JP2016176977A - Optical component holding tool, optical module and optical module manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical component holding tool, an optical module and an optical module manufacturing method which enable miniaturization of the optical module with high density and enable stable optical transmission without complex procedures in order to solve the problem of a conventional optical module having a wall structure that space for optical component packaging work is necessary and the work is complex.SOLUTION: An optical component holding tool comprises a pair of arms for holding lateral faces of an optical component parallel to an optical axis direction of the optical component with tip ends of the arms, respectively, and a holder for fixing the pair of arms onto an outside surface. The pair of arms is characterized in that a position of the lateral face of the optical component held with the tip ends is changed depending on a distance between the optical component and the holder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical component holder for fixing an optical component such as a lens or a fiber collimator to a flat surface, an optical module using the optical component holder, and a manufacturing method thereof.

  An optical module in which an optical component or an optical element is directly mounted on one plane is required to control the position of the optical component and the optical element with high accuracy for optical coupling. In the present specification, it is assumed that the “optical element” is a wavelength conversion element, an optical modulator, or the like, and the “optical component” is a lens, a fiber collimator, or the like.

  The optical element often requires temperature control and is mounted on a temperature control member such as a Peltier element. However, the Peltier element has a large variation in the height direction, and the optical component optically coupled to the optical element has not only the accuracy (position in the X and Y directions) on the bottom panel of the optical module but also the height direction (Z direction). Adjustment is required. Therefore, wall structures and wedge parts are used for adjusting and fixing the optical parts in the height direction.

  Patent Document 1 describes a method of fixing an optical fiber using a wall structure. The wall structure of Patent Document 1 includes a base having a hole, a ring portion, and a pipe member into which an optical fiber is inserted. The pipe member is placed on the ring part, and the ring part and the pedestal are slid to align the optical fiber (optical axis alignment), thereby fixing the ring part and the pedestal. A conventional optical module uses such a wall structure.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an optical module in which an optical component is mounted using a wall structure, taken along a plane perpendicular to the bottom panel and including the optical axis. The optical module of FIG. 4 includes a bottom panel 11, two optical elements (6, 10), two optical components (a fiber collimator 13, a flanged pipe 7 containing a lens barrel 9), and a wall structure (8). , 12).

  The wall structures (8, 12) have holes for inserting optical components and are arranged at predetermined positions on the bottom panel 11. The hole is made larger than the diameter of the optical component, and optical axis alignment (height alignment) is performed by moving the optical component within the hole. After the optical axis alignment is completed, the wall structure and the optical component are laser welded.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-179176

However, a conventional optical module that fixes an optical component using a wall structure as shown in FIG. 4 requires a large space for arranging the wall structures (8, 12). The space is not only the placement space of the wall structure itself,
(I) Space for inserting optical components after placing the wall structure (ii) Extra length of lens barrel 9 with lens protruding from wall structure 8 (iii) Space for laser welding. Further, when fixing the optical component to the wall structure by laser welding, it is necessary to take a complicated procedure such as laser welding while changing the orientation of the entire module. Furthermore, the position where the laser beam can reach even if the orientation of the entire module is changed is limited, and the bottom panel side (lower side) of the optical component enters the blind spot. It is. For this reason, since only the opposite side (upper side) of the optical component and the bottom panel of the wall structure is laser-welded, the conventional optical module has a problem in the stability of optical transmission.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an optical component holder, an optical module, and an optical module manufacturing method that do not require a complicated procedure, can downsize and increase the density of an optical module, and enable stable optical transmission. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the optical component holder according to the present invention can be adjusted in height simply by pushing in the optical component, and further, the laser welding location does not enter the blind spot.

  Specifically, the optical component holder according to the present invention includes an arm pair that sandwiches the side surface of the optical component parallel to the optical axis direction of the optical component at each tip, and the arm pair is fixed to an external surface. And the arm pair is characterized in that the position of the side surface of the optical component to be clamped by the tip portion changes according to the distance between the optical component and the holder.

The optical module according to the present invention is
A bottom panel;
An optical element disposed on the bottom panel;
The optical component aligned with the optical path of the outgoing light or incident light of the optical element;
The optical component holder for holding the optical component on the bottom panel with the bottom panel as the external surface;
Is provided.

Moreover, the optical module manufacturing method according to the present invention includes:
An element mounting step of arranging optical elements at predetermined positions on the bottom panel;
An optical component is inserted into the optical path of the emitted light or incident light of the optical element, and the optical component and the optical component are optically coupled to each other so that the optical component is accurately coupled in the planar direction and the height direction on the bottom panel. An alignment step for detecting the position;
A retracting step of retracting the optical component from the bottom panel;
A holder mounting step of fixing the optical component holder at a position in a plane direction of the bottom panel of the precise position detected in the alignment step;
The optical component is moved to a position in the planar direction of the bottom panel of the precise position detected in the alignment step, and the precise position detected in the alignment step is positioned in the height direction of the bottom panel. An optical component rearrangement step for pushing or pulling an optical component back into the arm pair of the optical component holder;
A welding step of irradiating the tip portion of the arm pair with laser light from a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the bottom panel, and laser welding the side surface of the optical component and the tip portion;
Repeat in order.

  By pushing or pulling the optical component back into the optical component holder, the tip of the arm pair slides along the surface of the optical component, and the height of the optical component can be adjusted easily and accurately. Furthermore, since the tip of the arm pair as a welded portion does not enter the blind spot, the optical component and the optical component holder can be laser-welded easily and reliably. Furthermore, since the optical component holder can be made smaller than the conventional wall structure and the space for laser welding can be reduced, the optical module can be miniaturized and densified.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an optical component holder, an optical module, and an optical module manufacturing method that do not require complicated procedures, can reduce the size and density of an optical module, and enable stable optical transmission. it can.

  The pair of arms of the optical component holder according to the present invention is characterized in that it is a single plate that is bent so that an edge in the longitudinal direction is the tip portion facing each other. This optical component holder can be created by a simple method.

  In the optical component holder according to the present invention, the position of the side surface of the optical component sandwiched by the distal end portion is closer to the holder than the central axis of the optical component, and each distal end portion of the arm pair is According to the distance between the optical component and the holder, the distance from each other approaches or leaves along the side surface of the optical component. The arm pair is pushed and expanded by pushing the optical component holder into the optical component, and the arm pair is narrowed by pulling back the optical component and the optical component holder. When the arm pair performs such an operation, the optical component holder can stably hold the optical component and can easily adjust the height.

The arm pair can be exemplified as follows.
(1) The said arm pair is a shape where a space | interval spreads toward the said front-end | tip part side.
(2) The arm pair has a shape in which a distance is narrowed toward the tip end side.
(3) The arm pair has a shape that narrows after a gap is widened toward the tip end side.

  In the case of such a shape, each position where the side surface of the optical component is sandwiched by the tip portion is set to 0 ° from the central axis of the optical component so that the laser welding portion does not enter the blind spot. Then, it is preferable that it exists in 45 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less in absolute value.

  In the arm pair, the distance toward the tip end portion is constant at the width of the optical component on the center axis, and the tip end portions of the arm pair are mutually connected regardless of the distance between the optical component and the holder. The distance may be constant. Even if the arm pair has such a shape, the optical component holder can stably hold the optical component and can easily adjust the height.

  The present invention can provide an optical component holder, an optical module, and an optical module manufacturing method that do not require complicated procedures, can downsize and increase the density of the optical module, and enable stable optical transmission.

It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the conventional optical module. It is sectional drawing explaining the optical module which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical component holder which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the present specification and drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same components. Further, in this specification and the drawings, a direction approaching the bottom panel surface by a perpendicular to the bottom panel may be described as “down” and a direction away from the bottom panel surface may be described as “up”. Similarly, the direction from the holder of the optical component holder to the tip of the arm pair may be described as “up” and vice versa as “down”.

(Optical component holder)
The optical component holder of the present embodiment includes: an arm pair that sandwiches the side surface of the optical component parallel to the optical axis direction of the optical component at each tip portion; and a holder that fixes the arm pair to an external surface. The arm pair is characterized in that the position of the side surface of the optical component to be clamped by the tip portion changes according to the distance between the optical component and the holder.

  FIGS. 1, 6, 7, and 8 are specific examples of the optical component holder of this embodiment in which a lens barrel (1 or 20) with a lens is mounted as an optical component. Each figure describes a top view (a) viewed from the optical component side, a front view (b) viewed from the optical axis side of the optical component, and a diagram (c) for adjusting the height of the optical component from the bottom panel. .

FIG. 1 shows a shape in which the distance between the arm pair 2 narrows after expanding toward the distal end portion 31 side.
FIG. 6 shows a shape in which the distance between the arm pair 2 widens toward the distal end portion 31 side.
FIG. 7 shows a shape in which the distance between the arm pair 2 narrows toward the distal end portion 31 side.
In FIG. 8, the distance between the arm pair 21 is constant at the width of the central axis of the optical component 20 toward the distal end portion 31, and is constant regardless of the distance between the optical component 20 and the holder 3.

  The arm pair 2 of these optical component holders is characterized in that it is a single plate that is bent so that the edge in the longitudinal direction becomes the opposite end portion 31. This plate is preferably SUS304 or SUS304CSP equivalent, which is suitable for laser welding.

  1, 6, and 7, the position of the side surface of the optical component 1 that is sandwiched by the tip portion 31 is closer to the holder 3 than the central axis of the optical component 1, and each tip of the arm pair 2 is The parts 31 are characterized in that the distance between them approaches or leaves along the side surface of the optical component 1 according to the distance between the optical component 1 and the holder 3.

That is, the optical component holders of FIGS. 1, 6, and 7 have the following characteristics.
This optical component holder holds the optical component 1 with the arm pair 2 and fixes the side surface of the optical component 1 and the tip portion 31 by laser welding.
The optical component holder holds the optical component 1 so that the optical axis of the optical component 1 is slightly higher than the optical axes of other optical elements when no force is applied to the optical component 1. Designed.
As shown in FIGS. 1C, 6 C, and 7 C, the optical component holder is configured such that the arm pair 2 is expanded by the optical component 1 to increase the height of the optical component 1. The height can be adjusted. When the optical component 1 is pushed too far, the optical component 1 may be pulled back.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the positions at which the side surface of the optical component 1 is sandwiched between the tip portions 31 are 45 ° to 85 ° in absolute value when the direction of the holder 3 from the central axis of the optical component 1 is 0 °. It is preferable that it exists in. The distance between the tip portions 31 of the arm pair 2 is designed to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the optical component 1, and the tip portion 31 is expanded by pushing the optical component 1 into the arm pair 2. For example, when no force is applied to the optical component 1, the tip 31 is at a 45 ° position, and the tip 31 spreads along the side surface of the optical component 1 by applying a force to the optical component 1. The position of the tip portion 31 varies depending on the height at which the optical component 1 is fixed, but the tip portion 31 is at a position of 85 ° in the most depressed state.

  And after adjusting the optical component 1 to desired height, the front-end | tip part 31 of the arm pair 2 and the side surface of the optical component 1 are fixed by laser welding. The optical component holder is fixed in advance by laser welding at a predetermined position on the bottom panel at the contact portion between the holder 3 and the bottom panel 4. Moreover, it is preferable that the optical component 1 is a prism or a cylinder having the optical axis as a central axis. Especially in the case of a cylinder, smooth height adjustment is possible.

  On the other hand, the optical component holder of FIG. 8 is used when the side surface is flat like the optical component 20 of FIG. This optical component holder also holds the optical component by the arm pair 21 and fixes the side surface of the optical component 20 and the tip 31 by laser welding. As shown in FIG. 8C, in this optical component holder, even if the optical component 20 is pushed, the arm pair 21 is not pushed and spread. The height can be adjusted by sliding the optical component 20 held between the arm pair 21. When the optical component 20 is pushed too much, the optical component 20 may be pulled back.

(Optical module)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the optical module of the present embodiment cut along a plane perpendicular to the bottom panel and including the optical axis.
The optical module of this embodiment is
A bottom panel 11;
Optical elements (6, 10) arranged on the bottom panel 11,
Optical components (14, 16) aligned with the optical path of the emitted light or incident light of the optical elements (6, 10);
The optical component holder 15 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, or FIG. 8 that holds the optical component (14, 16) on the bottom panel 11 with the bottom panel 11 as the external surface;
Is provided.

As an alternative to the wall structure (8, 12) of FIG. 4, the optical module of the present embodiment uses the optical component holder 15 described in FIGS. The collimator 16) is held. For this reason, the optical module of this embodiment is
(I) After the optical component holder 15 is disposed on the bottom panel 11, the optical components (14, 16) are simply pushed in, so that the height adjustment of the optical components (14, 16) is easy.
(Ii) Since the optical component holder 15 is disposed on the bottom panel 11 and the optical components (14, 16) are simply pushed in, the extra length of the optical component is not required as in the conventional wall structure, and space saving is possible. is there.
(Iii) Since the laser welding location (tip portion) can also be easily seen from the upper surface, the fixing work is easy.
(Iv) Since the laser welding location (tip portion) does not enter the blind spot, there is no unwelded location and the stability of optical transmission is increased.
The effect is obtained.

A specific method for manufacturing an optical module will be described. This manufacturing method
An element mounting step of arranging the optical elements (6, 10) at predetermined positions on the bottom panel 11;
An optical component (14, 16) is inserted into the optical path of the emitted light or incident light of the optical element (6, 10) so that the optical element (6, 10) and the optical component (14, 16) are optically coupled. An alignment step of detecting a precise position in the plane direction and the height direction on the bottom panel 11 of the optical component (14, 16);
A retracting step of retracting the optical components (14, 16) from the bottom panel 11,
A holder mounting step of fixing the optical component holder 15 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 at a position in the planar direction of the bottom panel 11 at the precise position detected in the alignment step;
The optical component (14, 16) is moved to the position in the planar direction of the bottom panel 11 at the precise position detected in the alignment step, and the height position in the bottom panel 11 at the precise position detected in the alignment step An optical component rearrangement step in which the optical components (14, 16) are pushed or pulled back into the arm pair of the optical component holder 15;
A welding step of irradiating the tip of the arm pair with laser light from a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the bottom panel 11, and laser welding the side surface of the optical component (14, 16) and the tip.
Repeat in order.

For example, in the alignment step, the optical component (14, 16) is arranged at a mounting position on the bottom panel 11 using a fine adjustment mechanism (such as a fine adjustment table), and the optical path of the optical component (14, 16) and other optical elements are arranged. Align with the optical path of (6, 10).
In the retracting step, the fine adjustment mechanism stores the position and height of the optical component after alignment, and retracts the temporary optical component.
In the holder mounting step, the optical component holder 15 is placed at the position of the optical component on the bottom panel 11, and the holder of the optical component holder 15 and the bottom panel 11 are fixed by laser welding.
In the optical component rearrangement step, the optical component (14, 16) is again moved to the alignment position by the fine adjustment mechanism, and the optical component (14, 16) is placed on the optical component holder 15 already fixed at the position. Push to the aligned height.
In the welding process, the side surface of the optical component (14, 16) that is pushed in and the tip of the arm pair that holds the optical component are laser welded.

(effect)
According to the present invention, the wall structure which has been necessary in the past is not necessary, and the adjustment in the height direction is facilitated while reducing the mounting area of the optical component. Further, it is possible to eliminate the troublesome work that has been generated for laser welding so far, and to obtain stable performance for a long period of time simply by laser welding from an obliquely upward direction. Furthermore, the material cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts.

1: Optical component (lens barrel with lens)
2: Arm pair 3: Holder 4: Bottom panel 5: Optical component (fiber collimator)
6: Optical element 7: Pipe with flange 8: Wall structure 9: Lens barrel 10: Optical element 11: Bottom panel 12: Wall structure 13: Fiber collimator 14: Lens barrel 15: Optical component holder 16 : Fiber collimator 20: Optical component (lens barrel with lens)
21: Arm pair 31: Tip

Claims (10)

A pair of arms that sandwich the side surface of the optical component parallel to the optical axis direction of the optical component at each tip,
A holder for fixing the arm pair to an external surface;
With
In the optical component holder, the arm pair has a position of the side surface of the optical component that is clamped by the tip portion according to a distance between the optical component and the holder.   2. The optical component holder according to claim 1, wherein the arm pair is a single plate that is bent so that an edge in a longitudinal direction is the tip portion facing each other. 3. The position of the side surface of the optical component sandwiched by the tip is closer to the holder than the central axis of the optical component;
The distance between the tip portions of the arm pair approaches or leaves along the side surface of the optical component according to the distance between the optical component and the holder. The optical component holder described.   The optical component holder according to claim 3, wherein the arm pair has a shape in which a gap is widened toward the tip end side.   The optical component holder according to claim 3, wherein the arm pair has a shape in which a distance is narrowed toward the tip end side.   The optical component holder according to claim 3, wherein the arm pair has a shape that narrows after the interval is widened toward the tip end side.   Each position where the side surface of the optical component is sandwiched by the tip portion is 45 ° to 85 ° in absolute value when the holder direction is 0 ° from the central axis of the optical component. The optical component holder according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In the arm pair, the distance toward the tip end side is constant at the width of the optical component in the central axis,
3. The optical component holder according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the distal end portions of the arm pairs is constant regardless of a distance between the optical component and the holder. A bottom panel;
An optical element disposed on the bottom panel;
The optical component aligned with the optical path of the outgoing light or incident light of the optical element;
The optical component holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the optical component is held on the bottom panel using the bottom panel as the external surface.
An optical module comprising: An element mounting step of arranging optical elements at predetermined positions on the bottom panel;
An optical component is inserted into the optical path of the emitted light or incident light of the optical element, and the optical component and the optical component are optically coupled to each other so that the optical component is accurately coupled in the planar direction and the height direction on the bottom panel. An alignment step for detecting the position;
A retracting step of retracting the optical component from the bottom panel;
A holder mounting step of fixing the optical component holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8 at a position in a planar direction of the bottom panel of the precise position detected in the alignment step;
The optical component is moved to a position in the planar direction of the bottom panel of the precise position detected in the alignment step, and the precise position detected in the alignment step is positioned in the height direction of the bottom panel. An optical component rearrangement step for pushing or pulling an optical component back into the arm pair of the optical component holder;
A welding step of irradiating the tip portion of the arm pair with laser light from a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the bottom panel, and laser welding the side surface of the optical component and the tip portion;
The optical module manufacturing method which performs sequentially.

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