JPH08160260A - Optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an optical element which can have light emitting elements and/or light receiving elements corresponding to optical fibers sufficiently arranged even when the optical fibers are arrayed in a high density. CONSTITUTION: The optical element is constituted by arranging two optical fiber arrays 3 and 3' having plural optical fibers 1 and 1' opposite to each other and arranging an optical transmitter receiver 4 which has the light emitting elements and/or light receiving elements on the top surface and reverse surface between the two optical fiber arrays 3 and 3', and the optical transmitter receiver 4 is arranged slantingly to the vertical plane of the axes of the optical fibers 1 and 1'.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber array for holding a plurality of optical fibers, a light emitting portion and / or a light receiving portion on a front surface and / or a back surface represented by OEIC, and a photoelectric conversion portion. And an optical transmitter / receiver having the optical transmitter / receiver.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the progress of the optical industry including optical fiber communication, an optical element using a plurality of optical fibers is required. As a conventional optical element using a plurality of such optical fibers, as shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG.
There is a configuration in which an optical transmitter / receiver 14 having a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element on its surface is arranged on the optical paths of a plurality of optical fibers 11.

When the light receiving element receives an optical signal from the optical fiber 11, the optical transmitter / receiver 14 converts the optical signal into an electric signal and transmits the electric signal to another optical fiber 11 via the light emitting element. Alternatively, when it is transmitted to the outside through the electrode 15 and conversely receives an electric signal from the electrode 15, the electric signal is transmitted to the optical fiber 11 through the light emitting element.

[0004]

However, the optical transmitter / receiver 14 of the conventional optical element is arranged perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 11 to be optically connected.
Since the light receiving element and the light emitting element have to be installed in a portion that does not deviate from the optical path of No. 1, the installation area of the light receiving element and the light emitting element is restricted.

[0005]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an optical fiber array for holding a plurality of optical fibers and an optical fiber having at least a light emitting portion and / or a light receiving portion on its surface are provided. In the optical element in which at least a transceiver is arranged, the optical transceiver is an optical element obliquely arranged with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber.

Further, an optical transmitter / receiver having two optical fiber arrays consisting of a plurality of optical fibers arranged facing each other and having a light emitting portion and / or a light receiving portion on the front surface and the back surface between the two optical fiber arrays is provided. In the arranged optical element, the optical transmitter / receiver is an optical element arranged obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical fiber axis.

The light emitting portion described in the present invention is LE
The light receiving element is a light emitting element that converts an electrical signal such as D or LD into an optical signal and emits the light, or a tip position where the light of the optical waveguide is emitted. The light receiving portion converts the optical signal received by the PD or the like into an electrical signal. The position of the light receiving element or the position of the tip of the optical waveguide on which light is incident.

[0008]

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention, showing a state in which a plurality of optical fibers 1 and an optical transceiver 4 are optically connected via a holding member 6. Show.

The optical transceiver 4 has a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element on its surface as described in the prior art.
When an optical signal from the optical fiber 1 is received by the light receiving element, it is transmitted to another optical fiber 1 via the light emitting element or externally via the electrode 5, and conversely, an electrical signal is received from the electrode 5. In such a case, the light emitting element converts the electric signal into an optical signal and emits the optical signal to transmit the optical signal to the optical fiber 1. Further, the optical transmitter / receiver 4 is arranged obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 1.

In this embodiment, the optical transmitter / receiver 4 is
Although the OEIC is mentioned as a representative, the drawings of the present embodiment show that
Illustration of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is omitted. OEIC
3 may be provided as long as it has a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element only on one surface of the configuration of FIG. 3 shown in the embodiment of the second invention described later. In addition to the OEIC, the entrance tip surface (light receiving portion) and the exit tip surface (light emitting portion) of the optical waveguide are formed on the surface.
It is also possible to use the optical transmitter / receiver 4 having the optical waveguide formed inside the optical transmitter / receiver 4.

The holding members 6 and 6'are members for holding the optical transmitter-receiver 4 obliquely, and the optical transmitter-receiver 4 may be sandwiched and bonded between the two holding members 6 and 6 '. The holding members 6 and 6 ′ may be made of any material such as a quartz glass prism or glass having a refractive index isotropic property. In this embodiment, the incident surface of the holding member 6 from the optical fiber 1 is a surface perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 1. However, the incident surface of the holding member 6 is also slanted so that light is transmitted and received by refraction. By making the light incident on the light receiving element of the container 4 perpendicularly, the loss of the optical signal can be reduced.

As described above, the optical transmitter / receiver 4 is disposed obliquely with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 1,
The installation area of the light emitting element and / or the light receiving element on the surface can be made large, and even if the plurality of optical fibers 1 are densely arrayed, the light emitting element and / or the light receiving element corresponding to each optical fiber 1 can be sufficiently provided. Can be installed in

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the second invention. An optical fiber lens array constructed by adhering a plurality of optical fibers 1, 1'to a planar lens array 2, 2 '. 3, 3'and the optical fiber lens array 3,
Optical transmitter / receiver 4 disposed between 3'and holding members 6, 6 '
Consists of.

The optical transceiver 4 has a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element on the front surface and the back surface, and when the light receiving element receives an optical signal from the optical fiber 1 or 1 ',
When the optical signal is transmitted to another optical fiber 1'or 1 via the light emitting element or to the outside via the electrode 5 and conversely receives an electrical signal from the electrode 5, the light emitting element The electric signal is transmitted to the optical fiber 1 or 1'by converting it into an optical signal and emitting light. Further, the optical transmitter / receiver 4 is arranged obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 1.

As the optical transmitter / receiver 4, an OEIC as shown in FIG. 3 is a typical example. In FIG. 3, a light emitting element 4a such as an LED / LD, a light receiving element 4b such as a PD, and a wiring 4c for connecting each element are provided on the front surface, and a light emitting element 4a, a light receiving element 4b, and a wiring 4c are also provided on the back surface.
Since the wiring 4c is also provided inside the optical transceiver 4, the light emitting element 4a and the light receiving element 4b on the front surface and the back surface are electrically connected. In addition, the light emitting element 4a and the light receiving element 4
An electrode 5 (not shown, see FIG. 2) connected to the outside is connected to either b or the wiring 4c. In addition to the OEIC, an optical transmitter / receiver 4 having an incident front end surface (light receiving portion) and an emitting front end surface (light emitting portion) of the optical waveguide on the front surface and / or the back surface and forming the optical waveguide inside the optical transmitter / receiver 4 May be used.

First of all, these are a plurality of optical fibers 1, 1 '.
And the planar lens arrays 2 and 2 ′ are bonded to each other, and these are bonded to the holding members 6 and 6 ′ so as to be aligned with the light emitting element and / or the light receiving element of the optical transmitter / receiver 4. Optimum optical coupling can be easily realized by previously determining the relative positions of the optical fibers 1 and 1'of FIG. 1 and the respective light emitting elements and light receiving elements of the optical transceiver 4. Further, with the above configuration, the installation area of the light emitting element and / or the light receiving element on the front surface and the back surface can be made large, and even if the plurality of optical fibers 1 and 1 ′ are arrayed at a high density, each optical fiber 1 and The installation area of the light emitting element and / or the light receiving element corresponding to 1'can be made large.

In this embodiment, the planar lens arrays 2 and 2'are used, but any structure may be used as long as it fixes a plurality of optical fibers 1. For example, a plurality of V grooves. The optical fiber 1 on the V-groove substrate having
A similar V-groove substrate may be adhered from above to form an optical fiber array.

[0018]

As described above, according to the optical element of the present invention, the optical transmitter / receiver is arranged obliquely with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber, so that the light emitting portion on the optical transmitter / receiver surface is provided. An optical element capable of increasing the installation area of the light receiving part and / or the light receiving part and / or the light receiving part corresponding to each optical fiber even if a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in high density. Becomes

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a part of FIG. 2 in detail.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional optical element.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1 ', 11: Optical fiber 2, 2': Planar array lens 3, 3 ': Optical fiber array 4, 14: Optical transceiver 4a: Light emitting element 4b: Light receiving element 4c: Wiring 5, 15: Electrode 6, 6 ': holding member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An optical element having an optical fiber array holding a plurality of optical fibers, and an optical transceiver having at least a light emitting portion and / or a light receiving portion disposed on the surface thereof,
An optical element in which the optical transceiver is arranged obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber. 2. Two optical fiber arrays holding a plurality of optical fibers are arranged so as to face each other, and a light-emitting portion and / or at least a front surface and a back surface are provided between the two optical fiber arrays.
Alternatively, in an optical element having an optical transmitter / receiver having a light receiving portion, the optical transmitter / receiver is disposed obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical fiber axis.