JPH04360106A - Jig and method for aligning optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To align an optional number of optical fibers with high accuracy. CONSTITUTION:Two guide parts 13a(b) where plural rod-shaped members 131 of the same size in the same shape are arranged on the same plane in parallel while gaps which are nearly as large as an optical fiber external path are installed opposite each other and a substrate 14 which has a plane part 141 is arranged between those guide parts 13a(b) so that the plane part 141 crosses the axes of the rod-shaped members 131 of the guide parts 13a(b) at right angles; and optical fibers 11 are inserted into the gaps provided between the mutually opposite rod-shaped members 131 of both the guide parts 13a(b) respectively while straddling on the two guide parts 13a(b), and the optical fibers 11 are aligned by pressing their external surfaces against the plane part 141 of the substrate 14 and also applying a pressing force from beside the guide parts 13a(b) to the rod-shaped members 131 in the direction where the optical fibers 11 are clamped.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber alignment jig and method for aligning a plurality of optical fibers at regular intervals and in a straight line within the same plane with high precision.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the production of optical components, it has been essential to connect optical elements and optical fibers, and the connection requires high alignment accuracy of 1 μm or less.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an optical waveguide 1 of an optical switch element is formed on a substrate 2 by etching or diffusion. Both have submicron precision. Along with this, in order to input light from the optical fiber 3 into the optical waveguide 1 or to efficiently introduce light emitted from the optical waveguide 1 into the optical fiber 3, the pitch of the plurality of aligned optical fibers 3 must be adjusted accordingly. High accuracy is required for straightness.

[0004] Conventionally, therefore, optical fibers have been mainly aligned by a method as shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3(a), a silicon wafer is used as the mounting substrate 4, and V grooves 41 are formed at equal intervals on the silicon wafer by etching.
A method of inserting and aligning optical fibers 3 therein;
As shown in FIG. 3(b), a method is used for aligning the optical fibers 3 and the rod-shaped members 5 for pitch accuracy compensation by alternately inserting them into the grooves 42 formed in the mounting substrate 4. .

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the aforementioned alignment method has the following problems.

That is, in the method shown in FIG. 3A using the V-grooves 41, the accuracy of the mask used when forming the V-grooves 41 by etching, and the processing accuracy of the etching itself, make it difficult to An error of several μm occurs in pitch accuracy. Furthermore, since minute irregularities occur on the surface of the V-groove 41 due to etching, the outer circumferential surface of the inserted optical fiber 3 may come into contact with the convex portion and the optical fiber 3 may be lifted up. However, it is difficult to align with submicron (1 micron or less) accuracy due to pitch accuracy or straightness, such as alignment at different levels.

In addition, FIG. 3(b) using the rod-shaped member 5
In the method described above, the width of the groove provided in the mounting substrate 4 is made somewhat wider than the width when the plurality of optical fibers 3 and the rod-shaped member 5 are closely aligned, and this results in a pitch error when aligned. In addition, although the contact portions on the outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber 3 are line contacts, there are three points per optical fiber 3, so contamination with dust is unavoidable and the height is uneven (straightness).
, or pitch errors may occur.

[0009] As mentioned above, in the conventional method of aligning multiple optical fibers, highly accurate alignment of the optical fibers cannot be obtained due to the influence of surface irregularities, the inclusion of dust, and the influence of the accuracy of the mounting board. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide an optical fiber alignment jig that can align highly accurately without being affected by the number of optical fibers to be aligned. and to provide a method for doing so.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, claim 1 provides an optical fiber alignment jig for aligning a plurality of optical fibers at predetermined intervals and in the same plane. The plurality of rod-shaped members have a pair of guide parts arranged so that their axes are parallel to each other with a predetermined gap and are arranged in parallel on the same plane, and a flat part, and the flat part a substrate disposed between two guide parts such that the axis of the rod-shaped member of the guide part is perpendicular to the axis of the rod-shaped member of the guide part; a means for pressing an optical fiber placed on the flat surface of the substrate against the flat part; and a rod-shaped member of the guide part. and means for applying a force in a direction in which the rod-like members approach each other from the sides in the parallel direction.

[0012] Furthermore, in a second aspect of the present invention, in a method for arranging a fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged at predetermined intervals and within the same substrate plane, a plurality of rod-like members having the same shape and dimensions are arranged at predetermined intervals. At the same time, two guide parts arranged so that their axes are parallel and parallel to each other on the same plane are opposed to each other, and a substrate having a flat part is placed so that the flat part is aligned with the axis of the rod-like member of the guide part. The optical fiber is placed between two guide parts so as to be perpendicular to the center, and the optical fiber is inserted into the gap provided between the mutually opposing rod-shaped members of both guide parts so as to straddle the two guide parts. In addition to pressing the fiber against the flat surface of the substrate, a pressing force is applied from the side of the guide section to the rod-shaped member in a direction to sandwich the optical fiber.

[0013]

According to claim 1, the optical fibers are inserted into the gaps provided between the mutually opposing rod-shaped members of both guide parts so as to straddle the two guide parts. Next, the outer surface of the optical fiber is pressed against the flat surface of the substrate, and force is applied to the rod-like members on both sides so as to sandwich the optical fiber inserted into the gap between the rod-like members from the side of the guide section. As a result, each rod-shaped member of the guide section functions as a distance compensating member, and the optical fibers are aligned at equal intervals.

According to claim 2, a plurality of rod-like members having the same shape and dimensions are arranged so that their respective axes are parallel to each other with a predetermined gap and are arranged in parallel on the same plane. The two guide parts are placed so as to face each other, and a substrate having a flat part is placed between these guide parts so that the flat part is perpendicular to the axis of the rod-like member of the guide part.

[0015] Next, the optical fibers are inserted into the gaps provided between the mutually opposing rod-shaped members of both guide parts so as to straddle the two guide parts. Next, the outer surface of the optical fiber is pressed against the flat surface of the substrate, and a force is applied from the side of the guide section against the rod-shaped member in a direction to sandwich the optical fiber.

[0016]

1 and 4 show an embodiment of an optical fiber alignment jig according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a front view and FIG. 4 being a perspective view of the main parts.

In the figure, 11 is a plurality of aligned optical fibers (four in this embodiment), 12 is a pedestal, 13a,
13b is a fiber guide section (hereinafter simply referred to as a guide section);
14 is a fiber mounting board (hereinafter simply referred to as the board)
, 15 is a pressing plate, 16 is a stopper, 17 is a washer, 1
8 and 19 are springs.

The pedestal 12 has a step-like shape in which both side parts 121 and 122 are formed one step lower than a central part 123, and the upper surface of the central part 123 is formed in a flat shape. Also, side part 1
21 and 122 are provided with guide portions 13a and 13b, respectively.

The guide portion 13a has one more rod-shaped member 13 than the number of optical fibers to be aligned (five in this embodiment).
1 are arranged in parallel at intervals approximately equal to the outer diameter of the optical fibers 11 from which the coating has been removed, and their axes are parallel to each other, with one end thereof fixed to the horizontal surface 121a of the side portion 121 ing.

Similarly, the guide portion 13b arranges the five rod-shaped members 131 in parallel at intervals approximately equal to the outer diameter of the optical fiber 11 from which the coating has been removed, and so that their axes are parallel to each other. One end thereof is fixed to the horizontal surface 122a of the portion 122.

The rod-like members 131 constituting these guide portions 13a and 13b all have the same shape and dimensions,
Moreover, the arrangement interval is also the same, and the guide part 13a and the guide part 1
3b is configured to have a symmetrical shape with the center of the pedestal 12 as the center. The plurality of rod-shaped members 131 are made of, for example, members cut out from a single optical fiber, and have almost no diameter error with a variation of 0.1 μm or less.

The substrate 14 has a flatness of 0.1 μm or less and a mirror-finished surface (hereinafter referred to as a mirror surface) 14, for example.
1, and is placed on the upper surface of the central portion of the pedestal 12 with the mirror surface 141 facing upward.

The pressing plate 15 has a flat plate shape having approximately the same size as the substrate 14, and has an opening 151 formed in the center. This pressing plate 15 is configured such that a pressing force is applied by a detachable spring 18 to substantially central portions 15a and 15b of both sides thereof.

The stopper 16 is fixed so that one end surface supports the upper part of the rod-like member 131 at one end constituting the guide portion 13a from left to right in FIG. This restricts movement to the left. A force for pinching the optical fiber 11 is applied to the position facing the stopper 16, that is, the other end of the guide portion 13a, by a detachable spring 19 via a washer 17.

The pressing plate 15, the stopper 16, and the washer 17 are made of a material softer than the optical fiber 11 or the rod-shaped member 131, such as plastic.

Next, a specific alignment method using the above configuration will be explained.

In the initial state, the rod-shaped member 131 is on both sides 12.
It consists of a pedestal 12 and a stopper 16, which stand upright at 1 and 122 and are provided with guide parts 13a and 13b. First, the substrate 14 is placed on the upper surface of the center portion 123 of the pedestal 12 with the mirror surface 141 facing upward.

Next, the optical fiber 11 is inserted into all the gaps in the rod-shaped member 5 so as to span from the guide section 13b to the guide section 13a. In this state, the optical fiber 11 is connected to the substrate 14.
It floats from the upper surface of the optical fiber 11 and the rod-shaped member 1.
It is not closely related to 31.

Next, the pressing plate 15 is placed on top of the optical fiber 11, and pressure is applied by the spring 18 against the side center portions 15a, 15b of the pressing plate 15, so that the outer surface of the optical fiber 11 is pressed against the mirror surface 141 of the substrate 14. Closely contact. As a result, the plurality of optical fibers 11 follow the surface precision of the substrate 14 and fall within a range of height differences on the order of 0.1 μm, so the straightness of the line connecting the axes of the optical fibers 11 is first compensated. be done.

Next, the optical fiber 11 and the rod-shaped member 131 are pressed rightward in FIG. 1 by the spring 19 via the washer 17, so that the optical fiber 11 and the rod-shaped member 13 are brought into close contact with each other with no gap between them. As a result, the straightness can be maintained without compromising the straightness, and the 0.1
It is possible to obtain an aligned state of optical fibers with a highly accurate pitch interval of .mu.m or less.

In this state, the opening 15 of the pressing plate 15
1 supplies adhesive to fix the optical fiber 11 on the mirror surface 141 of the substrate 14 and on the pressing plate 15.

As explained above, according to this embodiment,
Any number of optical fibers can be aligned with high precision without being affected by the number of aligned optical fibers 11. Moreover, when coupling with an optical element, it is not necessary to align the optical axes of each optical fiber one by one, and after aligning a plurality of optical fibers, it is possible to align the optical axes with high precision all at once.

In this embodiment, as described above, the alignment accuracy of optical fibers could be improved by more than one order of magnitude compared to the conventional alignment method.

In this embodiment, an example of alignment on one plane has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pressing plate 15 may be used as a spacing compensating member and the optical fibers may be stacked thereon. Therefore, it can also be applied to three-dimensional alignment of optical fibers.

[0035]

As explained above, according to claim 1, a high-precision flat surface can be used as the surface on which the optical fibers are placed, and furthermore, the optical fiber spacing can be determined by using a member with constant external dimensions, and - Since the accuracy of the spacing member is used as the standard, any number of optical fibers can be aligned with high precision without being affected by the number of aligned fibers. Further, when coupling with an optical element, it is not necessary to align the optical axes of each optical fiber one by one, and after aligning a plurality of optical fibers, the optical axes can be aligned with high precision all at once.

Further, according to claim 2, not only can any number of optical fibers be aligned with high precision without being affected by the number of aligned fibers, but also the substrate can be used as a spacing compensation member and furthermore, the optical fibers can be stacked on it. By doing so, three-dimensional alignment of optical fibers can also be realized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an optical fiber alignment jig according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of coupling an optical element and an optical fiber.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional optical fiber alignment method.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of essential parts of an embodiment of the optical fiber alignment jig according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11...Optical fiber 12...Pedestal 13a, 13b...guiding section 131...rod-shaped member 14...Mounting board 15...Press plate 16...stopper 17...Washer 18, 19...Spring

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: An optical fiber alignment jig for aligning a plurality of optical fibers at predetermined intervals and in the same plane, in which a plurality of rod-like members having the same shape and dimensions are aligned with each other at a predetermined gap. A pair of guide parts whose axes are parallel and are arranged in parallel on the same plane, and a flat part, and the two guide parts are arranged so that the flat part is perpendicular to the axis of the rod-shaped member of the guide part. A substrate disposed between the guide parts, a means for pressing the optical fiber placed on the flat part of the substrate against the flat part, and a force applied from the side of the guide part in the direction in which the bar-shaped members are parallel to each other in a direction in which the bar-shaped members approach each other. 1. An optical fiber alignment jig, comprising: means for applying voltage. 2. A fiber array alignment method in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged at predetermined intervals on the same substrate plane, in which a plurality of rod-like members having the same shape and dimensions are arranged at predetermined intervals between each other. The axes are parallel, and
Two guide parts arranged in parallel on the same plane are opposed, and a substrate having a flat part is arranged between the two guide parts so that the flat part is perpendicular to the axis of the rod-shaped member of the guide part. Then, an optical fiber is inserted into the gap provided between the mutually opposing rod-shaped members of both guide parts so as to straddle the two guide parts, and while pressing the optical fiber against the flat part of the substrate, 1. A method for aligning optical fibers, which comprises applying a pressing force to a rod-shaped member in a direction to sandwich the optical fiber from the side of the member.