JP2019113703A - Optical waveguide, optical wiring component and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an optical waveguide excellent in adhesion of a resin component adhered onto an edge face, a highly reliable optical wiring component having the optical waveguide, and an electronic apparatus.SOLUTION: An optical waveguide 10 includes: a core layer 13 where a core part 14 and a side face clad part 15 are formed; and clad layers 11, 12 each arranged on a principal face of the core layer 13. The optical waveguide further includes: a light guide part 1 having a first face 1a positioned at an edge face of the core layer 13 and a second face 1b at an angle less than 180° with regard to the first face 1a; and a resin part 7 containing a resin material and arranged to abut on the first face 1a and the second face 1b. The first face 1a is arranged so as to face an outer space of the light guide part 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical waveguide, an optical wiring component and an electronic device.

  In the optical waveguide, light introduced from one end of the core portion is conveyed to the other end while being reflected at the boundary with the cladding portion. A light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser is disposed on the incident side of the optical waveguide, and a light receiving element such as a photodiode is disposed on the outgoing side. The light incident from the light emitting element propagates through the optical waveguide, is received by the light receiving element, and performs communication based on the blinking pattern or the intensity pattern of the received light.

  By the way, while an optical waveguide is generally responsible for short distance optical communication, an optical fiber is used for long distance optical communication. Therefore, by connecting these, it is possible to connect the local network and the backbone network.

  For connection between the optical waveguide and the optical fiber, for example, a mode is adopted in which the end face of the optical waveguide and the end face of the optical fiber are held in a state of abutting (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A coupling mechanism that can be fitted to one another is used for this holding. Specifically, the alignment pin is used for both the fitting hole provided in the first ferrule for holding the end of the optical waveguide and the fitting hole provided in the second ferrule for holding the end of the optical fiber. By being inserted, the optical waveguide and the optical fiber are optically coupled.

  When the optical waveguide and the optical fiber are optically coupled in this manner, if a gap is formed between the two, the reflectance between each medium and the gap increases. As a result, the light to be propagated from the optical waveguide side to the optical fiber side is reflected, and the probability of being returned again to the optical waveguide side becomes high. As a result, the amount of light propagated to the optical fiber side decreases, leading to a decrease in the optical coupling efficiency. In addition, return light generated by reflection causes a problem such as destabilizing the light emitting element.

  Therefore, it is considered to interpose a transparent and elastic resin member between the optical waveguide and the optical fiber. Such a resin member is provided, for example, in close contact with the light incident / exit surface of the optical waveguide. And, by pressing the end face of the optical fiber against the resin member, it is possible to prevent the formation of a gap between the resin member and the optical waveguide and between the optical fiber.

JP 2011-75688 A

  Such a resin member needs to be maintained in close contact with the optical waveguide. However, since a force is applied to the resin member during the operation of attaching the connector to the optical waveguide and the operation of connecting the optical waveguide and the optical fiber, there is a fear that the resin member may be separated or dropped from the optical waveguide. There is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an optical waveguide in which the adhesion of a resin member in close contact with an end face is good, and a highly reliable optical wiring component and electronic device provided with such an optical waveguide.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention of the following (1) to (9).
(1) A first surface located at an end face of the core layer, including a core layer in which a core portion and a side surface clad portion are formed, and a cladding layer provided on at least one of the main surfaces of the core layer. And a light guide portion comprising a second surface having an angle of less than 180 ° with the first surface;
A resin portion provided so as to be in contact with the first surface and the second surface and containing a resin material;
Have
An optical waveguide characterized in that the first surface is disposed to face an outer space of the light guide portion.

  (2) The optical waveguide according to (1), wherein the second surface is a surface on which the cladding layer is exposed.

  (3) The optical waveguide according to (1) or (2), further including a protective layer provided on the side opposite to the core layer of the cladding layer.

  (4) The optical waveguide according to (3), wherein the second surface is a surface on which the protective layer is exposed.

  (5) The optical waveguide according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein an angle between the first surface and the second surface is 60 to 120 degrees.

(6) The optical waveguide according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the first surface includes a light incident / emitting surface capable of light incident / exiting of the core portion.
(7) The optical waveguide according to (6), wherein the resin portion has translucency and elasticity.

(8) The optical waveguide according to any one of the above (1) to (7),
An optical connector mounted on the optical waveguide;
An optical wiring component characterized by having:

  (9) An electronic device comprising the optical waveguide according to any one of the above (1) to (7).

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an optical waveguide in which the adhesion of the resin member in close contact with the end face is good.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, highly reliable optical wiring components and electronic devices can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the optical wiring component of this invention. It is a top view of the surface facing the other optical component among the optical wiring components shown in FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 1st modification of the optical waveguide which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 2nd modification of the optical waveguide which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 3rd modification of the optical waveguide which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the optical waveguide of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the optical waveguide which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an optical waveguide, an optical wiring component and an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

<Optical wiring parts>
First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment of the optical wiring component of the present invention and a first embodiment of the optical waveguide of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the optical wiring component of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the surface facing the other optical component of the optical wiring component shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the upper side of FIG. 4 is referred to as “upper” and the lower side is referred to as “lower”.

  An optical wiring component 100 (optical wiring component according to the first embodiment) shown in FIG. 1 includes an optical waveguide 10 (optical waveguide according to the first embodiment), an optical connector 5 provided at an end of the optical waveguide 10 ,have.

  Among them, the optical waveguide 10 shown in FIG. 1 is in contact with the light guiding portion 1 which has a strip shape (sheet shape) having a cross-sectional shape which has a long cross section and a thickness smaller than the width. And the resin portion 7 provided as described above. The optical waveguide 10 can transmit an optical signal between one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction.

  In the drawings of the present application, only the part corresponding to one end of the optical waveguide 10 in the optical wiring component 100 is illustrated, and the other parts are omitted. The configuration of the optical wiring component 100 other than the portion corresponding to one end of the optical waveguide 10 is not particularly limited, but may be the same as, for example, the portion corresponding to one end. Further, in the present specification, the left end portion of the light guide portion 1 in FIG. 3 is also referred to as a “tip portion 101”. Further, of the upper and lower surfaces of the light guide 1 in FIG. 3 which are in the relation of front and back, the lower surface is referred to as “lower surface 103” and the upper surface is referred to as “upper surface 104”.

  In such an optical waveguide 10, as shown in FIG. 3, a support film 2 (protective layer), a cladding layer 11, a core layer 13, a cladding layer 12 and a cover film 3 (protective layer) are laminated in this order from below. The light guide unit 1 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the core layer 13, two elongated core portions 14 provided in parallel, and a side surface cladding portion 15 adjacent to the side surface of each core portion 14 are formed. ing.

  Each of these core portions 14 functions as a transmission path for transmitting an optical signal in the optical waveguide 10. That is, the left end surface (the first surface 1a described later) of each core portion 14 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical connector 5 is provided on the tip end portion 101 of the optical waveguide 10 so as to cover the tip portion 101. That is, the optical connector 5 includes a connector main body 51 and a through hole 50 (penetration portion) formed in the connector main body 51, and the tip end portion 101 of the optical waveguide 10 is inserted into the through hole 50. There is.

  The left end surface of the optical connector 5 in FIG. 3 is a surface facing the optical component when the optical wiring component 100 is optically connected to another optical component. In the present specification, the left end surface of the optical connector 5 in FIG. 3 is referred to as the “facing surface 52”, and the right end surface of the optical connector 5 in FIG. 3 is referred to as the “non-facing surface 53”. In other words, the optical connector 5 includes the connector body 51, the opposing surface 52 provided on the connector body 51, the non-facing surface 53 provided on the connector body 51, and the through holes 50 formed on the connector body 51. And.

  The through hole 50 is formed to penetrate the facing surface 52 and the non-facing surface 53 of the connector main body 51. In addition, the through hole 50 is configured to have a rectangular cut surface when cut along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

  Moreover, the light guide 1 according to the present embodiment includes the first surface 1a where at least the end face of the core layer 13 is exposed, and the second surface 1b where the angle between the first surface 1a and the first surface 1a is less than 180 °. Have. And the resin part 7 is provided so that the 1st surface 1a and the 2nd surface 1b may be touched. The resin portion 7 is a member containing a resin material. Therefore, the resin portion 7 protects the first surface 1a, which is the light incident / emitting surface, and suppresses the first surface 1a from being damaged or contaminated.

  In addition, the resin portion 7 has elasticity derived from the resin material. Therefore, when optically connecting the optical wiring component 100 to another optical component, the resin portion 7 intervenes to prevent damage to the first surface 1a due to direct contact with another optical component. can do. At the same time, damage to other optical components can be prevented. Thus, the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components can be pressed against each other with a sufficient force.

  By such pressing, the other optical components are in close contact with the resin portion 7. That is, both the light guide 1 and the other optical components are in close contact with the resin portion 7. And since the resin part 7 deform | transforms according to the shape of another optical component based on the elasticity derived from the resin material, it becomes difficult to produce a clearance gap between the resin part 7 and another optical component. As a result, the occurrence of Fresnel reflection in the gap can be suppressed, and a decrease in light coupling efficiency due to reflection loss can be suppressed.

  Similarly, a gap is less likely to be generated between the light guide portion 1 and the resin portion 7, so the occurrence of Fresnel reflection can be suppressed.

  From the above, the optical interconnection component 100 can realize stable light coupling efficiency with other optical components.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the optical wiring component 100 will be described in more detail.
(Optical connector)
The optical connector 5 includes the connector main body 51 and the through hole 50 formed in the connector main body 51 as described above.

  The optical waveguide 10 is bonded to the lower surface 501 of the through hole 50 via the adhesive layer 105, and is bonded to the upper surface 502 of the through hole 50 via the adhesive layer 106. Thus, the optical waveguide 10 is fixed in the state of being inserted into the through hole 50. As a result, since the optical waveguide 10 can be protected from external force or the like, the optical waveguide 10 can be easily grasped, and the decrease in the optical coupling efficiency between the optical wiring component 100 and the other optical components can be more reliably suppressed. Can.

  The through holes 50 are formed to penetrate the connector body 51 and open in the facing surface 52 and the non-facing surface 53, respectively. That is, the through hole 50 penetrates so as to connect the facing surface 52 and the non-facing surface 53.

  The cross sectional shape of the through hole 50 (the shape of the cut surface in the direction orthogonal to the line connecting the openings) is not limited to the rectangular as described above, and may be a square, parallelogram, hexagon, eight Other shapes such as square and oval may be used.

  Further, the width of the through hole 50 is preferably set wider than the width of the optical waveguide 10. Thus, a gap can be provided between the side surface of the tip portion 101 of the optical waveguide 10 and the inner surface of the through hole 50. This space can store, for example, surplus portions of the adhesive layers 105 and 106. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in transmission efficiency caused by the surplus portion pressing the optical waveguide 10.

  In this case, the width of the through hole 50 is preferably about 1.01 to 3 times the width of the optical waveguide 10, and more preferably about 1.1 to 2 times. Thereby, the effect mentioned above can be heightened more.

  The adhesive layers 105 and 106 may be provided as needed, and one of them may be omitted, for example.

  Further, the outer shape of the connector main body 51 is not particularly limited, and may be a shape conforming to a rectangular parallelepiped as shown in FIG. 1 or any other shape. Also, the connector main body 51 may include a portion conforming to various connector standards. Such connector standards include, for example, a mini (Mini) MT connector, an MT connector defined in JIS C 5981, a 16 MT connector, a two-dimensional array MT connector, an MPO connector, an MPX connector, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two guide holes 511 are formed in the connector main body 51 of the optical connector 5 according to the present embodiment. The guide holes 511 are respectively opened in the facing surface 52 and the non-facing surface 53 of the connector main body 51. That is, the two guide holes 511 pass through so as to connect the facing surface 52 and the non-facing surface 53, respectively.

  When connecting the optical wiring component 100 to other optical components, guide pins (not shown) are inserted into the guide holes 511. As a result, when the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components are aligned, their positions can be more accurately aligned, and they can be fixed to each other. That is, the guide hole 511 functions as a connection mechanism for connecting the optical wiring component 100 to another optical component.

  The guide hole 511 may not pass through the connector main body 51 and may not open in a plane including the non-facing surface 53.

  Further, instead of the above connection mechanism, a locking mechanism utilizing a locking by a claw, an adhesive or the like may be used.

  Further, the shape of the through hole 50 is not limited to the illustrated shape. For example, although the through hole 50 of the optical connector 5 shown in FIG. 3 includes a portion whose height gradually increases from the opposite surface 52 to the non-facing surface 53, the height and width of the through hole 50 are constant. It may be

  As a constituent material of the connector main body 51, for example, various resin materials such as phenol resin, epoxy resin, olefin resin, urea resin, melamine resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, stainless steel And various metal materials such as an aluminum alloy.

  Also, the structure of the optical connector 5 is not limited to that shown. For example, the connector body 51 may be an assembly formed by combining a plurality of members. That is, the connector body 51 may be divided into two or more via the through holes 50.

  Furthermore, although the through hole 50 is entirely surrounded by the connector body 51, the upper surface of the through hole 50 may be opened, for example. That is, in the optical wiring component 100, only one of the lower surface 103 and the upper surface 104 of the optical waveguide 10 may be fixed to the optical connector 5.

(Optical waveguide)
The two core portions 14 shown in FIG. 6 are respectively surrounded by the cladding portions (the side surface cladding portions 15 and the cladding layers 11 and 12), and light can be confined in the core portions 14 to propagate.

  The refractive index distribution in the cross section of the core portion 14 may be any distribution. This refractive index distribution may be a so-called step index (SI) type distribution in which the refractive index changes discontinuously, or a so-called graded index (GI) type distribution in which the refractive index changes continuously May be

  The optical waveguide 10 and the core portion 14 formed in the optical waveguide 10 may be linear or curved in plan view. Furthermore, the optical waveguide 10 and the core portion 14 formed therein may be branched or intersected on the way.

  The cross-sectional shape of the core portion 14 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a circle such as a true circle, an ellipse, or an oval, a polygon such as a triangle, a square, a pentagon, or a hexagon The rectangular shape is advantageous in that the core portion 14 can be easily formed.

  The width and height of the core portion 14 (the thickness of the core layer 13) are not particularly limited, but are each preferably about 1 to 200 μm, more preferably about 5 to 100 μm, and about 10 to 70 μm. It is further preferred that Thereby, the densification of the core portion 14 can be achieved while suppressing the decrease in the transmission efficiency of the optical waveguide 10.

  On the other hand, when a plurality of core portions 14 are arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. 6, the width of the side cladding portion 15 located between the core portions 14 is preferably about 5 to 250 μm, and 10 to 200 μm The degree is more preferably, and about 10 to 120 μm is more preferable. Thereby, the densification of the core portions 14 can be achieved while preventing optical signals from being mixed (cross talk) between the core portions 14.

  The constituent material (main material) of the core layer 13 as described above is, for example, an acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polycarbonate, polystyrene, cyclic ether resin such as epoxy resin or oxetane resin, polyamide, polyimide, poly Benzoxazole, polysilane, polysilazane, silicone resin, fluorine resin, polyurethane, polyolefin resin, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, polyester such as PET or PBT, polyethylene succinate, polysulfone, polyether, benzocyclo Besides various resin materials such as cyclic olefin resins such as butene resins and norbornene resins, glass materials such as quartz glass and borosilicate glass can be used. The resin material may be a composite material in which materials having different compositions are combined.

  Moreover, as a constituent material of the cladding layers 11 and 12, for example, the same material as the constituent material of the core layer 13 described above can be used, and in particular, (meth) acrylic resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, It is preferable that it is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polyimide resin, a fluorine resin, and a polyolefin resin.

  The entire optical waveguide 10 is preferably made of a resin material. As a result, the optical waveguide 10 becomes flexible, and the mounting operation can be facilitated.

  The width of the optical waveguide 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 to 100 mm, and more preferably about 2 to 10 mm.

  The number of core portions 14 formed in the optical waveguide 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 to 100. When the number of core portions 14 is large, the optical waveguide 10 may be multilayered as necessary. Specifically, multilayering can be achieved by alternately stacking the core layer and the cladding layer on the cladding layer 12 shown in FIG.

  Also, the optical waveguide 10 serves as the lowermost layer (the layer on the side opposite to the core layer 13 of the cladding layer 11), the support film 2 (protective layer), and the layer on the opposite side to the core layer 13 of the cladding layer 12 As cover film 3 (protective layer). Thus, the core layer 13 and the cladding layers 11 and 12 can be well protected from external force and the external environment.

  Examples of constituent materials of the support film 2 and the cover film 3 include various resin materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyolefin such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyimide, and polyamide.

  The average thickness of the support film 2 and the cover film 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 5 to 500 μm, and more preferably about 10 to 400 μm. Thereby, since the support film 2 and the cover film 3 have appropriate rigidity, the core layer 13 is reliably supported, and the core layer 13 and the cladding layers 11 and 12 are reliably protected from external force and external environment. can do.

In addition, the support film 2 and the cover film 3 should just be provided as needed, respectively, and may be abbreviate | omitted.
In addition, one of the cladding layers 11 and 12 may be omitted.

(Resin part)
The resin portion 7 is a member containing a resin material as described above.

  The resin portion 7 is provided in contact with both the first surface 1 a and the second surface 1 b formed in the light guide portion 1.

  Among these, the first surface 1 a according to the present embodiment is a surface which is located on the end face of the core layer 13 and disposed so as to face the external space of the light guide 1. When the core layer 13 is virtually extended starting from the first surface 1a, the state in which the extended virtual core layer 13 does not interfere with the light guide 1 means that the external space of the light guide 1 is exposed. Say. In such a state, the formation of the resin portion 7 is facilitated. That is, since the first surface 1a faces the external space, the process of forming the resin portion 7 is facilitated, and the advantage that adhesion can be easily enhanced can be obtained.

  Further, the first surface 1a according to the present embodiment includes a light incident / exit surface (end face of the core portion 14). Therefore, by arranging such a first surface 1a to face the external space of the light guide 1, it becomes easy to make the first surface 1a face the other optical component. As a result, the light coupling efficiency between the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components can be easily enhanced.

  On the other hand, the second surface 1b is a surface having an angle of less than 180 degrees (approximately 90 degrees in FIG. 4) with the first surface 1a. The angle between the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b is the angle formed between the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b (the angle θ1 in FIG. 4) on the outer space side of the light guide 1. It is. When the resin portion 7 is provided to be in contact with both the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b because the angle θ1 is less than 180 °, the resin portion 7 has the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b. It will be in the state of being sandwiched by. For this reason, the contact area between the resin portion 7 and the light guiding portion 1 is larger than in the case where only one of the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b is in contact. It can be attached to As a result, a gap does not easily occur between the resin portion 7 and the first surface 1 a, and the light coupling efficiency between the optical wiring component 100 and the other optical components can be further enhanced.

  The angle θ1 is preferably 60 to 120 °, more preferably 75 to 105 °. At such an angle θ1, the light reflection on the first surface 1a is suppressed, so that the reflection loss is suppressed, and the light coupling efficiency can be particularly enhanced.

  That is, when the angle θ1 falls below the lower limit value or exceeds the upper limit value, the first surface 1a tends to be inclined with respect to the extending direction of the core portion 14 (the extending direction of the optical path). Light is obliquely incident on the first surface 1a. For this reason, depending on the difference in refractive index between the first surface 1a and the resin portion 7, the amount of light reflected on the first surface 1a may increase due to Fresnel reflection or the like, and the light coupling efficiency may be reduced.

  The first surface 1 a according to the present embodiment is a substantially flat surface intersecting the main surface of the core layer 13, and the cover film 3, the cladding layer 12, the core layer 13, and the cladding layer 11 are exposed. It is a face. Among these, since the core portion 14 is exposed in the core layer 13, the first surface 1 a includes a light incident / exit surface.

  On the other hand, the second surface 1b according to the present embodiment is a surface on which the cladding layer 11 is exposed. By providing the second surface 1 b at such a position, the first surface 1 a can expose the entire cross section of the core portion 14. At the same time, the resin portion 7 can be well adhered to both the core layer 13 and the cladding layer 11.

  In addition, since the constituent materials of the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b are likely to be similar to each other, the resin portion 7 exhibits the same adhesion to both surfaces. Also from this viewpoint, the adhesion of the resin portion 7 is improved.

The entire first surface 1a may not be flat. For example, the vicinity of the center of the cross section of the core portion 14 may be flat while the other may be rough or curved.
The second surface 1 b may be a flat surface, a rough surface or a curved surface.

  In addition, the first surface 1 a according to the present embodiment includes a light incident / exit surface on which the light entrance / exit of the core portion 14 is possible. Thus, the resin portion 7 can be interposed between the light incident / exit surface and the other optical components, so that, for example, in the resin portion 7, the light coupling efficiency between the light guiding portion 1 and the other optical components is enhanced. It can have a function.

  Moreover, the resin part 7 which concerns on this embodiment has translucency. For this reason, even when the resin portion 7 is provided so as to cover the light incident / emitting surface, it is possible to suppress the attenuation of the light transmitted through the resin portion 7. As a result, even when the resin portion 7 is interposed between the optical wiring component 100 and the other optical components, the loss when passing through the resin portion 7 is suppressed.

  Here, the light transmitting property refers to a property having transparency at the wavelength of light incident on the optical waveguide 10. In the present invention, when light having a wavelength of 850 nm is made incident on the resin portion 7, it refers to a state in which the insertion loss is 2 dB or less, and is referred to as “having translucency”.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the resin part 7 has elasticity. The term "elasticity" as used herein refers to the property of being deformed when an external force is applied, and restored to the original shape when the external force is removed. Specifically, it refers to "having elasticity" in the state where the tensile strength is 0.3 MPa or more and the elastic modulus is 0.01 to 1000 MPa.

  Since the resin portion 7 has elasticity, the first surface 1 a of the light guide portion 1 is protected by the resin portion 7 when the light guide portion 1 and another optical component are pressed against the resin portion 7. This will prevent the first surface 1a from being greatly damaged. Therefore, the optical wiring component 100 and the other optical components can be pressed against each other with a sufficient force, and the connection stability can be enhanced.

  Moreover, since the resin part 7 adheres to other optical components and is easily deformed following the shape, the resin part 7 and the other optical components or between the resin part 7 and the light guiding part 1 A gap is less likely to occur. As a result, the occurrence of Fresnel reflection in the gap can be suppressed, and a decrease in light coupling efficiency due to reflection loss can be suppressed. Therefore, the optical wiring component 100 can realize stable light coupling efficiency with other optical components.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the resin portion 7 preferably protrudes leftward from a plane including the facing surface 52 of the connector main body 51. Thus, when connecting the optical wiring component 100 and another optical component, the resin portion 7 comes in contact with the other optical components earlier than the optical connector 5. Then, by gradually reducing the distance between the two, while the resin portion 7 is deformed, the gap between the two is gradually filled. At this time, since the resin portion 7 is compressed and deformed following it, air is unlikely to remain at the connection interface, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in light coupling efficiency (increase in reflection loss) due to Fresnel reflection. it can.

  The protrusion length L1 (see FIG. 3) of the resin portion 7 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2 mm or less, more preferably 1 μm or more and 1 mm or less, and still more preferably 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less. By setting the projection length L1 within the above range, although depending on the thickness of the resin portion 7, when the resin portion 7 is appropriately compressed, the optical connector 5 can be brought into contact with other optical components. it can. Therefore, while fixing the optical connector 5 and the other optical components, it is possible to more reliably suppress the decrease in light coupling efficiency associated with the above-described Fresnel reflection.

  In addition, since the projection length L1 of the resin part 7 will become short when the projection length L1 is less than the said lower limit, depending on the shape of other optical components, the resin part 7 is given priority over other optical components. Contact may be difficult. On the other hand, when the projection length L1 exceeds the upper limit value, the projection length L1 of the resin portion 7 becomes long, so even if the resin portion 7 is compressed, the optical connector 5 and other optical components are brought into contact with each other It may be difficult to fix.

  The protruding length L1 of the resin portion 7 refers to the maximum distance between the left end surface of the resin portion 7 in FIG. 3 and the facing surface 52 of the connector main body 51.

  The thickness t1 (see FIG. 3) of the resin portion 7 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 μm or more and 2 mm or less, more preferably 50 μm or more and 1 mm or less, and preferably 75 μm or more and 500 μm or less More preferable. By setting the thickness t1 of the resin portion 7 within the above range, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of deformation when the resin portion 7 is compressed. In addition, it is possible to suppress an increase in loss of light transmitted through the resin portion 7 due to the resin portion 7 being too thick. Therefore, while suppressing the increase of the Fresnel reflection loss accompanying the generation of the gap, the increase of the transmission loss is also suppressed, and the optical wiring component 100 having high light coupling efficiency with respect to the other optical components can be obtained.

  If the thickness t1 of the resin portion 7 is less than the lower limit value, the thickness of the resin portion 7 becomes thin, so the shape of the resin portion 7 follows other optical components depending on the material of the resin portion 7 and the like. Function may be reduced. On the other hand, if the thickness t1 of the resin portion 7 exceeds the upper limit value, the thickness of the resin portion 7 becomes thick, so the shape of the resin portion 7 may be easily destabilized depending on the constituent material of the resin portion 7 and the like. There is.

  The thickness t1 of the resin portion 7 refers to the maximum distance between the left end surface of the resin portion 7 in FIG. 3 and the first surface 1a.

  Further, the positional relationship between the optical connector 5 and the resin portion 7 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the whole of the resin portion 7 may be located outside the through hole 50, but a part of the resin portion 7 may be located inside the through hole 50, and the resin portion All of 7 may be located inside the through hole 50.

  In addition, when the surface of the resin portion 7 facing the other optical component is used as the facing surface 71, the facing surface 71 may be a curved surface, but is preferably a flat surface. As a result, the resin portion 7 which adheres closely to other optical components having a generally flat light incident / exiting surface without any gap and which can realize good light coupling efficiency can be obtained.

  The term "flat surface" refers to a surface that does not substantially include a curved surface, but non-planar regions resulting from manufacturing errors are acceptable.

  Further, the resin portion 7 does not necessarily have to protrude from the plane including the opposing surface 52, and the opposing surface 71 of the resin portion 7 may be positioned in the plane including the opposing surface 52, including the opposing surface 52 It may be retracted to the inside of the through hole 50 more than a plane. Even in the latter case, it is possible to press the other optical component against the resin portion 7 depending on the shape of the other optical component.

  As a constituent material of resin part 7, for example, transparent polyamide, polyolefin, fluorocarbon resin, polyester, (meth) acrylic resin, plastic resin such as polycarbonate, epoxy resin, oxetane resin, vinyl ether resin, melamine resin Examples thereof include phenolic resins, silicone resins, and curable resins such as transparent polyimide, and materials containing one or more of these are used.

  Moreover, as a constituent material of the resin part 7, if necessary, styrene type, polyolefin type, polyvinyl chloride type, polyurethane type, polyester type, polyamide type, polybutadiene type, trans polyisoprene type, fluoro rubber type, chlorination Various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyethylene may be included.

  In addition, as a constituent material of the resin portion 7, a curable resin such as a thermosetting resin or a photocurable resin is preferably used, and a photocurable resin is more preferably used. Such a material can be efficiently formed in a short time when forming the resin part 7. For this reason, the resin part 7 excellent in dimensional accuracy is obtained.

  In addition to the above resins, the resin portion 7 may, if necessary, be a filler, a flame retardant, an ultraviolet absorber, a curing catalyst, a curing aid, a light resistance agent, an antistatic agent, a conductive agent, a dispersing agent, etc. It may be added.

  As described above, when light having a wavelength of 850 nm is incident on the resin portion 7, the light transmission of the resin portion 7 satisfies an insertion loss of 2 dB or less, preferably 1.5 dB or less Satisfy. Even when such a resin part 7 is interposed between the light guide part 1 and other optical components, it is possible to suppress a decrease in transmission efficiency. Therefore, the light coupling efficiency between the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components can be sufficiently enhanced.

  In addition, the insertion loss of the resin part 7 is 4.6.1 insertion in the test method (JPCA-PE02-05-01S-2008) of the polymeric optical waveguide which is the standard which the Japan Electronic Circuits Association made, for example. It can measure according to the measuring method of loss.

Moreover, it is preferable that the resin part 7 has a compressive deformation property which exhibits a predetermined deformation amount when it is pressed by a predetermined load. Specifically, the resin portion 7 preferably exhibits the characteristic that the amount of compressive deformation is 0.005 mm or more when a region with an area of 7.4 mm ² is pressed with a load of 15 N under normal temperature (25 ° C.). When connecting such an optical wiring component 100 to another optical component, such an optical component (for example, an optical fiber or the like) is pressed against the resin component 7. It will be dented moderately following parts. For this reason, it becomes difficult to produce a crevice between other optical parts and resin part 7 further. As a result, the occurrence of Fresnel reflection due to the gap can be suppressed, and the decrease in light coupling efficiency due to the reflection loss can be further suppressed.

  In addition, when the resin portion 7 is appropriately recessed, the positions of the other optical components and the resin portion 7 are not easily shifted. Thereby, the decrease in light coupling efficiency can be suppressed more reliably.

  When the amount of compressive deformation is less than the lower limit value, the resin portion 7 may hardly be recessed even if another optical component is pressed. For this reason, depending on the shape of the other optical components, the resin portion 7 may not easily follow the other optical components, which may cause gaps or positional deviation.

  The amount of compressive deformation is preferably 0.01 mm or more, and more preferably 0.015 mm or more.

  The lower limit value of the amount of compressive deformation is preferably 5% or more of the thickness of the resin portion 7, more preferably 10% or more, and still more preferably 15% or more.

  On the other hand, although the upper limit of the amount of compressive deformation is not particularly limited, it is preferably 50% or less of the thickness of the resin part 7, more preferably 40% or less, and still more preferably 30% or less . If the amount of compressive deformation exceeds the upper limit value, depending on the shapes of the other optical components, the resin portion 7 may be deformed excessively, whereby the connection between the other optical components and the optical waveguide 10 may become unstable.

  When the amount of compressive deformation is measured, the above load is applied using a square rod made of an iron-based alloy such as stainless steel. The surface on which the resin portion 7 is pressed is a rectangle having a length of 4 mm and a width of 3 mm. And let the maximum depth of the crevice formed by press be the amount of compressive deformation. Further, the thickness of the resin portion 7 is the length of the resin portion 7 on the light path of the light guide portion 1 (the light path of the core portion 14).

  The amount of compressive deformation can be adjusted in accordance with the composition, elastic modulus, hardness, molecular weight, density, and the structure, shape, and the like of the resin portion 7 of the material constituting the resin portion 7. For example, by increasing the modulus of elasticity, hardness, molecular weight and density, it is possible to adjust in the direction of reducing the amount of compressive deformation. On the contrary, it is possible to adjust in the direction of increasing the amount of compressive deformation by lowering the elastic modulus, hardness, molecular weight and density respectively.

  Moreover, in the resin part 7, it is preferable that Poisson's ratio in 85 degreeC is about 0.4-0.5, and it is more preferable that it is about 0.425-0.495. Such a resin portion 7 exhibits a property close to so-called rubber elasticity, and therefore, even when another optical component or the light guide portion 1 is pressed at high temperature, the mark hardly remains. If a mark remains at high temperature, the mark, i.e., the recess tends to remain even at low temperature. As a result, when the temperature is lowered from high temperature to low temperature and the resin portion 7 shrinks in accordance with the thermal expansion coefficient, the shape of the resin portion 7 can not follow the shrinkage and can not be completed between the other optical components and the resin portion 7 There is a possibility that a gap may occur.

  On the other hand, when it becomes difficult to leave a mark at high temperature, generation of a gap due to temperature change is suppressed even after passing through a high temperature history. As a result, stable light coupling efficiency with other optical components can be realized.

  When the Poisson's ratio at 85 ° C. is lower than the lower limit value, when another optical component is pressed against the resin portion 7 to be recessed, it may be difficult to expand in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction. For this reason, internal stress becomes high, and there is a possibility that the mark by pressing another optical component may remain.

  In addition, such a Poisson's ratio is measured according to the measuring method of the Poisson's ratio prescribed | regulated to JISK7161-1: 2014, JISK7161-2: 2014, and JISK7127: 1999. At this time, the test temperature is 85 ± 2 ° C., and the relative humidity is 50 ± 10%.

  The Shore D hardness of the resin part 7 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 10 to 60, more preferably about 15 to 55, and still more preferably about 20 to 50. As described above, when the resin portion 7 is pressed by the other optical components because the Shore D hardness is in the above-mentioned range, the shape following property becomes higher and the recess of the appropriate depth is formed as described above. Effect is obtained. That is, when the resin portion 7 is recessed following the other optical components, a gap is less likely to be generated between the other optical components and the resin portion 7 (reflection loss is suppressed), and the resin portion 7 As a result, the positional deviation between the other optical component and the resin portion 7 can be suppressed by the depression, and the reduction in the light coupling efficiency can be suppressed more reliably.

  The Shore D hardness of the resin part 7 is measured at 25 ° C., for example, by a type D durometer according to JIS K 6253: 2012 or a type D durometer according to ASTM D 2240.

  As described above, the elasticity of the resin part 7 refers to the property that the tensile strength is 0.3 MPa or more and the elastic modulus satisfies 0.01 to 1000 MPa, but the resin part 7 is preferably Has a tensile strength of 1 MPa or more and an elastic modulus of 0.1 to 300 MPa, more preferably a tensile strength of 5 MPa or more and an elastic modulus of 0.5 to 100 MPa I am satisfied. Such a resin portion 7 is interposed between the light guide portion 1 and the other optical components, and when it receives a compressive force from both sides, it deforms relatively easily to follow both shapes, and is plastic. It becomes difficult to cause deformation.

  If the tensile strength of the resin portion 7 is less than the lower limit value, the resin portion 7 may be damaged depending on the size of the load when a load is applied to the resin portion 7. In addition, when the elastic modulus of the resin portion 7 falls below the lower limit value, the resin portion 7 is extremely easily deformed, and there is a possibility that the resin portion 7 may be deformed even by its own weight. On the other hand, when the elastic modulus of the resin portion 7 exceeds the upper limit value, the resin portion 7 becomes difficult to be deformed, and there is a possibility that the shape may not easily follow other optical components.

  In addition, the tensile strength of the resin part 7 can be measured according to the test method of the tensile property of the plastics prescribed | regulated to JISK7127: 1999, for example.

  The elastic modulus of the resin part 7 is, for example, a storage elastic modulus E measured at a frequency of 1 Hz and a measurement temperature of 23 ° C. by a dynamic viscoelasticity measuring apparatus using a test piece of 20 mm long × 20 mm wide × 1 mm thick It is sought as'. Examples of the dynamic viscoelasticity measurement apparatus include RSA III manufactured by TA Instruments, and DMS 210 and DMS 6100 manufactured by SAI Nano Technology.

  The refractive index of the resin portion 7 is preferably between the refractive index of the core portion 14 and 1.4. When the refractive index of the resin portion 7 is in such a range, the refractive index between the light guide portion 1 and the resin portion 7 and between the resin portion 7 and another optical component (for example, an optical fiber) The reflection loss associated with the difference can be suppressed. Thereby, the light coupling efficiency between the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components can be further enhanced.

  In addition, since the refractive index of the core of the optical fiber is usually about 1.46, the refractive index of the resin part 7 may be preferably between the refractive index of the core part 14 and 1.46.

  In addition, when the other optical component is other than the optical fiber, the refractive index of the resin portion 7 is made to be between the refractive index of the core portion 14 of the optical waveguide 10 and the refractive index of the other optical component. preferable. Thereby, the light coupling efficiency between the optical interconnection component 100 and the other optical components can be further enhanced.

  In addition, on the surface of the resin part 7, surface treatment may be given as needed. Examples of the surface treatment include corona treatment, surface modification treatment such as plasma treatment, liquid repellency treatment, low reflection coating, film formation treatment such as protective coating, and the like.

  Moreover, although the other optical components connected with the optical wiring component 100 are not specifically limited, For example, various optical elements, such as an optical waveguide, an optical fiber, a prism, a lens, are mentioned.

  As described above, since the optical wiring component 100 includes the optical waveguide 10 and the optical connector 5 attached thereto, the optical wiring component 100 is connected when optically connecting to another optical component using the optical connector 5 The light coupling efficiency of the part is high and reliable.

«Modification»
Next, a first modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the first modification will be described, but in the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

The first modification is the same as the first embodiment except that the position of the second surface 1b is different. That is, the second surface 1 b shown in FIG. 7 is a surface on which the core layer 13 is exposed. Further, at least the optical path of the core portion 14 (the center of the cross section of the core portion 14) of the core layer 13 is exposed to the first surface 1a. In other words, the position of the second surface 1b is set such that the optical path of the core portion 14 is exposed to the first surface 1a.
Also in such a first modification, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Next, a second modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second modification of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the second modification will be described, but in the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

The second modification is also the same as the first embodiment except that the position of the second surface 1b is different. That is, the second surface 1 b shown in FIG. 8 is a surface on which the support film 2 (protective layer) is exposed. Moreover, in connection with this, the support film 2 is also exposed to the 1st surface 1a shown in FIG.
Also in the second modification as described above, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, in such a 2nd modification, the area of the 1st surface 1a is securable larger than the said 1st Embodiment. That is, the first surface 1a is a surface on which the core layer 13 and the cladding layers 11 and 12 are exposed sufficiently widely. For this reason, the area which the resin part 7 adheres also becomes wide, and the improvement of adhesiveness is achieved.

  The position of the second surface 1 b is not limited to the above position, and may be, for example, the interface between the core layer 13 and the cladding layer 11 or the interface between the cladding layer 11 and the support film 2. It may be set so as to straddle the clad layer 11 and the support film 2 (to obliquely cross).

Next, a third modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third modification of the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the third modification will be described. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

The third modification is the same as the first embodiment except that the shape of the resin portion 7 is different.
The resin portion 7 shown in FIG. 9 is in close contact with not only the first surface 1 a and the second surface 1 b but also the upper surface 104 of the light guide portion 1. As a result, the resin portion 7 adheres more firmly to the light guide portion 1. As a result, it is possible to realize an optical wiring component 100 having high optical coupling efficiency to other optical components and high reliability.

  In addition, since the resin portion 7 is in close contact with the upper surface 104, the resin portion 7 is disposed across the first surface 1 a and the upper surface 104. For this reason, the action is also added, and the adhesiveness of the resin part 7 becomes higher.

  The angle formed between the first surface 1a and the upper surface 104 is an angle (angle θ2 in FIG. 9) formed between the first surface 1a and the upper surface 104 inside the light guide 1. The angle θ2 is less than 180 °, preferably 60 to 120 °, and more preferably 75 to 105 °. At such an angle θ 2, when the resin portion 7 is disposed so as to extend from the first surface 1 a to the upper surface 104, the function of sandwiching the light guide portion 1 works, and the adhesion of the resin portion 7 is particularly enhanced. For this reason, the probability that the resin portion 7 is peeled off from the first surface 1a can be further reduced.

  The angle θ2 also affects the passing angle of the core portion 14 in the extending direction (the extending direction of the optical path) with respect to the first surface 1a. That is, when the angle θ2 falls below the lower limit value or exceeds the upper limit value, the first surface 1a tends to be inclined with respect to the extending direction of the core portion 14 (the extending direction of the optical path). Light is obliquely incident on the first surface 1a. For this reason, depending on the difference in refractive index between the first surface 1a and the resin portion 7, the amount of light reflected on the first surface 1a may increase due to Fresnel reflection or the like, and the light coupling efficiency may be reduced.

  The length L2 (see FIG. 9) in which the resin portion 7 covers the upper surface 104 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1% or more of the thickness t1 (see FIG. 3) of the resin portion 7 The following are more preferable, and 100% or more and 1000% or less are more preferable. By setting the length L2 within the above range, it is possible to prevent the resin portion 7 from significantly swelling in the thickness direction of the light guide portion 1 while enjoying the effect of enhancing the adhesion of the resin portion 7 .

  That is, when the length L2 exceeds the upper limit value, the resin portion 7 bulges in the thickness direction of the light guide portion 1, that is, in the upper part of FIG. 9, and the thickness of the optical waveguide 10 becomes more than necessary There is a risk of thickening. In this case, when the optical connector 5 is attached to the optical waveguide 10, there is a possibility that the operation may be hindered. On the other hand, when the length L2 is less than the lower limit value, the area in which the resin portion 7 and the upper surface 104 are in contact is reduced, so that the effect of improving the adhesion may not be sufficiently exhibited.

  The length L2 of the resin portion 7 covering the upper surface 104 means the maximum distance to the resin portion 7 located on the upper surface 104 when the first surface 1a is used as a starting point.

  Further, in consideration of the interference with the optical connector 5, it is preferable that the height h1 (see FIG. 9) of the rising of the resin portion 7 be as low as possible. On the other hand, considering the viewpoint that adhesion between the resin part 7 and the upper surface 104 is secured by having a certain height, the height of projection h1 is 0.1% or more of the thickness t1 of the resin part 7 The content is preferably 200% or less, more preferably 0.5% to 100%, and still more preferably 1% to 75%. By setting the rising height h1 within the above range, the optical waveguide 10 having excellent adhesion between the resin portion 7 and the upper surface 104 can be obtained while suppressing interference with the optical connector 5.

The raised height h1 of the resin portion 7 refers to the maximum distance to the surface of the resin portion 7 when the plane including the upper surface 104 is a starting point.
Also in such a third modification, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  On the other hand, the resin portion 7 may not be raised as shown in FIG. 9 but may be recessed in the opposite direction. In this case, if the bottom of the recess to be formed has a depth that does not reach the core portion 14, the recess does not easily affect the light transmission of the core portion 14, so the presence of the recess is permitted. Also in this case, a part of the resin portion 7 may be in close contact with the upper surface 104.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the optical waveguide of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the optical waveguide of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the optical waveguide shown in FIG.

  The second embodiment will be described below, but in the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The optical waveguide 10 according to the second embodiment is the same as the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment except that the arrangement of the resin portion 7 with respect to the light guide 1 is different.

  In the optical waveguide 10 according to the first embodiment described above, the resin portion 7 is provided on the end face of the core layer 13 where the core portion 14 is exposed, whereas in the optical waveguide 10 according to the present embodiment, the core The difference is that the resin portion 7 is provided on the end face of the core layer 13 in which the portion 14 is not exposed. That is, the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b according to the present embodiment have a long shape extending substantially in parallel with the core portion 14, and the side surface of the first surface 1a is an end surface of the core layer 13. Only the cladding portion 15 is exposed, and the support film 2 is exposed on the second surface 1 b.

  Also in the second embodiment, the angle between the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b is less than 180 °. For this reason, the resin part 7 will be pinched by both the 1st surface 1a and the 2nd surface 1b, and adheres well to these surfaces.

  And when selecting the material which comprises the resin part 7, the material specialized in the flame retardance and the mechanical characteristic can be selected preferentially, without considering an optical characteristic, for example. For this reason, the flame retardance and mechanical characteristics of the light guide 1 can be optimized by bringing the resin part 7 into close contact. As a result, it is possible to realize, for example, an optical waveguide 10 that is resistant to burning, an optical waveguide 10 that is resistant to bending even when bent, or an optical waveguide 10 that has good bending ease and high tensile strength. .

  Further, by providing the resin portion 7 on the end face of the core layer 13, the core layer 13 having a large optical influence can be particularly protected when it burns, which is useful from the viewpoint of combustion resistance. Furthermore, by providing the resin portion 7 at the end face of the core layer 13, an interlayer exposed at the end face of the core layer 13, for example, an interlayer between the core layer 13 and the cladding layers 11 and 12, the cladding layer 11 and the support film 2 It is possible to suppress the occurrence of exfoliation between the layers in between, the layer between the cladding layer 12 and the cover film 3 and the like. That is, since the end face of the core layer 13 tends to be a starting point of peeling, by reinforcing the end face with the resin portion 7, the occurrence of peeling can be suppressed.

  In addition, the first surface 1 a on which the resin portion 7 is provided is disposed so as to face the external space of the light guide portion 1, thereby facilitating the formation of the resin portion 7. That is, since the first surface 1a faces the external space, the process of forming the resin portion 7 is facilitated, and the advantage that adhesion can be easily enhanced can be obtained.

  In the optical waveguide 10 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the resin portions 7 are in close contact with both ends in the width direction of the light guide portion 1, however, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration and is in close contact with only one end. The configuration may be.

  Moreover, although the resin part 7 may be provided over the full length of the light guide part 1, you may be provided only in one part.

  In addition, when selecting the material specialized in the flame retardance as a material which comprises the resin part 7, the resin material containing a flame retardant is used. Examples of the flame retardant include metal hydroxides such as aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, antimony compounds, halogen compounds, phosphorus compounds, nitrogen compounds and boron compounds.

«Modification»
Next, a modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the optical waveguide 10 according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, although a modification is demonstrated, in the following explanation, it explains focusing on difference with the 2nd embodiment of the above, and omits the explanation about the same matter.

  In the optical waveguide 10 shown in FIG. 12, the resin portion 7 is provided to surround the end face of the core layer 13. That is, among the end surfaces of the core layer 13 shown in FIG. 12 which is rectangular in plan view, the resin portion 7 is in close contact with both the end surface located on the short side of the rectangle and the end surface located on the long side. In other words, in the present modification, the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b are set so as to surround the entire circumference of the core layer 13, respectively.

  Such an optical waveguide 10 can enjoy both the effects of the first embodiment described above and the effects of the second embodiment. That is, it is possible to obtain the optical waveguide 10 in which the optical coupling efficiency to other optical components is high, and the flame retardancy, the mechanical characteristics, and the like are optimized.

<Method of Manufacturing Optical Waveguide>
Next, an example of a method of manufacturing the optical waveguide 10 shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

  13-19 is a figure for demonstrating the method to manufacture the optical waveguide 10 shown in FIG. 5, respectively. In addition, in FIGS. 13-19, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above.

  In the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide 10, a preparation step of preparing [1] dicing film 8 and a base material 90 laminated thereon, and [2] forming a first groove 91 in the base material 90 to form a light guide portion Forming the groove member 9; [3] supplying the uncured resin-containing material 92 to the first groove 91; and [4] curing the resin-containing material 92 to obtain the hardened body 93. And [5] a cutting step of cutting the light guide member 9 so that the cut surface passes through the cured body 93, and [6] singulation of the cured body 93 and the light guide member 9 into pieces And [7] a film peeling step of peeling the dicing film 8. Each step will be described in detail below.

[1] Preparation Step First, the dicing film 8 and the base material 90 are prepared (see FIG. 13).

  The base material 90 is a member for forming the light guide 1, and is a laminate in which the support film 2, the cladding layer 11, the core layer 13, the cladding layer 12 and the cover film 3 are laminated in this order. Further, in the core layer 13, a plurality of core portions 14 and side surface cladding portions 15 are formed.

  Such a base material 90 is fixed to the dicing film 8 via an adhesive or an adhesive.

[2] Groove Forming Step Next, the first groove 91 is formed in the base material 90. Thereby, the member 9 for light guide parts is obtained (refer FIG. 14).

  The side surface of the first groove 91 includes the first surface 1a (see FIG. 4), and the bottom surface includes the second surface 1b (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the formation position of the first groove 91 is appropriately set according to the position where the first surface 1 a is to be formed, and the depth of the first groove 91 is according to the position where the second surface 1 b is to be formed. It is set appropriately.

  Although the method of forming the first groove 91 is not particularly limited, for example, a dicing method (mechanical processing method) using a diamond cutter, a dicing saw or the like, a laser processing method, an electron beam processing method, a blast method, an etching method etc. It may be a method combining one or two or more of them.

  Among these, according to the dicing method, the first groove 91 can be easily and efficiently formed with less thermal influence on the base material 90. For this reason, the first groove 91 having an inner surface with little modification can be formed, and finally, it becomes possible to form the optical waveguide 10 having a high light coupling efficiency with other optical components.

[3] Resin Supplying Process Next, the uncured resin-containing material 92 is supplied to the first groove 91. As a result, the first groove 91 is filled with the resin-containing material 92 (see FIG. 15).

  The method for supplying the resin-containing material 92 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a dispenser method, a spin coat method, a bar coat method, a dipping method, a spray method and the like.

  The resin-containing material 92 can be easily stored, as long as the first groove 91 has a shape in which the side surfaces stand on both sides of the bottom surface. Therefore, the resin-containing material 92 is filled so as to fill the first groove 91, and the state can be easily maintained for a long time.

  In addition, the resin-containing material 92 may be supplied so as to overflow from the first groove 91. The resin-containing material 92 thus overflowed may be removed or left behind. In the latter case, the resin portion 7 in contact with the upper surface 104 of the light guide 1 can be finally formed.

[4] Curing Step Next, the resin-containing material 92 is cured. Thereby, a cured body 93 is obtained (see FIG. 16).

The curing method of the resin-containing material 92 is not particularly limited. However, when the resin-containing material 92 has photocurability, a method of irradiating light is used, and the resin-containing material 92 has thermosetting property. If this is the case, a method of heating is used.
In addition, "hardening" in this specification shall also include the meaning of solidification.

[5] Cutting Process Next, the light guide member 9 is cut so that the cut surface passes through the hardened body 93.

  The broken line shown in FIG. 16 indicates the area to be removed by cutting, ie, the second groove 94. As shown in FIG. 16, the second groove 94 is set to pass through the cured body 93 and to have a depth extending from the cover film 3 to the dicing film 8. Accordingly, both the cured body 93 and the light guide member 9 can be cut by the second groove 94. Then, the cut surface is a surface on which the other optical component is pressed in the light guide 10.

  Then, the cured body 93 after cutting becomes the resin portion 7A in close contact with the light incident / emitting surfaces of the plurality of core portions 14.

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 17, an optical waveguide 10A having the light guiding portion 1A and the resin portion 7A is obtained.

  According to the above method, it is possible to form the resin portion 7A in close contact with the light guide portion 1A with a small number of operation steps, not limited to the number of the core portions 14. In addition, since the first groove 91 plays a role of a molding die in forming the resin portion 7A, it is not necessary to prepare a separate molding die, and it is possible to improve the working efficiency and reduce the manufacturing cost.

  Further, by using the dicing film 8, it is difficult for the impact of the cutting operation to spread to the cured body 93 and the light guide member 9. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the defect which the hardened | cured material 93 peels or the layers of the member 9 for light guide parts peel can be suppressed.

  The optical waveguide 10A is formed by connecting a plurality of the optical waveguides 10 shown in FIG. For this reason, the plurality of optical waveguides 10 can be simultaneously formed by dividing the optical waveguides 10A in the singulation step described later.

[6] Separating Step Next, the cured product 93 and the light guide member 9 (optical waveguide 10A) are separated. Thereby, the optical waveguide 10A can be further divided into a plurality.

  The broken line shown in FIG. 18 indicates the area removed at the time of singulation, ie, the third groove 95. As shown in FIG. 18, the third groove 95 is set to cut the cured body 93 and the light guide member 9 in the thickness direction and to have a depth extending from the cover film 3 to the dicing film 8. . Accordingly, both the cured body 93 and the light guide member 9 can be cut by the third groove 95. That is, the optical waveguide 10A can be divided into a plurality. As a result, the plurality of optical waveguides 10 can be manufactured efficiently (see FIG. 19).

  In addition, when providing a singulation process, it is preferable to consider in advance the formation position of the core portion 14 so that the third groove 95 and the core portion 14 do not interfere with each other.

[7] Film peeling step Next, the dicing film 8 is peeled from the optical waveguide 10. Thereby, the plurality of optical waveguides 10 can be simultaneously separated and collected.

  In addition, said manufacturing method is an example, and another manufacturing method may be employ | adopted. For example, when the first groove 91 is formed, the third groove 95 may be formed instead. In that case, the second groove 94 may be provided in parallel with the third groove 95. Thus, the optical waveguide 10 according to the second embodiment can be manufactured.

  Alternatively, the resin portion 7 may be formed by molding the resin-containing material 92 using a molding die.

<Electronic equipment>
According to the optical waveguide of the present invention as described above, as described above, even if it is connected to another optical component, the decrease in light coupling efficiency accompanying the optical connection can be suppressed. Therefore, by providing the optical waveguide of the present invention, a highly reliable electronic device (electronic device of the present invention) capable of performing high quality optical communication can be obtained.

  Examples of electronic devices provided with the optical waveguide of the present invention include electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet terminals, mobile phones, game machines, router devices, WDM devices, personal computers, televisions, servers, and super computers. In any of these electronic devices, for example, it is necessary to transmit a large amount of data at high speed between an arithmetic device such as an LSI and a storage device such as a RAM. Therefore, by providing the optical waveguide according to the present invention, such an electronic device can eliminate problems such as noise and signal deterioration unique to electrical wiring, and it can be expected to dramatically improve its performance.

  Further, in the optical waveguide portion, the amount of heat generation is significantly reduced as compared with the electrical wiring. Therefore, the power required for cooling can be reduced, and the power consumption of the entire electronic device can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the optical waveguide of the present invention, optical wiring parts, and electronic equipment were explained based on an embodiment of illustration, the present invention is not limited to these.

  For example, in the embodiment, the resin portion is in close contact with one end of the light guide, but the resin portion may be in close contact with the other end as well, and the resin portion is provided in the other end. You do not have to.

  In the above embodiment, the optical connector is attached to one end of the optical waveguide, but a similar optical connector may be attached to the other end, and an optical connector different from this may be attached. It is also good. In addition, various light emitting and receiving elements may be mounted on the other end instead of the optical connector. In addition, any element may be added to the above embodiment.

  Also, instead of the optical connector, other fastening means may be used, and the optical waveguide and the other optical component may be fixed by this fastening means.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 light guide part 1A light guide part 1a 1st surface 1b 2nd surface 2 support film 3 cover film 5 optical connector 7 resin part 7A resin part 8 dicing film 9 light guide part member 10 optical waveguide 10A optical waveguide 11 clad layer 12 Cladding layer 13 core layer 14 core portion 15 side cladding portion 50 through hole 51 connector main body 52 facing surface 53 non facing surface 71 facing surface 90 base material 91 first groove 92 resin containing material 93 cured body 94 second groove 95 third groove DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Optical wiring component 101 Tip part 103 Lower surface 104 Upper surface 105 Adhesive layer 106 Adhesive layer 501 Lower surface 502 Upper surface 511 Guide hole h1 Raised height L1 Protrusion length L2 Length t1 Thickness θ1 Angle θ2 Angle

Claims (9)

A first surface located at an end face of the core layer, and a core layer including a core layer in which a core portion and a side surface clad portion are formed, and a cladding layer provided on at least one main surface of the core layer; A light guiding portion comprising a second surface having an angle of less than 180 ° with one surface;
A resin portion provided so as to be in contact with the first surface and the second surface and containing a resin material;
Have
An optical waveguide characterized in that the first surface is disposed to face an outer space of the light guide portion.   The optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the second surface is a surface on which the cladding layer is exposed.   The optical waveguide according to claim 1, further comprising a protective layer provided on the side opposite to the core layer of the cladding layer.   The optical waveguide according to claim 3, wherein the second surface is a surface on which the protective layer is exposed.   The optical waveguide according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an angle between the first surface and the second surface is 60 to 120 degrees.   The optical waveguide according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first surface includes a light incident / emitting surface capable of light incident / exiting of the core portion.   The optical waveguide according to claim 6, wherein the resin portion has translucency and elasticity. An optical waveguide according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
An optical connector mounted on the optical waveguide;
An optical wiring component characterized by having:   An electronic apparatus comprising the optical waveguide according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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