JP6379489B2 - Optical connector housing mounting method, optical connector housing, and optical module using the same - Google Patents

Description

   The present invention relates to an optical connector housing mounting method, an optical connector housing, and an optical module using the same.

  In high-end devices such as supercomputers and high-end servers that perform large-scale scientific and technical calculations, a plurality of system boards with a plurality of nodes are mounted in one casing. Each node is connected to each other via a high-bandwidth communication path to perform a large-scale calculation process. On the system board, a semiconductor package device with a high-performance CPU is placed as a computation node, and the transmission bandwidth of signals sent and received between the semiconductor package devices is several tens to several hundred Gbps (Gigabit per second) Has reached.

  Currently, differential electrical wiring is used for interconnection between semiconductor package devices, but in future high-end devices, Tbps (Terabit per second) class high-bandwidth signals will be input / output from the package device. It is. In conventional electrical transmission, there is a limit to measures against an increase in transmission loss and an improvement in transmission density, and application of optical interconnection technology using optical signals is desired. In particular, silicon photonics is attracting attention as a technology capable of high-speed and high-bandwidth signal transmission. In silicon photonics, a light source, an optical modulator, an optical coupler, and the like are integrated on an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate, and a fiber array and the like are mounted on the optical coupler to perform large-capacity signal input / output.

  One of the optical couplers used in silicon photonics is a grating coupler. The grating coupler is an optical coupler in which a diffraction grating is formed at the end of a silicon (Si) thin optical waveguide on an SOI substrate, and can propagate propagating light in the direction perpendicular to the substrate. Since it can be arranged in a two-dimensional array, it is expected to be used as an optical coupler used for high-bandwidth transmission.

  An optical transceiver module in which an optical fiber array block is mounted on a grating coupler arranged in an array on an SOI chip using an optical adhesive has been developed (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In general, active alignment is used when an optical fiber array block is mounted on an SOI chip. The active alignment uses a plurality of alignment ports formed on the chip to align the multi-core optical ferrule to be connected at a position where the maximum light amount is obtained while changing the horizontal position, height, and angle. Therefore, alignment takes time, and assembly cost becomes a problem. Mounting an optical block (ferrule) using a high-precision flip chip bonder also increases equipment costs and increases the cost of the product.

  On the other hand, as a passive alignment, a configuration is known in which a fiber array block is inserted into a recess of an optical module housing and connected to an electrical connector on a circuit board at an edge portion of the circuit board (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

US Pat. No. 6,821,027

Christophe Kopp et al. "Silicon Photonic Circuits: On-CMOS Integration, Fiber Optical Coupling, and Packaging", IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 2010 Takao, TAJIMA, "Ultra-precision resin processing technology and optical communication parts", Journal of Advanced Science, Vol. 17, No. 3 & 4, 2005

  Provided is an optical connector housing mounting method and configuration that can perform self-alignment positioning at an arbitrary position on a substrate without using an active alignment method or a high-precision alignment apparatus.

In one aspect, a method for mounting an optical connector housing is provided. This method
On the waveguide substrate on which the optical waveguide is formed, an abutting guide and an adhesive application region to which the first adhesive is applied are formed,
Preparing an optical connector housing having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a second bottom surface joined to the adhesive application region;
Applying the first adhesive to the second bottom surface of the optical connector housing, and disposing the optical connector housing on the waveguide substrate so that the second bottom surface and the adhesive application region overlap;
The optical connector housing is moved to the adhesive application area by the restoring force generated by the first adhesive applied to the second bottom surface and the surface tension of the first adhesive applied to the adhesive application area. Positioning in a self-aligned manner,
It is characterized by that.

  The optical connector housing can be positioned in a self-aligned manner at an arbitrary position on the substrate without using an active alignment method or a high-precision alignment apparatus.

It is a figure which shows the optical fiber array block inserted in the optical module using the optical connector housing of 1st Embodiment, and an optical connector housing. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the optical connector housing of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the board | substrate with which an optical connector housing is mounted. It is a figure which shows formation of the guide pattern on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the mounting process of the optical connector housing to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the mounting process of the optical connector housing to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the mounting process of the optical connector housing to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the mounting process of the optical connector housing to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the butting guide and adhesion | attachment area | region on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the optical connector housing of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mounting state to the board | substrate of the optical connector housing of FIG. It is AA 'sectional drawing of FIG. 10, and CC' sectional drawing. It is a figure which shows the fitting state of the optical connector housing and optical fiber array block of 2nd Embodiment. It is AA 'sectional drawing of FIG. 12, and CC' sectional drawing.

In the embodiment, passive mounting is performed from the viewpoint of cost reduction and simplicity. Without using expensive equipment such as a flip chip bonder, an optical connector housing is positioned with high precision on a substrate such as an SOI chip, and an optical ferrule is fitted into the optical connector housing, so that a waveguide on the substrate is obtained. Alternatively, the present invention provides a configuration and method that enables highly efficient optical coupling between an optical coupler and an optical fiber.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an optical module 1 using the optical connector housing 10 of the first embodiment and an optical fiber array block 40 inserted into the optical connector housing 10. FIG. 1A is a top view of the optical module 1 in which the optical fiber array block is inserted, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′. In the first embodiment, the optical connector housing 10 is applied to a configuration in which light emitted upward from the diffraction grating at the end of the optical waveguide 32 on the waveguide substrate 30 is coupled to the optical fiber array 41.

  The optical module 1 includes a waveguide substrate 30 on which an optical waveguide 32 is formed, and an optical connector housing 10 that is mounted on the waveguide substrate 30 and receives an optical fiber array block 40. The optical connector housing 10 includes a fitting portion 11 having a fitting hole 13 for fitting with the optical ferrule 45 of the optical fiber array block 40, and a protrusion extending from the side surface of the fitting portion 11 toward the surface of the waveguide substrate 30. 15 and 16.

  One end of the optical waveguide 32 on the waveguide substrate 30 is connected to an optical circuit (not shown) (optical modulator, optical coupler / splitter, AWG (Array waveguide grating), etc.), and the other end is fitted to the optical connector housing 10. It extends to the inside of the joint hole 13. An optical coupler (not shown in FIG. 1) such as a diffraction grating is formed at the end of the optical waveguide 32 positioned inside the fitting hole 13, and emits light obliquely upward from the surface of the waveguide substrate 30. Let The light emission angle is defined by the pitch of the diffraction grating. In the first embodiment, the light is emitted at an angle of 5 to 15 ° with respect to the normal of the waveguide substrate 30. However, the light may be emitted in the vertical direction.

  The optical fiber array block 40 includes an optical fiber array 41 in which a plurality of optical fibers 42 are arranged, and an optical ferrule 45 that holds the optical fiber array 41. By inserting the optical ferrule 45 into the fitting hole 13 of the optical connector housing 10, each optical fiber 42 of the optical fiber array 41 is optically coupled to the optical coupler formed at the end of the optical waveguide 32. The front end surface of the optical fiber 42 may be obliquely polished according to the light emission angle from the optical coupler.

  The protrusions 15 and 16 of the optical connector housing 10 are fixed to the waveguide substrate 30 with an adhesive 36 on the bottom surface thereof. As will be described later, the optical connector housing 10 is positioned in a self-aligned manner in the XY plane of the waveguide substrate 30 by the restoring force caused by the surface tension of the adhesive 36 and pressed against the abutment guide 34. Thus, the alignment is performed with high accuracy.

  FIG. 2 shows the structure of the optical connector housing 10. 2A is a top view, FIG. 2B is an AA ′ sectional view, FIG. 2C is a BB ′ sectional view, and FIG. 2D is a bottom view. The optical connector housing 10 has a fitting hole 13 at substantially the center of the fitting portion 11, and has protrusions 15 on the tip side in the X direction and protrusions 16 on both sides in the Y direction. The X direction coincides with the optical axis direction of the optical waveguide 32 of the waveguide substrate 30, and the Y direction coincides with the arrangement direction of the optical waveguides 32. An extended portion 13 a may be formed at the bottom of the fitting hole 13.

  The fitting portion 11 has a bottom surface 11 b mounted on the surface of the waveguide substrate 30. The protrusion 15 has an extension 15a extending from the first side surface 11a of the fitting portion 11 toward the bottom surface 11b, and a bottom surface 15b facing the waveguide substrate 30 at the tip of the extension 15a when mounted. Similarly, the protrusion 16 includes an extension 16a that integrally extends from the second side surface 11c of the fitting portion 11 toward the bottom surface 11b, and a bottom surface 16b that faces the waveguide substrate 30 at the tip of the extension 16a when mounted. Have In the example of FIG. 2, the extended portions 15a and 16b of the projecting portions 15 and 16 are curved toward the bottom surfaces 15b and 15b, but may be configured to be bent linearly.

  When the bottom surface 11b of the fitting portion 11 is a “first bottom surface” and the bottom surfaces 15b and 16b of the protrusions 15 and 16 are “second bottom surfaces”, the height position of the second bottom surface with respect to the surface of the waveguide substrate 30 Is above the position of the first bottom. This is because the adhesive 36 is disposed between the waveguide substrate 30 and the bottom surfaces 15b and 16b of the protrusions 15 and 16 to enable self-alignment positioning.

  As a material constituting the optical connector housing 10, engineering plastics having high heat resistance, so-called super engineering plastic materials are suitable. For example, polyphenylene sulfone (PPS), polysulfone (PSF), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), Polyimide (PI), polyetherimide (PEI) resin, etc. can be used. In order to improve heat resistance and rigidity, inorganic particles such as silica may be mixed. The inorganic particles are acicular, spherical, or indefinite, and the particle size is about 0.01 to 100 um. Other resins such as polyethylene (PE) resin and epoxy resin may be added to improve kneading and moldability during injection molding.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the waveguide substrate 30 on which the optical connector housing 10 is mounted. 3A is a top view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view along AA ′. As the waveguide substrate 30, for example, a substrate in which a plurality of optical waveguides (such as silicon thin-line waveguides) 32 and optical coupling portions 33 such as grating couplers are provided on an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate used for silicon photonics is used. be able to.

  In order to mount the optical connector housing 10, a plurality of contact guides 34 are formed on the surface of the waveguide substrate 30 (the main surface on which the optical waveguide 32 and the optical coupling portion 33 are formed). The abutting guide 34 includes bumps 52 on the resist pattern 51a. In the configuration example of FIG. 3A, the abutment guide 34 extending in the X direction (optical axis direction) and the abutment guide 34 extending in the Y direction (direction orthogonal to the optical axis) are arranged one by one. . Further, an adhesive application region 55 including the adhesive 36 applied on the resist pattern 51b is provided on the surface of the waveguide substrate 30. The abutting guide 34 and the adhesive application region 55 are collectively referred to as a guide pattern.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a guide pattern forming process on the waveguide substrate 30. As shown in FIG. 4A, a resist pattern 51a that is a lower layer of the abutment guide 34 and a resist pattern 51b that is a lower layer of the adhesive application region 55 are formed at the optical connector housing mounting position on the waveguide substrate 30. To do. The resist patterns 51a and 51b are formed by a normal lithography process using a general negative or positive type liquid or dry film resist used in a semiconductor lithography process.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a predetermined amount of resin monomer (second adhesive) is dropped on the resist pattern 51a for abutment guide using a dispenser, and the waveguide substrate 30 is heated. Cured with. As a result, bumps 52 having a maximum height of 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm and a substantially semicircular cross section are formed. The abutting guide 34 is formed by the bump 52 and the lower resist pattern 51a. As the adhesive for the abutment guide 34, various adhesives such as epoxy, acrylic, fluorine, silicone, and polyimide can be used. The abutting guide 34 is not limited to the above-described example as long as the abutting guide 34 has a height and strength that abuts and stops when the optical connector housing 10 moves horizontally in the XY plane. For example, a thick film resist SU-8 (product name) manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. or the like may be laminated to form the abutment guide 34.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, a liquid adhesive (first adhesive) 36 is applied onto the resist pattern 51b on the waveguide substrate 30 using a jet dispenser. By utilizing the difference in wettability of the adhesive 36 on the hydrophilic waveguide substrate 30 and the hydrophobic resist pattern, the adhesive 36 has a maximum height of 0.01 mm to 5.5 mm on the resist pattern 51b. 0 mm, the cross section rises to a substantially elliptical shape. Since the adhesive 36 is used for positioning (self-alignment) of the optical connector housing 10 in a later process, it is left as it is without being cured here. Therefore, the adhesive 36 remains as an adhesive application region 55 on the waveguide substrate 30. As the adhesive 36, various adhesives such as epoxy, acrylic, fluorine, silicone, and polyimide can be used.

  5 to 8 show a process of mounting the optical connector housing 10 on the waveguide substrate 30. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the first adhesive 36 used in the step of FIG. 4C is applied to the bottom surfaces 15b and 16b (second bottom surface) of the protrusions 15 and 16 of the optical connector housing 10 as a jet dispenser. Apply using. FIG. 5A is a bottom view of the optical connector housing 10 and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view along AA ′.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical connector housing 10 is mounted on the waveguide substrate 30 using a chip mounter. 6A is a top view, FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′, and FIG. 6C is a bottom surface 15 b or 16 b (second bottom surface) of the protrusions 15 and 16 with respect to the adhesive application region 55. FIG.

  Since the optical connector housing 10 is mounted using an inexpensive chip mounter, in the state immediately after mounting, as shown in FIG. 6C, the protrusion bottom surfaces 15b and 16b (second bottom surface) and the adhesive application region 55 are formed. The in-plane positions do not exactly match. However, since the protrusion bottom surfaces 15b and 16b and the adhesive application region 55 overlap, the adhesive 36 applied to the protrusion bottom surfaces 15b and 16b and the adhesive 36 in the adhesive application region 55 contact each other, and FIG. ), An area of the adhesive 36 integrated into a trapezoidal shape is formed. Further, since the center of the adhesive application region 55 on the waveguide substrate 30 and the center of the projecting bottom surfaces 15b and 16b of the optical connector housing 10 are shifted, as shown in FIG. Has an initial shape extending obliquely upward from the upper surface of the resist pattern 51.

  FIG. 7 shows a self-alignment process of the optical connector housing 10 with the adhesive 36. 7A is a top view, FIG. 7B is an AA ′ cross-sectional view, and FIG. 7C is an in-plane positional relationship between the adhesive application region 55 and the protrusion bottom surfaces 15b and 16b (second bottom surface). FIG.

  The adhesive 36 has a restoring force that minimizes its surface area. Therefore, the optical connector housing 10 mounted on the waveguide substrate 30 moves in the horizontal direction within the XY plane of the waveguide substrate 30 by the restoring force of the adhesive 36 as indicated by the arrows in the figure. Then, it abuts against the abutment guide 34 formed on the waveguide substrate 30.

  FIG. 8 shows the curing process of the adhesive 36. FIG. 8A is a top view, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view along AA ′. If the adhesive 36 is cured while the optical connector housing 10 is in contact with the abutment guide 34, the adhesive 36 slightly contracts. Along with this curing, the optical connector housing 10 is further pulled in the upper right direction on the paper surface as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, contact pressure is generated between the bottom surface 11 b (first bottom portion) of the fitting portion 11 of the optical connector housing 10 and the abutment guide 34. Since the optical connector housing 10 abuts against the abutment guide 34 with contact pressure and is fixed, the optical connector housing 10 is positioned and fixed to the waveguide substrate 30 with high accuracy (with photolithography accuracy). In addition, the adhesive 36 is cured in the adhesive application region 55, so that the resist pattern 51 a is placed between the bottom surfaces 15 b and 16 b (second bottom surface) of the protrusions 15 and 16 and the surface of the waveguide substrate 30. A layer of cured adhesive 36 is formed.

By fitting the optical ferrule 45 into the fitting hole 13 of the optical connector housing 10 that has been mounted, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical waveguide 32 of the waveguide substrate 30 and the optical fiber 42 in the optical ferrule 45 A highly efficient optical coupling is realized.
(About mounting tolerance)
Here, the mounting tolerance when the optical connector housing 10 of the first embodiment is used will be described. As a factor that causes misalignment before mounting the optical connector housing 10,
(1) Position accuracy when forming the resist patterns 51a and 51b,
(2) Position accuracy when manufacturing the butting guide 34,
(3) Manufacturing dimensional tolerance of the optical connector housing 10;
The following three points are considered. Furthermore, when fitting the optical ferrule 45,
(4) Manufacturing tolerance of optical ferrule 45,
(5) A gap (play) in the fitting of the optical ferrule 45,
In combination, there are five possible factors. Each is estimated separately below.
(1) Positional accuracy when forming resist patterns 51a and 51b For example, a permanent resist (KI-1000-T4, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) is spin-coated, stepper exposure and development are performed, and a fine line having a line width of 20 μm and a thickness of 10 μm is formed. It is possible to form a dimensional variation when forming it to 0.5 μm or less with a value of 3σ.
(2) Positional accuracy during manufacture of the abutment guide 34 In the manufacture of the abutment guide 34, it is assumed that the second adhesive (resin monomer) is deposited on the resist pattern 51a using a jet dispenser. The size of the micro droplet in the jet dispenser is about 18 nl (nanoliter), and a bump having a volume of 7.85 μl (microliter) can be formed by droplet ejection of 436 pulses. At this time, by placing the waveguide substrate 30 on the precision stage and performing jet dispensing, it is possible to keep the amount of protrusion of the side surface of the abutting guide 34 from the resist surface within 0.5 μm.
(3) Manufacturing tolerance of optical connector housing 10 According to Non-Patent Document 2, the accuracy of a plastic molded product for optical use is improved by combining the mold design technology with submicron accuracy and the submicron measurement technology. Resin molding of 7 μm or less is possible.
(4) Manufacturing tolerance of optical ferrule 45 As in (3) above, resin molding with an accuracy of 0.7 μm or less is possible.
(5) Clearance (play) when optical ferrule 45 is fitted
According to JIS standard “JIS C 5981: 2012 F12 type multi-fiber optical fiber connector”, guide pin outer dimensions are 0.699 mm and pin hole dimensions are 0.700 mm. The gap at play is estimated to be about 0.001 mm (1 μm).

  From the above estimation, the mounting accuracy when the MT (Mechanical Transfer) ferrule formed with high precision is fitted to the optical connector housing 10 of the first embodiment is the square sum square root of (1) to (4). Represented.

(0.5 ² +0.5 ² +0.7 ² +0.7 ² ) ^1/2 = 1.217μm
Therefore, the mounting accuracy is about 1.2 μm. By adding the gap amount of 1 μm of (5) to this, the mounting tolerance is about 2.2 μm.

  By using a high-precision flip chip bonder, for example, a flip chip bonder FCB-300S manufactured by Toray Engineering Co., Ltd., small components can be mounted on the chip with an accuracy within a mounting tolerance of 2 μm. If the configuration and method of the first embodiment are used, a mounting tolerance equivalent to that using a flip chip bonder can be realized without using an expensive flip chip bonder.

  According to Non-Patent Document 1 of Kopp et al., In the case of optical coupling between a grating coupler formed in a silicon thin-wire optical waveguide and a single mode with a mode field diameter of 10 μm, the positional deviation in the in-plane direction is within ± 2.5 μm. It is clear from actual measurements that the loss increase is within 1 dB.

  Since the mounting accuracy when the MT connector is fitted using the optical connector housing 10 of the first embodiment is within 2.2 μm, the optical coupling loss due to the positional deviation in the XY plane direction is 1 dB or less. It is estimated that

  The optical connector housing 10 was produced by injection molding using polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin having heat resistance as a molding material. 3 to 30 parts by weight of a linear low density polyethylene, 10 parts by weight of an epoxy resin, and an irregular shape having an average particle size of 15 μm which is surface-treated with an epoxy silane coupling agent as an inorganic filler with respect to 100 parts by weight of a PPS resin 150 parts by weight of silica was mixed with a Henschel mixer. Then, it compounded using biaxial kneading extrusion and adjusted the resin composition. The optical connector housing 10 shown in FIG. 2 was produced by injection molding using the obtained resin composition.

  Next, a resist (AZ-P4620: manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials) is spin-coated on the SOI substrate 30 as the waveguide substrate 30, and is exposed and developed with a photomask, whereby a resist pattern for the abutment guide 34 is obtained. 51a and a resist pattern 51b for the adhesive application region 55 were formed simultaneously (see FIG. 4A).

Next, the surface of the SOI substrate 30 was reverse-sputtered to remove organic components adhering to the surface at the time of resist formation or the like, and cleaning was performed. The reverse sputtering conditions were as follows: chamber pressure 3.0 × 10 ⁻¹ Pa, Ar: O ₂ = 95: 5, RF output 250 W, substrate temperature 150 ° C., reverse sputtering time 10 minutes. After cleaning the substrate surface, the SOI substrate 30 is heated to 150 ° C., and a one-part epoxy resin bonding is performed on the surface of the resist pattern 51a for abutment guide using a jet dispenser (AeroJet: manufactured by Musashi Engineering). The agent (2274: manufactured by ThreeBond Co., Ltd.) is jet-dispensed. The jet dispensed adhesive (second adhesive) is sequentially cured on the heated SOI substrate 30. In this manner, a substantially semicircular structure (bump 52) having a height of 0.5 mm is formed on the resist pattern 51a having a length and a width of 10 × 2 mm and 5 × 2 mm on the SOI substrate 30, so The contact guide 34 is formed.

  Next, an adhesive is used on the bottom surfaces 15b and 16b (second bottom surface) of the protrusions 15 and 16 of the optical connector housing 10 and the resist pattern 15b for the adhesive application region on the SOI substrate 30 using a jet dispenser. (LOCTITE 9437: manufactured by Henkel) is applied, and the optical connector housing 10 is mounted on the SOI substrate 30 using a chip mounter (JX-200: manufactured by JUKI). At that time, the bottom surfaces 15b and 16b (second bottom surface) of the protrusions 15 and 16 of the optical connector housing 10 and the adhesive application region 55 are mounted with their positions slightly shifted as shown in FIG. May be. The adhesive 36 applied to the adhesive application region 55 of the SOI substrate 30 and the adhesive 36 transferred to the second bottom surface of the optical connector housing 10 are combined to form a liquid surface having a trapezoidal cross section. The optical connector housing 10 is pulled toward the adhesive application region 55 by a restoring force caused by the surface tension of the adhesive 36.

  The adhesive 36 is cured by heating the SOI substrate 30 on which the optical connector housing 10 is mounted at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes using an oven. The adhesive 36 is slightly cured and shrunk, and the bottom surface 11b (first bottom surface) of the fitting portion 11 of the optical connector housing 10 contacts the two butting guides 34 with contact pressure. The two sides of the bottom surface 11b (first bottom portion) of the fitting portion 11 of the optical connector housing 10 are fixed in contact with the two abutting guides 34, so that the optical connector housing 10 is placed on the SOI substrate 30 at a high level. Positioned and fixed with accuracy.

By fitting the optical ferrule 45 of the multi-core optical fiber array block 50 into the optical connector housing 10 that is positioned and fixed, the optical coupler 33 on the SOI substrate and the optical fiber 42 held by the optical ferrule 45 are connected. High-efficiency optical coupling between the two.
Second Embodiment
9 to 14 show an optical connector housing 60 and a mounting method thereof according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the optical housing connector 60 is applied to a configuration in which the optical waveguide 72 and the optical fiber are optically coupled at the end face of the waveguide substrate 70.

  9A is a top view of the optical module 2 using the optical connector housing 60, FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along the line BB ′, and FIGS. 10A and 10B are FIG. (A) AA 'sectional drawing and CC' sectional drawing.

  The optical module 2 includes an optical connector housing 60 that receives the optical fiber array block 90 (see FIG. 13), and a waveguide substrate 70 on which the optical connector housing 60 is mounted. The optical connector housing 60 includes a fitting portion 61 that fits into the optical fiber array block 90 and a protrusion 66 that extends from the side surface of the fitting portion 61 toward the surface of the waveguide substrate 70. The fitting portion 61 has a fitting hole 63 that receives the optical ferrule 95 (see FIG. 13) of the optical fiber array block 90.

  The optical connector housing 60 is fixed to the waveguide substrate 70 with an adhesive 36 on the bottom surface 66 b (second bottom surface) of the protrusion 66. Similar to the first embodiment, the optical connector housing 60 is positioned in a self-aligned manner in the XY plane of the waveguide substrate 70 by the adhesive 36, and the bottom surface 61b (first bottom surface) of the fitting portion 61 is formed. By abutting against the abutment guide 74, alignment is performed with high accuracy.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the fitting portion 61 has a fitting hole 63 on the distal end side in the X direction (optical axis direction), and the waveguide substrate is within the opening of the fitting hole 63. The end face of the optical waveguide 72 of 70 is exposed.

  FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the waveguide substrate 70. The waveguide substrate 70 is an optical waveguide chip substrate mounted on, for example, a resin substrate 81 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). An optical waveguide 72 is formed on the waveguide substrate 70. Unlike the first embodiment, the optical waveguide 72 extends to the end face 70 e of the waveguide substrate 70.

  In order to mount the optical connector housing 60, an abutment guide 74 is formed on the surface of the waveguide substrate 70. The abutting guide 74 has a bump shape on the resist pattern 51a (see FIG. 9B) as in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 11, one abutment guide 74 extending in the X direction (optical axis direction) is disposed on one side of the optical waveguide 72. In addition, adhesive application regions 75 are disposed on both sides of the optical waveguide 72 on the waveguide substrate 70. The adhesive application area 75 includes the adhesive 36 applied on the resist pattern 51b (see FIG. 9B), as in the first embodiment. The abutting guide 74 and the adhesive application region 75 are collectively referred to as a guide pattern. The guide pattern forming method is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. The adhesive 36 on the adhesive application region 75 is not cured and is maintained in a liquid or semi-solid state until the optical connector housing 60 is mounted.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the optical connector housing 60. 12A is a top view, FIG. 12B is a BB ′ sectional view, FIG. 12C is an AA ′ sectional view, and FIG. 12D is a CC ′ sectional view. When the bottom surface 61b of the fitting portion 61 is a “first bottom surface” and the bottom surface 66b of the protrusion 66 is a “second bottom surface”, the height position of the second bottom surface (66b) with respect to the surface of the waveguide substrate 70 is It is in a position higher than the first bottom surface (61b). This is because the position of the optical connector housing 60 is positioned on the waveguide substrate 70 in a self-aligning manner using the restoring force of the adhesive 36 as described above. As the material of the optical connector housing 60, the same material as that of the first embodiment can be used.

  After the adhesive 36 (see FIG. 5) is applied to the bottom surface 66 b of the protrusion 66 of the optical connector housing 60, the optical connector housing 60 is mounted on the waveguide substrate 70. The adhesive 36 on the bottom surface 66 b of the protrusion 66 comes into contact with the adhesive 36 in the adhesive application region 75, and the optical connector housing 60 is in-plane on the waveguide substrate 70 due to the restoring force caused by the surface tension of the adhesive 36. It moves horizontally in the direction and is positioned in a self-aligning manner. The adhesive 36 further shrinks due to the subsequent thermosetting, and the bottom surface 61b of the fitting portion 61 comes into contact with the abutment guide 74 and is fixed as shown by the arrow in FIG. 9B.

  13 and 14 show a state where the optical fiber array block 90 is fitted into the optical connector housing 60. FIG. 13A is a top view, FIG. 13B is a BB ′ sectional view, FIG. 14 (a9 is an AA ′ sectional view, and FIG. 14B is a CC ′ sectional view.

  After the optical ferrule 95 is inserted into the fitting hole 63 of the optical connector housing 60, the optical ferrule 95 is fixed to the optical connector housing 60 with a fixing clip 85. The fixing clip 85 is not an essential component for the optical module 2, but is preferably used from the viewpoint of preventing the optical ferrule 95 from falling off.

  Even in the configuration of the second embodiment, the restoring force of the adhesive 36 can be used to position the optical connector housing 60 in a self-aligned manner with photolithography accuracy. By inserting the optical ferrule 95 into the fitting hole 63 of the positioned optical connector housing 60, the optical waveguide 72 exposed to the end face of the waveguide substrate 70 and the optical fiber 91 can be optically coupled with high accuracy.

  By using the configurations and methods of the first and second embodiments, the optical connector housings 10 and 60 can be mounted on the waveguide substrates 30 and 70 with high accuracy without using expensive equipment such as flip chip bonders. Can be implemented. As a result, the equipment cost is reduced and the product cost can be kept low.

  In 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, although the projection parts 15, 16, and 66 of the optical connector housings 10 and 60 are integrally extended from the fitting parts 11 and 61, it is not necessarily limited to this example. As long as the reliability of the connection of the protrusions 15, 16, and 66 to the fitting portions 11 and 61 is ensured, separately manufactured members may be bonded together.

The following notes are presented for the above explanation.
(Appendix 1)
On the waveguide substrate on which the optical waveguide is formed, an abutting guide and an adhesive application region to which the first adhesive is applied are formed,
Preparing an optical connector housing having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a second bottom surface bonded to the adhesive application region;
Applying the first adhesive to the second bottom surface of the optical connector housing, and disposing the optical connector housing on the waveguide substrate so that the second bottom surface and the adhesive application region overlap;
The optical connector housing is moved to the adhesive application area by the restoring force generated by the first adhesive applied to the second bottom surface and the surface tension of the first adhesive applied to the adhesive application area. Positioning in a self-aligned manner,
An optical connector housing mounting method characterized by the above.
(Appendix 2)
After the positioning of the first adhesive by the restoring force, the first adhesive is cured, and the first bottom surface of the optical connector housing is abutted by the contraction of the first adhesive accompanying the curing. Abut the guide and fix it,
The method of mounting an optical connector housing according to appendix 1, wherein the optical connector housing is mounted.
(Appendix 3)
The abutting guide is formed by arranging bumps on the first resist pattern,
The adhesive application region is formed by applying the first adhesive on a second resist pattern,
4. The optical connector housing mounting method according to appendix 3, wherein the first resist pattern and the second resist pattern are formed simultaneously.
(Appendix 4)
The bump is formed by applying and curing a second adhesive on the first resist pattern,
4. The method of mounting an optical connector housing according to claim 3, wherein the first adhesive applied on the second resist pattern is maintained without being cured until the optical connector housing is mounted.
(Appendix 5)
A fitting portion having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a fitting hole for receiving the optical fiber array block;
A protrusion extending from the side surface of the fitting portion toward the first bottom surface,
The protrusion has a second bottom surface, and the height position of the second bottom surface with respect to the waveguide substrate is higher than the height position of the first bottom surface with respect to the waveguide substrate, The optical connector housing, wherein the second bottom surface is used for self-alignment positioning using a restoring force of an adhesive layer with the waveguide substrate.
(Appendix 6)
The light according to claim 5, wherein the fitting hole extends vertically or obliquely upward with respect to a surface of the waveguide substrate when the optical connector housing is mounted on the waveguide substrate. Connector housing.
(Appendix 7)
6. The optical connector housing according to appendix 5, wherein the fitting hole extends in a direction parallel to a surface of the waveguide substrate when the optical connector housing is mounted on the waveguide substrate.
(Appendix 8)
A waveguide substrate on which an optical waveguide is formed;
An optical connector housing mounted on the waveguide substrate;
Have
The optical connector housing includes a fitting portion having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a fitting hole for receiving the optical fiber array block, and the optical waveguide of the waveguide substrate from a side surface of the fitting portion. And a protrusion extending toward the main surface on which is formed,
The protrusion has a second bottom surface facing the main surface, and an adhesive layer formed on the first resist pattern is formed between the main surface and the second bottom surface of the waveguide substrate. An optical module comprising:
(Appendix 9)
An optical coupler is formed at the tip of the optical waveguide,
The fitting hole extends vertically or obliquely upward with respect to the main surface of the waveguide substrate, and the optical fiber array block is inserted into the fitting hole from the vertical direction or obliquely upward, and the optical fiber array block The optical module according to claim 8, wherein the optical fiber is optically coupled to the optical coupler inside the fitting hole.
(Appendix 10)
The optical waveguide is exposed at an end face of the waveguide substrate;
The fitting hole extends in a direction parallel to the main surface of the waveguide substrate, the optical fiber array block is horizontally inserted into the fitting hole, and the optical fiber of the optical fiber array block is formed of the waveguide substrate. 9. The optical module according to appendix 8, wherein the optical module is optically coupled to the optical waveguide at the end face.
(Appendix 11)
9. The optical module according to appendix 8, wherein an abutment guide for locking the first bottom surface of the optical connector housing is provided on the waveguide substrate.

1, 2 Optical module 10, 60 Optical connector housing 11, 61 Fitting portion 11b, 61b Bottom surface of fitting portion (first bottom surface)
13, 63 Fitting holes 15, 16, 66 Projections 15b, 16b, 66b Bottom surface of projection (second bottom surface)
30, 70 Waveguide substrates 32, 72 Optical waveguides 34, 74 Abutting guide 36 Adhesive 40, 90 Optical fiber array block 41 Optical fiber array 42, 91 Optical fiber 45, 95 Optical ferrule 51a Resist pattern (second resist pattern)
51b Resist pattern (first resist pattern)
55, 75 Adhesive application area 52 Bump

Claims (7)

On a waveguide substrate having an optical waveguide formed, the abutment guide extending in a predetermined direction at the edge of the substrate than the optical waveguide, said abutment guide at the edge side of the substrate than the abutment guide Forming an adhesive application area extending in parallel and applied with the first adhesive;
An optical connector housing having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a second bottom surface provided at a predetermined interval from the first bottom surface and joined to the adhesive application region is prepared. ,
The first adhesive is applied to the second bottom surface of the optical connector housing, and the optical connector housing is disposed on the waveguide substrate so that the second bottom surface and the adhesive application region overlap each other. ,
The optical connector housing is pressed against the abutment guide by a restoring force generated by a surface tension of the first adhesive applied to the second bottom surface and the first adhesive applied to the adhesive application region. And positioning in a self-aligned manner with respect to the adhesive application region,
An optical connector housing mounting method characterized by the above. After the positioning of the first adhesive by the restoring force, the first adhesive is cured, and the first bottom surface of the optical connector housing is abutted by the contraction of the first adhesive accompanying the curing. Abut the guide and fix it,
The method of mounting an optical connector housing according to claim 1. A fitting portion having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a fitting hole for receiving the optical fiber array block;
A protrusion extending from the side surface of the fitting portion toward the first bottom surface,
And the protrusion has a first bottom surface and a second bottom surface provided at a predetermined distance from the side surface in an in-plane direction of the waveguide substrate, and The height position of the bottom surface of 2 is higher than the height position of the first bottom surface with respect to the waveguide substrate, and the second bottom surface is self-utilizing the restoring force of the adhesive layer with the waveguide substrate. An optical connector housing which is used for alignment positioning and presses the side surface of the fitting portion against a butting guide provided on the waveguide substrate by a restoring force of the adhesive layer . A waveguide substrate on which an optical waveguide is formed;
An optical connector housing mounted on the waveguide substrate;
Have
The optical connector housing includes a fitting portion having a first bottom surface mounted on the waveguide substrate and a fitting hole for receiving the optical fiber array block, and the optical waveguide of the waveguide substrate from a side surface of the fitting portion. And a protrusion extending toward the main surface on which is formed,
The protrusion has a second bottom surface that is provided at a predetermined interval from the first bottom surface and the side surface in an in-plane direction of the main surface and faces the main surface, and the protrusion of the waveguide substrate between the main surface second bottom surface, it has a layer of adhesive formed on the first resist pattern on said waveguide substrate,
An abutting guide is provided on the waveguide substrate, and the side surface of the optical connector housing is pressed against the abutting guide by the restoring force of the adhesive . An optical coupler is formed at the tip of the optical waveguide,
The fitting hole extends vertically or obliquely upward with respect to the main surface of the waveguide substrate, and the optical fiber array block is inserted into the fitting hole from the vertical direction or obliquely upward, and the optical fiber array block The optical module according to claim 4, wherein the optical fiber is optically coupled to the optical coupler inside the fitting hole. The optical waveguide is exposed at an end face of the waveguide substrate;
The fitting hole extends in a direction parallel to the main surface of the waveguide substrate, the optical fiber array block is horizontally inserted into the fitting hole, and the optical fiber of the optical fiber array block is formed of the waveguide substrate. The optical module according to claim 4, wherein the optical module is optically coupled to the optical waveguide at the end face. The abutment guide, optical module according to claim 4, wherein the engaging abolish Turkey said first bottom surface of the optical connector housing.

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