JP2018081255A - Collimator support body, housing of optical device, optical device, optical transceiver, and collimator attachment method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collimator support body capable of certainly fixing a collimator in an adhesion method.SOLUTION: A collimator support body 1a is disposed in an optical device and fixes a cylindrical collimator C using an adhesive. The collimator support body includes: a guide portion 20a that has a longitudinal direction set to two axial directions of the cylindrical collimator, has cross sections which are surfaces orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, has end surfaces (11 and 12) in the longitudinal direction, has open ends at the longitudinal both surfaces, and is formed in the longitudinal direction; and an opening 30a connecting the inner surface of the guide portion to the outside 13. The cross sections of the guide portion are formed in the shapes along the cross sectional shape of the collimator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a collimator support, an optical device casing, an optical device, an optical transceiver, and a collimator mounting method.

  The collimator is an optical component for making diffused light into parallel light or condensing parallel light using a collimating lens. An example of the collimator is an optical fiber collimator. An optical fiber collimator has a structure in which, for example, a ferrule formed by inserting an optical fiber core wire in which an optical fiber is coated with a resin is attached to the end of a cylindrical holder, and a collimator lens is held inside the tip of the holder. Yes. The optical fiber is opened inside the holder, and the optical fiber collimator emits light emitted from the opening of the optical fiber as parallel light from the front end side of the holder. And the parallel light which injected from the front end side of the holder is combined with the opening end of an optical fiber.

  Some collimators input and output light propagating in space. Such a collimator has a configuration in which a collimating lens is housed in a holder having a light input / output port at its end. Then, the light emitted from the laser diode or the like and propagating through the space is converted into parallel light, or the incident parallel light is collected and emitted toward a photodiode or the like installed in the space.

  Many optical devices equipped with a collimator such as an optical fiber collimator are provided with a housing for storing various optical components such as a filter and a mirror. A support member or a support portion (hereinafter also referred to as a collimator support) that is a structure or a structure for attaching the collimator is provided on the end face of the casing of the optical device. The collimator support may be configured integrally with the casing or may be configured to be attached to the casing as a separate body. Of course, an optical device can also be configured by arranging optical components on an optical bench. In such a case, there is no clear housing for the optical device. In any case, the optical device has a configuration in which a light input / output unit is indispensable. If a collimator is used for the light input / output unit, a collimator support is required. As an optical device provided with a collimator, for example, a wavelength selection filter that transmits light of a predetermined wavelength from light input through one collimator and outputs it through the other optical collimator, an optical path between a plurality of collimators And an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer that multiplexes or demultiplexes a plurality of lights having different wavelengths.

  As a method for attaching the collimator to the collimator support, a welding method for welding the collimator holder and the collimator support is well known. Patent Document 1 below describes an optical device in which a plurality of collimators are attached to one end face of a casing by a welding method. As another attachment method, there is a wedge method using a wedge part. This wedge method uses, for example, a collimator support in which, for example, a keyhole-like hole is formed on the end surface of the housing. For example, a hole having a shape in which a rectangular notch provided in a part of the circumference of the opening is extended in the depth direction from the end surface while the end surface opens in a circular shape along the cross-sectional shape of the collimator is provided. The collimator is inserted into the hole on the end face, and a wedge part is driven into the hole in the notch. Thereby, the collimator is pressed against the inner surface of the hole to fix the collimator.

  In the case where a plurality of collimators are attached in parallel, there is a V-groove method using a plurality of V-grooves formed so as to be parallel to each other on the end face of the housing. A collimator support that employs this method includes a plurality of V-shaped grooves formed along the axial direction of the cylindrical holder of the collimator. The collimator is disposed along the V-shaped groove, and the side surface is welded or bonded to the V-shaped groove. The following Patent Document 2 describes a collimator array in which a ferrule built in a collimator is directly attached to a ferrule holder corresponding to a collimator support. Further, in relation to the present invention, the following Patent Document 3 describes an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer. Non-Patent Document 1 below describes an optical transceiver including an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer.

JP, 2015-011214, A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-092120 JP 2008-111183 A

Hideaki Kansugi, Kuniyuki Ishii, Satoshi Murayama, Hiromi Tanaka, Hiromi Kurashima, Hiroto Ishibashi, Hideshi Tsumura, "Low-power Optical Transceiver for Data Centers", July 2013 SEI Technical Review No.183, pp.60-64

  As shown in Patent Document 1, when a collimator is attached to a casing of an optical device by a welding method, a flange-like portion is provided at the tip of a collimator holder, and the flange and the end face of the casing face each other. And the circumference | surroundings of a flange are welded to a housing | casing. Since the original shape of the collimator is often a simple cylindrical shape, if a flange-shaped part is added to the holder, the manufacturing cost of the collimator and the optical device will increase.

  Further, by providing the flange-shaped portion, the diameter of the collimator holder becomes larger than the original size, making it difficult to reduce the size of the optical device. In particular, when a plurality of collimators are attached to one end face, the area of the end face of the collimator support, that is, the end face of the optical device becomes extremely wide. When a plurality of collimators are arranged at a narrow pitch, the interval between adjacent flanges becomes extremely narrow, and there is a possibility that welding itself cannot be performed. Furthermore, the welding method is a method that can be applied only to metal materials, and there is a problem that the materials for the housing and the holder are limited.

  By the way, the miniaturization of the collimator support is a particularly important issue when the optical device is an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer. Specifically, with regard to known optical transceivers incorporating two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers, recently, QSFP + (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus, length 72.4 × width 18.35 × height 8.5 mm) and CFP4 (C form) An extremely small new standard such as -factor pluggable4, length 92 x width 21.5 x height 9.5 mm) has been proposed. In this new standard, conventional CFP (C form-factor pluggable, length 144.75 x width 82 x The area (width x height) of the end face is extremely narrow compared to the standard optical transceiver (height 13.6 mm). In particular, the size in the width direction is greatly reduced. Therefore, in order to obtain an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer applicable to a new standard optical transceiver, it is necessary to reduce the size of the collimator support, in particular, to narrow the width of the end face of the collimator support.

  In the wedge method, a space for placing the wedge component is required on the end face of the optical device casing, and it is difficult to arrange the collimator at a narrow pitch. If the collimators are arranged at a narrow pitch, the operation of driving the wedge parts becomes difficult. In addition, since a wedge part is driven, the holder of the collimator and the housing end surface of the optical device require strong strength, and it is difficult to use materials other than metal for the collimator holder and the collimator support.

  In the V-groove method, collimators can be arranged at a narrow pitch, but the collimator is arranged only in a one-dimensional direction. That is, when the collimator is viewed from the optical axis direction, the collimator is arranged in a straight line. Therefore, the width of the collimator arrangement direction in the optical device is increased. Further, the V-shaped groove needs to have a length equivalent to the entire length of the collimator, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the optical device in the optical axis direction.

  In addition, the V-groove method has a problem that it is difficult to make the emitted light from all the collimators parallel. As is well known, the opening end of the optical fiber is slightly inclined with respect to the optical axis to suppress the return light, and the light emitted from the opening end is refracted without going straight in the direction in which the optical fiber is extended. To do. For this reason, when the optical fiber collimators are arranged in the V-shaped grooves arranged accurately in parallel, the directions of the emitted lights from the individual optical fiber collimators do not become parallel to each other. That is, it is not possible to perform the alignment operation individually for each of the plurality of optical fiber collimators.

  As described above, each of the various methods for attaching the collimator to the collimator support has a problem. Therefore, it is conceivable to employ an adhesion method in which the collimator is fixed to the optical device casing using an adhesive. For example, the collimator array described in Patent Document 2 includes a collimator in which a collimator lens is attached to the tip of a ferrule with an adhesive layer, and a number of ferrules through which the collimator is inserted into a ferrule holder made of a thick quartz plate. A holding hole is formed. In the collimator array described in Patent Document 2, each collimator is fixed by an adhesive layer formed on the inner surface of the ferrule holding hole.

  However, in the collimator array described in Patent Document 2, first, the ferrule is inserted through the ferrule holder. Next, a positioning plate in which a small-diameter hole is formed at a position corresponding to the ferrule holding hole formed in the ferrule holder is applied to the ferrule holder, and the optical fiber is inserted from one end of the ferrule through the hole of the positioning plate. A collimating lens is attached to the other end of the ferrule. As described above, since the collimator array described in Patent Document 2 is manufactured through an extremely complicated manufacturing process, it is extremely difficult to provide it at low cost. Further, it is assumed that a collimator having a special structure is used, and a general-purpose collimator cannot be used.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to replace the collimator in the collimator array described in Patent Document 2 with a general collimator including a holder used in the above-described welding method. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a collimator support according to a comparative example that was examined by the inventor in the process of conceiving the present invention.

  A collimator support 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration for supporting an optical fiber collimator (hereinafter also referred to as a collimator C), and has an end face (11) of a rectangular thick plate member (hereinafter also referred to as a driving body 10). 12), four cylindrical collimators C are attached in a two-dimensional arrangement. The collimator C has an open end at the tip side and an optical fiber Fb attached to the end side. Here, when the front-rear direction is defined as shown in the figure with the direction of the cylinder axis 2 of the collimator C as the front-rear direction and the front end side of the collimator as the rear, the collimator support 1 is located between the front and rear end faces (11, 12). 4 are provided at four locations, and a collimator C is inserted through each guide hole 20 from the front to the rear. The side surface of the collimator C is fixed to the inner surface of the guide hole 20 with a cured adhesive. Since an adhesive that can be quickly cured after the alignment operation is preferable, a photo-curing adhesive that is cured by irradiation with light was used. Here, an ultraviolet curable photocurable adhesive was used.

  As a procedure for attaching the collimator C to the collimator support 1 according to the comparative example, a photo-curing adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the guide hole 20, and the tip side of the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20. Next, the photocurable adhesive is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the light source to the openings of the guide holes 20 in the end faces (11, 12) of the collimator support 1. The ultraviolet light from the light source may be guided to the irradiation position using an optical fiber cable or the like.

  As an advantage of the bonding method, an additional member such as a flange or a wedge part is unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The region of the end face of the housing is not occupied by the flange or the wedge part, which is suitable for downsizing as compared with the method using welding or the wedge part. Moreover, since the strength and heat resistance of the holder of the collimator C and the material of the collimator support 1 are not required, materials other than metals such as resin can be used. The alignment operation can be easily performed while the collimator C is held by the viscosity of the adhesive in an uncured state.

  However, in addition to the photo-curing adhesive, in the bonding method, the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20 with the adhesive applied in the guide hole 20 or the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20. In this state, the adhesive is injected from the gap between the guide hole 20 and the collimator C. When the adhesive is first applied in the guide hole 20, the adhesive adheres to the opening end side of the collimator C in the process of inserting the collimator C into the guide hole 20 and deteriorates the optical characteristics of the optical device. There is a possibility to make it.

  When the adhesive is injected after the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20, there is a possibility that the adhesive is insufficient in the application amount in the deep part of the guide hole 20 and sufficient adhesive strength cannot be obtained. If a large amount of adhesive is used, excess adhesive may leak from the opening of the guide hole 20 and the opening end of the collimator C may still be contaminated with the adhesive.

  In the case of using a photo-curing adhesive as the adhesive, light such as ultraviolet rays is reliably irradiated to the deep part of the guide hole 20 in order to sufficiently cure the adhesive, and the photo-curing adhesive is applied. It is necessary to reliably irradiate light over the entire area. If the irradiation is insufficient, an uncured portion remains, the optical axis of the collimator C shifts due to vibrations, and the characteristics of the optical device change. In particular, when a plurality of collimators C are arranged on the front end surface 11 at a narrow pitch, the collimator C itself is hidden and light does not easily reach a required site. Although it is conceivable to irradiate light using an optical fiber cable, the tip of the optical fiber cable cannot be guided to the opening end of the guide hole 20 if the distance between the adjacent collimators C is narrow. It is also conceivable to enlarge the diameter of the guide hole 20 so that the light reaches the deep part of the guide hole 20 and to provide a wide space between the side surface of the collimator C and the inner surface of the guide hole 20. However, this prevents the pitch from being narrowed. Further, the play between the side surface of the collimator C and the inner surface of the guide hole 20 is increased. This makes it difficult to hold the collimator C due to the viscosity of the uncured photo-curing adhesive during the alignment operation. That is, there is a possibility that the alignment state is not maintained until the photocurable adhesive is cured after the alignment operation. If the play is large, the adhesive is applied thickly, and the amount of adhesive used and the process time required for the application increase, resulting in an increase in cost.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a collimator support that can fix a collimator reliably and inexpensively by an adhesive method, regardless of the structure of the collimator, as long as it is cylindrical. Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical device housing including the collimator support, an optical device including the housing and a collimator, and an optical transceiver using two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers as the optical device.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a collimator support provided in an optical device for fixing a cylindrical collimator using an adhesive,
The axial direction of the cylindrical collimator is the front-rear direction, and the surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction is a cross-section,
Have end faces on the front and back,
A guide portion formed in the front-rear direction with open ends on the front and rear end faces;
An opening that communicates the inner and outer sides of the guide portion;
With
The cross-section of the guide part is formed in a shape that follows the cross-sectional shape of the collimator,
The collimator support is characterized by this.

  The guide part may be a guide hole that penetrates the front and rear end faces, and the opening may be a collimator support that is a communication hole that branches off from the middle of the guide hole and extends outward. Preferably, the connecting hole is a collimator support that is linearly formed radially outward from the inner surface of the guide hole and communicates outward.

  The guide portion may be a guide groove formed in the front-rear direction, and the opening may be a collimator support that is a slit formed in the front-rear direction with the width of the guide groove.

  As the collimator support, the guide portion is a guide hole that penetrates both front and rear end faces, and the opening is a slit formed in the front-rear direction with a width smaller than the opening diameter of the guide hole. Also good.

  The guide part may be a guide hole that penetrates both front and rear end faces, and the opening part may be a collimator support that is a groove that divides the guide hole forward and backward in the cross section.

  The collimator support according to any one of the above, may be a collimator support in which the guide portion and the opening are formed in a member having front and rear end surfaces.

  The scope of the present invention also includes an optical device housing characterized in that it has a storage space for optical components therein and includes the collimator support described in any of the above.

  The scope of the present invention also includes an optical device in which a collimator is attached to the collimator support according to any one of the above by an adhesive, and an optical component is disposed on an optical path formed between predetermined collimators. included. It is more preferable that the adhesive is an optical device that is a photo-curable adhesive.

The optical device may be an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer. The optical multiplexer / demultiplexer includes n first collimators that input / output light of n types of different single wavelengths, and one input / output of light that combines n types of lights of different wavelengths. A second collimator is attached to the collimator support;
It operates as an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer that multiplexes or demultiplexes light of the n types of single wavelengths having different wavelengths. An optical transceiver comprising two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers, wherein one optical multiplexer / demultiplexer is an optical multiplexer and the other optical multiplexer / demultiplexer is an optical demultiplexer, An optical transceiver in which at least one of the optical devices operates as the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer according to any one of the above is also included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention also extends to a method of attaching a collimator to the optical fiber collimator support. The collimator mounting method of the present invention includes:
A collimator support step for supporting a collimator on the inner surface of the guide portion;
An adhesive application step of applying a photocurable adhesive to the inner surface of the guide part;
A curing step of irradiating the guide portion with light to cure the photocurable adhesive and fixing the collimator to a collimator support;
Including
In the adhesive application step, the photocurable adhesive is supplied to the inside of the guide portion through the opening,
In the curing step, the light is irradiated to the inside of the guide portion through the opening.
The collimator mounting method is characterized by this.

  According to the collimator support according to the present invention, the collimator can be fixed reliably and inexpensively by the bonding method. Thereby, the collimator can be fixed to the housing of the optical device in a precisely aligned state. Further, the adhesive does not adhere to the opening end of the optical fiber collimator. An appropriate amount of adhesive can be used without excess or deficiency.

  And the housing | casing of the optical device provided with the said collimator support body can be comprised with not only a metal but various materials. The optical device provided with the housing has a structure advantageous for downsizing. In addition, since the collimator is accurately aligned, it has excellent optical characteristics. If the optical device is an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer, it can be applied to a small optical transceiver of a new standard such as QSFP + or CFP4 by using two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers. The optical multiplexer / demultiplexer built in the optical transceiver has excellent optical characteristics and high performance. Other effects will be clarified in the following description.

It is a figure which shows the collimator support body which concerns on the comparative example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the collimator support body which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the housing | casing of the optical device which was integrally provided with the collimator support body which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the collimator support body which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the collimator support body which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the collimator support body which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the collimator support body which concerns on the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the collimator support body which concerns on the 4th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the optical device (optical multiplexer / demultiplexer) which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the optical transceiver based on the Example of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the drawings used for the following description, the same or similar parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description may be omitted. In some drawings, reference numerals may be assigned to parts that are not required in other drawings if unnecessary.

=== Collimator support ===
A collimator support according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided in an optical device and includes a configuration for fixing the collimator with an adhesive. Schematically, a guide part for supporting the cylindrical collimator and an opening part for communicating the inner surface of the guide part with the outside are provided. Hereinafter, the collimator support according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically.

== first embodiment ===
FIG. 2 is a view showing a collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a view showing an example of the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a view showing a state in which the collimator C is attached to the collimator support 1a. Here, as in FIG. 1, the direction of the cylinder axis 2 of the cylindrical collimator C to which the optical fiber Fb is connected on the end side is the front-rear direction, and the front end side of the collimator C, that is, the open end side is the rear side. A plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction is referred to as a cross section.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the collimator support 1a has an opening end on the front and rear end faces (11, 12) of the rectangular thick plate member 10a with the front-rear direction as the thickness direction, and the front-rear direction. The guide hole 20a penetrating through is used as a guide portion. On the peripheral side surface 13 of the collimator support 1a, a hole (hereinafter also referred to as a communication hole 30a) that connects the inner surface of the guide hole 20a and the outer side is formed as an opening. In this example, a communication hole 30a is connected to each of the two closest side surfaces 13 with respect to one guide hole 20a. That is, two communication holes are connected to one guide hole 20a. Of course, many communication holes 30a may be connected to one guide hole 20a. In the following, members having end faces on the front and rear sides and formed with a guide portion and an opening portion are collectively referred to as a precursor. When the rectangular thick plate-shaped driving body 10a is viewed from the front-rear direction, one of the two sides orthogonal to each other is defined as the left-right direction, and the other is defined as the vertical direction. 2A is a perspective view of the collimator support 1a viewed from the front upper right, and as shown in the figure, the front, rear, left, right, and up and down directions are defined for convenience.

As shown in FIG. 2B, in the first embodiment, the collimator C is fixed with an adhesive in a state where the front end side (here, the rear end side) is inserted into the guide hole 20a. In this example, the collimator C is fixed by an ultraviolet curable photocurable adhesive. The procedure for attaching and fixing the collimator C to the collimator support 1a includes applying a photo-curing adhesive to the inner surface of the guide hole 20a, supporting the collimator on the inner surface of the guide hole 20a, and the guide hole 20a. Irradiating light (hereinafter also referred to as ultraviolet rays) to cure the photocurable adhesive and fixing the collimator to the collimator support 1a.
Specifically, the tip end side of the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20a. A photo-curing adhesive (hereinafter also referred to as an adhesive) is applied to the inner surface of the guide hole 20a. At this time, the adhesive can be supplied from the communication hole 30a to the inside of the guide hole 20a. If necessary, an adhesive may be injected from the openings of the guide holes 20a at the front and rear ends of the precursor 10a. The order of inserting the collimator C into the guide hole 20a and applying the adhesive to the inner surface of the guide hole 20a are not limited. After the adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the guide hole 20a, the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20a. Alternatively, the adhesive is applied after the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20a. In any case, the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20a and the adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the guide hole 20a.
As described above, the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment can directly supply the adhesive to the deep portion of the guide hole 20a through the communication hole 30a. Further, if the communication hole 30a is opened with a necessary minimum area, the driver 10a is hardly deformed by an external force. Note that the opening shape of the communication hole 30a may be a shape other than a circle such as a rectangle, but considering the strength (deformation due to an external force) of the precursor 10a, a circular shape in which the stress due to the external force is uniformly transmitted is more preferable.

  When the collimator C is inserted into the guide hole 20a and the adhesive is applied, the alignment operation is performed while adjusting the position of the collimator C with respect to the guide hole 20a. Alternatively, the alignment operation is performed in parallel with the operation of inserting the collimator C into the guide hole 20a and injecting the adhesive from the communication hole 30a. When the alignment work is finished, the adhesive is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays from both the opening end of the guide hole 20a on both front and rear end faces and the inside of the connecting hole 30a toward the inside of the guide hole 20a. As described above, according to the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment, the ultraviolet light is irradiated to the deep part of the guide hole 20a that is difficult to reach from the opening of the guide hole 20a on both the front and rear end faces through the communication hole 30a. Can do. Thereby, the adhesive in the guide hole 20a can be reliably cured.

  On the other hand, a pair of collimators C in a state of facing each other is also fixed in an aligned state with respect to the collimator support 1 according to the comparative example having no communication hole 30b shown in FIG. The amount of adhesive used and the amount of UV irradiation were the same as in the first example. In the collimator support 1 according to the comparative example, the optical coupling loss immediately after alignment was about 0.3 dB, but the optical coupling loss after a predetermined time elapsed was about 1.5 dB, and the optical characteristics were greatly deteriorated. . This is because, in the collimator support 1 according to the comparative example, ultraviolet rays are not irradiated to the deep part of the guide hole 20, and an uncured adhesive remains in the guide hole 20. This is thought to be due to a gradual shift from the initial alignment due to vibrations from the machine and its own weight.

<Optical device casing>
The collimator support 1a is provided at a position where the collimator C is attached in the optical device. A general optical device has an optical component arranged in a housing. The collimator support 1a may be provided by being retrofitted to a housing (hereinafter also referred to as a housing) of the optical device, or may be provided integrally with the housing. FIG. 3 shows a case 100 integrally including the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment as the case 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The casing 100 shown in the figure is integrally formed with a thick plate-shaped driving body 10a having a thickness direction at the front and rear ends of a flat substrate 110 having a normal line in the vertical direction. A guide hole 20a and a communication hole 30a similar to those of the first embodiment are formed to constitute a collimator support 1a. The space between collimator supports (1a-1a) facing each other in front and rear is an optical component storage section, and the optical components are arranged on both upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 110. Of course, the housing 100 may be provided with a cover for covering the optical component storage space and blocking external light. The housing 100 shown in FIG. 3 includes the collimator support 1a at both front and rear ends. However, depending on the type of optical device, the collimator C may be attached only to one front or rear end of the housing 100. . In such a case, the collimator support 1 a is provided at one of the front and rear ends of the housing 100.

  In the case 100 shown in FIG. 3, the end faces (11-11, 12-12) of the two collimator supports 1a are parallel to each other. For example, one of the two collimator supports 1a is not shown in FIG. 3 is disposed at the front end of the casing 100 as in the casing 100 shown in FIG. 3, and the other collimator support 1a has end faces (11, 12) on the upper surface of the flat substrate 110 in the casing 100 or It may be arranged above or below the housing 100 so as to be parallel to the lower surface. That is, the end faces (11-11, 12-12) of the two collimator supports 1a may be orthogonal to each other. Of course, the end face of one collimator support may be inclined at a predetermined angle other than 90 ° with respect to the end face of the other collimator support. Three or more collimator supports may be provided in the housing. In any case, the collimator support can be provided at an appropriate position of the housing in accordance with the arrangement of optical components in the housing of the optical device.

<Collimator alignment maintenance performance>
Next, in order to evaluate the alignment maintaining performance of the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment, the collimator supports 1a according to the first embodiment are arranged so that the guide holes 20a are coaxial. Face to face. Then, the two collimators C are inserted into the pair of guide holes 20a facing each other in the front and rear collimator supports 1a, with the opening ends facing each other. The diameter of the guide hole 20a is 300 μm larger than the diameter of the collimator C. Then, a photocurable adhesive is injected into the guide hole 20a, light is emitted from one of the collimators C inserted in the guide holes 20a facing each other in the front-rear direction, and the light is coupled to the other collimator C. At this time, the two collimators C are rotated or tilted in the guide hole 20a. When the optical coupling strength reaches the maximum, the ultraviolet rays are irradiated into the guide hole 20a through the communication hole 30a according to the above-described procedure. As a result, the collimator C is fixed to the collimator support 1a in the aligned state. Then, the optical coupling strength immediately after alignment between the two collimators C and the optical coupling strength after a predetermined time elapsed were measured, and the change with time of the optical coupling loss with respect to the optical coupling loss immediately after alignment was examined. As a result, the optical coupling loss, which was about 0.4 dB immediately after alignment, was maintained at 0.4 dB after a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours). In other words, it was confirmed that the photo-curing adhesive was reliably cured, and the deviation of the collimator C due to vibrations and the dead weight of the collimator C was suppressed.

<Modification>
The collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 has a configuration for attaching a plurality of collimators C. Of course, one collimator C may be attached. FIG. 4 shows a collimator support (1b, 1c) to which only one collimator C is attached as a modification of the first embodiment. In the collimator support 1b shown in FIG. 4 (A), one guide hole 20b is formed in the box-shaped body 1b. In addition, a communication hole 30b communicating with the guide hole 20b is formed on the side surface 13. In this example, when viewed from the front-rear direction, communication holes 30b are formed in four directions in the radial direction from the inside of the guide hole 20b, and the communication holes 30b are opened at four positions on each of the upper, lower, left, and right side surfaces 13. As described above, the collimator support 1b shown in FIG. 4A has substantially the same configuration as the collimator support 1a shown in FIG. 2 except that the number of collimators C that can be attached is different. Yes.

  The collimator support 1c shown in FIG. 4B is formed integrally with the end portion of the casing 200 of the cylindrical optical device, and the end surface 11 of the collimator support 1c that also serves as the casing 200 is provided on the end face 11 of the collimator support 1c. Guide holes 20c communicating with the internal space of the body 200 are formed in the front-rear direction. The front end side of the collimator C is attached to the guide hole 20 c of the housing 200 coaxially with the cylindrical shaft 201 of the housing 200. Therefore, the rear end surface of the collimator support 1c is formed at the front end of the internal space of the housing 200. And in the formation area of the collimator support 1c in the housing | casing 200, the communication hole 30c is formed in the radial direction with respect to the cylindrical axis | shaft 201 from the inner surface of the guide hole 20c, The communication hole 30c is the side surface of the housing | casing 200. 213 is open.

=== Second Embodiment ===
FIG. 5 shows a collimator support 1d according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, instead of the guide hole 20a in the first embodiment, a U-shaped groove 20d formed in the front-rear direction is used as a guide portion. The collimator C is held along the U-shaped groove 20d. In the collimator support 1d according to the second embodiment, the U-shaped groove 20d itself serves as a guide portion and an opening portion. That is, the inner surface of the U-shaped groove 20d connecting the open ends of the front and rear end surfaces (11, 12) is a guide portion for holding the collimator C, and the slit 30d formed in the front-rear direction while maintaining the left-right width of the U-shaped groove 20d. Becomes an opening.

  In the collimator support 1d according to the second embodiment, the slit 30d is greatly opened on the side surface 13 of the driver 10d, and the side surface of the collimator C is exposed outwardly over the entire length of the U-shaped groove 20d. Therefore, although the application amount of the adhesive increases as compared with the first embodiment, the adhesive can be applied directly over the entire inner surface of the U-shaped groove 20d. Further, it is possible to uniformly irradiate ultraviolet rays over the formation region of the U-shaped groove 20d.

  A modification of the collimator support 1d according to the second embodiment having the slit 30d as an opening is shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, one of the collimators C is omitted so that the shape of the slit 30e serving as the opening can be easily understood. The collimator support 1e shown in FIG. 6 is formed with a shallow U-shaped groove 20e as a guide portion. When viewed from the front, the collimator support 1e is formed on the outer side surface 13 of the rectangular thick plate-like drive body 10e having a short side in the vertical direction. A semicircular portion of the cylindrical collimator C protrudes in the direction. And in the collimator support 1e which concerns on the modification of a 2nd Example, since the U-shaped groove 20e is shallow, application | coating of an adhesive agent becomes still easier and can also irradiate a ultraviolet-ray more uniformly.

=== Third embodiment ===
The collimator support (1d, 1e) according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has U-shaped grooves (20d, 20e) formed in the front-rear direction on the side surface 13 of the driver (10d, 10e). The opening was a slit (30d, 30e) formed in the front-rear direction with the groove width of the U-shaped groove (20d, 20e). Therefore, it is possible to apply the adhesive uniformly as compared with the first embodiment, and it is possible to uniformly irradiate ultraviolet rays. On the other hand, if the collimator C is inserted into the U-shaped groove (20d, 20e) opened vertically downward, the collimator C may fall out of the slit (30d, 30e) during the alignment operation. Therefore, at the time of alignment work, it is necessary to support the collimator C by replacing the top and bottom of the driving bodies (10d, 10e).

  Therefore, as a third embodiment of the present invention, a collimator support having features of both a U-shaped groove suitable for adhesive application and ultraviolet irradiation and a slit capable of reliably suppressing collimator dropout during alignment work. Give up. FIG. 7 shows a collimator support 1f according to the third embodiment. The collimator support 1f according to the third embodiment uses a guide hole 20f penetrating between the front and rear end faces (11-12) of the driver 10f as a guide portion, and has a width narrower than the opening diameter of the guide hole 20f. A slit 30f formed in the direction is used as an opening. In the illustrated collimator support 1f, the planar projection shape of the driving body 10f when viewed from the front-rear direction is an octagonal shape in which rectangular corners are greatly chamfered. When viewed from the front-rear direction, the guide hole 20f is formed in a C shape in which a part of the circular inner periphery is opened. A notch is formed from the C-shaped open portion of the guide hole 20f toward the corner of the main body 10f. And the notch is formed over the front-back direction, and the slit 30f is formed. Therefore, the width of the slit 30f is formed to be narrower than the diameter of the collimator C.

  As described above, according to the collimator support 1f according to the third embodiment, the width of the slit 30f is narrower than the diameter of the guide hole 20f, and the side surface of the collimator C has an angle larger than 180 ° around the cylinder axis 2. Held in range. Thereby, the collimator C is reliably prevented from falling off the main body 10f through the slit 30f during the alignment work. Further, the adhesive can be uniformly applied over the entire length of the guide hole 20f through the slit 30f. Further, ultraviolet rays can be irradiated over the entire length of the guide hole 20f through the slit 30f. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the slit 20 f is formed at the corner of the side surface 13 of the main body 10 f, but may be formed on the upper and lower or left and right side surfaces 13.

=== Fourth embodiment ===
The collimator supports (1a to 1f) according to the first to third embodiments have guide holes (20a, 20b, 20c, 20f) in which the guide portions are continuous from the front end surface to the rear end surface of the driver, or U-shaped. It was a groove (20d, 20e). In the collimator support according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the guide portion is not continuous from the front end surface to the rear end surface of the drive unit, and is divided forward and backward. The divided region is an opening. FIG. 8 shows a collimator support 1g according to the fourth embodiment. The illustrated collimator support 1g includes a guide hole 20g formed in the front-rear direction as a guide portion, but the opening is a groove formed to divide the guide hole 20g in the front-rear direction (hereinafter referred to as a division groove 30g). It is also called).

  The collimator support 1g according to the fourth embodiment has a structure in which the guide hole 20g is divided into two parts in the front-rear direction and a thin flat plate is faced in the front-rear direction through the dividing groove 30g. Therefore, the substantial front-rear length of the guide hole 20g is short, and the amount of adhesive used can be reduced. In addition, since the substantial front-rear length of the guide hole 20g is short, the inner surface of the guide hole 20g can be sufficiently supplied even if the adhesive is supplied from the front and rear opening ends of the guide hole 20g with the collimator C inserted into the guide hole 20g. Adhesive is applied to the whole. Further, even if the ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the front end surface 11 and the rear end surface 12 of the driving body 10g, the ultraviolet rays can sufficiently reach across the open ends before and after the guide hole 20g. Of course, ultraviolet rays can also be irradiated from the inner wall surface 14 of the dividing groove 30g. Therefore, like the above embodiments, the adhesive can be reliably cured. Further, since the collimator C is held by the guide hole 20g, it is possible to reliably prevent the dropout during the alignment, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the optical characteristics due to external force such as vibration over time.

  Further, in the fourth embodiment, even when a larger number of collimators C are attached and not all of the collimators C can be attached adjacent to the side surface of the driving body 10g, the entire area of the guide hole 20g is provided. UV rays can be reliably irradiated across. For example, when nine collimators are arranged in 3 rows and 3 columns when viewed from the front-rear direction, the collimator that is the center of the matrix is not adjacent to any side surface. In the first to third embodiments, In addition, it is difficult to linearly form the communication holes (30a, 30b, 30c) and the slits (30d, 30e, 30f), which are ultraviolet ray guide paths into the adhesive supply path and the guide portion, up to the side surface. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the opening is formed while being bent to the side surface of the driver along the cross-section.

On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the dividing groove 30g is an opening, and the dividing groove 30g itself is an opening. Therefore, the problem that the opening portion bends in the middle from the guide portion (guide hole 20g) to the side surface 13 does not occur. Therefore, if the inner wall surface 14 of the dividing groove 30g includes a shape including the open ends of all the guide holes 20g, the adhesive can be uniformly applied to the inner surface of the guide hole 20g regardless of the arrangement of the collimator C. The adhesive can be sufficiently cured even when ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the opening end of the guide hole 20g.
=== Collimator Supports According to Other Embodiments ===
In the collimator supports (1a to 1g) according to the above-described embodiments, the cylindrical collimator C is an attachment target. However, the outer shape of the collimator C may be a cylindrical shape having an axis in the front-rear direction. And the cross-sectional shape of a guide part should just be a shape along the cross-sectional shape of the collimator C. The present invention can also be applied to a collimator that inputs and outputs light propagating in space, and a collimator that includes a ferrule and a collimator lens described in Patent Document 2. Moreover, in each said Example, although the collimator was fixed in the state which protruded the front end side of the collimator from the support body, you may make the rear end side of a collimator protrude. The guide portion may be formed to support the entire length of the collimator.

  The collimator support (1a to 1g) according to each of the above-described embodiments is assumed to fix the collimator C by an adhesive method, and a photocurable adhesive is assumed as an adhesive. Of course, the collimator support (1a to 1g) according to the embodiment has an opening serving as an adhesive supply path, and the adhesive can be uniformly applied to the inner surface of the guide portion. Therefore, the collimator support (1a to 1g) according to the embodiment can be applied to an adhesive system using other types of adhesives such as thermosetting adhesives and instantaneous adhesives.

  As described above, the collimator supports (1a to 1g) according to the embodiments of the present invention have the performance of suppressing deterioration with time of the alignment state of the collimator C while adopting an adhesive method suitable for downsizing. Yes. That is, the collimator support (1a to 1g) according to the embodiment contributes to miniaturization and high performance of an optical device in which optical components are arranged in the casing (100, 200). In particular, when the adhesive is a photo-curing adhesive, the opening not only serves as an adhesive supply path, but also serves as an irradiation path for light such as ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the adhesive can be cured quickly and reliably when the alignment operation is completed and the alignment state with the highest accuracy is achieved.

  The collimator support (1a to 1g) according to the embodiment does not require additional members and parts for fixing the collimator C as in the welding method or the wedge method, and can be provided at low cost. A general-purpose collimator C can be used, and the housing (100, 200) and the material of the collimator C can be selected flexibly.

  In the first embodiment, when the collimators C are arranged in three rows and three columns on the end faces (11, 12) of the driving body 10a, the communication holes 30a are linearly connected from the guide holes 20a to the side surface 13 of the driving body 10a. Difficult to form. However, as long as the adhesive can be supplied into the guide hole 20a in communication with the guide hole 20a, the communication hole 30a may be bent inside the driver 10a. Even when a photo-curing adhesive is used, the ultraviolet light can be guided by the optical fiber cable. Therefore, if the connecting hole 30a is not extremely bent, the connecting hole 30a can be inserted by inserting the optical fiber cable into the connecting hole 30a. The adhesive in the deep part of 30a can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Further, the communication hole 30a can be opened on the front end surface 11 and the rear end surface 12 of the driver 10a without opening the side surface 13 of the driver 10a.

  Some optical devices do not have a housing. For example, an optical device configured by arranging optical components on an optical bench, an optical device configured by incorporating optical components in a housing of various apparatuses (such as optical transceivers) used for optical communication, etc. is there. In such an optical device having no housing, a collimator is disposed at the end of the optical path formed between the optical components. And the collimator support body (1a, 1b, 1d-1g) provided with the driving bodies 10a, 10b, 10d-10g can respond flexibly also to such an optical device. That is, it can be freely arranged at an appropriate position in the case of an optical bench or other apparatus.

=== Optical device ===
The collimator support according to the embodiment of the present invention contributes to downsizing of the optical device. For example, if the collimator support (1a to 1g) of the above-described embodiment is applied to a housing of an optical device including a plurality of collimators, the collimator C can be two-dimensionally arranged at a narrow pitch and on the end face. The size in the width direction can be reduced. Therefore, when the optical device is an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer, it can be applied to a new standard optical transceiver such as QSFP + or CFP4 miniaturized as described above. Therefore, hereinafter, an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer is cited as an optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the configuration and operation of the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer will be described.

<Optical multiplexer / demultiplexer>
FIG. 9 shows an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 that is an embodiment of an optical device according to an example of the present invention. Collimator supports (301a, 301b) provided in the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 have the same configuration as the collimator support 1a according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Assuming that the cylindrical axis direction of the cylindrical collimators C1 to C5 is the front-rear direction, the casing 301 of the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 is a rectangular thick plate-like drive with the front-rear ends at the front and rear ends of the flat substrate 310. The body (310a, 310b) is integrally formed. Here, when the normal direction of the surfaces (311 and 312) of the substrate 310 is the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front and rear and the vertical direction is the left and right direction, the housing 301 has an H-shape when viewed from the left and right directions. doing. Guide holes (320a, 320b) and communication holes (330a, 330b) are formed in the front and rear bodies (310a, 310b) in the housing 301. Then, the collimator support (301a, 301b) is configured by the driving bodies (310a, 310b), the guide holes (320a, 320b), and the communication holes (330a, 330b).

  In the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300, the front and rear collimator supports 301a are formed with four guide holes 320a penetrating the driver 310a in the front-rear direction, and the collimators C1 to C4 are attached to the respective guide holes 320a. . The other collimator support 301b has a guide hole 320b penetrating through the driving body 310b in the front-rear direction, and a collimator C5 is attached to the guide hole 320b. Here, if the collimator support 301a to which the four collimators C1 to C4 are attached is defined on the front end side of the substrate 310 and the front and rear directions are defined, the guide hole 320a of the front collimator support 301a has Four rear ends of the four collimators C1 to C4 are inserted. The collimators C1 to C4 have a rear end as an open end. On the other hand, the front end portion of one collimator C5 is inserted into the guide hole 320b of the rear collimator support 301b. The collimator C5 has a front end as an open end. The collimators C1 to C4 and the collimator C5 are fixed in a state where they are supported in the guide holes (320a, 320b) by the photocurable adhesive by the above-described method. The optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 having the above configuration includes collimator supports (301a, 301b) at both front and rear ends of the casing 301, so that the collimators C1 to C5 when viewed from the front-rear direction are arranged. Since the area is small, it can be applied to the above-mentioned new standard optical transceiver.

  In FIG. 9, the right-handed xyz coordinate system is defined with the direction from the front to the rear as the positive direction of the z-axis. Furthermore, as shown in the figure, the positive direction of the x-axis is defined as a direction from right to left, and the positive direction of the y-axis is defined as a direction directed from below to above. doing. 9A shows a perspective view when the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 is viewed from the upper left rear, and FIG. 9B shows a perspective view when the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 is viewed from the lower left front. Show. In the following, the configuration and operation of the optical system in the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 will be described based on the coordinate system and the front / rear / right / left / up / down directions.

The four collimators C1, C2, C3, and C4 attached to the front collimator support 301a are light input / outputs of monochromatic lights of four types of wavelengths λ ₁ , λ ₂ , λ ₃ , and λ _4. Part. In contrast to the four collimators (hereinafter also referred to as demultiplexing collimators C1 to C4), one collimator C5 attached to the rear collimator support 301b has the above four types of wavelengths λ ₁ , λ ₂ , λ ₃ and λ ₄ monochromatic light is combined into an input / output unit for light. Hereinafter, one collimator C5 that inputs and outputs this combined light is referred to as a combined collimator C5. In addition, light obtained by combining a plurality of lights having different wavelengths is referred to as multiplexed light.

The optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 is a monochromatic light having wavelengths λ ₂ , λ ₃ , and λ ₄ corresponding to each of the three mirrors M1 to M3 and the demultiplexing collimators C2 to C4 as optical components constituting the optical system. Are provided with three interference film filters F2, F3, and F4. Interference film filters F2 to F4 are arranged behind the demultiplexing collimators C2 to C4, respectively. A mirror M1 is disposed behind the branching collimator C1, and mirrors M2 and M3 are respectively disposed behind the interference film filters F2 and F3. A multiplexing collimator C5 is disposed behind the interference film filter F4. Note that the monochromatic light L1 demultiplexing collimator C1 is input, by arranging an interference film filter that selectively transmits monochromatic light lambda ₁ in the rear of the branching collimator C1 when blunting wavelength characteristic becomes a problem Good. When this interference film filter is disposed, the formation surface of the interference film is made parallel to the xy plane.

Next, the operation of the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 will be described. In the drawing, input / output light (L1 to L5) in the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 and optical paths (L11 to L17) when the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 operates as an optical multiplexer are shown. As shown in FIG. 9A, the demultiplexing collimator C1 emits the monochromatic light L1 propagating through the optical transmission line such as an optical fiber to the rear as the collimated light L11. The emitted light L11 is reflected by the mirror M1 in the direction of the interference film filter F2 (right front). The interference film filter F2 reflects the light L12 incident from the mirror M1 rearward along the z axis. The reflected light L13 enters the mirror M2. Monochromatic light L1 having a wavelength lambda ₁ from demultiplexed collimator C1 by which traces the light path of the same zx plane a (L11 to L13), the mirror M1, in being successively reflected interference film filter F2 reaches the mirror M2. Further, the monochromatic light L2 having the wavelength λ ₂ from the branching collimator C2 is combined with the light L12 incident on the interference film filter F2 from the mirror M1 when passing through the interference film filter F2, and has the wavelengths λ ₁ and λ ₂ . It goes to the mirror M2 direction as multiplexed light including each monochromatic light.

The mirror M2 is disposed so as to reflect the light L13 incident rearward along the z axis toward the lower front in the yz plane. A cutout 313 for guiding the reflected light L14 from the mirror M2 disposed on the upper surface 311 to the lower surface 312 side of the substrate 310 is formed at the right end of the substrate 310. As shown in FIG. 9B, the reflected light L14 from the mirror M2 enters the interference film filter F3 disposed in front of the collimator C3 disposed below the collimator C2. Interference film filter F3, as well reflects toward the rear along the light L14 incident from mirror M2 to the z-axis, and transmits the monochromatic light L3 having a wavelength lambda ₃ from the demultiplexing collimator C3. Thereby, the light transmitted through the interference film filter F3 from the front to the rear and the incident light L14 from the rear upper side are combined, and the light L15 including each monochromatic light of the wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₃ is directed to the mirror M3. .

The mirror M3 is disposed so as to reflect the light L15 incident backward from the interference film filter F3 to the left front where the interference film filter F4 is disposed. The interference film filter F4 reflects the multiplexed light L16 including the light of wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₃ incident from the mirror M3 backward along the z axis, and has the wavelength λ ₄ from the demultiplexing collimator C4. The monochromatic light L4 is transmitted. Whereby multiplexed optical L17 having a wavelength lambda ₁ to [lambda] ₄ and the light L16 is multiplexed containing monochromatic light L4 and the wavelength lambda ₁ to [lambda] ₃ wavelength lambda ₄ is directed back along the z-axis. The light L17 from the interference film filter F4 is input to the multiplexing collimator C5, and this light L17 is output as the output light of the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 from the rear end of the multiplexing collimator C5 via an optical transmission line such as an optical fiber. Sent to the optical communication network. When the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 operates as an optical demultiplexer, the multiplexed light L5 combined with all the wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ is emitted forward from the collimator C5, and then the optical paths L11 to L11. Trace L17 in reverse order in descending order. Interference film filters F4, F3, and F2 receive light traveling from the rear to the front along the z-axis corresponding to the lights L17, L15, L13, and L11, respectively, in the middle of the optical path tracing in the opposite direction. The interference film filters F4, F3, and F2 transmit monochromatic light having wavelengths λ ₄ , λ ₃ , and λ ₂ , respectively, and input the transmitted light to the collimators C4, C3, and C2. The light reflected by the interference film filter F2 is a monochromatic light of wavelength lambda _1, the monochromatic light is inputted from behind the collimator C1 is reflected by the mirror M1.

  In the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), the mirror M1 and the interference film filter F2 in the optical system of the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300 face each other in the z-axis direction. The mirror M1 and the interference film filter F2 are fixed on the upper surface of an auxiliary substrate 340 different from the substrate 310 while maintaining the relationship of facing each other. In the drawing, the rotation axes of the mirror M1 and the interference film filter F2 are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines. As shown in FIG. 9B, the lower surface 312 of the substrate 310 is also provided with a mirror M3 and an interference film filter F4 that face each other and incline the xy plane around the y axis by a predetermined angle. . The mirror M3 and the interference film filter F4 are fixed to the lower surface of the auxiliary substrate 350 stacked on the lower surface 312 of the substrate 310. In the drawing, the rotation axes of the mirror M3 and the interference film filter F4 are indicated by a one-dot chain line. In the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 300, the fixed plate 360 having the yz plane is disposed in front of the upper surface 311 and the rear surface of the lower surface 312 of the substrate 310, and the right end surface of the mirror M2 or the interference film filter F3 is the left surface of the fixed plate 360. It is glued to. In this way, the mirror M2 and the interference film filter F3 are fixed in a state where they are inclined at a predetermined angle around the rotation axis in the x-axis direction indicated by a one-dot chain line in the drawing.

<Optical transceiver>
When the optical device including the collimator support according to the embodiment of the present invention is an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer, the area of the region where the collimator is arranged can be reduced, and the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer can be QSFP +, CFP4, or the like. It becomes possible to apply to the optical transceiver of the new standard. In the embodiment of the present invention, two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers are provided, one optical multiplexer / demultiplexer operates as an optical multiplexer, and the other optical multiplexer / demultiplexer operates as an optical demultiplexer. In the optical transceiver, at least one of the two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers is the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 10 shows the configuration of an optical transceiver 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the optical transceiver 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the QSFP + standard optical transceiver described in Non-Patent Document 1, and FIG. 10 schematically shows the configuration. The optical transceiver 400 is installed in a data center or the like provided with a large number of server devices, and outputs a data transmission device that outputs data from the server devices toward the optical communication network N, and an optical signal transmitted from the optical communication network N. Is provided with the function of a data receiving device that receives and outputs to the server device.

  The optical transceiver 400 shown here includes two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers 300 according to the embodiments of the present invention that combine and demultiplex the four types of monochromatic light described above, one of which is an optical multiplexer that operates as an optical multiplexer. A demultiplexer (hereinafter also referred to as an optical demultiplexer 300a), and the other is an optical demultiplexer (hereinafter also referred to as an optical demultiplexer 300b) that operates as an optical demultiplexer. Further, in the case 401 of the optical transceiver 400, in addition to the optical multiplexer 300a and the optical demultiplexer 300b, four light emitting means 421 to 424 and four light receiving means 451 to 454 are accommodated. Each of the light emitting units 421 to 424 includes a laser diode (LD), an LD driving circuit, and the like. Each of the light receiving means 451 to 454 includes a photodiode (PD), an amplifier circuit for a signal photoelectrically converted by the PD, and the like. The optical transceiver 400 is connected with four transmission data transmission paths 411 to 414 for inputting data based on electrical signals and four reception data transmission paths 461 to 464 for outputting data based on electrical signals. ing. Further, an optical transmission line 430 that is configured by an optical fiber and outputs an optical signal multiplexed by the WDM system toward the optical communication network N, and a multiplexed optical signal from the optical communication network N An optical transmission path 440 for reception to be input to the optical demultiplexer 300b in the optical transceiver 400 is also connected.

Next, transmission and reception operations in the optical transceiver 400 will be described with the optical communication network side as the upstream side, the signal transmission direction as the upstream direction, and the reception direction as the downstream direction. As a transmission operation, first, an electric signal corresponding to each of four systems of transmission data from a server device or the like installed on the downstream side is transmitted through four systems of transmission data transmission lines 411 to 414 to emit four lights. Input to means 421-424. Each of the light emitting means 421 to 424 converts the input electric signal into an optical signal and emits it. The four light emitting units 421 to 424 emit monochromatic light having different wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ . In this example, the demultiplexing collimators C1 to C4 and the multiplexing collimator C5 are optical fiber collimators, and light emitted from each of the light emitting units 421 to 424 is transmitted through four optical multiplexers 300a via optical fibers. Input to demultiplexing collimators C1 to C4. As a result, optical signals composed of monochromatic light having _four different wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ 4 are input to the optical multiplexer 300a. The optical multiplexer 300a combines the input light of the _four wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ and outputs an optical signal composed of the multiplexed light from the combined collimator C5. Then, an optical signal composed of multiplexed light including light of four types of wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ is transmitted to the optical communication network N through the optical transmission path 430.

On the other hand, the receiving operation, multiplexed optical demultiplexer 300b via the optical signal is an optical transmission line 440 comprising a multiplexed light including light of four different wavelengths lambda ₁ to [lambda] ₄ from the optical communication network N collimator C5 Is input. The optical demultiplexer 300b demultiplexes the input multiplexed light into four types of monochromatic light with wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ . Thereby, optical signals composed of monochromatic lights having different wavelengths λ _{1 to} λ ₄ are emitted from the demultiplexing collimators C _{1 to} C ₄ . The optical signals emitted from the demultiplexing collimators C1 to C4 are individually input to the four light receiving units 451 to 454. Each of the light receiving means 451 to 454 converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal and outputs it. The electrical signals output from the light receiving means 451 to 454 are input to the downstream server device or the like via the four systems of data transmission paths 461 to 464 for reception and used for data processing.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above examples do not limit the scope of the invention. The configurations of the above embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments and the modifications thereof are included in the scope of the invention and the gist thereof, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1, 1a-1g, 301a, 301b collimator support,
10, 10a, 10b, 10d to 10g, 310a, 310b member (driving body),
11 Front end surface of the precursor, 12 Rear end surface of the precursor, 13 Side surface of the precursor, 14 Inner wall surface of the dividing groove, 20, 20a to 20c, 20f, 20g, 320a, 320b Guide hole (guide portion), 20d, 20e U-shaped groove (guide part),
30a-30c, 330a, 330b communication hole (opening),
30d-30f slit (opening), 30g dividing groove (opening),
100, 200, optical device casing, 300, 300a, 300b optical multiplexer / demultiplexer,
301 Optical multiplexer / demultiplexer housing, 400 optical transceiver,
411-414 data transmission path for transmission, 421-424 light emitting means,
430 optical transmission path for transmission, 440 optical transmission path for reception, 451 to 454 light receiving means,
461-464 data transmission path for reception, C, C1-C5 collimator,
F2-F3 interference filter, M1-M3 mirror, Fb optical fiber,
L1-L4 monochromatic light, L5 multiplexed light, L11-L17 optical path

Claims (13)

A collimator support provided in an optical device for fixing a cylindrical collimator using an adhesive,
The axial direction of the cylindrical collimator is the front-rear direction, and the surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction is a cross-section,
Have end faces on the front and back,
A guide portion formed in the front-rear direction with open ends on the front and rear end faces;
An opening that communicates the inner and outer sides of the guide portion;
With
The cross-section of the guide part is formed in a shape that follows the cross-sectional shape of the collimator,
A collimator support characterized by that.   2. The collimator according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a guide hole that penetrates the front and rear end faces, and the opening portion is a communication hole that branches off from the middle of the guide hole and extends outward. Support.   3. The collimator support according to claim 2, wherein the communication hole is linearly formed radially outward from the inner surface of the guide hole and communicates outward.   2. The collimator support according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a guide groove formed in the front-rear direction, and the opening is a slit formed in the front-rear direction with a width of the guide groove. .   The guide part according to claim 1, wherein the guide part is a guide hole penetrating both front and rear end faces, and the opening part is a slit formed in the front-rear direction with a width narrower than the opening diameter of the guide hole. Collimator support.   2. The collimator support according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a guide hole penetrating both front and rear end faces, and the opening portion is a groove that divides the guide hole forward and backward in the cross section.   The collimator support according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the guide portion and the opening are formed in a member having front and rear end surfaces.   A housing for an optical device having a housing space for optical components therein and comprising the collimator support according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   A collimator is attached to the collimator support according to any one of claims 1 to 7 by an adhesive, and an optical component is disposed on an optical path formed between predetermined collimators. Optical device.   The optical device according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is a photocurable adhesive. In claim 9 or 10,
The n first collimators for inputting / outputting n types of light having different single wavelengths, respectively, and the one second collimator for inputting / outputting light obtained by combining n types of lights having different wavelengths. Attached to the collimator support,
It operates as an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer that multiplexes or demultiplexes light of the n types of single wavelengths having different wavelengths.
An optical device characterized by that.   An optical transceiver comprising two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers, wherein one optical multiplexer / demultiplexer is an optical multiplexer and the other optical multiplexer / demultiplexer is an optical demultiplexer, wherein the two optical multiplexers / demultiplexers, An optical transceiver, wherein at least one of the optical devices operates as the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer according to claim 11. A method for attaching a collimator to a collimator support according to claim 1,
A collimator support step for supporting a collimator on the inner surface of the guide portion;
An adhesive application step of applying a photocurable adhesive to the inner surface of the guide part;
A curing step of irradiating the guide portion with light to cure the photocurable adhesive and fixing the collimator to a collimator support;
Including
In the adhesive application step, the photocurable adhesive is supplied to the inside of the guide portion through the opening,
In the curing step, the light is irradiated to the inside of the guide portion through the opening.
A collimator mounting method characterized by the above.

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