JP2015175980A - Optical fiber connector and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber connector that is hard to generate separation of an adhesive and damage of optical fibers by relieving stress concentration caused at a tip end of the optical fibers and a manufacturing method thereof.SOLUTION: In an optical fiber connector 100, optical fibers 101 and a holding component 104 are formed of materials having linear expansion coefficients different from each other. Further, the holding component 104 is provided with a fluid reservoir groove 114 that is so formed as to cross alignment grooves 103 and prevents penetration of an adhesive 111 so as not to make the adhesive 111 reach a tip end 113 of the alignment grooves 103 when the adhesive 111 for fixing the optical fibers 101 on the holding component 104 is injected into a rear end 112 of the alignment grooves 103. In the optical fibers 101, a terminal except a tip end is fixed on the holding component 104 with a pressing component 105 by the adhesive 111.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector suitable for optical connection between an optical fiber and an optical device, and a manufacturing method thereof.

  When optically connecting an optical fiber to an optical device or the like, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical fiber 601, the optical component 602 to which the optical fiber 601 is optically connected, and the end of the optical fiber 601 are held. And a holding component 604 having an alignment groove 603 that aligns the optical axis of the optical fiber 601 and the optical axis of the optical component 602, and a pressing component 605 that presses the end of the optical fiber 601 against the holding component 604. An optical fiber connector 600 is widely used.

  In the optical fiber connector 600, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the optical fiber 601 is firmly fixed to the holding component 604 together with the pressing component 605 by an adhesive 606 having a Young's modulus after curing of 100 MPa or more.

JP 2008-151843 A Japanese Patent No. 4747229

  By the way, the optical fiber 601 and the holding part 605 are made of quartz glass, and the optical part 602 and the holding part 604 are made of a material having a larger linear expansion coefficient than that of quartz glass, for example, a polyetherimide resin. .

  As described above, since the optical fiber 601 and the holding component 604 are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients, when the optical fiber connector 600 is used in a high temperature environment, the optical fiber 601 and the holding component 604 are caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient. As a result, a dimensional error between the optical fiber 601 and the holding component 604 increases.

  As a result, stress concentration occurs in a portion where the adhesive 606 is slightly present, for example, a portion 607 where the optical fiber 601 and the alignment groove 603 are in contact with each other, and the adhesive 606 starts from the portion 607. There is a risk that the optical fiber 601 may be damaged due to peeling or peeling of the adhesive 606.

  In addition, when the adhesive 606 is injected, the pressing component 605 is provided with the optical fiber 601 so that it can be visually confirmed whether or not the adhesive 606 has sufficiently penetrated to the tip of the optical fiber 601. The terminal excluding the tip of the holding member is pressed against the holding component 604.

  Therefore, the end of the optical fiber 601 excluding the tip is firmly fixed to the holding component 604 together with the pressing component 605 formed of quartz glass having a relatively small linear expansion coefficient, like the optical fiber 601, and the adhesive 606. However, since the tip end portion of the optical fiber 601 is not fixed to the holding component 604 together with the holding component 605, stress concentration due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the optical fiber 601 and the holding component 604 is reduced. It tends to occur.

  A method of absorbing the elongation amount of the alignment groove 603 in a high temperature environment by adjusting the distance L between the end face of the optical fiber 601 and the optical component 602 is also conceivable. Delamination and optical fiber damage will occur.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber connector and a method for manufacturing the same, in which stress concentration generated at the tip of the optical fiber is alleviated so that adhesive peeling and optical fiber damage are unlikely to occur.

  The present invention created to achieve this object includes an optical fiber, an optical component to which the optical fiber is optically connected, a terminal of the optical fiber, an optical axis of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber. A holding part having an alignment groove for aligning the optical axis of the part, and a holding part that presses the end of the optical fiber against the holding part, wherein the optical fiber and the holding part have a linear expansion coefficient. The holding part is formed across the alignment groove, and an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber to the holding part is provided at the rear end of the alignment groove. And a liquid storage groove that prevents the adhesive from penetrating so that the adhesive does not reach the tip of the alignment groove when injected from the optical fiber. With the holding parts by the agent An optical fiber connector which is fixed to the holding component.

  The liquid storage groove may be formed deeper than the alignment groove.

  The liquid reservoir groove may be formed at the tip of the alignment groove, and the optical fiber may have a tip exposed from the alignment groove.

  The optical fiber may be optically connected to the optical component via a refractive index matching agent.

  The refractive index matching agent may have a Young's modulus after curing of 1 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less.

  The adhesive preferably has a Young's modulus after curing of 100 MPa or more.

  The optical fiber and the holding part are preferably made of quartz glass, and the holding part is preferably made of a material having a larger linear expansion coefficient than quartz glass.

  The present invention also provides an optical fiber, an optical component to which the optical fiber is optically connected, a terminal of the optical fiber, and an alignment of the optical axis of the optical fiber and the optical axis of the optical component. A holding part having a centering groove and a holding part that presses the end of the optical fiber against the holding part, wherein the optical fiber and the holding part are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients. In the manufacturing method of the optical fiber connector, when the adhesive for fixing the optical fiber to the holding part is injected from the rear end of the alignment groove, and formed across the alignment groove, Preparing the holding component further having a liquid storage groove that prevents the adhesive from penetrating so that the adhesive does not reach the tip of the alignment groove; and housing the end of the optical fiber in the alignment groove Process and A step of injecting the adhesive from the rear end of the alignment groove and fixing a terminal excluding the tip of the optical fiber to the holding component together with the pressing component by the adhesive. Is the method.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stress concentration which generate | occur | produces in the front-end | tip part of an optical fiber can be relieve | moderated, and the optical fiber connector with which peeling of an adhesive agent or an optical fiber does not generate | occur | produce easily and its manufacturing method can be provided.

It is a front perspective view showing an optical fiber connector concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a back perspective view showing an optical fiber connector concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a back perspective view showing an optical fiber connector concerning a modification of the present invention. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a front perspective view which shows the optical fiber connector which concerns on a prior art. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an optical fiber connector 100 according to the present embodiment holds an optical fiber 101, an optical component 102 to which the optical fiber 101 is optically connected, and a terminal of the optical fiber 101. And a holding component 104 having an alignment groove 103 that aligns the optical axis of the optical fiber 101 and the optical axis of the optical component 102, and a pressing component 105 that presses the end of the optical fiber 101 against the holding component 104. Yes.

  Here, the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104 are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients. When the optical fiber connector 100 is used in a high temperature environment, the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104 are caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient. It is assumed that a dimensional error occurs between the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104.

  The periphery of the optical fiber 101 is covered with a coating layer 106 in the longitudinal direction, and is exposed from the coating layer 106 at the terminal. The optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 is accommodated in the alignment groove 103 and is pressed toward the bottom of the alignment groove 103 by the pressing component 105.

  The pressing component 105 may be formed so as to press not only the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 but also the optical fiber 101 coated with the coating layer 106 toward the holding component 104.

  In the drawing, each of the plurality of optical fibers 101 is depicted as being independent, but the plurality of optical fibers 101 and a collective coating layer that collectively coats the periphery of the plurality of optical fibers 101, It becomes possible to improve the handleability and terminal processability of the optical fiber 101 by using an optical fiber tape having.

  Furthermore, in some drawings, in order to make it easy to grasp the configuration of the holding component 104, the optical fiber 101 is drawn with a broken line, and the holding component 105 is further disassembled.

  The optical component 102 includes, for example, a lens array having a plurality of lenses 107 arranged in parallel. The optical component 102 is formed integrally with the holding component 104 using a resin molding technique, and the positional relationship between the lens 107 of the optical component 102 and the alignment groove 103 of the holding component 104 is fixed. .

  The alignment groove 103 is formed of, for example, a V-shaped V-shaped cross section, and the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 is accommodated in the alignment groove 103, and is held at the bottom of the alignment groove 103 by the holding member 105. It is formed so that the optical axis of the optical fiber 101 and the optical axis of the optical component 102 are automatically aligned by simply pressing toward the optical fiber.

  The holding component 104 includes the holding portion 108 in which the alignment groove 103 is formed and the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 is held, and the holding portion 108 and the step portion 109 using a resin molding technique. And a fixing portion 110 to which the optical fiber 101 formed integrally and covered with the coating layer 106 is fixed.

  The step 109 is exposed from the coating layer 106 when the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 is held by the holding unit 108 and the optical fiber 101 covered with the coating layer 106 is fixed to the fixing unit 110. The light exposed from the coating layer 106 is maintained so that the optical axis of the optical fiber 101 is maintained in a substantially straight line between the optical fiber 101 and the optical fiber 101 coated with the coating layer 106 to prevent deterioration of optical characteristics. The height is formed so as to absorb the difference in outer diameter between the fiber 101 and the optical fiber 101 covered with the coating layer 106.

  Among these components, the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 105 are made of quartz glass, and the optical component 102 and the holding component 104 are materials having a larger linear expansion coefficient than quartz glass, for example, polyetherimide resin. It is formed with. That is, the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104 are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients.

  When the optical fiber connector 100 is manufactured, the holding component 104 is prepared in advance, the optical fiber 101 is terminated, the optical fiber 101 is exposed from the coating layer 106, and then the light exposed from the coating layer 106 is obtained. The fiber 101 is held by the holding unit 108 and the optical fiber 101 covered with the coating layer 106 is fixed to the fixing unit 110, and the end of the optical fiber 101 is accommodated in the alignment groove 103.

  Thereafter, the adhesive 111 for fixing the optical fiber 101 to the holding component 104 is aligned while the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 is pressed against the bottom of the alignment groove 103 by the pressing component 105. Injecting from the rear end 112 of the groove 103, the adhesive 111 is permeated along the optical fiber 101 exposed from the coating layer 106 by capillary action, and the optical fiber 101 is fixed to the holding component 104 together with the pressing component 105.

  At this time, by using the adhesive 111 having a Young's modulus after curing of 100 MPa or more, the optical fiber 101 and the holding part 105 can be firmly fixed to the holding part 104, but the adhesive having a high Young's modulus. When 111 reaches the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103, the problem of the optical fiber connector according to the prior art arises. Therefore, in the optical fiber connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the holding component 104 has the alignment groove 103. When the adhesive 111 for fixing the optical fiber 101 to the holding component 104 is injected from the rear end 112 of the alignment groove 103, the cross section of the alignment groove 103 is formed so as to be divided. A liquid storage groove 114 is further provided to prevent the adhesive 111 from penetrating so that the adhesive 111 does not reach the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103.

  The liquid reservoir groove 114 is preferably formed deeper than the alignment groove 103. As a result, the adhesive 111 does not easily reach the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103 over the liquid storage groove 114, so that the penetration of the adhesive 111 can be more effectively prevented.

  The liquid reservoir groove 114 is formed in advance in a mold for producing the holding component 104 using a resin molding technique, and a portion corresponding to the liquid reservoir groove 114 is formed. By manufacturing 104, it can be formed easily.

  In the optical fiber connector 100 according to the present embodiment, since the adhesive 111 can be prevented from penetrating into the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103 at the time of manufacture, the optical fiber 101 has a terminal excluding the tip. The adhesive 111 is fixed to the holding component 104 together with the pressing component 105.

  At this time, the optical fiber 101 may be optically connected to the optical component 102 via air or other gas, but the occurrence of Fresnel reflection or the like is suppressed and the optical fiber 101 and the optical component 102 are From the viewpoint of improving the optical coupling efficiency, the optical fiber 101 is preferably optically connected to the optical component 102 via the refractive index matching agent 115.

  Further, by using the refractive index matching agent 115 having a Young's modulus after curing of 1 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less, it is possible to avoid that the tip of the optical fiber 101 is firmly fixed to the holding component 104, and the optical fiber connector 100. Is used in a high-temperature environment, the adhesive 111 is peeled off due to stress concentration caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104, or the optical fiber 101 is peeled off as the adhesive 111 is peeled off. It is possible to prevent damage.

  The refractive index matching agent 115 is preferably injected separately from the adhesive 111 after the adhesive 111 is cured in order to prevent impurities from being mixed.

  As described so far, in the optical fiber connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the liquid retaining groove 114 formed across the middle of the alignment groove 103 so that the holding component 104 divides the alignment groove 103. Therefore, the amount of elongation of the alignment groove 103 in a high temperature environment can be reduced to relieve stress concentration caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the optical fiber 101 and the holding component 104. It is possible to prevent the adhesive 111 from being peeled off at the tip portion of the optical fiber 101 or damage to the optical fiber 101 due to the peeling of the adhesive 111.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the liquid storage groove 114 that crosses the alignment groove 103 so as to divide the alignment groove 103 is formed to reduce the elongation amount of the alignment groove 103 in a high temperature environment. However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an optical fiber connector 400 in which a liquid storage groove 114 is formed at the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103 and the tip of the optical fiber 101 is exposed from the alignment groove 103. It does not matter.

  In this case, since the portion where the optical fiber 101 and the alignment groove 103 in which the stress concentration is likely to occur can be completely eliminated at the distal end portion of the optical fiber 101, the adhesive 111 can be more effectively removed. It is possible to prevent peeling and damage to the optical fiber 101.

  At this time, the width of the liquid storage groove 114 formed at the tip 113 of the alignment groove 103 is preferably about 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm. With the current technology, it is difficult to form the liquid reservoir groove 114 having a width of less than 0.2 mm. When the width exceeds 1.0 mm, the tip of the optical fiber 101 falls into the liquid reservoir groove 114, and the optical fiber 101 This is because the optical axis and the optical axis of the optical component 102 may be misaligned or the optical fiber connector may be increased in size.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Optical fiber connector 101 Optical fiber 102 Optical part 103 Alignment groove 104 Holding part 105 Holding part 106 Cover layer 107 Lens 108 Holding part 109 Step part 110 Fixing part 111 Adhesive 112 Back end 113 Front end 114 Liquid storage groove 115 Refractive index matching Agent 400 Optical Fiber Connector

Claims (8)

Optical fiber,
An optical component to which the optical fiber is optically connected;
A holding part having an alignment groove for holding the end of the optical fiber and aligning the optical axis of the optical fiber and the optical axis of the optical part;
A holding part that presses the end of the optical fiber against the holding part;
With
The optical fiber and the holding component are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients,
The holding component is formed across the alignment groove, and when the adhesive for fixing the optical fiber to the holding component is injected from the rear end of the alignment groove, the adhesive is A liquid retaining groove that prevents the adhesive from penetrating so as not to reach the tip of the alignment groove;
The optical fiber connector is characterized in that a terminal excluding a tip is fixed to the holding component together with the pressing component by the adhesive.   The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage groove is formed deeper than the alignment groove. The liquid reservoir groove is formed at the tip of the alignment groove,
The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tip portion of the optical fiber is exposed from the alignment groove.   The optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical fiber is optically connected to the optical component via a refractive index matching agent.   The optical fiber connector according to claim 4, wherein the refractive index matching agent has a Young's modulus after curing of 1 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less.   The optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adhesive has a Young's modulus after curing of 100 MPa or more. The optical fiber and the holding part are made of quartz glass,
The optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the holding component is formed of a material having a larger linear expansion coefficient than quartz glass. Optical fiber,
An optical component to which the optical fiber is optically connected;
A holding part having an alignment groove for holding the end of the optical fiber and aligning the optical axis of the optical fiber and the optical axis of the optical part;
A holding part that presses the end of the optical fiber against the holding part;
With
In the method of manufacturing an optical fiber connector, the optical fiber and the holding component are formed of materials having different linear expansion coefficients.
When the adhesive for fixing the optical fiber to the holding part is injected from the rear end of the alignment groove, the adhesive is formed in the alignment groove. Preparing the holding component further having a liquid storage groove that prevents the adhesive from penetrating so as not to reach the tip;
Accommodating the end of the optical fiber in the alignment groove;
A step of injecting the adhesive from the rear end of the alignment groove and fixing the end of the optical fiber to the holding component together with the pressing component by the adhesive; and
An optical fiber connector manufacturing method comprising:

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