JP3248661B2 - Manufacturing method of optical waveguide module - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a work <br/> made the method of the optical waveguide module, the manufacturing method of the optical waveguide module in particular connected by passive alignment via the guide pin to the array type multi-fiber optical connector Regarding effective technology to apply.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various optical waveguides are used in an optical communication system. In connecting these optical waveguides and optical fibers, a single-core optical fiber or an optical fiber array formed by aligning and fixing a plurality of optical fibers is aligned with the optical waveguide by transmitting light to maximize the coupling efficiency. Conventionally, a method of fixing with an adhesive or laser welding at a position to be used has been used. In this method, since the centering work is performed for each connection, it has a drawback that it is extremely troublesome, has a low operation rate, and is not suitable for mass production.

For this reason, a module for connecting an optical fiber and an optical waveguide without performing the alignment work as shown in FIG. 15 has recently been proposed. In the figure, 2 is a multi-core type optical fiber tape, 3 is a multi-core optical connector plug, 4 'is an optical waveguide chip, 5' is a plastic mold portion, 6 'is a guide pin, 7 is a clamp spring, and 8 is V It is a groove.

[0004] In the proposed module, at the time of manufacture, first, a marker which is a reference in two axial directions, that is, a pitch direction and a depth direction of the optical waveguide, is previously provided on the optical waveguide chip 4 ', and the marker is used as a reference. An optical waveguide pattern and a V-groove 8 are formed in the V-groove, and guide pins 6 'are inserted into the V-groove 8. In this state, plastics for inserting guide pins with reference to the V-groove 8 are formed at both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4'. An optical waveguide module 1 'is formed by forming a mold portion 5'.

[0005] Thereafter, the multi-core optical connector plug 3 to which the optical fiber tape 2 is attached and the optical waveguide module 1 'are connected through guide pins 6' without any alignment. After the connection, it is held by the clamp spring 7.

With such a module, each optical waveguide and each optical fiber can be collectively connected without any alignment, and can be separated and reconnected as needed.

[0007]

However, the conventional optical waveguide module requires high-precision biaxial V-groove processing technology in its manufacture, and if the V-groove processing is poor, the optical characteristics will be poor. It has the disadvantage of deterioration. Since the V-groove is formed on the surface of the optical waveguide chip 4 made of, for example, quartz, the processing is troublesome, and it is difficult to obtain high accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a high-precision coupling capable waveguide module in passive alignment.

Another object of the present invention is to produce to provide an easy manufacturing cost capable atonal-core optical waveguide module manufacturing method of the reduction of.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0011]

The following is a brief description of an outline of typical inventions disclosed in the present application.

[0012]

[0013]

(1) An optical waveguide module provided with an optical waveguide chip provided with an optical waveguide core and optical coupling members having guide holes at both ends of the optical waveguide chip into which guide pins for connection can be removably inserted. A manufacturing method, wherein an optical waveguide core and a marker are simultaneously formed on a main surface of a substrate and a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip is formed, and the optical waveguide chip forming substrate is partially cut by using the marker as a reference. Forming an optical waveguide chip using the surface of the optical waveguide chip as a molding reference surface, and mounting a cavity for forming the optical coupling member, an optical waveguide chip insertion portion for mounting the optical waveguide chip, and a guide hole forming pin. Preparing a molding die having a guide hole forming V-groove or the like to be placed; and inserting the optical waveguide chip into the optical waveguide chip insertion portion of the die via a molding reference surface. Attaching a guide hole forming pin to the guide hole forming V-groove and performing plastic molding to form optical coupling members at both ends of the optical waveguide chip; and removing the guide hole forming pins from the optical coupling member. A step of extracting and a step of cutting and removing a tip portion protruding from the optical coupling member.

(2) An optical waveguide module provided with an optical waveguide chip provided with an optical waveguide core and optical coupling members having guide holes at both ends of the optical waveguide chip into which connection guide pins can be removably inserted. A manufacturing method, wherein an optical waveguide core and a marker are simultaneously formed on a main surface of a substrate and a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip is formed, and the optical waveguide chip forming substrate is partially cut by using the marker as a reference. Forming an optical waveguide chip using the surface of the optical waveguide chip as a molding reference surface, and mounting a cavity for forming the optical coupling member, an optical waveguide chip insertion portion for mounting the optical waveguide chip, and a guide hole forming pin. Preparing a molding die having a guide hole forming V-groove or the like to be placed; and inserting the optical waveguide chip into the optical waveguide chip insertion portion of the die via a molding reference surface. Attaching a guide hole forming pin to the guide hole forming V-groove and performing plastic molding to produce optical coupling members at both ends of the optical waveguide chip; and The method includes a step of extracting the optical waveguide chip and a step of inserting and bonding and fixing the optical coupling member to both ends of a new optical waveguide chip.

[0016]

According to the above-mentioned means (1), (a) a part of the surface other than the optical coupling end surface is formed at the time of forming the optical waveguide chip by the reference surface for molding.
And an optical waveguide chip in the mold through the molding reference surface.
After positioning the plastic molding, the light
Pull the optical waveguide core of the waveguide chip and the pin for forming the guide hole.
The position dimension of the punched guide hole is constant.
Aligned Optical Waveguide Module for Highly Accurate Coupling
Can be produced.

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

(B) Plastic molding is performed with the optical waveguide chip and the guide hole forming pin set in a mold, the guide hole forming pin is pulled out of the formed optical coupling member, and the optical waveguide chip 4 is projected. Since the optical waveguide module can be manufactured by cutting and removing the portion, the manufacturing is facilitated.

(C) The guide holes for mounting the connecting guide pins are formed by using the guide hole forming pins placed in the V-grooves provided in the mold. A troublesome groove processing step of forming two V-grooves on the surface of the optical waveguide chip becomes unnecessary, and the process is shortened and the yield is increased.

(D) The width of the optical waveguide chip is reduced,
The number of acquisitions from a single substrate increases, which is suitable for mass production and reduction in manufacturing cost.

According to the means (2) , the means
In addition to the effect of (1) , since the plastic-molded optical coupling member is bonded and fixed to both ends of the optical waveguide chip, the optical waveguide chip is not cracked or lost due to plastic shrinkage, heat history, and the like, and the production yield is increased. Is improved.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, parts having identical functions are given same symbols and their repeated explanation is omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical waveguide module and the like according to an embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view. In the figure, 1 is an optical waveguide module, 2 is an optical fiber tape, 3 is a multi-core optical connector plug, 4 is an optical waveguide chip, 5 is an optical coupling member, 6 is a connecting guide pin, and 35 is an insertion hole.

In the first embodiment, a plurality of optical fibers are connected in parallel to a multi-core optical connector (multi-core optical connector plug) to which an optical fiber tape in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel is connected via connecting guide pins. The optical waveguide module will be described.

The optical waveguide module 1 of the first embodiment has a structure in which an optical coupling member 5 made of plastic is attached to both ends of a plate-shaped optical waveguide chip 4 having a plurality of optical waveguide cores built in parallel. ing. As shown in FIG. 11, the connection guide pin 6 is removably inserted into the guide hole 29 of the optical coupling member 5. As will be described later, the guide holes 29 are formed by simultaneously plastic-molding a part of the guide hole forming pins positioned and mounted in the grooves (V grooves) of the mold.

Two adjacent outer surfaces of the four outer peripheral surfaces of the optical waveguide chip 4 excluding the optical coupling end surface serve as molding reference surfaces,
The optical waveguide chip 4 is formed on the basis of a marker formed simultaneously with the formation of the optical waveguide core formed inside the optical waveguide chip 4. Therefore, the positional dimension between the molding reference surface and the optical waveguide core is constant.

The optical coupling member 5 is formed by plastic molding. During the plastic molding, the optical waveguide chip 4 is positioned in the mold via the molding reference surface, and the guide hole forming pin is positioned in the V groove of the mold. Therefore, after the plastic molding, the optical coupling member 5
The position dimensions of the guide hole 29 formed by pulling out the guide hole forming pin and the optical waveguide core of the optical waveguide chip 4 are constant.

As a result, the optical waveguide module 1 according to the first embodiment can be aligned with high accuracy without alignment.

In the optical waveguide module 1 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the multi-core optical connector plug 3 is positioned and coupled to the optical coupling members 5 at both ends via coupling guide pins 6. . That is, the guide hole 2 of the optical coupling member 5
The connection guide pin 6 is inserted into 9. The other end of the connecting guide pin 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 35 of the multi-core optical connector plug 3. As a result, each optical waveguide core of the optical waveguide chip 4 and each optical fiber of the multi-core optical connector plug 3 are accurately and non-alignedly coupled without performing the aligning operation. The multi-core optical connector plug 3 and the optical coupling member 5 are locked by a clamp spring so as not to come off as in the conventional case.

Next, a method of manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment will be described.

(First Procedure) FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the steps of manufacturing an optical waveguide chip. Description will be made with reference to this flowchart. As shown in FIG. 3, a silicon substrate 9 is prepared by starting the operation (START).
Thereafter, a lower cladding layer 10 having a certain thickness (for example, 20 μm) is formed on the upper surface of the silicon substrate 9 by a flame deposition method (Step 101).

Next, after a core forming layer having the same thickness (for example, 8 μm) is formed on the lower cladding layer 10, the core forming layer is selectively formed by ordinary photolithography and dry etching. The plurality of optical waveguide cores 11 and markers (reference markers) 12 extending in parallel are removed (Step 102). Because of the simultaneous formation by the same photolithography and dry etching, the dimensional relationship between the optical waveguide core 11 and the reference marker 12 can be formed with high precision on the order of microns.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper cladding layer 13 having an accurate thickness (for example, 20 μm) is again formed on the upper surface side of the silicon substrate 9 by the flame deposition method, and the substrate 30 for forming an optical waveguide chip is formed. Form (Step 10
3). The upper surface of the upper cladding layer 13, that is, the upper surface of the substrate 30 for forming an optical waveguide chip is one of the two molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 (the molding reference surface 31) described later. The positional dimensions between the optical waveguide core 11 and the molding reference surface 31 are precise on the order of microns.

Next, the silicon substrate 9 is cut lengthwise and crosswise using a dicing device, a side surface polishing device, or the like, and the cut surface is polished if necessary (step 104) to produce the optical waveguide chip 4 (step 105). And finish the work (EN
D).

At the time of the cutting, that is, the optical waveguide core 1
The cutting along the longitudinal direction is performed with reference to the reference marker 12. The cutting is performed along the center line of the reference marker 12 or along the edge of the reference marker 12. In order to increase the number of optical waveguide chips 4 obtained from the optical waveguide chip forming substrate 30, the optical waveguide core 11 and the reference marker 12 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the reference marker 12. The pattern of the optical waveguide core 11 and the reference marker 12 is a repetitive pattern so that there is no waste when cutting the substrate 30 for forming an optical waveguide chip.

By cutting the optical waveguide chip forming substrate 30 in the longitudinal direction of the reference marker 12 and in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a number of optical waveguide chips 4 shown in FIG. 5 are manufactured. Since the optical waveguide chip 4 does not have a structure for supporting the connecting guide pins (guide pins) as in the related art, the width thereof can be reduced, and one silicon substrate 9 of the optical waveguide chip 4 (the substrate for forming the optical waveguide chip) can be used. 30), the number of obtained optical waveguide chips 4 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the optical waveguide chip 4 can be reduced.

By the cutting, the left side surface of the optical waveguide chip 4 is used as another molding reference surface 32 as shown in FIG. The position dimension of the molding reference surface 32 with respect to the optical waveguide core 11 is also accurate to the order of microns.

(Second Procedure) Next, molds (lower mold, upper mold) for plastic molding as shown in FIG. 7 are manufactured according to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 7, 14 is a guide hole forming pin, 15 is a lower mold, 16 is an upper mold, 17 is a resin, 18 is a guide hole forming V-groove 18,
19 is an optical waveguide chip insertion portion (optical waveguide chip mounting portion), 20 and 21 are cavities, 22 is a resin filling hole, 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a resin passage, reference numeral 24 denotes a support groove (an optical waveguide chip mounting portion), reference numerals 27 and 28 denote reference surfaces, and reference numerals 31 and 32 denote molding reference surfaces.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the operation is started (START), the upper mold 16 having the cavity 21, the resin passage 23, and the resin filling hole 22 is first manufactured by cutting machining (step 201).

Next, the lower mold 15 having the cavity 20 is manufactured by cutting machining.
2).

Next, the lower mold 15 is cut by machining.
An optical waveguide chip insertion portion (optical waveguide chip attachment portion) 19 formed of a groove for guiding the optical waveguide chip 4 is formed on one side of the parting surface of the optical waveguide chip 4, and the optical waveguide chip 4 and the guide hole forming pins 14 are formed on the other side. A support groove (optical waveguide chip mounting portion) 24 composed of a groove for guiding is produced (step 20).
3). The optical waveguide chip mounting portion 19 is manufactured with high precision, and its bottom is a reference surface 27 and one side is a reference surface 28. The reference surfaces 31 and 32 of the optical waveguide chip 4 are brought into close contact with the reference surfaces 27 and 28, respectively.

Next, the lower mold 15 is cut by machining.
The guide hole forming V-groove 18 for guiding the guide hole forming pin 14 is formed on both sides of the optical waveguide chip insertion portion 19 (step 204). The guide hole forming V-groove 18 is manufactured with high precision and is formed at a high position dimension with respect to the reference surfaces 27 and 28.

Next, it is checked whether or not the positional relationship between the V-groove and the chip insertion portion is good (step 205).
In the case of (ES), it is determined that a mold having a high relative positional relationship has been manufactured (step 206), and the manufacturing ends (END).

If the determination is NO, the process returns to (Step 202) and the lower mold 15 is manufactured again.

The mounting surface (bottom) and one side surface of the optical waveguide chip insertion portion 19 are made reference surfaces 27 and 28 by manufacturing the lower mold 15.

The reference surfaces 27 and 28, the reference surfaces 31 and 32 for forming the optical waveguide chip 4, and the V-groove 18 for forming the guide hole are extremely important surfaces (V-groove surfaces). Multi-core optical connector plug 3 of optical waveguide module 1
The quality of the connection with respect to is determined by the positional dimensions of these surfaces.
Therefore, in the production of the mold, it is necessary to produce the optical waveguide chip insertion portion 19 and the V-groove 18 for forming the guide hole with great care.

(Third Procedure) Next, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, optical coupling members 5 are formed at both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4. That is, when the work is started (START), as shown in FIG. 9, the molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 of the optical waveguide chip 4 manufactured in the second procedure are brought into contact with the reference surfaces 27 and 28 of the optical waveguide chip mounting portion 19. Attach it so that it is in close contact (step 301).

As shown in FIG. 9, V-grooves 1 for forming guide holes formed on both sides of the optical waveguide chip mounting portion 19 are provided.
8 are attached with guide hole forming pins 14 (step 3).
02).

Next, the mold is clamped, and the upper mold 16 is overlaid on the lower mold 15. Thereafter, the heated resin 17 is put into the resin filling hole 22 and pressurized by a piston (not shown) to fill and cure the melted resin in the cavities 20 and 21 (step 303). This molding operation is subsequently performed on the other end of the optical waveguide chip 4.

Next, the optical waveguide chip 4 and the like are taken out of the mold, the guide hole forming pins 14 are pulled out of the optical coupling member 5 formed by transfer molding, and the optical waveguide chip 4 shown in FIG. Cut off the protruding part. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 11, the guide hole 2 opened on the optical coupling end face side of the optical coupling member 5.
9 is formed. (Step 304). This guide hole 2
9 is an insertion hole 35 of the multi-core optical connector plug 3 shown in FIG.
Is a hole into which the connecting guide pin 6 to be inserted is inserted.

The position dimensions of the guide hole 29 and the optical waveguide core 11 of the optical waveguide chip 4 are such that the optical waveguide chip 4 is formed on the reference surfaces 27 and 28 of the lower mold 15 and the molding reference surfaces 31 and 3.
2 are attached to the lower mold 15, and the connection guide pins 6 are guided by the V-grooves 18 for forming the guide holes of the lower mold 15. The reference surfaces 31 and 32 are formed simultaneously with the optical waveguide core 11. By using the marker that is used, the accuracy is high.

Next, it is determined whether plastic molding has been applied to both ends of the optical waveguide chip (step 30).
5) In the case of good (YES), it is assumed that the non-aligned connection type optical waveguide module 1 has been manufactured (step 306), and the manufacture is ended (END).

If the determination is NO, the process returns to (Step 301) to manufacture the optical coupling member 5 at the other end of the optical waveguide chip 4.

In the first embodiment, the optical waveguide chip 4
Although the example which manufactures the optical coupling member 5 separately at each end of the above was shown,
By changing the pattern of the mold, the optical coupling members 5 can be simultaneously formed on both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical waveguide module 1 of the first embodiment has a guide hole 29 (see FIG.
(See FIG. 2), and is coupled to the multi-core optical connector plug 3 via the coupling guide pin 6.
Since the positional relationship between the guide hole 29 into which the connecting guide pin 6 is inserted and the optical waveguide core 11 of the optical waveguide chip 4 is highly accurate, the optical fiber tape 2 supported by the multi-core optical connector plug 3 Each optical fiber and the optical waveguide core 11 are optically coupled with high precision. After the connection of the multi-core optical connector plug 3 and the optical waveguide module 1, the multi-core optical connector plug 3 and the optical coupling member 5 are locked by the clamp spring 7 (see FIG. 15).

The optical waveguide module 1 of the first embodiment has the following effects.

(1) The structure has the optical coupling member 5 having the guide holes 29 into which the connecting guide pins 6 can be removably inserted at both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4, and the coupling can be performed with high accuracy without alignment. .

(2) A structure having guide holes 29 into which the guide pins 6 for connection can be inserted is provided on the optical coupling end face side of the optical coupling member 5 on both sides of the optical waveguide chip 4. The width of the optical waveguide chip 4 can be reduced because the structure does not need to be overlapped. Therefore, in the manufacture thereof, a large number of optical waveguide chips 4 can be manufactured from one substrate, and the cost can be reduced.

(3) A guide hole 29 into which the connecting guide pin 6 can be inserted is provided on the optical coupling end face side of the optical coupling member 5 on both sides of the optical waveguide chip 4, and two guide pins for guiding the guide pin as in the conventional case are provided. This eliminates the need for complicated processing for forming the V-groove on the surface of the optical waveguide chip, making it easy and inexpensive to manufacture the optical waveguide module.

(4) Optical waveguide core 1 of optical waveguide chip 4
1, multi-core optical connector plug 3 and optical waveguide module 1
Since the positional dimension with respect to the guide hole 29 into which the connection guide pin 6 used for connection with the optical waveguide module 1 is inserted is specified, the optical waveguide module 1 can be connected to the multi-core optical connector plug 3 without alignment and with high precision.

According to the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide module 1 of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) At the time of forming the optical waveguide chip 4, two adjacent surfaces other than the optical coupling end surface are formed by molding reference surfaces 31 and 32.
Since the optical waveguide chip 4 is positioned in the mold via the molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 and then molded with plastic, the optical waveguide core 11 of the optical waveguide chip 4 and the connecting guide pins 6 are pulled out. The position dimension with the guide hole 29 is constant, and the non-aligned optical waveguide module 1 capable of high-precision coupling can be manufactured.

(2) Plastic molding is performed with the optical waveguide chip 4 and the guide hole forming pin 14 set in a mold, and the guide hole forming pin 1 is formed from the formed optical coupling member 5.
Since the optical waveguide module 1 can be manufactured by extracting the optical waveguide 4 and cutting and removing the protruding portion of the optical waveguide chip 4, the manufacturing is facilitated.

(3) The guide holes 29 for mounting the connecting guide pins 6 are formed by using the guide hole forming pins 14 placed in the guide hole forming V-grooves 18 provided in the mold. As described above, a troublesome groove processing step of forming two V-grooves on the surface of the optical waveguide chip for mounting the guide pins becomes unnecessary, and the process is shortened and the yield is increased.

(4) The width of the optical waveguide chip 4 is reduced,
The number of acquisitions from one substrate is increased, which is suitable for mass production and reduction in manufacturing cost.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 12 to 14 show another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of an optical coupling member, and FIG. 13 is an optical waveguide. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a module manufacturing process.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where an optical waveguide chip is connected to an optical coupling member.

In manufacturing the optical waveguide module 1 according to the second embodiment, first, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, the optical coupling member 5 is manufactured. Work start (ST
ART), and the optical waveguide chip mounting portion (optical waveguide chip insertion portion) of the mold shown in FIG. 7 manufactured in the second procedure.
19, an optical waveguide insertion chip (substantially the same as the optical waveguide chip 4 and thus also simply referred to as the optical waveguide chip 4) manufactured by the same procedure as in the first procedure, as shown in FIG. The molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 are attached so as to be in close contact with the reference surfaces 27 and 28 of the optical waveguide chip insertion portion 19 (step 401).

Next, the cavity 2 is covered with the upper mold 16.
A resin is injected into the layers 0 and 21 and cured by heating to produce the optical coupling member 5 (Step 402).

Next, the pin 14 for forming the guide hole and the chip for inserting the optical waveguide (optical waveguide chip 4) are connected to the optical coupling member 5.
(Step 403), the optical coupling member 5 having the guide hole position (pin hole position) and the optical waveguide chip insertion portion 19 with high positional accuracy can be manufactured (Step 404). Ends (END)
I do.

By the operation according to the steps shown in the above-mentioned flowchart, it is not fixed to the optical waveguide insertion chip 2
One optical coupling member 5 is manufactured.

Next, the two optical coupling members 5 are fixed to both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing this operation. The optical waveguide chip 4 manufactured in the first procedure is attached to the optical coupling member 5 manufactured in the third procedure by using the molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 as a reference (Step 501). 5 and the optical waveguide chip 4 are fixed with an adhesive (step 50).
2).

As shown in FIG. 14, the optical coupling member 5
There is a groove 40 generated by extracting the optical waveguide insertion chip (optical waveguide chip 4).

The bottom 41 and the left side surface 42 of the groove 40 are
It is a surface defined and manufactured by the molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 of the optical waveguide insertion chip (optical waveguide chip 4). Accordingly, the molding reference surfaces 31 and 32 of the optical waveguide chip 4 are attached and adhered to the bottom 41 and the left side surface 42 so that the optical waveguide core 11 of the optical waveguide chip 4 and the optical coupling member 5 are bonded to each other. The guide hole 29 always has a fixed positional relationship. The optical coupling members 5 are fixed to both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4.

Next, it is determined whether or not the optical coupling members 5 have been attached to both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4 (step 50).
3) In the case of good (YES), it is determined that the non-aligned connection type optical waveguide module 1 has been manufactured (Step 504), and the manufacturing is ended (END).

If the determination is NO, the process returns to (Step 501) to fix the optical coupling member 5 to the other end of the optical waveguide chip 4.

According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, since the plastic-molded optical coupling member 5 is bonded and fixed to both ends of the optical waveguide chip 4, the plastic shrinkage, heat history, etc. There is no cracking or loss of the optical coupling member 5, and the production yield is improved.

The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Needless to say.

[0082]

The effects obtained by the representative ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

(1) A structure having an optical coupling member having guide holes into which coupling guide pins can be removably inserted is provided at both ends of the optical waveguide chip, so that accurate alignment can be achieved without alignment.

(2) The width of the optical waveguide chip can be reduced because the optical waveguide chip has a guide hole on the optical coupling end face side of each of the optical coupling members on both sides of the optical waveguide chip, into which the connecting guide pin can be inserted. Since the width of the optical waveguide chip is reduced, the number of acquisitions from one substrate is increased, which is suitable for mass production and reduction in manufacturing cost.

(3) A structure having a guide hole into which a connecting guide pin can be inserted is provided on the optical coupling end face side of the optical coupling member on both sides of the optical waveguide chip, and two V-grooves for guiding the guide pin are provided as in the related art. The troublesome work of forming on the surface of the optical waveguide chip is not required, and the fabrication of the optical waveguide module is facilitated.

(4) an optical waveguide core of the optical waveguide chip;
Since the positional dimensions of the guide holes into which the connection guide pins used to connect the multi-core optical connector plug and the optical waveguide module are inserted are specified, the optical waveguide module can be aligned with high accuracy without alignment. Becomes

(5) When forming the optical waveguide chip, a part of the surface other than the optical coupling end surface is used as a molding reference surface, and after the optical waveguide chip is positioned in the mold via the molding reference surface, plastic molding is performed. It is possible to manufacture an acentric connection type optical waveguide module in which the position dimensions of the optical waveguide core of the optical waveguide chip and the guide hole formed by pulling out the guide hole forming pin become constant and high precision coupling is possible. it can.

(6) Plastic molding is performed with the optical waveguide chip and the guide hole forming pin set in a mold, the guide hole forming pin is pulled out of the formed optical coupling member, and the optical waveguide chip 4 is projected. Since the optical waveguide module can be manufactured by cutting and removing the portion, the manufacturing is facilitated.

(7) The guide holes for mounting the connecting guide pins are formed by using the guide hole forming pins placed in the V-grooves provided in the mold. A troublesome groove processing step of forming two V-grooves on the surface of the optical waveguide chip becomes unnecessary, and the process is shortened and the yield is increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical waveguide module and the like according to an embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of an optical waveguide chip constituting the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a silicon substrate on which an optical waveguide and a marker are formed in manufacturing an optical waveguide chip.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a silicon substrate in which an optical waveguide and a marker are covered with quartz in manufacturing an optical waveguide chip.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an optical waveguide chip.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of a mold used for manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a mold and the like.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state in which an optical waveguide chip and a pin for forming a guide hole are placed on a lower mold in manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a part of the optical waveguide chip after molding in manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of the optical waveguide module according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of manufacturing a guide pin insertion plastic part in manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to another embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of the optical waveguide module according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical waveguide chip is attached to a plastic part for inserting a guide pin in manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional optical waveguide module and the like.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1 'optical waveguide module, 2 optical fiber tape, 3 multi-core optical connector plug, 4, 4' optical waveguide chip, 5 optical coupling member, 5 'plastic molded part, 6 coupling guide Pin, 6 ': guide pin, 7: clamp spring, 8: V groove, 9: silicon substrate, 10
... lower cladding layer, 11 ... optical waveguide core, 12 ... reference marker, 13 ... upper cladding layer, 14 ... pins for forming guide holes, 15 ... lower mold, 16 ... upper mold, 17 ... resin, 18 ...
V-groove for forming a guide hole, 19: optical waveguide chip insertion part, 2
0, 21: cavity, 27, 28: reference plane, 29: guide hole, 30: substrate for forming optical waveguide chip, 31, 32
... molding reference surface, 35 ... insertion hole, 40 ... groove, 41 ... bottom,
42 left side surface.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Takaya 1-6-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (56) References JP-A-2-15204 (JP, A) JP-A-Hei 8-190031 (JP, A) JP-A-8-248269 (JP, A) JP-A-5-264866 (JP, A) JP-A-2-222182 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ^7, DB name) G02B 6/30 G02B 6/12 G02B 6/36

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An optical waveguide module comprising: an optical waveguide chip provided with an optical waveguide core; and optical coupling members having guide holes at both ends of the optical waveguide chip, into which connecting guide pins can be removably inserted. By the way
To simultaneously form the optical waveguide core and the marker on the main surface of the substrate.
Process for manufacturing a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip
And a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip based on the marker
Optical waveguide chip by cutting a part of the
Forming the optical coupling member,
Optical waveguide for mounting a cavity and the optical waveguide chip
Place the chip insertion section and guide hole forming pin
Step of preparing a molding die having a V-groove for forming a guide hole
And a molding reference surface at the optical waveguide chip insertion portion of the mold.
Attaching an optical waveguide chip through the guide hole type
Attach a guide hole forming pin to the forming V-groove
Optical coupling members at both ends of the optical waveguide chip.
And a pin for forming a guide hole from the optical coupling member.
Extracting the tip, and a tip protruding from the optical coupling member.
Cutting and removing the component . 2. An optical waveguide chip provided with an optical waveguide core.
Connection guide pins are attached to both ends of the optical waveguide chip.
An optical coupling member having a guide hole which can be removably inserted is provided.
This is a method of manufacturing the optical waveguide module provided for each.
To simultaneously form the optical waveguide core and the marker on the main surface of the substrate.
Process for manufacturing a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip
And a substrate for forming an optical waveguide chip based on the marker
Optical waveguide chip by cutting a part of the
Forming the optical coupling member,
Optical waveguide for mounting a cavity and the optical waveguide chip
Place the chip insertion section and guide hole forming pin
Step of preparing a molding die having a V-groove for forming a guide hole
And a molding reference surface at the optical waveguide chip insertion portion of the mold.
Attaching an optical waveguide chip through the guide hole type
Attach a guide hole forming pin to the forming V-groove
Optical coupling members at both ends of the optical waveguide chip.
And a pin for forming a guide hole from the optical coupling member.
Process for extracting optical waveguide chips and new optical waveguides
Insert and fix the optical coupling member at both ends of the
Optical waveguide module comprising the steps of:
Method of manufacturing .