JPH10227951A - Component for optical transmission and reception - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the number of components and to facilitate the assembly by fixing a light emitting element component or light receiving element component in a hole bored in a housing wall positioned on a line at the tip of a branch-side waveguide. SOLUTION: The light receiving element 13 and light emitting element components 14 to 16 are fixed at specific positions in a hole of the right wall of a housing respectively. Then an optical receptacle 12 is inserted into a hole of the left wall of the housing 1, an optical waveguide 11 is arranged in the housing, and those are held on an optical stage. Then light is guided in from the optical receptacle 12 and the light receiving element 13 is used as a monitor to obtain an optical receptacle 12 where the optical waveguide 11 and optical receptacle 12 are fixed. Then while the output light from the optical receptacle 12 is guided to an optical power meter, the light emitting element 14 is placed in operation, the optical axes of the light emitting element 14 and one tip of the branch waveguide are aligned with each other, and the optical receptacle 12 is adhered and fixed to the left wall part of the housing 1 at an optimum position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to optical communication and optical LA.
N. Optical transmission / reception components for optical / electrical signal conversion used for optical signal transmission between devices in optical measurement control and the like. More specifically, one optical device is formed by coupling a branch optical waveguide and a light receiving / emitting element. The present invention relates to an optical transmission / reception component that enables bidirectional optical transmission and optical multiplex transmission using a fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, optical components such as mirrors and lenses, light emitting elements, and light receiving elements have been combined as components for transmitting or receiving optical signals between electronic equipment devices (optical transmitting and receiving components). Various optical transmitting and receiving components having a structure in which optical fibers for input and output are coupled have been developed. However, these conventional optical transmitting and receiving components require a large number of optical components to be spatially arranged and manufactured with their optical axes aligned, which makes mass production difficult, and a large number of optical components are individually arranged. Therefore, there was a problem in environmental characteristics such as vibration, impact, and temperature change. Furthermore, since a large number of optical components are spatially arranged, miniaturization has been difficult.

[0003] As a more compact and highly reliable component for optical transmission and reception, which solves these conventional problems, an optical signal input / output is mounted on a substrate on which an optical waveguide (polymer optical waveguide) using a polymer film is fixed. And a light emitting element and a light receiving element are connected and fixed to form an integral body, the periphery is sealed with a resin, and an optical connector is connected to the other end of the optical fiber (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-34833). Publication), and as an optical waveguide component with an optical receptacle, an optical receptacle in which a ferrule with an optical fiber is disposed inside all ends of an optical waveguide on a substrate to which a polymer optical waveguide is fixed. Is fixed to a metal case (housing), and the case is filled with resin, cured, and sealed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-75141), and FIG. JP
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-34833 describes that an optical receptacle is directly fixed to a polymer optical waveguide.

[0004] The present inventors have manufactured an optical transmission / reception component similar to that shown in FIG. 5 of JP-A-06-75141 and connected it to an electronic circuit board for controlling the light emitting element and the light receiving element. As an integrated optical transceiver module,
The test was performed. As a result, when tested as an optical transmission / reception component, no problem occurred, but when integrated and connected to an electronic circuit, a small number of functions stopped in the heat cycle test. . And
This trouble was greatly affected by the connection method to the electronic circuit board. Therefore, we devised an optical transmission / reception component that is not affected by the connection method to the electronic circuit board.
As a result of earnestly studying a structure which can be easily manufactured even for an optical transmitting / receiving component in which a large number of light receiving elements or light emitting elements are coupled using an optical waveguide having a large number of branches, the present invention has been achieved.

[0005]

That is, the present invention provides:
1: A light-emitting element or a light-receiving element is provided at the tip of a branch-side waveguide of an N-branch type optical waveguide (N is an integer of 2 or more) with a space therebetween, and is provided on one waveguide of the optical waveguide. An optical transmission / reception component comprising an optical input / output member bonded and fixed, wherein the optical waveguide is fixed in a housing, and the light emitting element component is mounted on a housing wall positioned on a line at the tip of the branch-side waveguide. Alternatively, it is an optical transmitting / receiving component in which a hole for fitting to the light receiving element is provided, and the light emitting element or the light receiving element is fixed in the hole.

Here, the optical waveguide is a polymer optical waveguide manufactured by a solvent casting method, and the optical input / output member to be bonded and fixed to one waveguide is an optical receptacle. Either the optical receptacle is fixed to the housing, or the optical input / output member is an optical fiber in which the connection end with the waveguide is supported by a reinforcing material, and the reinforcing material is fixed to the housing. It is a component for optical transmission and reception.

A first feature of the present invention is that the optical waveguide and the light emitting / receiving element parts are coupled with each other with a space therebetween and are not in direct contact with each other. An object of the present invention is to avoid troubles such as damage to an end face of an optical waveguide due to stress caused by a change in temperature of a connector or insertion / removal of a connector that sometimes occurs when element components are bonded.

Further, according to the present invention, the light-emitting element component is obtained by integrating a light-emitting element and a condensing lens in front of the light-emitting element (on the side of the optical waveguide) with a support, and preferably the light-condensing point is provided. Is set at a predetermined position in front of the light emitting element component (on the side of the optical waveguide), the light receiving element component is a light receiving element, or the light receiving surface is set at a predetermined position to support the light receiving element. The optical axis at the tip of the branch-side waveguide is parallel to each other, and the hole position of the housing wall is linearly spaced at an interval equal to the interval of the tip of the branch-side waveguide. It is characterized in that it is set, and the fixing position of the optical waveguide is adjusted and the centering is performed. With these, only by fixing the light receiving and emitting element in the hole of the housing wall, light from each light emitting element is Focus point and phase of light receiving surface of each light receiving element Position can be set to a desired position, even many number of optical element becomes possible centering the optical waveguide collectively.

(Optical Transmitting / Receiving Part Using Two-Branch Optical Waveguide, One Light-Receiving Element and One Light-Emitting Element) In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the simplest concrete example of the present invention is a two-branch optical waveguide. Description will be made using an example using one optical waveguide, one light receiving element, and one light emitting element. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the optical transmitting / receiving component of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of each component.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, an optical receptacle (1) having a polymer optical waveguide (11) fixed to the left side wall of a housing (1).
2) is fixed, and on the right side wall of the housing (1) opposed thereto, the light receiving element (13) is spaced apart from the tip of the branch waveguide on one side of the optical waveguide (11) by a space, and the tip of the branch waveguide on the opposite side. A lens (15) and a light emitting element (14) are integrally fixed to a support (16) with a space therebetween. The housing (1) is kept airtight by attaching a lid (2) using an adhesive.

The assembly of the optical transmitting / receiving component of FIG. 1 is performed as follows. First, the light receiving element (13) and the light emitting element components (14, 15, 16) are fixed at predetermined positions of the hole in the right side wall of the housing (1). Next, an optical receptacle (12) is inserted through a hole in the left side wall of the housing (1), while an optical waveguide (11) is inserted inside the housing.
And hold them on the optical stage. After that, light is introduced from the optical receptacle (12) and the light receiving element (13)
Is used as a monitor to align the optical waveguide (11) and the optical receptacle (12) with the optical axis, and is fixed with an adhesive to form an optical receptacle (12) to which the optical waveguide (11) is fixed.

Next, with the output light from the optical receptacle (12) being guided to the optical power meter, the light emitting element (14) is operated, and the light emitting element (14) and one end of the branch waveguide are connected to each other. Align the optical receptacle (12) at the optimal position with the housing (1)
To the left side wall of. At this time, since the light receiving element has a large light receiving area, sufficient light reception can be ensured only by performing horizontal alignment by visual observation. Finally, a lid is adhered to the housing (1) and hermetically sealed to form an optical transmitting / receiving component.

The housing (1) of the present invention is not particularly limited to a metal, a resin, a resin containing a filler, a ceramic, etc., from the viewpoint that the housing (1) can sufficiently withstand a load due to insertion / removal of an optical connector, temperature change, and the like. Metals are particularly preferable because they can absorb the heat generated by the element immediately and reduce the rise in the temperature of the element, and examples thereof include aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, iron, and iron alloy (such as stainless steel). Can be When the purpose is low-cost production, a resin containing a filler or the like may be used.

As the optical receptacle (12) of the present invention, an ordinary one can be used. However, from the viewpoint of preventing and avoiding damage to the end face of the optical waveguide due to attachment and detachment of the optical connector and enabling good connection only by fitting with the optical connector, the optical fiber is connected between the optical waveguide and the optical connector. It is preferable that the ferrule with the attached ferrule is inserted so that the end of the ferrule comes into contact with the end of the ferrule on the optical connector side. Although the above example is an example in which the optical receptacle portion is fixed to the housing, the optical waveguide portion can be fixed to the housing by providing a pedestal in the housing.

As an optical input / output member to be bonded and fixed to the single-sided waveguide, instead of the above-described optical receptacle, a connection end of the optical fiber with the waveguide is made of a glass capillary or an optical fiber array substrate. A material reinforced with a reinforcing material may be used. In this case, the reinforcing member is preferably fixed to the housing, but the optical waveguide portion may be fixed to the housing.

As the optical waveguide (11), a polymer optical waveguide,
Although any of glass optical waveguides can be used, a polymer optical waveguide is more preferable. The polymer optical waveguide selectively photopolymerizes a photopolymerizable monomer in a polymer matrix,
A polymer film having a refractive index distribution formed by removing a photopolymerizable monomer in a non-polymerized portion (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-3522, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-156407, etc.), and both surfaces of this polymer film It is manufactured by adhering a glass plate or the like, supporting, fixing and protecting. The distance between the branch ends of the two-branch optical waveguide used in the present invention is determined by the size of the light receiving element and the light emitting element.

As the light receiving element and the light emitting element, commercially available products mass-produced industrially, for example, can type products can be used as they are. If necessary, a wavelength selection filter or the like is attached to the light receiving surface of the light receiving element. The light-emitting element is usually used in combination with a condensing lens, and examples of these condensing lenses include a rod lens, a spherical lens, and an aspherical lens.

In the optical transmitting / receiving component of the present invention, the maximum possible separation distance is set according to the effective light receiving area of the light receiving element to be used and the numerical aperture of the branched optical waveguide. Therefore, it can be set arbitrarily within a smaller distance range. Further, the distance between the tip of the branch optical waveguide and the light emitting element is appropriately determined according to the type of the light emitting element to be used. For example, in the case of using a condensing lens, the condensing point is set to the tip of the branch optical waveguide.

The optical transmitting / receiving component of the present invention described in detail above is an electronic circuit for processing an electric signal from the light receiving element of the optical transmitting / receiving component and for processing an electric signal to the light emitting element. Implemented and used preferably. The optical transmitting / receiving component is fixed to a case containing an electronic circuit so that an optical receptacle (12) to be connected to an external optical connector projects outside from a base portion. Then, the terminals of the light receiving element and the light emitting element are respectively connected and mounted on the electronic circuit board by soldering or the like.

When a practical test is performed in a mounted state, since the optical waveguide is not directly bonded to the light receiving element and the light emitting element, stress due to temperature change, stress due to insertion / removal of the connector, and the like are caused by the housing (1). ). The housing (1) is particularly strong enough to withstand the load caused by connecting and disconnecting the connector. In this case, since the stress due to the temperature change is usually smaller than this load, it can be sufficiently tolerated, there is no permanent deformation, and no optical connection failure occurs. The end of the branched optical waveguide, the exposed surface of the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element are sealed with the housing (1) so that they are not directly exposed to the outside air, and sufficient reliability can be secured. is there.

Further, the housing (1) has a relatively high thermal conductivity such as stainless steel, has a large heat capacity, and has good contact with a heat-generating component such as a light-emitting element, so that light emission during light emission can be improved. Can be immediately absorbed to prevent the temperature of the light emitting element itself from rising. As a result, the laser diode can be used up to the maximum use temperature of a normal laser diode even though it is in a sealed state.

(Optical Transmitting / Receiving Parts Using Four-Branch Optical Waveguide and Four Light-Emitting Elements) Next, when the number N of branches of the optical waveguide and the number of light-receiving / emitting elements are large, the four-branch optical waveguide and four light-emitting elements are used. An optical transmission / reception component using the above light emitting element will be described as an example. As described above, when the number of light emitting / receiving elements, particularly the number of light emitting elements, is large, it is not so easy to fix the light emitting element parts and the ends of the branch waveguides at an optimum position with a space therebetween. is not. This is because the position of the light emitting point inside the light emitting element is not constant for each element, and the light from the light emitting element is condensed into a very narrow beam by the condensing lens. Therefore, the relative relationship between the position of the light emitting element itself and the position of the light condensing point of the light condensed by the lens can be determined by individual light emitting element parts simply by keeping the positional relation between the lens and the light emitting element constant. Would be very different.

As one method, a certain width is provided at a position where the light emitting element component is fixed. First, the optical waveguide is fixed to the housing, and then the light emitting elements are emitted one by one, and the light emitting elements are sequentially emitted at the optimum position. It is possible to fix it on the body. However, this method requires that all elements be individually aligned and is not efficient.

In order to solve the above problems and enable a rational manufacturing procedure, the following method of the present invention may be followed. That is, when the light-emitting element and the condensing lens are integrated into a support to form a light-emitting element component, the light emission is performed such that the light-condensing point is at a predetermined position in front of the light-emitting element component (on the side of the optical waveguide). By adjusting the fixing positions of the element and the condensing lens to the support, the light converging point can always be kept at a fixed position with respect to the hole position of the housing wall for fixing the light emitting element component.

Here, the predetermined position in front of the light emitting element component refers to a three-dimensional position. For example, in a light emitting device component using a cylindrical support as shown in FIG.
What is necessary is just to set the position of the condensing point F on the central axis of the cylindrical shape and at a position where the distance from the tip of the support is constant. A specific method for manufacturing the light emitting element component is, for example, as follows.
First, a support (sheath) in which a condensing lens is incorporated and fixed is held on an optical stage, and the tip of an optical fiber is held at a predetermined position to be a condensing point, facing the condensing lens. . Next, while the other end of the optical fiber is guided to the optical power meter, the position of the light emitting element in the support is adjusted while the light emitting element emits light, and the light emitting element is bonded and fixed to the support at a position where the optical power is maximized. . These operations are easy, and a light-emitting element component can be manufactured in a short time.

As described above, when a light emitting element component having a light condensing point at a predetermined position is used, the position accuracy of the hole for fitting the light emitting element component provided on the housing wall is sufficiently high, and If the processing accuracy of the component support is sufficiently high, simply insert each light-emitting element component into the hole in the housing wall and fix it by bonding. By adjusting this relative position to each tip of the branch waveguide, it is possible to adjust the fixed position of the optical waveguide later and collectively perform centering. Becomes

As an example, in the case of an optical waveguide in which the optical axes at the tip of the branch-side waveguide are parallel to each other, the positions of the holes in the housing wall are linear at intervals equal to the interval between the tips of the branch-side waveguide. In this case, it is only necessary to set such that each condensing point is at a fixed distance from the housing wall.

In the manufacturing process, first, after fixing the light emitting element component to the hole in the housing wall, a procedure of adjusting the fixing position of the optical waveguide and performing centering can be adopted. This can be said to be a reasonable manufacturing process in that the manufacturing of the light-emitting element components and their fixing to the housing wall can be performed at any time separately from the assembly process of the optical transmitting and receiving components. .

The above points can be similarly applied to a case where some or all of the elements in the above example are replaced with light receiving element parts instead of light emitting element parts. In the case of a light receiving element component, an appropriate positional relationship between the light receiving surface and the tip of the branch waveguide is necessary. However, the light receiving surface is relatively large, and the distance between the light receiving surface and the tip of the branch waveguide has an allowable range. Due to their relatively large size, precise alignment is not required as in the case of light-emitting elements. As the light receiving element component, the light receiving element is used as it is or is integrated with the support in the same manner as the light emitting element component. When a support is used, the light receiving element is fixed to the support so that the light receiving surface is at a predetermined position. Normal,
Sufficient positional accuracy can be ensured only by providing a hole in the support for fitting the light receiving element and fixing the light receiving element in this hole. If necessary, a wavelength selecting filter may be attached to the light receiving element side of the light receiving element component. By providing a hole for fitting the light receiving element component with sufficient positional accuracy in the housing wall and fixing the light receiving element component in this hole, it is possible to perform the alignment with the optical waveguide collectively later. is there.

Further, by making the outer shape of the support of the light emitting element component and the support of the light receiving element component the same, the holes in the housing wall for fixing these components are all made to have the same shape. Various types of housings can be used for optical transmitting and receiving components having various element configurations, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a specific example. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of an optical transmission / reception component using a 1: 4 branch optical waveguide and four light emitting elements. In FIG. 4, an optical receptacle (12) to which a polymer optical waveguide (11a) is fixed is fixed to the left side wall of the housing (1a), and the optical waveguide (11a) is fixed to the right side wall.
The lens (15a, 1
5b, 15c, 15d) and four light-emitting elements (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d)
Are integrated with and fixed to the supports (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d). The optical axes at the ends of the branch waveguides of the optical waveguide (11a) are all parallel to each other, and four holes on the right side wall of the housing (1a) fit into the supports (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d). The supports are provided such that their tips are linearly arranged at intervals equal to the intervals between the tips of the branch waveguides. The distance from the tip of the support to the focal point of each light-emitting element component is all constant.

The rest is substantially the same as the example of FIG.
Assembly is as follows. First, as described above, each light-emitting element component is manufactured so that the light converging point is at a predetermined position, and then is fixed to a predetermined position of a hole in the right side wall of the housing (1a). Next, similarly to the example of FIG. 1, the housing (1a), the optical waveguide (11a), and the optical receptacle (12) are held on the optical stage, and the optical fiber is guided from the optical receptacle (12) to the optical power meter. In this state, one of the light emitting elements emits light, and after roughly adjusting the position of the light emitting element and the branch waveguide, the position of the optical receptacle (12) with respect to the optical waveguide (11a) is adjusted so that the light intensity is maximized. The optical waveguide (11a) is fixed to the optical receptacle (12) by adhering and fixing the two at the following positions. Next, the light emitting elements at both ends are made to emit light, and the optical receptacle (12) is bonded and fixed to the housing (1a) at the position where the light intensity becomes maximum. Finally, the lid is bonded to form an optical transmitting / receiving component.

[0033]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the optical transmission / reception component of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. The following examples are for the purpose of specifically explaining, and do not limit the embodiments and the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1: For an optical fiber having a core diameter of 50 μm 2
Fabrication of optical transmission / reception components using a branched optical waveguide, a light receiving element and a light emitting element. (Preparation of Case (1)) A case (1) made of stainless steel as shown in FIGS. The external dimensions are 23 mm left and right, and the top and bottom widths of Fig.
It is 20mm in height and 9mm in height.The left side wall is 3.5mm thick and has a through hole for fixing the optical receptacle, while the right side wall is 6mm thick and has holes for fixing the light receiving element and the light emitting element. In the inside, there is provided a storage portion for a two-branch optical waveguide. The four corners are provided with screw holes for fixing components. After assembling, a stainless steel lid (2) is adhered and fixed inside these screw holes to maintain the inside airtightness.

(Fabrication of Two-branch Optical Waveguide (11)) The dimensions of the optical waveguide were as follows: the film thickness was 40 μm, the length in the propagation direction was 12 mm, and the distance between the branch waveguides was 6 mm. It was manufactured as follows, with the branch side being 40 μm on both sides. That is, using a polycarbonate resin synthesized from bisphenol Z (manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., trade name: Iupilon Z), methyl acrylate as a photopolymerizable monomer, and benzoin ethyl ether as a sensitizer, a selective light weight is used. Legal (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-3522,
-156407) to produce an optical waveguide film.

Next, using an adhesive having a refractive index of 1.56,
A glass plate having a thickness of 1.5 mm was bonded and fixed to both surfaces of the optical waveguide film, cut into a predetermined size, and both end surfaces were optically polished to obtain a two-branch optical waveguide.

(Preparation of Optical Receptacle (12)) Total Length 18.5m
An optical receptacle (12) having an outer diameter of 5.99 mm, a length of 7 mm, and an outer diameter of FIG. 3 was prepared. Here, a ferrule with an optical fiber is inserted inside the optical receptacle (12), and the end of the ferrule is configured to be in contact with the ferrule end on the optical connector side, and the opposite end is also provided. Similarly, it is configured to be in contact with the optical waveguide. In addition, to fix the optical receptacle (12) to the housing (1) at the optimal position, a fixing ring (17) with an inner diameter of 6.01mm, an outer diameter of 9mm, and a thickness of 2.5mm as shown in Fig. 3 is used.
Was prepared.

(Light receiving element (13) and light emitting element (14)) The light receiving element (13) is a can type photodiode (PD:
Hamamatsu Photonics S5972) was used. The light-emitting element (14) uses a can-type laser diode (LD: RLD78PIT manufactured by ROHM Co., Ltd., operating temperature rating: -10 ° C to + 80 ° C) with a wavelength of 0.78 µm, and a condensing lens (15). 2mmφ rod lens (15) (for 0.78μm, 0.25 pitch) and support (16) (stainless steel sheath:
6mmφ, length 8.3mm)

In this example, the position adjustment of the light-condensing point of the light-emitting element component as described in the description of the optical transmission / reception component using the four-branch optical waveguide and four light-emitting elements is not performed. The light-emitting device was manufactured by simply inserting the light-collecting lens and the light-emitting element and fixing them by bonding. Also in this example, there is no problem even if the position of the light-condensing point is adjusted, but rather it is preferable in that the subsequent alignment process can be performed more smoothly. Then, it is possible to manufacture without adjusting the position of the focal point.

(Assembly of Optical Transmitting / Receiving Parts) First, the PD
(13) and the support (16) integrated with the LD (14) were bonded and fixed to the through hole of the housing as shown in FIG. Next, the fixing ring (17) is passed through the optical receptacle (12) in advance, and the side to be connected to the optical waveguide (11) is placed on the housing (1) from the outside.
The optical waveguide (11) disposed inside the housing was opposed to the optical waveguide (11), and these were held on the optical stage. Then, the light from the LED light source with a wavelength of 0.85 μm is connected to the optical receptacle (12) using a 50 / 125GI optical fiber, and the housing (1)
Optical receptacle with PD (13) fixed to the monitor
The relative positions of (12) and the optical waveguide (11) were adjusted, and the two were bonded and fixed at the position where the light intensity became maximum.

Next, the LE connected to the optical receptacle (12)
The optical fiber from the D light source was removed and replaced with an optical fiber led from an optical power meter. In this state LD (14)
To adjust the relative position between the optical waveguide (11) integrated with the optical receptacle (12) and the LD (14), and through the fixing ring (17) at the position where the light intensity becomes maximum. Housing
(1) and the optical receptacle (12) were bonded and fixed. Thereafter, a stainless steel lid (2) was adhered to the upper part of the housing to form an optical transmission / reception component (hereinafter referred to as "the component").

For comparison, the same optical waveguide, light receiving element, and light emitting element as described above were used, and the light receiving element and the light emitting element were bonded and fixed directly to the optical waveguide while being positioned at the optimum positions. And a light transmitting / receiving component (hereinafter, referred to as a “light transmitting / receiving element”) in which a housing, an optical receptacle, an optical waveguide, and a light emitting / receiving element are continuously bonded, except that the housing is sealed with a resin. "Comparative parts")
Was prepared.

(Evaluation of Optical Transmitting and Receiving Components)
20 parts each of this part and comparative parts were produced. Thereafter, the terminals of the LD and PD are soldered and integrated with the control electronic circuit board, and a heat cycle test of 100 cycles at -10 ° C to + 50 ° C (3 hours / Cycle). as a result,
All of the parts showed good operation to the end, while two of the comparative parts showed abnormalities. As a result of disassembling and examining the two defective comparative parts, it was found that both were due to peeling of the adhesive surface between the optical waveguide and the lens housing sheath (coupled to the light emitting element).

Next, 20 parts each of the same parts and comparative parts manufactured in the same manner were placed in an environment at a temperature of 60 ° C. and a humidity of 90%.
After holding for 1,000 hours, an operation test was performed by connecting to the control electronic circuit board, and no abnormality was found in any of the components.

From these facts, it is understood that the optical transmission / reception component of the present invention can secure sufficient reliability in a mounted state.

Example 2: Production of an optical transmission / reception component (transmission only) using a 4-branch optical waveguide for a 50 μm optical fiber and four light emitting elements having different wavelengths. (Preparation of the housing (1a))
A stainless steel case (1a) shown in FIG. 4 was produced. The outer shape is 31 mm left and right, 39 mm vertically, and 9 mm high. Four holes are formed on the right side wall for fixing light emitting element components. The pitch of these holes was set to 6 mm in accordance with the interval between the tip portions of the branch waveguides, and the holes were arranged so that the tips of the supports of the light emitting element components were linearly arranged.

(Fabrication of 4-branch optical waveguide (11a)) The dimensions of the optical waveguide are as follows: the film thickness is 40 μm, the length in the propagation direction is 22 mm,
The distance at the end of each branch waveguide is 6 mm and the optical paths are all parallel to each other.
It was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the branch side was 40 μm.

The same optical receptacle (12) and its fixing ring (17) as in Example 1 were used.

(Light emitting element parts) Light emitting elements (14a, 14b, 14c, 1
In 4d), the following four types of can-type LDs were used. 14a: Wavelength 0.78 μm, Rohm's RLD78PIT, operating temperature rated value -10 ° C to + 80 ° C 14b: Wavelength 0.85 μm, Rohm's RLD85PC, operating temperature rated value -10 ° C to + 80 ° C 14c: 1.31 μm wavelength, ML701B8R manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, rated operating temperature -40 ° C to + 85 ° C 14d: 1.55 μm wavelength, ML901B6R manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, rated operating temperature -40 ° C to + 85 ° C 2mm for focusing lens (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d)
φ rod lens (0.25 pitch at each wavelength), stainless steel sheath (outer diameter 5.6mmφ, length a, b 8.3mm, c, d 8.8mm) as support (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) )
Was used. All four types of light emitting element parts are focused on the central axis of the cylindrical support and in front of the support tip.
The structure of the rod lens and the support was designed to be mm, and the fine adjustment was performed by adjusting the mounting position of the light emitting element.

(Production of Light Emitting Element Parts) Condensing lens (15
The support (16a), which incorporates and fixes a) inside, is held on an optical stage, and the tip of the 50/125 GI optical fiber is focused on the center axis of the support (16a) and 3.5 mm forward from the tip of the support. And held opposite to the lens for use (15a). Next, with the other end of the optical fiber being led to an optical power meter, L
D (14a) was fitted into the support (16a), and while emitting light, the position of the LD (14a) in the support was adjusted, and the light was bonded and fixed to the support (16a) at the position where the optical power became maximum.
Other three types of light emitting element parts were produced in the same manner.

(Assembly of Light Transmitting / Receiving Parts) Attaching of Light Emitting Element Parts The four light emitting element parts thus produced were fixed at predetermined positions in holes formed in the wall of the housing (1a). Next, as in the first embodiment, a fixing ring (17) is passed through the optical receptacle (12) in advance, and the side connected to the optical waveguide (11a) is placed on the housing from outside. It was inserted into the through hole of (1a) and opposed to the optical waveguide (11a) arranged inside the housing, and these were held on the optical stage. 50/125 for optical receptacle (12)
A GI optical fiber was connected, and the other end of the optical fiber was led to an optical power meter. After that, LD (14b: other LD may be used)
The optical waveguide (11a) and the optical receptacle are
The position of (12) was adjusted, and rough alignment was performed so that light from the LD (14b) was incident on the branch waveguide and could be detected by the optical power meter through the optical receptacle (12). Next, while the housing (1a) and the optical waveguide (11a) are fixed, the position of the optical receptacle (12) is finely adjusted so that the optical waveguide (11a) and the optical receptacle (12 ) Was fixed by bonding.

Next, the position of the optical waveguide (11a) integrated with the optical receptacle (12) is adjusted by causing the two LDs (14a, 14d) at both ends to emit light. Then, the optical receptacle (12) was bonded and fixed to the housing (1a) via the fixing ring (17) at the position where the light intensity from the two LDs (14a, 14d) was maximized.

With respect to the optical transmitting / receiving component manufactured by the above steps, the remaining LDs (14b, 14b,
In order to confirm whether the positional relationship between the optical waveguide (11c) and the optical waveguide (11a) is appropriate, the LDs (14b, 14c) are made to emit light, respectively, and the light intensity is measured by an optical power meter guided from the optical receptacle (12). As a result, all showed sufficient strength.

Embodiment 3 Production of an optical transmission / reception component using the four-branch optical waveguide for reception and the four light receiving elements of the second embodiment. (Preparation of Case (1b)) A case (1b) made of stainless steel shown in FIG. Four holes are formed on the right side wall for fixing light receiving element components. The pitch of these holes was set to 6 mm in accordance with the interval between the tip portions of the branch waveguides, and the holes were arranged in a straight line. The four-branch optical waveguide is the same as that of the second embodiment.
The same optical waveguide (11a) was used. The same optical receptacle (12) and its fixing ring (17) as in Example 1 were used.

(Light receiving element parts) Light receiving elements (13a, 13b, 13c, 1
3d) is on the light receiving surface of the following two types of can-type PDs.
Bandpass filters (18a: 0.78
μm, 18b: 0.85 μm, 18c: 1.31 μm, 18d: 1.55 μm). 13a, 13b: S5972, manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics Co., Ltd. Operating temperature rating: -40 ° C to + 100 ° C 13c, 13d: G3476-05, manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics Co., Ltd. Operating temperature rated value: -40 ° C to + 85 ° C As a support (19a, 19b, 19c, 19d) fitted to each PD, a cylindrical stainless sheath having an outer diameter of 5.6φ and a length of 3.5mm was used. The light receiving surface of the PD was designed so as to be on the central axis of the support and 1.8 mm from the tip inside the support.

(Preparation of Light-receiving Element Component) The PD (13a) to which the band-pass filter (18a) was adhered was placed in a predetermined position on the support (19a), and was fixed by adhesion to form a light-receiving element component. The other three
Various types of light receiving element components were produced in the same manner.

(Assembly of Optical Transmitting / Receiving Parts) Attaching of Light Receiving Element Parts The four light receiving element parts thus produced were fixed at predetermined positions in holes formed in the wall of the housing (1b). Next, as in the first embodiment, a fixing ring (17) is passed through the optical receptacle (12) in advance, and the side connected to the optical waveguide (11a) is placed on the housing from outside. It was inserted into the through hole of (1b) and opposed to the optical waveguide (11a) arranged inside the housing, and these were held on the optical stage. Then, 0.85μm wavelength LED
The light from the light source is connected to the optical receptacle (12) using a 50/125 GI optical fiber, and the PD (13b) fixed to the housing (1b) is used as a monitor (or another PD).
The relative position between 2) and the optical waveguide (11a) was adjusted, and the two were bonded and fixed at the position where the light intensity became maximum.

Next, the two PDs (13a, 13d) at both ends are used as monitors,
The position of the optical waveguide (11a) integrated with the optical receptacle (12) is adjusted, and the two PDs (13a, 13d) are positioned via the fixing ring (17) at the optimum position where sufficient light intensity is obtained. The optical receptacle (12) was bonded and fixed to the housing (1b).

With respect to the optical transmission / reception component manufactured by the above steps, the remaining PDs (13b, 13b,
The light intensity was measured using the PDs (13b, 13c) as monitors to confirm whether the positional relationship between the optical waveguide (13c) and the optical waveguide (11a) was proper.

In the third embodiment, a light receiving element component integrated with a support is used. However, a structure in which the PD itself is fixed to a housing can also be manufactured. Further, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, if all the holes of the housing wall for fixing these parts are made to have the same shape, for example, by making the outer shape of the support holding each LD or PD the same, One type of housing can be used in common for optical transmission / reception components having different element configurations, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0061]

As described above, as is clear from the embodiments and the detailed description of the invention, the optical transmitting / receiving component of the present invention can secure sufficient reliability in a mounted state. Further, it is possible to cope with various configurations of the light receiving / emitting element, the number of the components is small, the assembling is easy, and a practical optical transmitting / receiving component can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an optical transceiver component of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the optical transceiver component of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of individual components used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of the optical transceiver component of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of the optical transceiver component of the present invention.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A light-emitting element or a light-receiving element is provided at an end of a branch-side waveguide of a 1: N branch-type optical waveguide (N is an integer of 2 or more) with a space therebetween.
An optical transmission / reception component having an optical input / output member bonded and fixed to the main waveguide, wherein the optical waveguide is fixed in a housing,
An optical transmission / reception device in which a hole for fitting the light emitting element component or the light receiving element component is provided in a housing wall positioned on the line at the tip of the branch side waveguide, and the light emitting element component or the light receiving element component is fixed in the hole. Parts. 2. The optical transmitting / receiving component according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide is a polymer optical waveguide manufactured by a solvent casting method. 3. The optical transmitting / receiving component according to claim 1, wherein said optical input / output member is an optical receptacle, and said optical receptacle is fixed to a housing. 4. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 1, wherein the optical input / output member is an optical fiber having a connection end with the waveguide supported by a reinforcing material, and the reinforcing material is fixed to a housing. . 5. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element component is formed by integrating a light emitting element and a condensing lens in front of the light emitting element (on the optical waveguide side) with a support. 6. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 5, wherein the light-collecting point of the light-emitting device component is set at a predetermined position in front of the light-emitting device component (on the side of the optical waveguide). 7. The optical transmitting / receiving component according to claim 1, wherein said light receiving element component is a light receiving element. 8. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving element component has a light receiving surface set at a predetermined position and the light receiving element is integrated with a support. 9. An optical axis at the tip of the branch-side waveguide is parallel to each other, and the positions of the holes in the housing wall are set linearly at an interval equal to the interval between the tips of the branch-side waveguides. 1
An optical transmission / reception component as described in the above. 10. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide is adjusted by adjusting a fixed position of the optical waveguide. 11. The optical transmission / reception component according to claim 1, wherein all the holes provided on the housing wall for fixing the light emitting element component and the light receiving element component have the same shape.