a part of the holding substrate and at least a part of the plurality of fibers not fixed to the substrate are removed; ,
A method for manufacturing an optical module, comprising:   5. The method of manufacturing an optical module according to claim 4, wherein the array-shaped lens has one surface obliquely cut at a predetermined angle.   The optical module manufacturing method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of obliquely cutting one side of the arrayed lens at a predetermined angle in a step subsequent to the step of mounting the arrayed lens. Method.

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