JP3891712B2 - Member position adjustment fixing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a member position adjustment fixing method, and more particularly to a technique for accurately performing position adjustment fixing of two or more members.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Optical coupling devices that optically couple optical elements such as laser diodes and optical fibers are known. FIG. 12 shows a drawing for explaining an example of a conventional method for manufacturing such an optical coupling device.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 12, when manufacturing the optical coupling device, first, it is necessary to fix the lens holder 2 and the rod lens 10 in an optimal positional relationship. Here, the optimal positional relationship refers to a positional relationship in which light from the laser diode 8 is narrowed down by the rod lens 10 and focused at the end face 10a.
[0004]
First, the metal lens holder 2 is fixed using the fixing members 4 and 6. Next, the rod lens 10 coated with a thermosetting adhesive is inserted into the nose portion 2 a of the lens holder 2. Next, the end surface 10a is illuminated with a halogen lamp (not shown) in a state where the contact surface 14a of the lens presser 14 holding the microscope lens 12 is in contact with the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10, and the end surface 10a is illuminated with a microscope. The lens 12 is focused.
[0005]
Next, while causing the laser diode 8 to emit light in the lens holder 2, the laser diode 8 is moved in the X direction (vertical direction) and the Y direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface, horizontal direction) in the figure, The light is adjusted so that it is approximately at the center of the end face 10a of the rod lens 10. The state of the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10 can be observed by an imaging device (not shown) using a vidicon or the like through the microscope lens 12.
[0006]
After adjusting so that the light from the laser diode 8 comes to substantially the center of the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10, the microscope lens 12 is moved in the Z1 direction together with the lens presser 14. In this way, it is possible to move the rod lens 10 in the Z direction (horizontal direction) while keeping the focus of the microscope lens 12 on the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10.
[0007]
While moving the rod lens 10 in the Z direction, the state of the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10 is observed by the imaging device through the microscope lens 12. The movement of the rod lens 10 is stopped at a position where the light from the laser diode 8 focused by the rod lens 10 is focused on the end face 10a.
[0008]
Next, in the state as it is, the lens holder 2 is heated by the heater 16 to cure the thermosetting adhesive described above, thereby fixing the rod lens 10 and the lens holder 2 together. In this way, the rod lens 10 and the lens holder 2 can be fixed in an optimal positional relationship.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional method for manufacturing the optical coupling device as described above has the following problems. In the conventional method, after adjusting the rod lens 10 and the lens holder 2 to have an optimal positional relationship, the heater 14 is brought into contact with the end surface 10a of the rod lens 10 while the contact surface 14a of the lens presser 14 is in contact therewith. The lens holder 2 is heated by 16 to cure and fix the above-mentioned thermosetting adhesive.
[0010]
Accordingly, the lens holder 2 is expanded by heating, and the end 2b of the lens holder 2 moves in the Z2 direction. On the other hand, the contact surface 14a of the lens presser 14 which is not heated maintains the original position. For this reason, the rod lens 10 is pushed in the Z1 direction relative to the lens holder 2 by the lens presser 14. In this case, the optimal positional relationship between the rod lens 10 and the lens holder 2 that have been adjusted with great care is lost during fixation.
[0011]
An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to provide a member position adjusting and fixing method in which the adjusted positional relationship does not collapse at the time of fixing.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problem, Action and Effect of the Invention]
This invention In the position adjustment fixing method of the member of Extends in the first direction by thermal expansion A lens holder having a nose part and the nose part of the lens holder A second direction opposite to the first direction and the first direction. In the method of fixing after adjusting the relative position of the optical element held movably in the direction,
Extends in the first direction by thermal expansion A guide body having a guide body portion having a cylindrical portion and a pressing plate that is fixed to the lower end of the cylindrical portion and holds an optical element is prepared,
Fix the lens holder so that the end surface of the nose is vertically downward or diagonally downward, Guide body Inner circumference of cylindrical part Is inserted into the outer periphery of the lens holder nose, and the optical element is inserted into the lens holder nose.
While the optical element is in contact with the pressure plate of the guide body, First direction and / or second By moving the lens holder in the direction, adjust the relative position of the lens holder and the optical element,
With the relative position of the lens holder and guide body fixed, While the optical element is in contact with the pressing plate of the guide body, the cylindrical part of the guide body part and the nose part of the lens holder are heated, and the lens holder and the optical element are fixed through a heating process,
The thermal expansion coefficient of the nose part of the lens holder is substantially the same as the thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical part of the guide body part.
[0013]
Therefore, in the heating process Lens holder nose And guide Cylindrical part of the main body Is expanded, but both have a similar coefficient of thermal expansion, Lens holder There is no dimensional difference due to heating between the guide body and the guide body. For this reason, Lens holder And is in contact with the guide body Optical element The relative position does not change due to heating. Ie adjusted once Lens holder When Optical element The positional relationship between and does not collapse at the time of fixation.
[0014]
This invention In the position adjustment fixing method, Lens holder When Optical element By interposing a thermosetting adhesive between and heating and curing the adhesive in the heating step, Lens holder When Optical element It is characterized by being fixed.
[0015]
Therefore, even in places where light curable adhesives cannot be used because light does not reach, Lens holder When Optical element Both members can be fixed using a thermosetting adhesive without worrying about misalignment.
[0016]
This invention In the position adjustment fixing method, Lens holder When Optical element After adjusting the positional relationship with Lens holder When Optical element By soaking the adhesive between the two using a capillary phenomenon, and curing the soaked adhesive Lens holder When Optical element It is characterized by being fixed.
[0017]
Therefore, Lens holder When Optical element When adjusting the positional relationship with Lens holder When Optical element There is no adhesive between. For this reason, Lens holder When Optical element The sliding resistance can be reduced.
[0018]
This invention In the position adjustment fixing method, Lens holder Has a light source, Optical element Is an optical element, and the optical measurement device is focused on a predetermined portion of the optical element, and the optical state of the predetermined portion when light from the light source is applied to the optical element is observed using the optical measurement device so, Lens holder When Optical element It is characterized in that the positional relationship between and is confirmed.
[0019]
Therefore, the positional relationship between the optical element and the member provided with the light source that has been adjusted once does not collapse. For this reason, positioning of the member provided with the light source for which high accuracy is required and the optical element can be easily realized.
[0020]
This invention In the member position adjustment fixing method, the optical element is a rod lens inserted into the lens holder, and the predetermined part of the optical element is an output side end of the rod lens. Therefore, the positioning of the lens holder provided with the light source and the rod lens inserted into the lens holder can be easily realized.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 7 shows an optical coupling device manufactured by using a member position adjusting method, a position adjusting fixing method, an optical element position adjusting method, an illumination light source device, and an optical measuring device focusing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of 20. FIG. 1 to 3 are diagrams for explaining a method of manufacturing the optical coupling device 20.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical coupling device 20 includes a rod lens (optical element) 30 as a second member (member) and a lens holder 22 as a first member (another member). The rod lens 30 is inserted into an appropriate portion of the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22, and is fixed by an adhesive. A laser diode 28 as a light source is fixed to the upper end of the lens holder 22 (end in the Z1 direction in the figure). The laser diode 28 emits infrared light.
[0023]
The end portion 60 a of the optical cable 60 is brought into contact with the end surface 30 a which is the output side end portion (predetermined portion) of the rod lens 30 and is fixed by the split sleeve 54. The optical cable 60 includes an optical fiber 58 and a ferrule 56 formed of ceramics or the like and formed so as to surround the optical fiber 58.
[0024]
Thus, the optical coupling device 20 is a device that optically couples the laser diode 28 and the optical fiber 58 via the rod lens 30. The light emitted from the laser diode 28 is narrowed down by the rod lens 30 and transmitted to the outside through the optical fiber 58.
[0025]
Below, based on FIGS. 1-3, the manufacturing method of the optical coupling device 20 is demonstrated. In order to manufacture the optical coupling device 20, first, it is necessary to fix the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30 in an optimal positional relationship. Here, the optimal positional relationship refers to a positional relationship in which light from the laser diode 28 is narrowed down by the rod lens 30 and focused at the end surface 30a.
[0026]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the metal lens holder 22 is fixed using fixing members 24 and 26 so that the end face 22b is vertically downward (Z2 direction in the figure). Next, the guide body 38 is fitted into the outer periphery of the nose portion 22 a of the lens holder 22.
[0027]
The guide body 38 includes a metal guide main body portion 34 and a pressing plate 36. The guide main body portion 34 is configured using the same metal material as the lens holder 22 described above. For example, SUS303 is used as the metal material.
[0028]
However, as long as the constituent material of the guide main body portion 34 and the constituent material of the lens holder 22 have substantially the same coefficient of thermal expansion, the constituent materials of both need not necessarily be the same. Moreover, as long as both constituent materials have the substantially same thermal expansion coefficient, both constituent materials do not necessarily need to be a metal. For example, one or both of the constituent material of the guide main body portion 34 and the constituent material of the lens holder 22 can be configured using synthetic resin or ceramics.
[0029]
Of the guide body portion 34, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 34a and the outer peripheral surface of the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22 are both precisely polished and smoothly fitted with little play.
[0030]
The aforementioned pressing plate 36 is fixed to the lower end (end in the Z2 direction in the drawing) of the cylindrical portion 34a of the guide main body portion 34 with an adhesive or the like. The pressing plate 36 is made of a material having translucency and having a certain degree of hardness, for example, sapphire or quartz.
[0031]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pressing plate 36. Of the pressing plate 36, a contact surface 36a that contacts the end surface 30a of the rod lens 30 is provided with a focusing index 36a substantially at the center. The focusing index 36a is formed by performing photo-etching or the like on the contact surface 36a.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 1, the microscope lens 32 is held by the guide body portion 34 at a predetermined distance below the pressing plate 36 at a predetermined distance.
[0033]
After such a guide body 38 is fitted into the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22, the rod lens 30 is inserted into the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22 from vertically above. The rod lens 30 descends vertically under its own weight, and stops in a state where the end surface 30a is in contact with the contact surface 36a of the pressing plate 36.
[0034]
Next, the laser diode 28 is placed on the upper end surface 22 c of the lens holder 22. Next, light from the illumination light source device 42 is irradiated in the direction P1 in the drawing to illuminate the vicinity of the center of the pressing plate 36, and the microscope lens 32 is placed on the focusing index 36b of the pressing plate 36 under the illumination. To focus on.
[0035]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the illumination light source device 42. The illumination light source device 42 includes a housing 46, a laser diode 48 that is a laser light source provided at one end of the housing 46, and a scattering plate 50 provided at the other end of the housing 46.
[0036]
The inner surface 46a of the housing 46 is made of a material having a high light reflectance. The laser diode 48 emits infrared light having the same wavelength as that of the laser diode 28 shown in FIG. Of the laser light emitted from the laser diode 28, the light near the beam center is directly applied to the scattering plate 50, and the light other than the vicinity of the beam center is reflected by the inner surface 46 a of the housing 46 and then applied to the scattering plate 50. It is configured to irradiate.
[0037]
In this embodiment, the light in the vicinity of the beam center is light in the range of the laser beam that is about half the intensity of the beam center at the beam center or the scattering plate 50. However, light in a range other than this can also be used as light near the beam center.
[0038]
FIG. 6A is a graph showing the intensity distribution of the light emitted from the laser diode 28 at the position of the scattering plate 50. As shown in FIG. 6, light in a range (indicated by (c) in the figure) in which the intensity is about half of the beam center or the intensity of the light at the beam center (indicated by (b) in the figure). The scattering plate 50 is directly irradiated with light in the range. That is, the diameter of the scattering plate 50 (see FIG. 5) is set to D.
[0039]
In this way, light in the vicinity of the beam center and light other than in the vicinity of the beam center are added at the position of the scattering plate 50, and as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the intensity per unit area is high, and Light with an intensity averaged to some extent can be obtained.
[0040]
The light added in this way is scattered by the scattering plate 50, becomes light with low coherence (incoherent light), and illuminates the vicinity of the pressing plate 36. That is, the vicinity of the pressing plate 36 can be illuminated with the same wavelength as the light emitted from the laser diode 28 used in the optical coupling device 20 and with low coherence.
[0041]
The reason why low coherence light is used is that when high coherence light is used as illumination light, interference fringes are generated when the microscope lens 32 is focused, making observation difficult.
[0042]
The reason why the illumination light having the same wavelength as the light emitted from the laser diode 28 used in the optical coupling device 20 is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 11.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 9A, the optical fiber 58 includes a core part 58a and a clad part 58b formed so as to surround the core part 58a. The light emitted from the laser diode 28 and narrowed down by the rod lens 30 enters the core portion 58a of the optical fiber 58, and repeats total reflection at the boundary between the core portion 58a and the clad portion 58b, and the inside of the core portion 58a is illustrated. Proceed in the middle right direction.
[0044]
In order to make the narrowed-down light efficiently enter the core portion 58a, the focused light is focused on the center line of the core portion 58a and is narrowed down as shown in FIG. 9A. What is necessary is just to make the focus of the light come to the end surface 58c of the optical fiber 58. Alternatively, the narrowed light may be in any state from the state (b) shown in FIG. 9B to the state (c). In other words, the focus of the narrowed light may be in the range of ± x from the end face of the optical fiber 58.
[0045]
For example, the numerical aperture (NA) of the core part 58a is 0.1, the refractive index (n) of quartz constituting the core part 58a is 1.5, and the diameter (d) of the core part 58a is 10 μm. Then, in the figure, θ ′ is 5.739 °. Therefore, x is 49.75 μm. That is, it is required to focus the focused light with an accuracy of about ± 50 μm. Actually, as shown in FIG. 9C, the narrowed-down light generates a beam waist, so that more stringent alignment is required.
[0046]
On the other hand, it is known that the refractive index of light varies depending on the wavelength of light. Therefore, even with the same lens, the focal length varies depending on the wavelength of the acting light. For example, it is assumed that light (green light) having a wavelength λ1 = 546.1 nm is used as illumination light when the microscope lens 32 is focused on the focusing index 36b of the pressing plate 36. Further, it is assumed that light emitted from the laser diode 28 and incident on the microscope lens 32 is light (infrared light) having a wavelength λ2 = 1300 nm. The difference δ in the focal length of the microscope lens 32 between when the light of wavelength λ1 is applied and when the light of wavelength λ2 is applied will be calculated.
[0047]
It is assumed that the refractive index (n1) at the wavelength λ1 of the microscope lens 32 is 1.519, the refractive index (n2) at the wavelength λ2 is 1.504, the numerical aperture (NA) is 0.4, and the working distance (WD) is 11 mm. Then, when the microscope lens 32 is a plane lens, θ shown in FIG. 10A is 23.578 °, and θ ′ is 23.331 °. Therefore, the difference δ in the focal length of the microscope lens 32 between the case where the light having the wavelength λ1 is applied and the case where the light having the wavelength λ2 is applied is 131 μm. When the microscope lens 32 is a spherical lens, θ shown in FIG. 10B is 23.578 °, and θ ′ is 22.710 °. Therefore, the focal length difference δ in this case is 471 μm.
[0048]
Furthermore, taking into account the difference in focal length in the rod lens 30, this difference is even greater. For example, if the refractive index (nL) at the wavelength λ2 of the rod lens 30 is 1.47744, the focal length difference δL shown in FIG. 11 is 203 μm when the microscope lens 32 is a plane lens, and the microscope lens 32 is a spherical lens. In this case, it is 728 μm.
[0049]
Thus, it is required that the light emitted from the laser diode 28 and focused by the rod lens 30 be focused with an accuracy of about ± 50 μm, while the illumination light having the wavelength λ1 is applied, It has been found that the deviation of the focus of the microscope lens 32 when the light from the laser diode 28 having the wavelength λ2 is applied becomes 728 μm at the maximum.
[0050]
Based on such consideration, the inventor decided to use light having the same wavelength as the light emitted from the laser diode 28 as illumination light.
[0051]
In the above-described embodiment, the illumination light source device is described as an example of a device that scatters and uses laser light having substantially the same wavelength as the laser light emitted from the laser diode 28. It is not limited to this. For example, an LED (light emitting diode) that emits light having substantially the same wavelength as the laser light emitted from the laser diode 28, or a surface light emitting element such as an organic EL (electroluminescence) or an inorganic EL can be used. The halogen lamp can be used by applying a filter that transmits only light having substantially the same wavelength as the laser light emitted from the laser diode 28.
[0052]
Returning to FIG. 1, the microscope lens 32 is focused on the focusing index 36b (see FIG. 4) provided on the contact surface 36a of the pressing plate 36 under such illumination light. By focusing the microscope lens 32 on the focusing index 36b provided on the contact surface 36a, the microscope lens 32 is focused on the end surface 30a of the rod lens 30 in contact with the contact surface 36a. Become.
[0053]
In this way, the microscope lens 32 can be easily focused on the rod even when it is difficult to focus directly, such as when there is no scratch or dust on the end face 30a of the rod lens 30. It can be matched with the end face 30 a of the lens 30.
[0054]
After focusing, while moving the laser diode 28 in the lens holder 22, the laser diode 28 is moved in the X direction (horizontal direction) and the Y direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface, horizontal direction) in the drawing, and laser Temporary alignment is performed so that the light spot from the diode 28 comes near the center of the focusing index 36b. The spot of light generated in the vicinity of the focusing index 36b can be observed by an imaging device (not shown) using a vidicon or the like through the microscope lens 32.
[0055]
Thus, after adjusting so that the light from the laser diode 28 may be near the center of the focusing index 36b, the microscope lens 32 is moved together with the guide body 38 in the Z1 direction. The guide body 38 moves in the Z1 direction along the outer peripheral surface of the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22.
[0056]
The end surface 30 a of the rod lens 30 is in contact with the contact surface 36 a of the pressing plate 36 due to the weight of the rod lens 30. Accordingly, the rod lens 30 also moves in the Z1 direction in conjunction with the guide body 38. In this way, the rod lens 30 can be moved in the Z1 direction (vertically upward) while the microscope lens 32 is focused on the end surface 30a of the rod lens 30.
[0057]
While moving the rod lens 30 in the Z1 direction, the state of the end surface 30a of the rod lens 30 is observed by the imaging device via the microscope lens 32. The movement of the rod lens 30 is stopped at a position where the light from the laser diode 2 focused by the rod lens 30 is focused on the end face 30a.
[0058]
In the process of moving the rod lens 30, the rod lens 30 may go too far in the Z1 direction beyond the position where the focal point is formed. In such a case, the focus may be adjusted in the same procedure while returning the guide body 38 in the Z2 direction (vertically downward). That is, the state of the end face 30a of the rod lens 30 is observed by the imaging device through the microscope lens 32 while returning the guide body 38 in the Z2 direction, and the light from the laser diode 2 narrowed down by the rod lens 30 is the end face 30a. The movement of the rod lens 30 may be stopped at the position where the focal point is established.
[0059]
As described above, the end surface 30 a of the rod lens 30 is in contact with the contact surface 36 a of the pressing plate 36 due to the weight of the rod lens 30. Therefore, the rod lens 30 also moves in the Z2 direction (vertically below) in conjunction with the guide body 38. Therefore, the position adjustment between the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30 can be performed quickly and at low cost.
[0060]
When the position adjustment between the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30 is completed, the laser diode 28 is temporarily removed as it is, and a thermosetting adhesive 52 is applied from above the lens holder 22 as shown in FIG. The adhesive 52 is soaked on the lens surface 30b of the rod lens 30 and the adhesive 52 is soaked between the inner peripheral surface of the nose portion 22a and the outer peripheral surface of the rod lens 30 using a capillary phenomenon. The type of the thermosetting adhesive is not particularly limited, and for example, a thermosetting epoxy adhesive can be used.
[0061]
Since the adhesive 52 is applied after adjusting the position of the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30, smooth relative movement between the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30 is prevented by the adhesive 52 during the position adjustment. Absent.
[0062]
Next, in the state as it is, the cylindrical portion 34a of the guide main body portion 34 and the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22 are heated by the heater 40 to cure the above-described thermosetting adhesive 52, and the rod lens. 30 and the lens holder 22 are fixed.
[0063]
By heating, the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22 expands and slightly extends in the Z direction. However, as described above, the thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical portion 34a of the guide main body portion 34 is set to be substantially the same as the thermal expansion coefficient of the nose portion 22a of the lens holder 22, and therefore the guide main body portion due to the heating. The extension amount of the cylindrical portion 34 a of the lens 34 is substantially the same as the extension amount of the nose portion 22 a of the lens holder 22.
[0064]
Therefore, in the heating step, the rod lens 30 is hardly pushed in the Z1 direction by the pressing plate 36. That is, the optimal positional relationship between the rod lens 30 and the lens holder 22 adjusted with great care will not be lost at the time of fixation.
[0065]
In this way, the rod lens 30 and the lens holder 22 can be fixed in an optimal positional relationship.
[0066]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the end portion 60 a of the optical cable 60 is brought into contact with the end surface 30 a of the rod lens 30 and fixed by the split sleeve 54. Thereafter, the laser diode 28 removed earlier is placed on the upper end surface 22c of the lens holder 22 again, and the laser diode 28 is caused to emit light in the lens holder 22, while in the X and Y directions (directions orthogonal to the paper surface) in the figure. The laser diode 28 is moved.
[0067]
A power meter (not shown) is connected to the other end (not shown) of the optical cable 60, and the amount of light reached is observed using the power meter. The position where the amount of light reaching the maximum is the optimum position of the laser diode 28 in the X direction and the Y direction.
[0068]
Next, the laser diode 28 and the lens holder 22 are fixed at the optimum position. As a fixing method, for example, a YAG welding method or the like is used. Finally, the fixing members 24 and 26 that fixed the lens holder 22 are removed. In this way, the optical coupling device 20 can be manufactured.
[0069]
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the thermosetting adhesive 52 is used to fix the rod lens 30 and the lens holder 22 (see FIG. 2). However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. The adhesive 62 is used. Therefore, the heater 40 (see FIG. 2) is not necessary. The type of the photo-curable adhesive is not particularly limited, and for example, a UV (ultraviolet) curable epoxy adhesive can be used. Steps other than the bonding step are the same as in the above-described embodiment.
[0070]
That is, in this embodiment, after the position adjustment between the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30 is completed, the laser diode 28 is once removed, and a photo-curable adhesive is vertically applied from above the lens holder 22 as shown in FIG. 62 is prevented from adhering to the lens surface 30b of the rod lens 30, and the adhesive 62 is soaked between the inner peripheral surface of the nose portion 22a and the outer peripheral surface of the rod lens 30 by utilizing capillary action. It is.
[0071]
As in the case of the above-described embodiment, since the adhesive 62 is applied after the position adjustment of the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30, the lens holder 22, the rod lens 30, and the like are used by the adhesive 62 during the position adjustment. Smooth relative movement is not hindered.
[0072]
Next, in the state as it is, light is applied to the rod lens 30 from the lower oblique direction (P1 direction) or the upper oblique direction (P2 direction). By applying light to the rod lens 30 from an oblique direction, the light reaches the adhesive 62 soaked between the inner peripheral surface of the nose portion 22a and the outer peripheral surface of the rod lens 30. In addition, when light is applied from the lower oblique direction (P1 direction), the light reaches the rod lens 30 through the pressing plate 36 having translucency.
[0073]
As described above, when a photo-curable adhesive is used for the adhesion process after the position adjustment between the lens holder 22 and the rod lens 30, there is no need for heating at the time of curing. There is no need to consider misalignment. For this reason, there are few restrictions on the positional relationship of the lens holder 22 and the guide main body part 34 and on the selection of materials. Moreover, since the photocurable adhesive has a relatively short curing time, the production efficiency can be increased.
[0074]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the rod lens 30 is moved in the vertical direction with respect to the lens holder 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rod lens 30 may be moved with respect to the lens holder 22 in a vertically oblique direction, for example, a direction having an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the vertical direction.
[0075]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the optical coupling device is described as an example for optically coupling an optical fiber and a laser diode, but the optical coupling device is not limited to this. Other optical coupling devices, for example, for optically coupling optical fibers and light emitting elements other than laser diodes, for optically coupling optical fibers and light receiving elements such as phototransistors, optical fibers and light receiving For optically coupling an element and a module having a light emitting element, for optically coupling a light emitting element and a light receiving element, for optically coupling optical fibers to each other, The present invention can be applied.
[0076]
Also, for example, a rod lens has been described as an optical element that optically couples an optical fiber and a laser diode, but the optical element is not limited to a rod lens. Examples of optical elements include lenses other than rod lenses, prisms, and mirrors.
[0077]
Further, although the optical coupling device has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to optical components other than optical coupling devices and members other than optical components.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a method of manufacturing an optical coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a method of manufacturing an optical coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a method of manufacturing an optical coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a pressing plate 36. FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of an illumination light source device 42. FIG.
6 is a drawing for explaining the state of light emitted from the illumination light source device 42. FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an optical coupling device 20 manufactured by using the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a method of manufacturing an optical coupling device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9A, 9B, and 9C are diagrams for explaining the reason why light having the same wavelength as light emitted from a laser diode 28 used in an optical coupling device is used as illumination light.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the reason why light having the same wavelength as light emitted from a laser diode 28 used in an optical coupling device is used as illumination light.
FIG. 11 is a drawing for explaining the reason why light having the same wavelength as that emitted from a laser diode used in an optical coupling device is used as illumination light.
FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining an example of a conventional method for manufacturing an optical coupling device.
[Explanation of symbols]
22 ... Lens holder
22a ... Nose part
30 ... Rod lens
34 ... Guide body
34a ... Cylindrical part
36 ... Pressing plate
40 ... Heater
52... Thermosetting adhesive

Claims (5)

A lens holder having a nose portion extending in a first direction by heating and expanding, and movable in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the nose portion of the lens holder In the method of fixing after adjusting the relative position of the optical element held in
A guide body having a guide body portion having a cylindrical portion extending in the first direction by heating and expanding , and a pressing plate fixed to the lower end of the cylindrical portion and holding the optical element is prepared,
After fixing the lens holder so that the end surface of the nose part is vertically downward or diagonally downward , fit the inner periphery of the cylindrical part of the guide body into the outer periphery of the nose part of the lens holder, and then inside the nose part of the lens holder Insert the optical element into
Adjusting the relative position of the lens holder and the optical element by moving the guide body in the first direction and / or the second direction while bringing the optical element into contact with the pressing plate of the guide body;
With the relative position of the lens holder and guide body fixed , the cylindrical part of the guide body and the nose part of the lens holder are heated while the optical element is in contact with the pressing plate of the guide body, and the lens holder and the optical It is a method of fixing an element through a heating process,
That the thermal expansion coefficient of the nose part of the lens holder is substantially the same as the thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical part of the guide body part,
A member for adjusting and fixing the position of a member. In the position adjustment fixing method according to claim 1,
A thermosetting adhesive is interposed between the lens holder and the optical element,
In the heating step, the lens holder and the optical element are fixed by heating and curing the adhesive.
It is characterized by. In the position adjustment fixing method according to claim 2,
After adjusting the positional relationship between the lens holder and the optical element, an adhesive is soaked between the lens holder and the optical element by using a capillary phenomenon, and the soaked adhesive is cured, so that the lens holder and the optical element are cured. And to be fixed,
It is characterized by. In the position adjustment fixing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The lens holder includes a light source,
The optical measuring device is focused on a predetermined part of the optical element,
The positional relationship between the lens holder and the optical element was confirmed by observing the optical state of the predetermined portion when the light from the light source was applied to the optical element using an optical measurement device,
It is characterized by. In the position adjustment fixing method of the member of Claim 4,
The optical element is a rod lens inserted into the lens holder,
The predetermined portion of the optical element is an output side end of the rod lens;
It is characterized by.

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