JPH11211930A - Production of optical fiber connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily arrange optical fibers with high density when fixing naked fibers on a connector substrate. SOLUTION: Naked fibers 1a and 2a are exposed by removing coating film at the intermediate parts of two four-fiber coated ribbon optical fibers 1 and 2 (A). The naked fibers 1a and 2a are mutually alternately overlapped (C) and fixed by a clamp mechanism 3 (E). A connector substrate 4 is contacted from the downside of the naked fibers 1a and 2a, a pressing member 5 is placed from the upside (G) and the naked fibers 1a and 2a are fixed by an adhesive agent 6 in the state of sandwiching them between the connector substrate 4 and the pressing member 5. The front end of the connector is ground to be connected to a waveguide or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector to which an optical fiber is fixed, which is used for connecting an optical fiber to an optical device such as an optical waveguide.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a technique for connecting an optical fiber to an optical device such as an optical waveguide, high density is required. 1
The 994 IEICE Spring Conference, page 4-332 Oguchi et al., The paper of C-335, and the optical fiber disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-230158, are composed of two tape-shaped optical fiber cores, A technique has been disclosed in which bare fibers are alternately arranged and arranged in a V-groove to increase the density.

In such a technique, for example, the outer diameter of a bare fiber, which is an exposed glass portion after the coating is removed, is reduced by 1 mm.
When the pitch is 25 μm, the pitch of the V-groove is 1
25 μm, and the V-groove becomes shallow. When the bare fibers protruding from the upper and lower tape-shaped optical fiber cores are alternately aligned, usually, the coating at the tip is removed to expose the bare fiber, and this is fixed to the connector board. The fiber is often spread, and it is difficult to set the fiber at a predetermined position, and the workability is poor.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is an optical fiber capable of easily arranging optical fibers at a high density when fixing a bare fiber to a connector substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a connector.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, two tape-shaped optical fibers are vertically stacked,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector having an optical fiber array in which upper and lower bare fibers from which coating has been removed are alternately arranged on the same plane, wherein a coating of an intermediate portion of the two tape-like optical fiber cores is provided. Is removed to expose the bare fiber, and the covering portions on both sides of the bare fiber are gripped, a predetermined tension is applied to the bare fiber, and the bare fiber is fixed to the connector substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the first aspect, a connector board in which two connector boards are integrated at a tip portion is used as the connector board. After fixing the bare fiber to the connector substrate, cut the central portion thereof,
It is characterized in that two optical fiber connectors are manufactured simultaneously.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a process diagram for explaining a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote tape-shaped optical fibers,
1a and 2a are bare fibers, 1b and 2b are coated, 1c and 2
c is a common coating, 3 is a clamp mechanism, 4 is a burner, 4 is a connector board, 5 is a pressing member, and 6 is an adhesive. The bare fiber is hatched to make it easier to see. Also, the cross section of the bare fiber 2a is marked with a cross,
The distinction from the bare fiber 1a is made easy to understand.

FIG. 1A shows a state in which the coating of the middle part of the two four-core optical fiber ribbons 1 and 2 is removed to expose the bare fibers 1a and 2a. In this embodiment, the coating on the intermediate portion near the end of the optical fiber ribbon may be removed so that the length of the coating on the left side of the drawing becomes shorter. FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the bare fiber portion. In this sectional view, the coatings 1b and 2b around the bare fibers 1a and 2a and the common coatings 1c and 2c around the bare fibers 1a and 2a in the coating portion are shown by broken lines. The coated portions on both sides of the bare fiber are gripped and tensioned by a gripping mechanism. The magnitude of the tension may be such that the bare fiber does not bend, and in one example, a force equivalent to 20 g in total of four bare fibers was applied. Further, the gripping mechanism for gripping the coated portion of one of the tape-shaped optical fiber cores has a displacement mechanism capable of vertically and horizontally displacing with respect to the axis of the optical fiber.

By displacing the gripping mechanism for gripping the coated portion of one tape-shaped optical fiber, the bare fibers 1a and 2a are alternately arranged as shown in FIG.
While observing from above, one of the optical fibers is moved. In a specific example, the outer diameters of the bare fibers 1a and 2a described with reference to FIG.
Has an outer diameter of 250 μm. Therefore, the bare fibers 1a,
The gap of 2a is 125 μm, and as shown in FIG. 1D, the bare fibers 1a and 2a are staggered at positions where the upper and lower tape-shaped optical fibers 1 and 2 are shifted by １ ／ pitch.

In this state, one of the bare fibers 1a and 2a is fixed by the clamp mechanism 3 as shown in FIG. In the vicinity of the clamp mechanism 3, the bare fiber 1
a and 2a are alternately aligned on the same plane. As described above, since the optical fiber has a coating diameter of 250 μm and a bare fiber diameter of 125 μm, adjacent optical fibers are in contact with each other. If the coating diameter is not twice as large as the bare fiber diameter, use a suitable jig to
a, 2a so that they come into contact alternately,
It is fixed by the clamp mechanism 3. FIG. 1F shows bare fibers 1 a and 2 in a portion clamped by a clamp mechanism 3.
It is sectional drawing of a.

FIG. 1G shows an assembly process of the optical fiber connector. From below the bare fiber portion, a stepped Si connector substrate 4 is brought into contact, and from above, a pressing member 5 is placed, and as shown in FIG.
a and 2 a are sandwiched between the connector substrate 4 and the pressing member 5 and fixed with the adhesive 6. Bare fiber 1a, 2a
Since the fixing is performed in a state where the tension is applied, the arrangement of the bare fibers is not disturbed.

The step of the connector substrate 4 is provided for accommodating the covering portion of the optical fiber ribbon. The height of the step is such that the surfaces where the coatings of the upper and lower tape-shaped optical fiber cores come into contact with each other coincide with the center line of the bare fiber on the connector board 4 so that the same bending is given to the bare fibers 1a and 2a. Which is desirable. The pressing member 5 is suitably made of a relatively hard material such as transparent quartz glass.

FIG. 1I is a front view of the connector.
Illustration of the adhesive between the connector substrate 4 and the pressing member 5 is omitted. The front end of the connector is polished for connection with a waveguide or the like. Usually, the wafer is polished obliquely at an angle of 8 ° to reduce the reflected return light.

Although the clamp mechanism 3 is used in one place, two places in the bare fiber portion may be fixed by the clamp mechanism.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a mode of use of the optical fiber connector manufactured as described above. In the figure, 1,
1 ', 2, 2' are tape-shaped optical fibers, 7, 7 'are optical fiber connectors, and 8 is a waveguide chip. In this example, eight-fiber optical fiber connectors 7, 7 'were used as the tape-shaped optical fibers 1, 1', 2, 2 '. As shown in FIG. 1, two four-core tape-shaped optical fiber cores 1, 2 and 1'2 'are attached to the respective optical fiber connectors 7, 7' so as to be overlapped with each other. The waveguide chip 7
4 circuits WINC (Wavelength Insens
active coupler) waveguide. Light is input from the tape-shaped optical fiber core 1, and the light that has passed through the branch waveguide of the waveguide chip 8 is received by the eight-core optical fiber connector 7 ′. Align to gain power. After the alignment, an adhesive having a matching refractive index is poured into the connection portion between the waveguide chip 8 and the optical fiber connectors 7, 7 'to be hardened and fixed, whereby a waveguide module can be manufactured.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an optical fiber connector for illustrating a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. In this embodiment, a V-groove is formed in the mounting portion of the connector substrate 4 on which the bare fibers 1a and 2a are placed. Outer diameter of bare fiber is 125
In the case of μm, the pitch of the V-groove is 125 μm. By providing the V-groove in the connector substrate 4, more reliably,
The bare fibers 1a and 2a can be aligned with the connector substrate 4. Although the V-groove is shallow, the bare fibers 1a, 2
Since it is placed on the V-groove in a state where tension is applied to a, setting is easy.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an optical fiber connector for illustrating a third embodiment of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. In this embodiment, a connector board 4 having a shape in which two connector boards are integrated at the tip end is used as the connector board. The pressing members 5 also have a length of two. The manufacturing process is the same as that described with reference to FIG. After fixing with an adhesive, it is cut along the cutting line 9 at the center and the cut surface is polished. Oblique polishing may be performed. Note that the cutting may be performed diagonally, and the time required for the polishing process in the case of performing the diagonal polishing can be reduced. In this embodiment, there is an advantage that two optical fiber connectors can be manufactured at the same time.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a fourth embodiment of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Reference numeral 10 denotes a resin molded body. In this embodiment,
The entire connector was molded using a resin molded body as the connector substrate. As described with reference to FIG. 1, with a tension applied, one or two portions of the bare fiber portion fixed by the clamp mechanism 3, a casting mold is set in the bare fiber portion, and resin is injected. I do. Although there are various kinds of resins, in this embodiment, a resin containing glass fine particles and having a curing temperature of 80 ° C. was used. After curing, as shown in FIG. 5, the sheet is cut diagonally along the cutting line 9 at the center and the cut surface is polished.
Note that it is not always necessary to cut diagonally. This embodiment also has the advantage that two optical fiber connectors can be manufactured simultaneously.

As the material of the connector substrate described in the first to third embodiments, glass, molded resin, ceramic, or the like may be used in addition to silicon. However, a material close to the linear expansion coefficient of glass, which is the material of the optical fiber, is desirable. When a resin molded body is used, the expansion coefficient of glass, which is a material of an optical fiber or a waveguide, can be approximated by, for example, mixing glass particles with a molding resin, and accurate molding can be performed. .

The same applies to the material of the pressing member. However, when an ultraviolet-curing adhesive is used as an adhesive for assembling or connecting to the waveguide, a material that is transparent to ultraviolet light is used. Preferably, when the connector substrate is a transparent material, the material of the pressing member may be an opaque material. As the waveguide, a polymer waveguide, a semiconductor waveguide, or the like may be used in addition to the silica-based waveguide.

As the adhesive for fixing the optical fiber, the pressing member, and the like to the connector board, an ultraviolet-curing adhesive that can be quickly cured, a thermosetting adhesive, a hot melt, or the like can be used. Considering that stress is applied to the optical fiber, it is preferable that the Young's modulus, the expansion coefficient, and the curing shrinkage are as small as possible.

In addition to the quartz-based waveguide,
The optical fiber connector of the present invention can be connected to an appropriate waveguide such as a polymer waveguide or a semiconductor waveguide. The adhesive used for connection with the waveguide is preferably an ultraviolet curable adhesive in which the refractive index of the waveguide and the optical fiber are matched, but a thermosetting adhesive can also be used.

It is clear that the present invention is not limited to the numerical values and the like of the above-described embodiments and specific examples. Although the tape-shaped optical fiber core has been described using a four-core optical fiber core, other types of tape-shaped optical fiber cores such as an eight-core tape may be used.

[0024]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, by applying a constant tension to the bare fiber portion, the bare fibers of the upper and lower tape-shaped optical fibers can be easily formed. High density.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, 2
There is an effect that a plurality of optical fiber connectors can be manufactured at the same time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a manufacturing process for describing an optical fiber connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a mode of use of the optical fiber connector of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a second example of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front view of an optical fiber connector for describing the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a third view of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the optical fiber connector for describing the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a fourth view of the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention;
It is explanatory drawing of embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ,, 1'2, 2 '... tape-shaped optical fiber core, 1a,
2a ... bare fiber, 1b, 2b ... coating, 1c, 2c ... common coating, 3 ... clamping mechanism, 4 ... burner, 4 ... connector board, 5 ... pressing member, 6 ... adhesive, 7, 7 '... optical fiber connector , 8 ... waveguide chip, 9 ... cutting line, 10 ...
Resin molding.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber connector having an optical fiber array in which two tape-shaped optical fiber core wires are vertically stacked, and upper and lower bare fibers from which coating is removed are alternately arranged on the same plane. In the manufacturing method, the coating on the intermediate portion of the two tape-shaped optical fibers is removed to expose the bare fiber, and the covering portions on both sides of the bare fiber are gripped to apply a constant tension to the bare fiber. In addition, a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector, comprising fixing the optical fiber connector to a connector substrate. 2. Using the connector board in which two connector boards are integrated at the tip portion as the connector board, fixing the bare fiber to the connector board, and cutting the central portion thereof, The method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein two optical fiber connectors are manufactured simultaneously.