JPS63113508A - Manufacture of optical fiber array - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form an optical fiber array in a short time by preparing a substrate having a groove for aligning and fixing an optical fiber and a hole connected to a bottom part of this groove, and fixing the optical fiber which has been sucked and aligned toward the bottom part of the groove through the hole, into the groove. CONSTITUTION:A substrate 11 having a groove 12 for aligning and fixing an optical fiber 18 and a hole 13 connected to a bottom part of the groove 12. Subsequently, the optical fiber 18 is placed in the groove 12, and also, the optical fiber 18 is sucked toward the bottom part through the hole 13, and the optical fiber 28 which has been aligned in the groove 12 by a suction is fixed into the groove 12. In such a way, since the optical fiber 18 which has been sucked and aligned toward the bottom part of the groove 12 is fixed into the groove 12, the optical fiber 18 is fixed exactly into the groove 12 in a state that it has been aligned along the groove 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for aligning optical fibers to produce an optical fiber array.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber array as described above, in which a substrate having a groove in which optical fibers are to be aligned and fixed and a hole connected to the bottom of the groove is prepared, and the optical fibers are inserted through the hole toward the bottom of the groove. By fixing the aligned optical fibers in the groove by suction, an optical fiber array in which the optical fibers are accurately aligned can be manufactured in a short time.

[Conventional technology]

Optical fiber arrays in which optical fibers are aligned are used to connect optical fibers to each other or to connect optical fibers to optical waveguides.

Methods for manufacturing such optical fiber arrays include forming grooves on the surface of a silicon substrate by anisotropic etching and aligning optical fibers within these grooves, or machining ceramic into an L-shape to create a processed product. Conventionally, there has been a method of aligning optical fibers in grooves formed by combining optical fibers.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

By the way, in a normal optical fiber, a primary coat is applied around the strand, and a coating such as a nylon jacket is further applied around the primary coat.

For this reason, optical fibers generally have some kind of warp or bend.

Because of these warps, bends, etc., even if an attempt is made to align the optical fibers within the grooves, the optical fibers will not fit into the grooves in their natural state.

Therefore, even if the grooves are precisely formed, it is impossible to manufacture an optical fiber array in which the optical fibers are precisely aligned along the grooves. For this purpose, conventionally, a fine movement table, a jig, or the like was used to push each optical fiber into the groove.

However, in such conventional manufacturing methods, the work of aligning the optical fibers is complicated, not only does it take a long time to manufacture the optical fiber array, but the optical fibers cannot always be aligned accurately.

[Means for solving problems]

The method for manufacturing an optical fiber array according to the present invention includes the steps of preparing a substrate 11 having a groove 12 in which optical fibers 18 are to be aligned and fixed, and a hole 13 connected to the bottom of the groove 12;
arranging the optical fiber 18 in the groove 12 and suctioning the optical fiber 18 toward the bottom through the hole 13; and aligning the optical fiber 18 in the guide 12 by the suction. and fixing within the groove 12, respectively.

[Effect]

In the method for manufacturing an optical fiber array according to the present invention, the grooves 12
Since the optical fibers 18 are suctioned and aligned toward the bottom of the groove 12, the optical fibers 18 are fixed in the groove 12.
are fixed within the groove 12 in precise alignment along the groove 12.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In this embodiment, a substrate 11 for an optical fiber array as shown in FIG. 1 is first prepared. The material of the substrate 11 is preferably glass, silicon, ceramic, etc., but other materials may be used.

A large number of parallel V-grooves 12 in which optical fibers are to be aligned and fixed are formed on one surface of the substrate 11 by a conventionally known method. Note that instead of the groove 12, a U groove, a concave groove, or the like may be formed.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate 11 has a groove that penetrates between the bottom of the groove 12 and the surface of the substrate 11 opposite to the surface on which the V-groove 12 is formed. A large number of holes 13 are formed in each V-groove 12.

The diameter of the hole 13 need only be smaller than the diameter of the optical fiber strand to be aligned and fixed in the groove 12, for example, if the diameter of the strand is 125 μm, it is 125 to 50 μm.

Such a hole 13 can be easily formed by electric discharge machining, four-electromechanical machining, or the like.

In this embodiment, the substrate 11 as described above is used as shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the suction table 15 is placed in contact with the reference wall 14.
Place it on top. The suction table 15 has a large number of pores 16 passing through the suction table 15. In addition, the suction table 15
The portion of the lower surface where the pores 16 are formed is covered by one end of a tube 17 connected to a suction device (not shown).

Next, the substrate 11 is fixed to the suction stand 15 by suction by activating the suction device. Then, the strand 18, which has been exposed in advance with a length of 20 to 301 m at one end of the optical fiber, is lightly placed in the groove 12. Then, hole 1
3, the strands 18 are sucked toward the bottom of the groove 12, and the strands 18 are temporarily fixed while being accurately aligned along the V-groove 12.

Next, the cover plate 19 is placed on the wire 18 temporarily fixed in the groove 12, and the suction by the suction device is stopped. Then, pour the adhesive 20 into the groove 12 and attach the bare wire 1.
8 is permanently fixed in the V groove 12.

As the adhesive 20, a thermosetting epoxy adhesive is suitable, but other adhesives may be used, and furthermore, solder may be used for the final fixing.

In this embodiment, all the V-grooves 12 are suctioned at the same time, but the suction may be applied to each V-groove 12 at a time.

In addition, suction holes 13 formed in each groove 12
The number of suction units may be freely selected depending on the strength of suction to be performed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the method for manufacturing an optical fiber array according to the present invention, the optical fibers are sucked toward the bottom of the groove, and since this suction can be easily performed, the optical fibers are precisely aligned. Arrays can be manufactured in a short time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate used in an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line nn in Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one process in an embodiment. be. In addition, in the symbols used in the drawings, 11.
−・・−・−・−v′a13・・・・−・−・・
. . . - Hole 18 . . . - It is a bare wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A step of preparing a substrate having a groove in which optical fibers are to be aligned and fixed and a hole connected to the bottom of the groove, and arranging the optical fiber in the groove and transmitting the light through the hole. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber array, comprising the steps of: suctioning the fibers toward the bottom; and fixing the optical fibers aligned in the groove by the suction in the groove.