JP2009229654A - Method for forming reflection end surface of optical component, and optical component having the reflection surface - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for forming a reflection end surface of an optical component, by which the reflection end surface having high reflectance can be easily and inexpensively formed on an end surface of the optical component outdoors, for example, at a construction site; and to provide the optical component having the reflection end surface. <P>SOLUTION: The method for forming the reflection end surface of the optical component, which forms the reflection end surface on an end surface of an optical fiber 10, includes: a first step of stirring deposited powder in a solvent 30 having volatility, wherein the deposited powder are obtained by peeling off and pulverizing a metal thin film deposited on a substrate; and a second step of immersing the end portion of the optical fiber 10 into the solvent 30 having volatility to which the deposited powder are added and of pulling up the optical fiber 10. When the end portion of the optical fiber 10 is immersed into the solvent 30 and pulled up, and the solvent 30 is dried, the solvent 30 is evaporated. Accordingly, the deposited powder adheres to the end surface of the optical fiber 10. When the deposited powder adheres to the whole surface of the end surface of the optical fiber 10, the reflection end surface can be obtained which has the same high reflectance as when the deposited film is formed on the end surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reflection end surface forming method for an optical component that forms a reflection end surface of an optical component, for example, a reflection end surface of an optical fiber, a reflection end surface of a connector, a reflection end surface of a birefringent element, and the like, and an optical component having the reflection end surface.

  Conventionally, when a reflecting end face is formed on an end face of an optical fiber, only by cutting the end face of the optical fiber, reflected light hardly returns from the jagged end face, and the light exits from the end face.

  Conventionally, as a method of forming a reflection end face on an optical fiber end face, as shown in FIG. 7, a technique is known in which the end face of an optical fiber 100 is cut with an optical fiber cutter to form a reflection end face 100a (Patent Document 1). reference). The optical fiber 100 includes a core 101, a clad 102, and a fiber coating 103. When the end face of the optical fiber 100 is cut with an optical fiber cutter, the end face can be cut substantially perpendicularly, and the cut end face becomes a reflection end face 100a.

  In this case, the reflection end face 100a of the optical fiber 100 has a refractive index difference between glass and air, so there is a reflection of about −14.7 dB (Fresnel reflection), and a reflection of about 1/20 (about 3 to 4%). The light is back. Further, when the cut surface (reflection end surface 100a) is slightly inclined, the reflected light returning further decreases. FIGS. 9A and 9B are photographs obtained by photographing the end face of the optical fiber 100 cut by the optical fiber cutter with a camera.

If more reflected light is desired, a metal film (single layer film) 130 such as gold (Au) or silver (Ag) is deposited on the end face 100a of the optical fiber 120 as shown in FIG. For example, if the metal film 130 is gold (Au), it has a reflectivity of 99.9% (approximately 100%) with respect to infrared light, so that reflected light of approximately 0 dB returns. When the metal film 130 is silver, a reflection end face having a reflectivity of about 98% is formed, and when the metal film 130 is aluminum, a reflection end face having a reflectivity of about 97% is formed.
JP 2006-343382 A

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 7, when the end face of the optical fiber 100 is cut with an optical fiber cutter to form the reflection end face 100a, there are the following problems.

  -Since it is Fresnel reflection (reflection of about -14.7 dB), the amount of reflection at the reflection end face 100a is small.

  -If the reflective end face 100a, which is a cut surface, is touched by hand, oiled, or dirty, the reflection will drop.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, on the end face 100 a of the optical fiber 120. The technique for depositing a metal film (single layer film) 130 such as gold (Au) or silver (Ag) is preferable in view of reflection. However, in this prior art, the metal film 130 needs to be vapor-deposited by using a vapor deposition apparatus, resulting in poor manufacturability and high cost. In addition, a reflective end face is provided on the end face of an optical fiber at a construction site. It cannot be formed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and its purpose is to form a reflective end face having a high reflectance on the end face of an optical component at a low cost and easily outdoors such as a construction site. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a reflection end face of an optical component and an optical component having a reflection end face.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component, wherein a reflective end face is formed on an end face of the optical component. A first step of stirring the powder in a volatile solvent, and a second step of immersing and lifting the end of the optical component in the volatile solvent containing the vapor-deposited powder. It is characterized by that.

  According to this configuration, the evaporated powder is put in a volatile solvent and stirred, and the end of the optical component is immersed in the volatile solvent containing the evaporated powder and pulled up, and the volatile solvent is dried. Then, the solvent evaporates and dries, and the deposited powder adheres to the end face of the optical component. Since the evaporated powder crushed by peeling off the metal thin film deposited on the substrate is a thin flat plate (thin film) powder, the surface of each optical component must be in contact with the end face of the optical component. Sticks to the end face. Thereby, the vapor deposition powder adhering to the end face of the optical component is not easily peeled off from the end face.

  In this way, when the vapor deposition powder sticks to the entire end face of the optical component, a reflection end face having a high reflectance as if the vapor deposition film was formed on the end face is formed. When actually measured, reflection of about -1 dB to -3 dB (50%) is obtained.

  In order to form such a reflective surface with a high reflectance on the end face of the optical component, the vapor deposition powder is put in a volatile solvent and stirred, and the edge of the optical component is added to the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder. Just immerse the part and pull it up. In other words, it is easy to make anywhere without the need for large-scale equipment. Therefore, it is possible to easily form a reflective end face having a high reflectivity on the end face of the optical component at a low cost and outdoors at a construction site or the like.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflection end face of an optical component, wherein in the first step, an adhesive solvent is added to the volatile solvent, and the volatile property containing the adhesive solvent is contained. The vapor-deposited powder is put in a solvent having the above and stirred. According to this configuration, by putting an adhesive solvent into a volatile solvent, the adhesive solvent adheres to the entire deposited powder, so that each deposited powder is more likely to adhere to the end face of the optical component, It becomes difficult to peel off.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component, wherein the end portion of the optical component is dipped in the volatile solvent containing the vapor-deposited powder, and the volatile solvent is used. After evaporation and the end of the optical component dries, the entire surface of the vapor-deposited powder adhering to the entire end surface of the optical component is attached to a protective resin agent and pulled up. According to this configuration, since the protective film with the protective resin agent attached to the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder is formed, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder can be protected by the protective film. Thereby, a highly durable reflective end face can be formed, and the lifetime can be extended. Moreover, the protective film can be easily formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component, wherein the end portion of the optical component is dipped in the volatile solvent containing the vapor-deposited powder, and the volatile solvent is used. After evaporation and the end of the optical component dries, an instantaneous adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the deposited powder adhering to the entire end surface of the optical component. According to this configuration, since the protective film with the instantaneous adhesive attached is formed on the entire surface of the deposited powder, the entire surface of the deposited powder can be protected by the protective film. Thereby, a highly durable reflective end face can be formed, and the lifetime can be extended. Moreover, the protective film can be easily formed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component, wherein the end portion of the optical component is dipped in the volatile solvent containing the vapor-deposited powder, and the volatile solvent is used. After evaporation and the end of the optical component dries, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder adhered to the entire end surface of the optical component is covered with a heat shrink sleeve, and heat is applied to the heat shrink sleeve to harden it. To do.

  According to this configuration, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder is covered with the heat shrink sleeve, and the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder can be protected by the heat shrink sleeve. Thereby, a highly durable reflective end face can be formed, and the lifetime can be extended.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component, wherein vapor deposition powder crushed by peeling off a metal thin film deposited on a substrate is attached to the entire end face of the optical component.

  According to this configuration, since the vapor deposition powder adheres to the entire end face of the optical component, a reflection end face having a high reflectance similar to that obtained by forming a vapor deposition film on the end face can be formed. When actually measured, reflection of about -1 dB to -3 dB (50%) is obtained. In order to form such a reflective surface having a high reflectance on the end face of the optical component, a large-scale device is not required and it can be easily made anywhere. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an optical component having a reflective end surface with a high reflectivity on the end surface of the optical component at a low cost and easily outdoors such as a construction site.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a reflection end face of an optical component, comprising a protective film that protects the entire surface of the deposited powder adhered to the entire end surface of the optical component. According to this configuration, since the entire surface of the deposited powder is protected by the protective film, a highly durable reflective end face can be formed, and the life of the optical component can be extended.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reflection end face forming method for an optical component, wherein the optical component is an optical fiber. According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain an optical component having a reflective end face with high reflectivity.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily form a reflective end face having a high reflectance on the end face of the optical component at a low cost and outdoors at a construction site or the like.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an optical component having a reflective end surface with a high reflectivity on the end surface of the optical component at low cost and easily outdoors such as a construction site.

  Next, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a case where an optical fiber is used as an example of an optical component will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows an optical fiber 10 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged part of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical fiber 1 as an optical component includes a core 11, a cladding 12, and a coating 13. Deposited on the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber 10 is a vapor deposition powder 20 that is finely crushed by peeling off the metal thin film deposited on the substrate. Since the vapor deposition powder 20 is a thin plate-like (thin film) powder, the vapor deposition powder 20 is tightly attached to the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10 so that the plane of each vapor deposition powder 20 contacts the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10. attached. Thereby, the reflective end surface 14 with a high reflectance is formed on the inner surface of the vapor deposition powder 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition powder 20 is a flat plate (thin film) powder made of a metal material such as gold, silver, or aluminum, and has a size of about 1 μm to several μm, for example.

  Next, a method for forming a reflection end face of an optical component that forms a reflection end face on the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

This method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component includes the following steps.
The 1st process which puts the vapor-deposited powder 20 (refer FIG. 3) which peeled off the metal thin film vapor-deposited on the board | substrate into the solvent 30 which has volatility, and stirs.

  A second step of immersing and lifting the end 16 (see FIG. 1) of the optical fiber 10 in a volatile solvent 30 containing the vapor deposition powder 20. As the volatile solvent 30, for example, alcohol is used.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show photographs of the optical fiber 10 actually manufactured by such a method for forming the reflection end face of the optical component with a camera. 5A is a photograph showing the outer surface of the deposited powder 20 stuck to the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10, and FIG. 5B shows the outer face of the end portion 16 of the optical fiber 10 (the outer peripheral face of the clad 12). It is a photograph shown. 5A and 5B, it appears that the vapor deposition powder 20 is uniformly attached to the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber 10.
According to the embodiment configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

  The vapor-deposited powder 20 is put into a volatile solvent 30 and stirred, and the end portion 16 of the optical fiber 10 is immersed in the volatile solvent 30 containing the vapor-deposited powder 20 and pulled up, and then the volatile solvent 30. Is dried, the solvent 30 evaporates and the deposited powder 20 adheres to the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10. The vapor deposition powder 20 crushed by peeling off the metal thin film deposited on the substrate is a thin flat plate (thin film) powder as shown in FIG. 3, so that the plane of each vapor deposition powder 20 is the end face of the optical fiber 10. It sticks to the end surface 14 so that it contacts with 14. Thereby, the vapor deposition powder 20 adhering to the end surface 14 of the optical fiber 10 is not easily peeled off from the end surface 14. The volatile solvent 30 is dried by natural drying or heat (hot air or the like).

  In this way, when the vapor deposition powder 20 sticks to the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber 10, a reflection end face 15 having a high reflectance similar to that obtained by forming a vapor deposition film on the end face 14 is formed. When actually measured, reflection of about -1 dB to -3 dB (50%) is obtained.

  In order to form such a highly reflective surface on the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10, the vapor deposition powder 20 is stirred in a volatile solvent 30, and the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder 20 is contained. It is only necessary to immerse the end 16 of the optical fiber 10 in 30 and pull it up. In other words, it is easy to make anywhere without the need for large-scale equipment. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the reflecting end face 15 having a high reflectance on the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10 at a low price and easily outdoors such as a construction site.

  Next, the optical fiber 10 having the reflection end face 15 described in the above embodiment can be used for the following applications.

  ・ It is a vibration detection device that uses an optical fiber, and can be used to return light at the reflection end of the optical fiber. In this case, since nearly 100% of the reflected light returns, the length of the line that can be monitored becomes much longer. In addition, the detection sensitivity is increased about 10 times. The measurement line length can be increased.

  -It can be used for representative core line monitoring of optical fiber lines (line monitoring using OTDR). In this representative core wire monitoring, when the intensity of the reflected light decreases, it is possible to detect that there is an abnormality in the line due to a decrease in sensitivity. When performing such monitoring, if only the cut end faces as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B are used, only the reflected light of −14 dB is returned, so the line length that can be monitored is limited. On the other hand, when the end face processing is performed by the method for forming a reflection end face of the optical component described in the above embodiment and the deposition powder 20 is applied, nearly 100% of the reflected light is returned. It becomes long.

  -It can be used for track monitoring using a power meter as shown in FIG.

  The light from the light source 40 is returned by the reflection end face of the optical fiber 10 through the optical fiber 41, and the intensity thereof is monitored by the power meter 42. Reference numeral 43 denotes an optical circulator. In this line monitoring, when the sensitivity falls below a certain value, it is determined that there is an abnormality (failure) such as disconnection or bending loss.

  In addition, this invention is applicable also to the method which changed the reflective end surface formation method of the optical component which concerns on the said one embodiment as follows.

  In the method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to the one embodiment, in the first step, an adhesive solvent is put into the volatile solvent 30 and the volatile solvent 30 containing the adhesive solvent is added. Alternatively, the vapor deposition powder 30 may be added and stirred. According to this configuration, since the adhesive solvent adheres the vapor deposition powder 20 as a whole by putting an adhesive solvent into the volatile solvent 30, each vapor deposition powder 20 becomes the end face 14 of the optical fiber 10. This makes it easier to attach and makes it difficult to peel off.

  In the method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to the above-described embodiment, the end portion 16 (see FIG. 1) of the optical fiber is dipped in a volatile solvent 30 containing the vapor deposition powder 20 and pulled up, and then the volatile solvent. After 30 evaporates and its end 16 dries, the entire surface of the deposited powder 20 adhering to the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber is pulled up with a protective resin agent. According to this configuration, since the protective film with the protective resin agent attached to the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 is formed, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 can be protected by the protective film. Thereby, the highly durable reflective end face 15 (refer FIG. 1) can be made, and lifetime can be achieved. Moreover, the protective film can be easily formed.

  In the method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to the above-described embodiment, the end portion 16 of the optical fiber is dipped in a volatile solvent 30 containing vapor deposition powder 20 and pulled up, and the volatile solvent 30 evaporates. Then, after the end portion 16 is dried, an instantaneous adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the deposited powder 20 attached to the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber. According to this configuration, since the protective film having the instantaneous adhesive attached to the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 is formed, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 can be protected by the protective film. Thereby, the reflective end surface 15 with high durability can be formed, and the lifetime can be increased. Moreover, the protective film can be easily formed.

  Furthermore, in the method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to the above-described embodiment, the end portion 16 of the optical fiber is dipped in a volatile solvent 30 containing vapor deposition powder 20 and pulled up, and the volatile solvent 30 evaporates. Then, after the end portion 16 is dried, a heat shrink sleeve is placed on the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 attached to the entire end face 14 of the optical fiber, and the heat shrink sleeve is heated to be hardened. According to this configuration, the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 is covered with the heat shrink sleeve, and the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder 20 can be protected by the heat shrink sleeve. Thereby, a highly durable reflective end face can be formed, and the lifetime can be extended.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the reflection end face is formed on the end face of the optical fiber has been described as an example. However, as the optical component, a connector end face, a birefringent element end face, a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) element endface, a planar lightwave circuit The present invention can also be applied to the case where reflection end faces are formed in the groove formed inside, the reflection mirror element surface, the diffraction (grating) element surface, the lens surface, and the like.

The fragmentary sectional view showing the optical fiber concerning one embodiment. Sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of FIG. The perspective view which shows vapor deposition powder. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the reflective end surface formation method of the optical component which concerns on one Embodiment. (A) and (B) are photographs obtained by photographing the end of an optical fiber actually produced with a camera. The schematic block diagram which shows the example of application of one Embodiment. The fragmentary sectional view which shows the optical fiber produced with the conventional reflection end surface formation method. The fragmentary sectional view which shows the optical fiber produced with the reflective end surface formation method of another prior art example. (A) and (B) are photographs obtained by photographing the end of an optical fiber actually produced with a camera.

Explanation of symbols

10: Optical fiber 14: End face of optical fiber 15: Reflective end face 16: End part of optical fiber 20: Evaporated powder

Claims (8)

A method for forming a reflection end surface of an optical component, wherein a reflection end surface is formed on the end surface of the optical component,
A first step of stirring the vapor deposited powder crushed by peeling the metal thin film deposited on the substrate in a volatile solvent;
A second step of immersing and lifting the end of the optical component in the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder, and a method for forming a reflective end surface of the optical component.   In the first step, an adhesive solvent is put into the volatile solvent, and the vapor-deposited powder is put into the volatile solvent containing the adhesive solvent and stirred. The method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to claim 2.   The end of the optical component is dipped and pulled up in the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder, and the end of the optical component is dried by evaporating the volatile solvent. The method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to claim 1, wherein the entire surface of the vapor deposited powder adhering to the entire end face is pulled up with a protective resin agent.   The end of the optical component is dipped and pulled up in the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder, and the end of the optical component is dried by evaporating the volatile solvent. The method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to claim 1, wherein an instantaneous adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the deposited powder adhering to the entire end face.   The end of the optical component is dipped and pulled up in the volatile solvent containing the vapor deposition powder, and the end of the optical component is dried by evaporating the volatile solvent. The method for forming a reflective end face of an optical component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heat shrink sleeve is placed over the entire surface of the vapor deposition powder adhering to the entire end face, and the heat shrink sleeve is heated to be hardened.   An optical component having a reflective end surface, wherein vapor deposition powder crushed by peeling a metal thin film deposited on a substrate is attached to the entire end surface of the optical component.   The optical component having a reflective end surface according to claim 6, further comprising a protective film that protects the entire surface of the deposited powder adhered to the entire end surface of the optical component.   The optical component having a reflection end surface according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the optical component is an optical fiber.

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