JP2018036319A - Apparatus for printing optical waveguide and method for manufacturing optical waveguide - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for printing an optical waveguide capable of enhancing adhesiveness between a core material and a cladding material and easily forming a large area without scraping an excessive core material and without reducing a yield, and a method for manufacturing the optical waveguide.SOLUTION: An apparatus 100 for printing an optical waveguide, capable of manufacturing the optical waveguide consisting of a core, an under cladding and a top cladding comprises at least: a printing plate 102 having a recessed part in which a core is charged; a blanket 105 for extracting the core from the printing plate to transfer thereto, a coat mechanism A106 for applying the under cladding on the blanket; a coat mechanism B110 for applying the top cladding on the transferred core and the under cladding; and a surface plate 101 for fixing the printing plate and a body to be printed. The blanket has a rotatable and movable mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an optical waveguide used for optical interconnection or the like by printing and a method for manufacturing the optical waveguide.

  In recent years, with the advancement of optical communication technology, the superiority of optical communication has been demonstrated as a communication system capable of transmitting a large amount of information at high speed as compared with telecommunication.

  As an optical signal transmission medium, a waveguide has become an important component, and a material mainly made of quartz is used for the waveguide.

  However, when this quartz is used as a material, it is necessary to create a core layer and a clad layer with expensive equipment and equipment used in semiconductor processes such as photolithography, and the waveguides to be created have a small area. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high and the external force such as bending is brittle.

  Therefore, a polymer optical waveguide having flexibility and toughness, which has been developed in recent years, is expected.

  The polymer optical waveguide manufacturing method is generally a method using dry etching or a method of forming an arbitrary pattern by exposure and development.

  For example, in a method using dry etching, first, an underclad and a core are sequentially formed on a substrate, and then a silicon-containing resist is partially formed on the core.

  Next, the silicon-containing resist and the core are irradiated with reactive ions, the core exposed from the silicon-containing resist is etched, the silicon-containing resist is removed, and a convex core is formed. A top clad is formed on the clad.

  In the method using pattern exposure and development, an underclad and a core material are sequentially formed on a substrate, and the core material is selectively cured by irradiating the core with ultraviolet rays through a photomask. Next, the uncured portion of the core is removed by development to form a convex core, and then a top clad is formed on the convex core and the undercladding.

  In addition to this, there is a method of removing unnecessary portions by machining after sequentially laminating the underclad and the core with a dicing saw, but this method cannot make a mirror at the end of the core, and the mirror creation is a separate process. This complicates the manufacturing process, and the problem of high manufacturing costs cannot be solved.

  Therefore, a concave groove to be an optical waveguide core is formed on the surface of the clad substrate by duplication using a resin mold, and a core material (transparent resin) is poured into the concave groove. And there is a method of scraping off the excess core material protruding from the concave groove with a rubber spatula, scraper or the like before the core material is cured or cured (Patent Documents 1 to 3 below).

  According to these replication methods, the optical waveguide can be manufactured with simple equipment, and there is an advantage that an extremely low-cost optical waveguide can be manufactured.

  However, when the core material is hardened or removed before hardening, unnecessary parts cannot be removed and it remains excessively, or light cannot be trapped in the core due to excessive scraping of the core material, etc. Etc., leading to a decrease in yield.

  In addition, these methods have a problem in that it is difficult to produce a large area because there is a process for producing a highly accurate mold and a process of applying coating and pressure uniformly over the entire mold.

JP 2004-264877 A JP 63-139304 A JP-A-9-281351

  In view of the above problems, the present invention eliminates the need to scrape off the extra core material, and therefore, the optical core material and the clad material have high adhesion without reducing the yield, and can easily increase the area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a waveguide printing apparatus and an optical waveguide manufacturing method.

In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides:
An optical waveguide printing apparatus for manufacturing an optical waveguide composed of a core, an underclad and a top clad,
A printing plate having a recess filled with a core, a blanket for removing the core from the printing plate and transferring it, a coating mechanism A for applying an underclad on the blanket, and a top clad on the transferred core and underclad A coating mechanism B, and a printing plate and a fixing platen for fixing the printing medium,
The blanket is an optical waveguide printing apparatus having a rotatable and movable mechanism.

  According to this aspect, since the core material filled in the concave portion of the printing plate is transferred to the blanket, there is no need to scrape the core material and the yield does not decrease. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining an optical waveguide with high adhesion between the core material and the clad material.

  Moreover, it is possible to produce a large area by increasing the size of the printing plate and the blanket.

Another embodiment of the present invention is as follows.
In the optical waveguide printing apparatus, silicone rubber is used as the blanket.

Another embodiment of the present invention is as follows.
A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide comprising a core, an underclad and a top clad,
The core is filled in the concave portion of the printing plate, and the blanket moves while rotating in contact with the surface of the printing plate. After the core is transferred to the surface of the blanket, undercladding is applied to the surface of the blanket, An optical waveguide obtained by transferring a printed material comprising a core and an underclad onto a substrate to be printed by moving the blanket while rotating, and further applying a top clad to the printed material. It is a manufacturing method.

According to this aspect, since the core filled in the concave portion of the printing plate is transferred to the blanket,
There is no need to scrape the core material and no yield reduction occurs. Further, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide having high adhesion between the core material and the clad material.

Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides:
As a method of applying the under clad to the blanket surface, a die coating method, a roll coating method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure offset printing method, a reverse gravure method, a screen printing method, or an ink jet method may be used. It is the manufacturing method of the optical waveguide characterized.

Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides:
As a method of applying the top clad to the printed material comprising the core and the under clad, any of a die coating method, a roll coating method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure offset printing method, a reverse gravure method, a screen printing method, and an ink jet method. This is a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide characterized by using the above.

  When the core and the underclad are held on the blanket, a treatment for curing the core and the underclad may be performed. Examples of the curing process include heating, blowing, and ultraviolet irradiation, and the curing process is appropriately selected depending on the properties of the core material and the underclad material.

  You may perform the process for hardening a top clad after top clad application. Examples of the curing process include heating, blowing, and ultraviolet irradiation, and the curing process is appropriately selected depending on the properties of the top clad material.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the core is transferred using the blanket, no extra core is generated, so there is no need to scrape the core material and the yield does not decrease. In addition, an optical waveguide having high adhesion between the core material and the clad material can be provided. By increasing the size of the printing plate and blanket, it is possible to produce a large area.

1 is a side view showing a mechanical configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the operation state which fills the printing plate with the core which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the operation state of the transcription | transfer to the blanket of the core which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the operation | movement state which coats an under clad on the blanket which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the operation state which prints the core and under clad which concern on embodiment of this invention to a to-be-printed body. It is a side view which shows the operation state which coat | covers a top clad on the under clad with which the core which concerns on embodiment of this invention was embedded. It is a side view showing the state where the optical waveguide concerning the embodiment of the present invention was formed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited only to the following embodiment.

(Configuration of printing device)
In FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 100 includes a blanket 105 and a printing plate 102. The blanket 105 is fixed to the surface of the rotatable blanket cylinder 104.
The blanket cylinder 104 is supported by a carriage (not shown) so as to be able to rotate and move up and down, and the carriage can move the printing plate fixing surface plate 101 and the printing material fixing surface plate 107 relative to each other. It is supported by. Thus, the blanket has a mechanism capable of rotating and moving by being supported by the blanket cylinder and the carriage. The carriage is provided with a coating mechanism A for applying an underclad material. In this embodiment, a die coating 106 is provided as an example of the coating mechanism.

  The printing plate 102 is fixed to the upper surface of the printing plate fixing surface plate 101 and is disposed at a position where the core material can be transferred to the printing surface of the blanket 105. Further, the printing medium 108 is fixed to the upper surface of the printing medium fixing surface plate 107 and is disposed on the printing medium 108 so that the core material can be transferred from the printing surface of the blanket 105. A coating mechanism B for applying a top clad material is provided above the printing object fixing surface plate 107. In this embodiment, a die coating 110 is provided as an example of the coating mechanism. 107 is movably installed.

  The blanket 105 performs transfer printing by transferring the core on the pattern on its surface. The surface of the blanket 105, that is, the printing surface is made of a rubber layer. As the rubber material used for the rubber layer, various materials known as blankets can be used. These rubber materials are selected according to the type of the core material. Silicone rubber having a low surface energy is suitable.

  Although the rubber layer alone can be used as the blanket 105, the rubber layer may be provided on the base substrate. The rubber layer made of a rubber material can be cured on the base substrate, or the rubber material on the film can be bonded to the base substrate.

  As a base material, since it is attached to the blanket cylinder 104 at the time of printing, there is no limitation on the type as long as it is a flexible film or a thin metal plate, but polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) due to cost and dimensional stability. A film or a polyimide film is preferred. Moreover, a primer layer and an adhesive layer are provided between the base substrate and the silicone rubber layer as necessary. Further, a cushion layer is provided under the base substrate as necessary. A sponge-like material can be used for the cushion layer.

  The blanket 105 is fixed to the substantially cylindrical blanket cylinder 104 by winding both ends in the width direction with a mounting tool (not shown).

  The printing plate 102 is formed by forming a groove corresponding to the wiring in a metal plate such as a copper plate or a nickel plate, or a glass plate, and forming a rub-resistant film by chromium plating or carbon plating on the surface thereof. The recesses of the printing plate 102 are filled with the core material 109a at a constant speed using, for example, a doctor blade 103.

  In the vicinity of the blanket cylinder 104, a die coat 106 capable of applying an underclad material onto the blanket 105 is provided. Further, a die coat 110 capable of applying a top clad material on the printing medium 108 is provided above the printing medium fixing surface plate 107.

  In this embodiment, the coating method of the under cladding material and the top cladding material is a die coating method, but a roll coating method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure offset printing method, a reverse gravure method, a screen printing method, an ink jet method. The law can also be used. A coating mechanism suitable for each coating method is installed near the blanket.

  The printing medium 108 in this embodiment is fixed to the upper surface of the printing medium fixing surface plate 107. The printed material 108 is, for example, a glass plate such as soda lime glass, low alkali borosilicate glass, non-alkali aluminoborosilicate glass, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), triacetyl cellulose (TAC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), A plastic plate or plastic film made of polycarbonate (PC) or the like is used. The printing medium 108 can be, for example, a PET film having a thickness of 125 μm.

  The printed material 108 can be made of other materials, for example, a sheet (prepreg) made of glass fiber and epoxy resin used for an electronic substrate, or can be made of other resin materials, paper, or non-woven fabric. good. The printed material 108 is not limited to a sheet-like material, and may be hollow or solid, and any plane or curved surface can be used as a printing surface.

  Further, as the printing material 108, a glass plate such as soda lime glass, low alkali borosilicate glass, non-alkali aluminoborosilicate glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), triacetyl cellulose (TAC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), A plastic plate or a plastic film made of polycarbonate (PC) may be used. In addition, after the optical waveguide is formed on the substrate, the optical waveguide may be peeled from the substrate.

  In addition, the printing apparatus 100 can include a control unit (not shown) in order to control each unit of the printing apparatus 100. The feed mechanism for the blanket cylinder 104, the carriage on which the blanket cylinder is supported, the printing plate fixing surface plate 101, and the printing object fixing surface plate 107 are electrically connected to the control unit. The control unit may be a well-known computer, and includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output port, storage device, display device, input / output device and the like interconnected by a data bus.

  The control unit fills the printing plate 102 with the core material using the doctor blade 103, feeds and rotates the blanket cylinder 104, blanket according to the operator's operation input, inputs from various sensors, and the control program stored in the ROM. The movement of the carriage on which the cylinder is supported, the operation of the feed mechanism for the printing plate fixing surface plate 101 and the surface plate 107 for fixing the printing material, and the core material, the under cladding material, and the top cladding material on the printing material 108 It is possible to link and control operations such as thermosetting processing and photo-baking processing for the blanket and drying operation for the blanket 105.

(Printing method)
Next, a printing method using the printing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the core plate 109 is filled in the printing plate 102 by guiding the core material 109 a to the concave portion of the printing plate 102 by the doctor blade 103 and removing the excess core material overflowing from the surface. Is done. The speed at which the core is filled by the doctor blade 103 is, for example, 150 mm / s.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the blanket cylinder 104 rolls while rotating in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and continuously contacts the core 109 filled in the printing plate 102, so that the printing surface of the blanket 105 is The core 109 is transferred. The transfer speed to the blanket 105 can be performed, for example, at 50 mm / s.
When the core 109 contains a solvent, the printing surface of the blanket 105 has absorbability that can absorb the solvent in the core 109, so that wetting and spreading of the core 109 formed on the printing surface of the blanket 105 is suppressed.

  After transferring the core onto the blanket, the core may be cured by a core material curing mechanism (not shown). Examples of the curing mechanism include a heating mechanism, a blower mechanism, and an ultraviolet irradiation mechanism, which are appropriately selected depending on the properties of the core material.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the blanket 105 is coated with an underclad 111 by a die coat 106. At this time, the entire core 109 is coated.

  After the under clad 111 is coated, the under clad may be cured by an unillustrated under clad material curing mechanism. Examples of the curing mechanism include a heating mechanism, a blower mechanism, and an ultraviolet irradiation mechanism, which are appropriately selected depending on the properties of the underclad material.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the blanket cylinder 104 rolls while rotating in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the core 109 and the underclad 111 formed on the blanket 104 are transferred to the printing surface of the printing medium 108, A printed matter 112 in which the core 109 is embedded in the underclad 111 can be created. The transfer speed to the printing medium 108 can be performed at, for example, 200 mm / s.

  The core 109 and the underclad 111 that remain on the printing surface of the blanket 104 without being transferred are removed by, for example, a cleaning roller (not shown). In this embodiment, the blanket cylinder 104 is moved at the time of transfer. However, the relative position between the blanket cylinder 104 and the printing plate fixing platen 101 or the blanket cylinder 104 and the platen fixing platen 107 is fixed. As long as the change of the relative position can be realized, the printing plate fixing surface plate 101 and the printing plate fixing surface plate 107 may be moved, and the blanket cylinder 104, the printing plate fixing surface plate 101, and the printing material fixing plate. Three of the surface plates 107 may be moved.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the surface opposite to the underclad printed matter 112 is coated with a top clad 113 by a die coat 110.

  Thereafter, the core 109, the underclad 111, and the top clad 113 transferred onto the substrate 108 are cured, and the optical waveguide 114 shown in FIG. 7 is formed.

  This curing process is performed by various means depending on the type and components of the conductive ink used, such as baking, heating, natural drying, ultraviolet curing, and cooling (when using conductive ink containing a thermoplastic material). can do. In the case of heating, for example, an infrared heater can be used.

  In this way, the optical waveguide 114 is obtained. Note that when the swelling amount of the blanket 105 reaches a predetermined reference value, the printing apparatus may be provided with a function of drying the solvent absorbed in the blanket 105 during printing standby.

  The material of the printing surface of the blanket 105, the type of the core 109 to be used, the type of the solvent in the core 109, the method of applying the underclad 111 on the blanket 105, the type of the underclad 111, and the top clad 113 are applied on the printed matter 112 As the method for the top clad material 113, various types other than those in the printing apparatus 100 can be selected.

  The blanket 105 is used while being fixed to the cylindrical blanket cylinder 104, but the shape of the blanket in use may be a curved surface or a plane other than the cylindrical shape. The printed material 108 may be a sheet-like one such as a resin molded product, and the printed surface may be a curved surface.

  An optical waveguide was created using the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention described above.

(Evaluation)
A multimode optical fiber loss test was performed on the optical waveguide 114 created by the printing apparatus of the present invention by a cutback method based on JIS-C6823. Optical loss was as high as 0.08 dB / cm. Further, the result of the crosstalk measurement was as good as 35 dB.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the modes shown in the embodiments, and includes all modifications, applications, and equivalents included in the concept of the present invention defined by the claims. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited, and can be applied to any other technique belonging to the scope of the idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the transfer is performed using a flat plate, but the transfer is not limited to this, and the transfer may be performed using a cylinder-shaped printing plate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printing apparatus 101 Surface plate 102 for fixing a printing plate Printing plate 103 Doctor blade 104 Blanket cylinder 105 Blanket 106 Die coat (mechanism A which coats an under clad material on a blanket)
107 Substrate for fixing printed material 108 Printed material 109 Core 109a Core material 110 Die coating (Mechanism B for coating top clad material on surface plate for fixing printed material)
111 Under clad 112 Printed material 113 with core embedded in under clad 113 Top clad 114 Optical waveguide

Claims (5)

An optical waveguide printing apparatus for manufacturing an optical waveguide composed of a core, an underclad and a top clad,
A printing plate having a recess filled with a core, a blanket for taking out the core from the printing plate and transferring it to a printing medium, a coating mechanism A for applying an underclad on the blanket, and on the transferred core and underclad At least a coating mechanism B for applying the top clad, and a platen for fixing the printing plate and the printing medium;
The optical waveguide printing apparatus, wherein the blanket has a rotatable and movable mechanism.   The optical waveguide printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein silicone rubber is used as the blanket. A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide comprising a core, an underclad and a top clad,
The core is filled in the concave portion of the printing plate, and the blanket moves while rotating in contact with the surface of the printing plate. After the core is transferred to the surface of the blanket, undercladding is applied to the surface of the blanket, An optical waveguide obtained by transferring a printed material comprising a core and an underclad onto a substrate to be printed by moving the blanket while rotating, and further applying a top clad to the printed material. Manufacturing method.   As a method of applying the under clad to the blanket surface, a die coating method, a roll coating method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure offset printing method, a reverse gravure method, a screen printing method, or an ink jet method may be used. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide according to claim 3, wherein   As a method for applying the top clad to the printed material comprising the core and the underclad, a die coating method, a roll coating method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure offset printing method, a reverse gravure method, a screen printing method, and an ink jet method are used. The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that:

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