JP2011222880A - Light element package and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light element package that can enhance a quality while enhancing an assembly efficiency.SOLUTION: A light element package comprises a metal casing that houses a light element, an optical fiber that is optically coupled to the light element, an optical fiber fixture provided in a part of the optical fiber, and an optical fiber insertion pipe that extends from at least one side face of the metal casing and inserts the optical fiber into the metal casing. The optical fiber insertion pipe comprises a cylindrical part and a semi-cylindrical part with a partly notched leading end. At least a part of the wall thickness in the cylindrical part is thinned and the optical fiber fixture is soldered and fixed to the optical fiber insertion pipe at the semi-cylindrical part including a boundary between the cylindrical part and the semi-cylindrical part.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical element package and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to an optical element package for drawing an optical fiber to the outside of the package and a manufacturing method thereof.

  FIG. 9 shows a conventional optical element package having a casing for accommodating an optical element and drawing out (or drawing into) the optical fiber coupled with the optical element from the casing through an optical fiber insertion pipe. Things are known.

  FIG. 9 shows a plan view of a conventional optical device package 50. An optical element 2 is disposed inside a rectangular box-shaped metal housing 1. The optical element 2 is bonded and fixed to a pedestal 1b formed on the bottom 1a of the metal housing using, for example, an adhesive. An example of the optical element 2 is an LN optical modulator that is a waveguide type electro-optical element.

  A rectangular optical fiber insertion pipe 5 that extends outward is formed on the outer wall at the end of the metal casing 1 on the longitudinal direction side. The optical fiber insertion pipe 5 has a through hole 6 inside, and the optical fiber 3 is inserted into the metal housing 1 through the through hole 6.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG. The optical fiber 3 is inserted through an optical fiber insertion pipe 5, and its tip is optically coupled to the optical element 2. The optical fiber insertion pipe 5 is partially cut out in a semi-chip shape on the tip side, and constitutes a cylindrical portion 7 and a semi-cylindrical portion 8 through a vertical surface 9 (boundary portion).

  The optical fiber 3 is provided with a ferrule (optical fiber fixture) 4 at a predetermined position. The ferrule 4 is, for example, a metal part for fixing the optical fiber 3 to a housing or the like, and is fixed to a predetermined position of the optical fiber 3 with an epoxy adhesive or the like. The ferrule 4 is fixed with solder 11 in the semi-cylindrical portion 8, and the optical fiber 3 is fixed to the metal housing 1.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an optical element package having an optical fiber insertion pipe having a shape as shown in FIG. 10 (however, the fixing method of the ferrule and the optical fiber insertion pipe is different).

JP 2009-128677 A

  However, in the optical element package as described above, when the ferrule 4 is fixed by soldering in the semi-cylindrical portion 8, the heat of the soldering iron is conducted to the metal casing 1 body and escapes. There was a problem that the melting of the solder 11 was poor and the working efficiency was lowered.

  Further, the heat that has escaped to the main body of the metal casing 1 is also conducted to the optical element 2 disposed inside the casing, the adhesive that fixes the optical element 2 to the pedestal, and a built-in component (not shown). However, there was a problem of stressing them.

  Further, the solder fixing operation to the semi-cylindrical portion 8 of the ferrule 4 is performed from the direction overlooking the metal casing 1 (the direction of FIG. 9). From this direction, soldering is performed to the boundary portion 9 forming the vertical surface. It is difficult.

  Further, it is conceivable to increase the length of the semi-cylindrical portion 8 to ensure the bonding strength, thereby increasing the bonding area. However, this configuration leads to an increase in the size of the optical element package.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and provides an optical element package capable of improving the assembly work efficiency and improving the quality, and a method for manufacturing the same. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical element package according to claim 1 of the present application is provided in a metal housing that accommodates an optical element, an optical fiber that is optically coupled to the optical element, and a part of the optical fiber. An optical element package including an optical fiber fixture and an optical fiber insertion pipe extending from at least one side surface of the metal casing and allowing the optical fiber to be inserted into the metal casing, the optical fiber insertion pipe Is provided with a cylindrical portion and a semi-cylindrical portion in which a part on the front end side is cut out, and at least a part of the thickness of the cylindrical portion is formed thin, and the optical fiber fixing tool includes the light It is characterized by being solder-fixed to the fiber insertion pipe by the semi-cylindrical part including the boundary part between the cylindrical part and the semi-cylindrical part.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical element package according to claim 2 of the present application includes a housing that accommodates an optical element, an optical fiber that is optically coupled to the optical element, and light provided in a part of the optical fiber. An optical element package that includes a fiber fixture and an optical fiber insertion pipe that extends from at least one side surface of the casing and allows the optical fiber to pass through the casing. And a semi-cylindrical portion in which a part on the tip side is cut off, and the optical fiber fixture has a boundary portion between the cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion in the optical fiber insertion pipe. The semi-cylindrical part is fixed with a solder material or an adhesive, and the boundary part is formed to be inclined in the housing direction.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an optical element package according to claim 3 of the present application includes a housing that accommodates an optical element, an optical fiber that is optically coupled to the optical element, and light provided in a part of the optical fiber. An optical element package including a fiber fixture and an optical fiber insertion pipe extending from at least one side surface of the casing and allowing the optical fiber to pass through the casing, wherein the optical fiber insertion pipe includes the optical fiber insertion pipe A part of the pipe that is cut away and having a half-notch part that is a cylindrical part on both sides; and the optical fiber fixture is connected to the optical fiber insertion pipe on both sides of the cylindrical part and the half-notch part. The one boundary part which is the boundary part on the side of the casing is formed to be inclined toward the casing, and the other boundary part is fixed with a solder material or an adhesive at the half chipped part including the boundary part with the part Is away from the housing It is characterized in that it is formed by obliquely.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical element package according to claim 4 of the present application is characterized in that in the optical element package according to claim 2 or 3, the boundary portion is formed in a straight line.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical element package according to claim 5 of the present application is characterized in that, in the optical element package according to claim 2 or 3, the boundary portion is formed in a curved shape.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical element package according to claim 6 of the present application is characterized in that in the optical element package according to claim 2 or 3, the boundary portion is formed in a step shape.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a method for manufacturing an optical element package according to claim 7 of the present application is a semi-cylindrical shape that extends from at least one side surface of a casing, and has a cylindrical portion and a part of the tip side notched. An optical fiber insertion step of inserting an optical fiber provided with an optical fiber fixture into an optical fiber insertion pipe provided with a semi-cylindrical portion; and a boundary between the cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion; In the boundary portion that is inclined in the body direction, the optical fiber fixture is adjusted to a position where the gap between the optical fiber insertion pipe and the through-hole is uniform, and the optical fiber fixture is adjusted at the position. And an optical fiber fixing step in which the semi-cylindrical portion including the boundary portion is fixed with a solder material or an adhesive.

  The assembly efficiency of the optical element package can be improved, and the quality of the optical element package can be improved.

The perspective view of the optical fiber penetration pipe of the optical element package of the 1st Embodiment of this invention Modification of the first embodiment of the present invention Another modification of the first embodiment of the present invention The perspective view of the optical fiber penetration pipe of the optical element package of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention (A) The top view of the optical fiber penetration pipe of the optical element package of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, The arrow view of the optical fiber penetration pipe in the arrow A of (b) (a) (A) An example in which the boundary portion is formed in a curved shape in the modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, (b) A boundary portion is formed in a step shape in another modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. Example Modified example of optical device package of the present invention Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the optical fiber penetration pipe of the optical element package of this invention Plan view of conventional optical device package It is a schematic sectional drawing in the BB 'line of FIG. 9, and sectional drawing which shows the structure of the conventional optical fiber penetration pipe

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an optical element package according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an optical element package according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 of the optical element package 20 and shows a state before the optical fiber 3 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion pipe 5.

  In the first embodiment, the shape of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 is different from that of the prior art. A thin-walled portion 10 is formed in a part of the tubular portion 7 by cutting out the outer wall surface and reducing its thickness. Other configurations are the same as those in the prior art, and the description thereof is omitted.

  By forming the thin portion 10, the cross-sectional area of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 in the thin portion 10 is reduced. Therefore, when the ferrule 4 is soldered to the semi-cylindrical portion 8 of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5, The amount of heat conduction to the metal casing 1 becomes small. Thereby, the heat of a soldering part will be maintained, the melting of the solder 11 will not deteriorate at the time of work, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Moreover, since the amount of heat conduction conducted to the optical element 2 disposed inside the metal housing 1, the adhesive fixing the optical element 2 to the pedestal, and the built-in component (not shown) is also reduced. The applied stress can be greatly reduced.

  Although the thin portion 10 has a predetermined length in the optical axis direction, the length may be appropriately set in consideration of the strength of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 and a desired thermal attenuation factor.

  Further, the notches for forming the thin portion 10 are not only provided in the entire circumference of the pipe as shown in FIG. 1, but are provided only in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 2, or only in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. May be provided.

  In the above description, a rectangular optical fiber insertion pipe has been described as an example. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to a pipe having a round shape or other shapes.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the optical element package according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the optical fiber insertion pipe of the optical element package 30 and shows a state before the optical fiber 3 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion pipe 5. 5A is a plan view of the optical element package 30, and FIG. 5B is a view of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 taken along the arrow A in FIG.

In the second embodiment, the shape of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 is different from that of the prior art. A boundary surface (boundary portion) 9 that is a boundary between the cylindrical portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 8 of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 is formed to be inclined toward the metal housing 1 body side. Other configurations are the same as those in the prior art, and the description thereof is omitted.
Here, a manufacturing method of the optical element package of the second embodiment will be described.

  (Optical fiber insertion step) The optical fiber 3 having a part of the ferrule 4 is inserted into the metal housing 1 from the semi-cylindrical portion 8 of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5.

  (Optical element coupling step) The tip of the optical fiber 3 inserted into the metal housing 1 is optically coupled to the optical element 2, and the distal end portion 3a of the optical fiber 3 is fixed to the optical element 2 while this optical coupling is maintained. To do.

  (Optical fiber fixing step) The boundary portion 9 is visually observed with a microscope or the like from the vertical direction (the direction of FIG. 5A), and the position is adjusted so that the gap between the ferrule 4 and the through hole 6 is uniform (center alignment). . With this position adjusted, the ferrule 4 and the semi-cylindrical portion 8 (including the boundary portion 9) are fixed with the solder 11. (The reason why the boundary portion 9 is used for the position adjustment is that when the depth of the semi-cylindrical portion 8 is shallower than the radius of the ferrule 4, the gap for position adjustment is visually observed in the semi-cylindrical portion 8 from the vertical direction. (In general, they are the same, or the semi-cylindrical portion 8 is formed with a shallow depth).

  The second embodiment is configured to include the above-described steps. Conventionally, since the boundary portion 9 is formed by a vertical surface, it is difficult to visually check from the vertical direction. It is easy to see from the vertical direction by being inclined. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the need for soldering work on a vertical surface that is difficult to solder, so that work efficiency can be improved.

  In addition, since the gap between the ferrule 4 and the through hole 6 in the boundary portion 9 is open in the vertical direction that is the working direction, the solder 11 easily flows from the gap, and the solder wraps to the back side 4 a of the ferrule 4. Quality can be improved.

  Further, since the surface area (the exposed area) of the boundary portion 9 is larger than that in the case where the conventional boundary portion is formed of a vertical surface, the bonding area of the solder 11 should be increased compared to the conventional case. Can improve quality.

  Further, since the boundary portion 9 is opened in the vertical direction, the centering of the ferrule 4 and the semi-cylindrical portion 8 can be easily performed, work efficiency can be improved, and the quality as an optical element package is improved. Can be made.

  The configuration of the boundary portion 9 may be a gentle curve as shown in FIG. 6A, or may be a staircase as shown in FIG. 6B.

  As shown in FIG. 7, it goes without saying that the optical element package may include both the thin portion 10 of the first embodiment and the boundary portion 9 of the second embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the optical element package according to the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber insertion pipe 5 (cross-sectional view cut at the same position as FIG. 10).

In this 3rd Embodiment, it has the half chip part 12 instead of the half cylindrical part 8 of 1st and 2nd embodiment. The optical fiber insertion pipe 5 is formed with a first cylindrical portion 7 ₁ on the metal casing 1 side of the half-notch portion 12 and a second cylindrical portion 7 ₂ on the tip end side of the pipe. A first boundary portion 9 ₁ and a second boundary portion 9 ₂ are formed between the first and second cylindrical portions 7 ₁ , 7 ₂ and the half-notch portion 12, respectively.

The first boundary 9 ₁ is formed to be inclined to the metal housing 1 body side, a second boundary portion 9 ₂ is formed to be inclined to the side away from the metal housing 1 body. A part of the ferrule 4 is exposed at the half-notch portion 12, and the solder 11 covers the half-notch portion 12 and the first and second boundary portions 9 ₁ , 9 ₂ , and the ferrule 4 is connected to the optical fiber insertion pipe 5. Adhere to and fix.

  By configuring in this way, this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the second embodiment.

  In the second and third embodiments, the present invention can be applied without being limited to the metal casing, and an adhesive may be used in place of the solder 11 as means for fixing the ferrule 4.

  In all of the above embodiments, the ferrule has been described as an “optical fiber fixture”, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a part of the optical fiber may be a metallized fiber with a metal coating, and the metallized fiber part may be used as an “optical fiber fixture” to bond the optical fiber and the optical fiber insertion pipe.

1: Metal housing 2: Optical element 3: Optical fiber 4: Ferrule 5: Optical fiber insertion pipe 6: Through hole 7: Cylindrical part 8: Semi-cylindrical part 9: Boundary part 10: Thin part 11: Solder 12: Half chipped portion 20, 30, 40, 50: Optical device package

Claims (7)

A metal housing that houses the optical element;
An optical fiber optically coupled to the optical element;
An optical fiber fixture provided in a part of the optical fiber;
An optical element package that includes an optical fiber insertion pipe that extends from at least one side surface of the metal casing and allows the optical fiber to pass through the metal casing,
The optical fiber insertion pipe includes a cylindrical part and a semi-cylindrical part in which a part on the tip side is cut out, and at least a part of the thickness in the cylindrical part is formed thinly,
The optical element package, wherein the optical fiber fixture is solder-fixed to the optical fiber insertion pipe at the semi-cylindrical portion including a boundary portion between the cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion. A housing that houses the optical element;
An optical fiber optically coupled to the optical element;
An optical fiber fixture provided in a part of the optical fiber;
An optical element package that includes an optical fiber insertion pipe that extends from at least one side surface of the casing and allows the optical fiber to pass through the casing.
The optical fiber insertion pipe includes a cylindrical part, and a semi-cylindrical part in which a part on the tip side is cut out,
The optical fiber fixture is fixed to the optical fiber insertion pipe with a solder material or an adhesive at the semi-cylindrical portion including a boundary portion between the cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion, and the boundary portion is An optical element package formed so as to be inclined in the housing direction. A housing that houses the optical element;
An optical fiber optically coupled to the optical element;
An optical fiber fixture provided in a part of the optical fiber;
An optical element package that includes an optical fiber insertion pipe that extends from at least one side surface of the casing and allows the optical fiber to pass through the casing.
The optical fiber insertion pipe is a portion where a part of the pipe is cut out, and both sides are provided with a half-notch portion that is a cylindrical portion,
The optical fiber fixture is fixed to the optical fiber insertion pipe with a solder material or an adhesive at the half chipped portion including a boundary portion between the cylindrical portion and the half chipped portion adjacent to each other. An optical element package, wherein one boundary portion which is a boundary portion is formed to be inclined in the direction of the housing, and the other boundary portion is formed to be inclined in a direction away from the housing.   4. The optical element package according to claim 2, wherein the boundary portion is formed in a straight line shape.   The optical element package according to claim 2, wherein the boundary portion is formed in a curved shape.   The optical element package according to claim 2, wherein the boundary portion is formed in a stepped shape. A light provided with an optical fiber fixture on an optical fiber insertion pipe that includes a cylindrical portion and a semi-cylindrical half-cylindrical portion that is partly cut off at the front end side, extending from at least one side surface of the housing. An optical fiber insertion process for inserting the fiber;
The boundary between the cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion, and at the boundary portion formed to be inclined in the housing direction, the gap between the optical fiber fixture and the through hole of the optical fiber insertion pipe is An optical device package manufacturing method comprising: adjusting to a uniform position, and fixing the optical fiber fixture at the position with a solder material or an adhesive at the semi-cylindrical portion including the boundary portion .

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