JPH10148735A - Method for assembling optical parts, and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the deviation from optimal positions of three parts and to make them connectable and fixable without decrease in light transmission rate when connecting and fixing three parts, that is, input parts, sleeves, and output parts arranged at optimal positions establishing a maximum light transmission rate by aligning. SOLUTION: Light emitting element (LD) holder 2 is held by a first holding device 8 so that a light emitting end face of the holder 2 faces a light incident end face of a ferrule 6 and a sleeve 5 is positioned between the both parts; and by holding a LD holder 2 by a first holding device 8; holding the ferrule 6 by a second holding device 9; facing in parallel a light emitting facet of the LD holder 2 to a facet of the sleeve opposed thereto; further, aligning optical axes for obtaining a maximum light transmission rate; coupling and fixing the ferrule 6 with the sleeve 5 by using YAG laser welding, etc., in a state keeping an optimal position and then moving the holding position of the ferrule 6 and sleeve 5 held by the second holding device 9 from the ferrule 6 to the sleeve 5; further facing the facets and aligning the light axes as the above processes; and the sleeve 5 and LD holder are coupled and fixed to each other by using YAG laser welding, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assembling an optical component such as an LD module used in the field of optical communication, and particularly to each component generated when connecting and fixing each component. Of the optical loss caused by the deviation from the optimal position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical component constituting an optical signal transmission line for optical communication is composed of a plurality of components. In assembling the optical component from the plurality of components, each component is arranged at an optimal position where the light transmission rate from the input component emitting the optical signal to the output component receiving the optical signal is maximized, It is necessary to connect and fix each part with an adhesive or welding so as to maintain the optimum position.

FIG. 5 shows an LD module 1 as an optical component.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which components of the LD module 1 are disassembled and assembled, and FIG. 7 is an example of a conventional LD module assembling apparatus. In FIG. 5, an LD module 1 collects light emitted from a light emitting element (LD) 3 in an LD holder 2 in an LD holder 2 constituting an input component by a lens 4 in the LD holder 2 and passes through a sleeve 5. The light is transmitted to an optical fiber 7 fitted and fixed in a ferrule 6 as an output component connected and fixed to the LD holder 2.

Next, a conventional assembling method of the LD module 1 will be described. 6, the LD shown in FIG.
The light emitting end face 12 of the holder 2, the light incident end face 13 of the ferrule 6 in which the sleeve 5 is inserted, and the tip end face 1 of the sleeve 5.
After the LD holder 2 is held by the first holding device 8 and the ferrule 6 is held by the second holding device 9 so that the LD holder 2 faces the light emitting end surface 12, the light emitting end face 12 and the sleeve tip face 14 of the LD holder 2 are parallel. So that both end faces 12, 14
A and B axes, which are rotations around the X and Y axes along
Adjustment). That is, a face matching is performed.

The light is emitted from the light emitting element 3 in the LD holder 2 while keeping the light emitting end face 12 of the LD holder 2 and the sleeve front end face 14 facing the same in the above-described process, and the lens in the LD holder 2 The light is condensed by 4 and the light is converged in the XY axis direction and the Z axis direction perpendicular to these axes so as to transmit the light to the optical fiber 7 of the ferrule 6 at the maximum transmission rate.

In order to minimize the relative positional relationship between the ferrule 6, the sleeve 5, and the LD holder 2, which maximizes the light transmission rate in the above-described process, the ferrule 6.
And the sleeve 5, and the sleeve 5 and the LD holder 2 are connected and fixed by YAG laser welding or the like from three directions having a phase shift of 120 degrees in the XY plane.

[0007]

The above-described method of assembling an LD module has the following problems. The first problem is that the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 in which the ferrule 6 is fitted are provided.
8, there is a small gap between the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 as shown in FIG.
This is that the attitude of the sleeve 6 changes in the range of the minute gap when the connection is fixed by G laser welding (hereinafter, referred to as upper welding).

A second problem is that the ferrule 6 is connected and fixed to the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5, but the holding portion is a ferrule 6 having a low rigidity. That is, the ferrule 6 has a thickness of 2 to 3 mm, and is made of a ceramic such as zirconia or a metal such as stainless steel, or has a double structure in which a metal tube is fitted around the ceramic. Because it is thin, it is easy to bend.

The first problem, that is, a change in the attitude of the sleeve 5 that occurs during upper welding, causes the light exit end face 12 of the LD holder 2 to be established by adjusting the A-axis and the B-axis.
And the parallelism of the sleeve end face 14 facing it is lost,
A gap is created between the two end faces (FIG. 8).

However, even if the posture of the sleeve 5 changes, L
The relative position between the D holder 2 and the ferrule 6 does not change, and the optimum relative positional relationship that maximizes the light transmission rate is still maintained. In a state where there is a gap between the two end faces, the sleeve 5 and the LD
When the holder 2 is YAG laser-welded (hereinafter, referred to as lower welding) as shown by reference numeral 22 in FIG. 9, a force is generated to make the gap between the two end faces zero. In the case of the lower welding 22, the second problem, which is the connection and fixing of the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5, is the holding position of the ferrule 6,
The point of force where the force is generated at the time of the lower welding 22 is separated from the fulcrum that holds the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 connected and fixed, and the rigidity of the ferrule 6 itself is low. When the ferrule 6 is distorted as shown in FIG. 9, the relative positional relationship between the LD holder 2 and the ferrule 6, which has the maximum light transmittance, is lost, and the light transmittance is reduced. .

The second problem is that the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 are connected and fixed, but the holding position of the ferrule 6 is low in rigidity. When the light emitting end surface 12 of the LD holder 2 and the sleeve distal end surface 14 facing the LD holder 2 are adjusted in parallel, and the gap between the two end surfaces is set to zero to perform optical axis alignment in the X and Y directions, the gap between the two end surfaces is adjusted. Is zero, and a force is generated due to the frictional resistance of the two end faces due to the contact,
Since the ferrule 6 cannot withstand this force and bends, there arises a problem that the center cannot be adjusted to the optimum position where the light transmission efficiency is maximum.

The present invention solves the above problems by connecting and fixing an input component, a sleeve, and an output component which are arranged at an optimum position at which a maximum light transmissivity is obtained by alignment including surface alignment and optical axis alignment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling an optical component by connecting and fixing the optical component without reducing the deviation from the optimum position and reducing the light transmission rate, and an apparatus therefor.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided an optical component assembling method, comprising: an input component for emitting light; and an output component having a light transmission path for receiving light from the input component. A method for assembling an optical component comprising at least one or more sleeves for fitting and fixing the output component, making the light incident end face of the output component face the light emitting end face of the input component, and connecting and fixing the two components. In the first, the input component
After being held by the holding device and holding the output component fitted in the sleeve by the second holding device, the light emitting end face of the input component and the sleeve tip face facing the input component are moved by the relative movement of the two holding devices. The surfaces are aligned so that they are parallel to each other, and then the XY axes along the opposite end surfaces are moved by the relative movement of the two holding devices so that the light transmission rate from the input component to the output component is maximized. The optical axis is aligned in the direction and the Z-axis direction perpendicular to these axes. First, the output component and the sleeve are connected and fixed. Next, the holding of the output component by the second holding device is released and the second holding device or The sleeve is held by a third holding device different from this, the surface is again aligned so that the light emitting end face of the input component and the sleeve tip face are parallel, and the optical axis is adjusted. Consolidate It is intended to.

By assembling in this way,
The change in the attitude of the sleeve that occurs when the output component and the sleeve are connected and fixed is substantially eliminated, and the force generated when the sleeve and the input component are connected and fixed causes the output component to be distorted, causing a decrease in the light transmission rate. Optical components can be assembled without the need.

It is desirable to use YAG laser welding to connect and fix the above components, and to perform optical axis alignment while holding the sleeve, the light emitting end face of the input component and the tip end face of the sleeve are used. It is desirable to provide a gap between them, and it is also desirable that the connection between the sleeve and the input part be fixed by welding, and that this welding be performed simultaneously from three directions with a phase shift of 120 degrees for each direction. It is preferable to fix the center of the fixed part finally after auxiliary fixing the two sides near the center of the fixed part in order.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for assembling an optical component, comprising: an input component for emitting light; an output component having a light transmission path for receiving light from the input component; An optical component assembling apparatus comprising at least one or more sleeves for fitting and fixing the output component and causing the light incident end face of the output component to face the light output end face of the input component and connecting and fixing the two components. A first holding device for detachably holding the component, and a first holding device for detachably holding the output component with the sleeve inserted therein, and a sleeve front end face facing the light emitting end face of the input component held by the first holding device. A second holding device, and a third holding device for detachably holding a sleeve fitted to the output component,
The holding device and the second and third holding devices are provided so as to be relatively movable in the XY-axis directions along the light emitting end face and the sleeve tip face facing each other and in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to these axes. , X and Y axes.

In this optical component assembling apparatus, the input component is held by the first holding device, and the output component into which the sleeve is inserted is held by the second holding device to perform surface alignment and optical axis alignment of both components. Immediately after the sleeve and the output component are connected and fixed by the third holding device, the sleeve fitted to the output component is held by the third holding device. Can be connected and fixed.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, 2 is LD
Holder, 5 is a sleeve, 6 is a ferrule, 7 is an optical fiber, 8 is a first holding device, 9 is a second holding device, which are the same as those shown in FIG. First holding device 8
Has a movable holding piece 81, a spring 82, a spacer 83, and an operating member 84 such as a cam.
1, the LD holder 2 is pressed and fixed to the fixed holding portion 86 by the movable holding piece 81 with the elastic force of the spring 82, and the lever 85 is turned upward by turning the lever 85 upward. The holding can be released. The second holding device 9 is
It has the same configuration as the holding device 8, and includes a movable holding piece 91, a spring 92, a spacer 93, an operating member 94, a lever 95, and a fixed holding portion 96, and holds the ferrule 6. Reference numeral 10 denotes a third holding device for holding the sleeve 5, which is also a movable holding piece 101, a spring 102, a spacer 103, an operating member 104, a lever 105, and a fixed member, similarly to the first and second holding devices 8 and 9. It consists of a holding part 106.

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.
The ferrules 6 are arranged at different positions by 120 degrees, and hold the outer periphery of the ferrule 6 in which the sleeve 5 is inserted at three points. The same applies to the first and third holding devices 8 and 10. Further, the second and third holding devices 9 and 10 are provided on the same plate P.

The first holding device 8 and the second and third holding devices 9 and 10 are held directly or indirectly by a known moving mechanism (not shown), and the light of the LD holder 2 opposed to each other. XY axis directions along the emission end face 12 and the sleeve tip face 14 of the sleeve 5 and Z perpendicular to these axes.
It is provided so as to be relatively movable in the axial direction and relatively rotatable about the X and Y axes. In addition,
In this embodiment, a description will be given assuming that the movement and rotation are performed on the first holding device 8 side.

Next, a method of assembling an optical component according to the present invention using the above-described optical component assembling apparatus will be described. The LD holder 2 is held by the first holding device 8, the ferrule 6 is held by the second holding device 9, and the light emitting end face 1 of the LD holder 2 is held.
2 and the light incident end face 13 of the ferrule 6 are opposed to each other. At this time, the sleeve 5 inserted into the ferrule 6 slides freely, and its tip end surface 14 comes into contact with the light emitting end surface 12 of the LD holder 2.

Next, the first holding device 8 is rotated around the X axis (A axis) and around the Y axis (B) so that the light emitting end face 12 of the LD holder 2 and the sleeve tip face 14 facing the light emitting end face 12 are parallel to each other.
The first holding device 8 is moved in each of the X, Y, and Z directions to align the optical axis to an optimal position where the light transmittance is maximized. In order to fix the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 arranged at the optimum positions by this alignment, the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 are connected and fixed by, for example, YAG laser welding from three directions having a phase shift of 120 degrees on the XY plane. At this time, the posture of the sleeve 5 is almost always changed as shown in FIG.

Then, after that, the holding position of the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 connected and fixed as described above is changed from the holding of the ferrule 6 by the second holding device 9 (FIG. 1) to the holding of the sleeve 5 by the third holding device 10. (FIG. 2), the surface is again adjusted, and the light emitting end surface 12 of the LD holder 2 and the sleeve distal end surface 14 opposed thereto are made parallel. Then
Preferably, a small gap is provided between the two end surfaces 12, 14 by slightly moving the first holding device 8 in the Z-axis direction,
With the friction between the two end surfaces being eliminated, the optical axes are aligned so that the light transmittance becomes maximum in the X and Y axis directions.

At the time of the optical axis alignment, a predetermined load may be applied by pressing the light emitting end face 12 of the LD holder 2 and the tip end face 14 of the sleeve.
Alternatively, a load may be applied by pressing the light emitting end surface 12 and the sleeve distal end surface 14. After realignment in this way, YA
By G laser welding or the like, the sleeve 5 and the LD holder 2 are simultaneously moved from three directions with a phase shift of 120 degrees in the XY plane, as shown in FIG.
→ B → C, that is, first, auxiliary fixing (temporary fixing) is performed on the left and right sides of the central portion C in the order of A and B, and then the central portion C is finally fixed completely. By doing so, the change in posture after welding can be suppressed to a small value.

In the above-described embodiment, a third holding device 10 is provided separately from the second holding device 9, and the second holding device 9
Is made to correspond only to the ferrule 6 which is an output part, and the third holding device 10 is made to correspond only to the sleeve 5, so that
Although the example in which the assembling method of the optical component according to the present invention can be efficiently performed has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, the third holding device 10 is omitted, and the ferrule 6 and the sleeve 5 are mounted by the second holding device 9. It goes without saying that the assembly may be held alternately.

[0026]

As described above, according to the optical component assembling method of the present invention, when the sleeve and the input component are welded, the light emitting end face of the input component and the tip end face of the sleeve have a parallel accuracy, so that the sleeve is left. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a change in attitude when welding the input part and the input part. Further, since the sleeve is held by the second or third holding device when the sleeve and the input component are welded, the rigidity with respect to the force for causing a change in posture that occurs during welding, particularly during subsequent cooling, is increased. can do. Thereby, in assembling the optical component, the displacement of the three components caused by fixing the input component, the sleeve, and the output component obtained from the alignment from the optimum relative positions by YAG laser welding or the like can be reduced, and the light transmission rate can be reduced. High optical components can be assembled. Also,
According to the optical component assembling apparatus of the present invention, since the second holding device for holding the input component and the third holding device for holding the sleeve are provided, the optical component assembling method according to the present invention can be performed efficiently. The effect that can be obtained is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of an optical component assembling apparatus according to the present invention, showing a state in which an output component is held by a second holding device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a sleeve is held by a third holding device of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view showing the order of welding the input component and the sleeve.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an optical component to be assembled according to the present invention.

6 is a perspective view showing a state in which components of the optical component shown in FIG. 5 are disassembled and assembled.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a main part showing an example of a conventional optical component assembling apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a change in posture of the sleeve when the sleeve and the output component are welded.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing distortion of an output component when an input component and a sleeve are welded by a conventional assembling method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 LD module 2 LD holder 3 Light emitting element (LD) 4 Lens 5 Sleeve 6 Ferrule 7 Optical fiber 8 First holding device 9 Second holding device 10 Third holding device 12 LD holder light emitting end face 13 Ferrule light incident end face 14 Sleeve tip Surface 21 Upper welding 22 Lower welding P plate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An input component for emitting light, an output component having a light transmission path for receiving light from the input component, and the output component is fitted and fixed so that a light incident end face of the output component is emitted from the input component. In a method for assembling an optical component comprising at least one or more sleeves for connecting and fixing both components in opposition to an end face, an input component is held by a first holding device and an output fitted in the sleeve. After the component is held by the second holding device, the light emitting end face of the input component and the front end face of the sleeve facing the input component are aligned by relative movement of the two holding devices, and then the input component is The relative movement of the two holding devices causes the optical axes in the XY directions along the opposite end faces and in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to these axes so that the light transmission rate from the lens to the output component is maximized. Row First, the output component and the sleeve are connected and fixed. Next, the holding of the output component by the second holding device is released, and the sleeve is held by the second holding device or a third holding device different from the second holding device. A method for assembling an optical component, comprising: performing surface matching again so that the light emitting end face of the component and the tip end face of the sleeve are parallel to each other, performing optical axis alignment, and then connecting and fixing the sleeve and the input component. 2. The method for assembling an optical component according to claim 1, wherein YAG laser welding is used for connecting and fixing the components. 3. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis alignment performed while holding the sleeve is performed by providing a gap between a light emitting end surface of an input component and a sleeve distal end surface. How to assemble parts. 4. The connecting and fixing of the sleeve and the input part is performed by welding, and the welding is simultaneously performed from three directions with a phase shift of 120 degrees, and both sides near the center of the fixing part are sequentially auxiliary-fixed in each direction, and then fixed. 4. The method of assembling an optical component according to claim 1, wherein the center of the part is finally fixed. 5. An input component for emitting light, an output component having a light transmission path for receiving light from the input component, and a light incident end face of the output component which is fitted and fixed to the input component. In a device for assembling an optical component comprising at least one or more sleeves for connecting and fixing both components in opposition to an emission end face, a first holding device for detachably holding an input component; A second holding device for detachably holding the output component, and a sleeve front end surface facing the light emitting end surface of the input component held by the first holding device; And a third holding device for holding the light in such a manner that the first holding device and the second and third holding devices are arranged in the XY axis directions along the light emitting end face and the sleeve tip face which are opposed to each other and in these axes. Right Z axis Together provided relatively movably in the direction, the assembling apparatus of an optical component, characterized in that is provided to be rotated relative to the X and Y-axis.