WO2012043671A1

WO2012043671A1 - Method for determining optical element mounting position, optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and optical waveguide module

Info

Publication number: WO2012043671A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/072266
Authority: WO
Inventors: 匠久保田; 藤原　誠
Original assignee: 住友ベークライト株式会社
Priority date: 2010-10-01
Filing date: 2011-09-28
Publication date: 2012-04-05
Also published as: TW201222039A; JP2013257352A

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module provided with an optical waveguide (3) having the form of an elongated plate or strip and having a reflective surface (33) in the middle of the length direction thereof, and with an optical element (4) which, arranged on one surface of the optical waveguide (3), emits light towards the reflective surface (33). While moving the optical waveguide (3) and the optical element (4) relative to one another and emitting light (L) from the optical element (4), the light (L) is reflected by the reflective surface (33), and the amount of reflected light is detected; on the basis of the detection result, the relative positional relation between the optical waveguide (3) and the optical element (4) is identified, when the amount of light is greatest, as the optimal positional relation; and the optical waveguide (3) and the optical element (4) are fixed in a state in which the optimal positional relation is maintained.

Description

Optical element mounting position determining method, optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and optical waveguide module

The present invention relates to an optical element mounting position determination method, an optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and an optical waveguide module.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-224212 filed in Japan on October 1, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Optical branching couplers (optical couplers), optical multiplexers / demultiplexers, and the like are given as optical components in the field of optical communication that have attracted attention in recent years, and optical waveguide modules (optical waveguide type elements) used for these are promising. . As this optical waveguide module, there is a polymer optical waveguide that is easy to manufacture (patterning) and is versatile, in addition to the conventional silica-based optical waveguide. In recent years, the latter has been actively developed.

Such an optical waveguide module is disclosed that includes an optical waveguide composed of a core portion and a clad portion, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element that are respectively attached to both ends of the optical waveguide (for example, Patent Documents). 1). In the optical waveguide module described in Patent Document 1, reflecting surfaces for reflecting light are formed at both ends of the optical waveguide. The light from the light emitting element is reflected by one reflecting surface and passes through the core part, and further reflected by the other reflecting surface and received by the light receiving element.

However, in the optical waveguide module described in Patent Document 1, when a light emitting element or a light receiving element is attached to the optical waveguide, for example, light from the light emitting element reflects the one of the reflections depending on the attachment accuracy of each optical element to the reflection surface. In some cases, the light cannot be sufficiently reflected by the surface, or the light passing through the core portion cannot be sufficiently reflected by the other reflecting surface. In this case, there is a problem that the light leaks to the outside as much as the light is not reflected by the reflecting surface, resulting in a loss of light.

International Publication No. 2008/114717 Pamphlet

An object of the present invention is to mount an optical element in an optically optimal position with respect to the optical waveguide when the optical waveguide module is manufactured by mounting the optical waveguide and the optical element. An object of the present invention is to provide a position determining method, an optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and an optical waveguide module manufactured by the manufacturing method.

Such an object is achieved by the present inventions (1) to (16) below.
(1) a core portion, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, An optical element mounting position determination method in an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that emits light toward a reflecting surface,
Detecting the amount of reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface while moving the optical waveguide and the optical element relative to each other and emitting light from the optical element, and based on the detection result A method for determining an optical element mounting position, wherein a relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the amount of light becomes maximum is specified as an optimal positional relationship.

(2) a core part, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core part, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, An optical element mounting position determination method in an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that receives reflected light reflected by a reflecting surface,
While the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved and light is emitted from one end of the optical waveguide, the reflected light is reflected by the reflecting surface and received by the optical element. An optical element mounting position, wherein the optical element mounting position is characterized in that the relative positional relation between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the light quantity is maximum is identified as an optimum positional relation based on the detection result. Decision method.

(3) a core portion, an optical waveguide having a plate shape or a belt shape having a reflecting surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that emits light toward a reflecting surface,
Detecting the amount of reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface while moving the optical waveguide and the optical element relative to each other and emitting light from the optical element, and based on the detection result The relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the light quantity becomes maximum is identified as the optimal positional relationship, and the optical waveguide and the optical element are fixed while maintaining the optimal positional relationship. A method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module, comprising:

(4) The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to (3), wherein a light receiving device that receives light is installed on one end side of the optical waveguide to receive the reflected light.

(5) a core portion, an optical waveguide having a plate shape or a belt shape having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that receives reflected light reflected by a reflecting surface,
While the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved and light is emitted from one end of the optical waveguide, the reflected light is reflected by the reflecting surface and received by the optical element. A state in which the amount of light is detected, and the relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the amount of light is maximum is identified as the optimal positional relationship based on the detection result, and the optimal positional relationship is maintained. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module, comprising fixing the optical waveguide and the optical element.

(6) The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to (5), wherein a light emitting device that emits light is installed on one end side of the optical waveguide to emit light to the reflecting surface.

(7) The light guide according to any one of (3) to (6), wherein the optical waveguide and the optical element move relative to each other within a range in which the reflection surface and the optical element overlap in a plan view. Manufacturing method of waveguide module.

(8) The thickness of the core portion perpendicular to the x-axis direction, the width direction of the core portion orthogonal to the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, the x-axis direction, and the y-axis direction. Assuming that the direction is the z-axis direction, the movement direction of the optical element relative to the optical waveguide when the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved is the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis. 8. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to any one of (3) to (7), wherein at least the x-axis direction and the z-axis direction in an axial direction are the above.

(9) The position of the optical waveguide is fixed, the position of the optical element in the z-axis direction is fixed at a first z coordinate, and the optical element is fixed with respect to the optical waveguide in the x-axis direction. A first step of detecting the amount of light at each x coordinate of the optical element at that time, and storing the maximum first amount of light among the amounts of light;
The position of the optical waveguide is fixed, the position of the optical element in the z-axis direction is fixed with a second z coordinate different from the first z coordinate, and the optical element is fixed to the optical waveguide in the fixed state. A second step of moving along the x-axis direction, detecting the amount of light at each x-coordinate of the optical element at that time, and storing the maximum second amount of light among the amounts of light. And
When one of the first light quantity and the second light quantity is compared to be larger than the other, the x-coordinate and z-coordinate of the optical element when obtaining the one light quantity are expressed as the optimum positional relationship. The method for producing an optical waveguide module according to the above (8), which is satisfied.

(10) The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to (9), wherein the second step is repeated a plurality of times, and each of the second z coordinates is different.

(11) The optical waveguide module includes a substrate on which the optical waveguide and the optical element are mounted.
(3) to (10), wherein the substrate is interposed between the optical waveguide and the optical element while maintaining the optimum positional relationship, and the optical waveguide and the optical element are respectively fixed to the substrate. The manufacturing method of the optical waveguide module in any one of.

(12) The substrate according to (11), wherein a plurality of substrates having different thicknesses are prepared, and one substrate that can regulate the optimum positional relationship is selected from the plurality of substrates. Manufacturing method of optical waveguide module.

(13) The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to (11) or (12), wherein the optical waveguide is fixed to the substrate via an adhesive layer, and the optical element is fixed to the substrate via solder.

(14) The optical waveguide has a core portion and a cladding portion,
The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to any one of (3) to (13), wherein the reflecting surface is formed across the core portion and the cladding portion.

(15) The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to any one of (3) to (14), wherein an inclination angle of the reflecting surface is 20 to 70 °.
(16) An optical waveguide module manufactured by the method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to any one of (3) to (15).

According to the present invention, when an optical waveguide module is manufactured by mounting an optical waveguide and an optical element, the optical element can be reliably mounted at an optically optimal position with respect to the optical waveguide. Thereby, the loss of light can be prevented or suppressed.

Further, when the optical waveguide module includes a substrate on which the optical waveguide and the optical element are mounted, whether the substrate is a single layer or a laminated body, In addition, the optically optimal position of the optical element relative to the optical waveguide can be grasped regardless of the configuration of the optical waveguide, and the optical element can be reliably mounted at the position.

Also, an optical waveguide module that can securely mount the optical element in an optically optimal position with respect to the optical waveguide in this way is obtained.

It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the process in which an optical waveguide module is manufactured by the manufacturing method (1st Embodiment) of the optical waveguide module of this invention in order. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the process in which an optical waveguide module is manufactured by the manufacturing method (1st Embodiment) of the optical waveguide module of this invention in order. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the process in which an optical waveguide module is manufactured by the manufacturing method (1st Embodiment) of the optical waveguide module of this invention in order. It is a graph which shows the change of the light quantity when the light emitted from the optical element which moves to a x-axis direction is received by the light-receiving device. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-section which shows the process in which an optical waveguide module is manufactured with the manufacturing method (2nd Embodiment) of the optical waveguide module of this invention.

Hereinafter, an optical element mounting position determination method, an optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and an optical waveguide module according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIGS. 1 to 3 are partial longitudinal sectional views schematically showing the process of manufacturing an optical waveguide module by the optical waveguide module manufacturing method of the present invention (first embodiment), respectively, and FIG. 4 is an x-axis direction. It is a graph which shows the change of the light quantity when the light emitted from the optical element which moves to is received by the light receiving device. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the upper side in FIGS. 1 to 3 (the same applies to FIG. 5) is referred to as “upper” or “upper”, and the lower side is referred to as “lower” or “lower”. 1 to 3 (the same applies to FIG. 5), the left-right direction (longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide) is the x-axis direction, and the paper surface depth direction (width direction of the optical waveguide) perpendicular to the x-axis direction is the y-axis direction. The vertical direction (the thickness direction of the optical waveguide) perpendicular to the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction is taken as the z-axis direction.

First, the optical waveguide module 1 will be described.
The optical waveguide module 1 shown in FIG. 3 includes a substrate 2, an optical waveguide 3 mounted on the lower side of the substrate 2, and an optical element 4 mounted on the upper side of the substrate 2.

The substrate 2 includes a substrate body 21 having a long plate shape and an electric circuit 22 provided on the upper surface of the substrate body 21.
Here, the length of the substrate body 21 in the longitudinal direction is not limited, but is, for example, about 1 mm to 10 m, and preferably about 3 mm to 5 m. The width of the substrate body 21 is not limited, but is, for example, about 60 μm to 2 m, preferably about 100 μm to 1 m.

The substrate body 21 may be a rigid substrate having relatively high rigidity or a flexible substrate having flexibility, but is preferably a rigid substrate. When the substrate main body 21 is a rigid substrate, the bending resistance is increased, and the optical element 4 can be prevented from being detached from the substrate main body 21 due to the bending.

The Young's modulus (tensile modulus) of the substrate body 21 is preferably about 5 to 50 GPa, more preferably about 12 to 30 GPa under a general room temperature environment (around 20 to 25 ° C.). If the range of the Young's modulus is about this level, the substrate body 21 can more reliably exhibit the effects described above.

As a constituent material of such a substrate body 21, for example, paper, glass cloth, a resin film or the like is used as a base material, and this base material includes a phenol resin, a polyester resin, an epoxy resin, a cyanate resin, and a polyimide resin. And those impregnated with a resin material such as a fluorine-based resin. Specifically, in addition to insulating substrates used for composite copper-clad laminates such as glass cloth / epoxy copper-clad laminates, glass nonwoven fabrics / epoxy copper-clad laminates, polyetherimide resin substrates, polyetherketone resin substrates Examples thereof include heat-resistant and thermoplastic organic rigid substrates such as polysulfone resin substrates, and ceramic rigid substrates such as alumina substrates, aluminum nitride substrates, and silicon carbide substrates.

When the substrate body 21 is made of the above-described material, the thickness t ₁ is preferably 5 μm to 5 mm, for example, and more preferably 5 μm to 3 mm.

An electric circuit 22 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate body 21. The electric circuit 22 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate body 21 so that a conductor layer made of a conductive metal material (for example, copper) is formed into a predetermined pattern by etching, for example.

An optical waveguide 3 is disposed below the substrate 2. The optical waveguide 3 has a long strip shape or plate shape, and includes a long linear core portion 31 and a cylindrical cladding portion 32 provided so as to surround the core portion 31. It is configured.
Here, the length of the optical waveguide 3 in the longitudinal direction is not limited, but is, for example, about 1 mm to 10 m, and more preferably about 3 mm to 5 m.
The light L incident on the core portion 31 travels along the longitudinal direction in the core portion 31 while being repeatedly reflected at the interface between the core portion 31 and the cladding portion 32.

The cross-sectional shape of the optical waveguide 3 is preferably a square such as a square or a rectangle (rectangle). For example, the thickness t ₂ of the optical waveguide 3 is preferably about 15 to 200 μm, and more preferably about 30 to 100 μm.

The width and thickness of the core 31 are not particularly limited, but are preferably about 1 to 200 μm, more preferably about 5 to 100 μm, and further preferably about 10 to 60 μm. On the other hand, the thickness of the cladding portion 32 is preferably about 3 to 50 μm, and more preferably about 5 to 30 μm.

Further, the core part 31 and the clad part 32 have different light refractive indexes, and the difference in refractive index is preferably 0.5% or more, and more preferably 0.8% or more. On the other hand, the upper limit value may not be set, but is preferably about 5.5%. If the difference in refractive index is less than the lower limit, the effect of transmitting light may be reduced, and even if the upper limit is exceeded, no further increase in light transmission efficiency can be expected.

The difference in refractive index is expressed by the following equation when the refractive index of the core portion 31 is A and the refractive index of the cladding portion 32 is B.
Refractive index difference (%) = | A / B-1 | × 100

Each constituent material of the core part 31 and the clad part 32 is not particularly limited as long as the above difference in refractive index is generated. Specifically, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polycarbonate, polystyrene, epoxy resin, Various resin materials such as polyamide, polyimide, polybenzoxazole, polysilane, polysilazane, and cyclic olefin resins such as benzocyclobutene resin and norbornene resin, and glass materials such as quartz glass and borosilicate glass Can be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, a reflecting surface (mirror) 33 is formed in the middle of the optical waveguide 3 in the longitudinal direction at a position corresponding to the optical element 4, that is, a position immediately below the optical element 4. The reflecting surface 33 performs optical path conversion for converting the optical path to a right angle so that light incident from above the optical waveguide 3 (optical element 4) is reflected toward the core portion 31 (see FIG. 1).

The reflection surface 33 is a portion formed across the core portion 31 and the cladding portion 32 and inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide 3. Thereby, the formation area of the reflective surface 33 can be ensured as wide as possible. Therefore, the light L can be reliably applied to the reflective surface 33 and reflected.

The inclination angle θ of the reflecting surface 33 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to 70 °, more preferably 30 to 60 °, and still more preferably 35 to 55 °. . In particular, the inclination angle θ is most preferably 45 ° ± 3.

The reflecting surface 33 is formed by subjecting the optical waveguide 3 to, for example, laser processing, grinding processing, or the like.

Further, a reflective film may be formed on the reflective surface 33 as necessary. As the reflective film, a metal film such as Au, Ag, or Al is preferably used.

The optical waveguide 3 configured as described above is fixed to the substrate 2 via the adhesive layer 5. The adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 5 is not particularly limited. For example, an ultraviolet curable type, a visible light curable type, or an electron beam curable type such as a silicone type, an epoxy type, an acrylic type, a cyanoacrylate type, and a polyurethane type. A mold adhesive can be suitably used. When the adhesive layer 5 is composed of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, the pressure-sensitive adhesive is not particularly limited. For example, rubber-based, acrylic-based, silicone-based, urethane-based pressure-sensitive adhesives can be suitably used. As a result, the optical waveguide 3 is securely fixed to the substrate 2, and the optical waveguide 3 is prevented from being unintentionally detached during use of the optical waveguide module 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical element 4 is arranged on the upper side of the substrate 2 so as to face the reflecting surface 33 of the optical waveguide 3. The optical element 4 has a small piece shape, and is provided with a light emitting portion 41 and

terminals

42 and 43 on the lower surface side. The light emitting unit 41 is disposed at the center of the lower surface of the optical element 4, and the terminal 42 and the terminal 43 are disposed on opposite sides of the light emitting unit 41.

The optical element 4 has

terminals

42 and 43 electrically connected to the electric circuit 22 of the substrate 2 via

solders

23 and 24, respectively, and is also fixed.

Then, when power is supplied to the optical element 4 through the electric circuit 22 and energization is performed between the

terminals

42 and 43, the light emitting unit 41 emits light. The light L emitted from the light emitting portion 41 is directed to the reflecting surface 33, and can be reflected by the reflecting surface 33 and pass through the core portion 31 of the optical waveguide 3.

As the optical element 4 which is such a light emitting element, for example, an element having a light emitting diode (LED) can be used.

In the substrate 2, a through hole (through hole) penetrating in the thickness direction may be formed in a portion serving as an optical path through which the light L from the light emitting unit 41 passes.

Next, a manufacturing method (optical element mounting position determining method) for manufacturing the optical waveguide module 1 having the above configuration will be described. This manufacturing method is performed using the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 shown in FIG.

In addition, when the optical waveguide module 1 manufactured by this manufacturing method is installed and used in, for example, an electronic device in which a light receiving unit that receives the light L of the optical element 4 is used, the optical waveguide module 1 includes the light receiving unit. It is preferable that the light L reflected by the reflecting surface 33 can be projected toward the light receiving unit so that the amount of light (received light amount) at is as large as possible. In such an optical waveguide module 1, the relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide 3 and the optical element 4, that is, the x coordinate of the optical element 4 with respect to the optical waveguide 3 whose position is fixed, so that the amount of light is maximized, The y-coordinate and the z-coordinate are preferably regulated. Hereinafter, the positional relationship at this time is referred to as “optimal positional relationship”.

And the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 is an apparatus for specifying the optimum positional relationship. The optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a control unit 12 and a light receiving element (light receiving device) 13.

The light receiving element 13 is formed of, for example, a photodiode, and is disposed on one end side (right side in FIG. 1) of the optical waveguide 3, that is, in front of the traveling direction of the light L. The light receiving element 13 can receive the light L (reflected light) reflected by the reflecting surface 33.

The control unit 12 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) of a personal computer or a microcomputer and a storage medium such as a memory. If necessary, an external input means such as a keyboard or a hard disk is used. A recording means for recording on a recording medium, a communication means with other computers, etc. are provided. The control unit 12 is electrically connected to the light receiving element 13 and the optical element 4 as a light emitting element mounted on the optical waveguide module 1. The control unit 12 can control the operation of the light receiving element 13 and the optical element 4, and can detect and store the amount of light L received by the light receiving element 13.

The optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a moving mechanism (not shown) that can move the optical element 4 in the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction. The moving mechanism includes, for example, a motor whose operation is controlled by the controller 12, a ball screw connected to the motor, and a linear guide connected to the ball screw and guiding the moving optical element 4.

Among the x coordinate, y coordinate, and z coordinate of the optical element 4 with respect to the optical waveguide 3 that satisfies the optimal positional relationship, the position accuracy of the y coordinate is higher than the position accuracy of the x coordinate and the z coordinate. It is generally known that the influence on the magnitude of the amount of light received by the light receiving unit of the device, that is, the influence on the loss of light is small.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 is used to specify the x coordinate and the z coordinate of the optical element 4 that satisfies the optimum positional relationship. This will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11, “z ₁ ”, “z ₂ ”, and “z ₃ ” are stored in the control unit 12 in advance as z coordinates that are expected to satisfy the optimum positional relationship. Has been. The magnitude relationship between z ₁ , z ₂ , and z ₃ is z ₁ <z ₂ <z ₃ . The optical element 4 is closest to the optical waveguide 3 when z = z ₁ , is most distant from the optical waveguide 3 when z = z ₃ , and is positioned in the middle when z = z _2. is doing.

Then, as will be described later, the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11 fixes the optical element 4 at the position of each z coordinate of z ₁ to z ₃ , and continues the optical element 4 along the x-axis direction in the fixed state. Can be moved. Note that the movement range of the optical element 4 is preferably a range where the reflection surface 33 and the light emitting portion 41 of the optical element 4 overlap in a plan view. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect all the x-coordinates that are expected to satisfy the optimum positional relationship.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C of “I: z = z ₁ ” in FIG. ₁ , the position of the optical waveguide 3 is fixed, and the position of the optical element 4 in the z-axis direction is set to z = Fixed at z ₁ (first z coordinate), the optical element 4 is moved with respect to the optical waveguide 3 along the x-axis direction (arrow direction in FIG. 1) in the fixed state. Further, along with this movement, light L is emitted from the light emitting portion 41 of the optical element 4.

The light L is received by the light receiving element 13 while being reflected by the reflecting surface 33 along the inclination direction thereof, that is, at different positions on the reflecting surface 33. Thereby, the control unit 12 detects the light amount at each x coordinate of the optical element 4 and obtains a light amount distribution graph (when “z = z ₁ ”) as shown in FIG. Then, the control unit 12, to determine the maximum amount of light p _{1 (first} light quantity) from the graph in each light amount, and stores it (first step). The determination of the maximum light amount p ₁ is determined as “maximum light amount p ₁ ” at the point where the light amount changes from increasing to decreasing on the graph. Further, the x coordinate when the maximum light quantity p ₁ is “x ₁ ”. This x = x _{1 is} also stored in the control unit 12.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C of “II: z = z ₂ ” in FIG. 1, the optical waveguide 3 is fixed at the same position as described above, and the optical element 4 in the z-axis direction is fixed. The position is fixed at z = z ₂ (second z coordinate), and the optical element 4 is moved along the x-axis direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the optical waveguide 3 in the fixed state. Further, along with this movement, light L is emitted from the light emitting portion 41 of the optical element 4.

At this time as well, the light L is received by the light receiving element 13 while being reflected by the reflecting surface 33 along the tilt direction. As a result, the control unit 12 detects the light amount at each x coordinate of the optical element 4 and obtains a light amount distribution graph (in the case of “z = z ₂ ”) as shown in FIG. Then, the control unit 12, to determine the maximum amount of light p _{2 (second} light amount) from the graph in each light amount, and stores it (second step). Note that the determination of the maximum light amount p ₂ is determined as “maximum light amount p ₂ ” where the light amount changes from increasing to decreasing on the graph. The x coordinate when the maximum light amount p ₂ is “x ₂ ”. This x = x _{2 is} also stored in the control unit 12.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C of “III: z = z ₃ ” in FIG. 1, the optical waveguide 3 is fixed at the same position as described above, and the optical element 4 in the z-axis direction is fixed. The position is fixed at z = z ₃ (second z coordinate), and the optical element 4 is moved along the x-axis direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the optical waveguide 3 in the fixed state. Further, along with this movement, light L is emitted from the light emitting portion 41 of the optical element 4.

At this time as well, the light L is received by the light receiving element 13 while being reflected by the reflecting surface 33 along the tilt direction. Thereby, the control unit 12 detects the light quantity at each x coordinate of the optical element 4 and obtains a light quantity distribution graph (when “z = z ₃ ”) as shown in FIG. 4. Then, the control unit 12 determines the maximum light amount p ₃ (second light amount) among the respective light amounts from this graph, and stores it (second step). In determining the maximum light amount p _3, the point at which the light amount changes from increasing to decreasing on the graph is determined as “maximum light amount p ₃ ”. Further, the x coordinate when the maximum light quantity p ₃ is “x ₃ ”. This x = x _{3 is} also stored in the control unit 12.

Next, the control unit 12 determines the magnitude relationship between the maximum light amounts p ₁ to p ₃ as detection results in “I: z = z ₁ ”, “II: z = z ₂ ”, and “III: z = z ₃ ”. In comparison, in the present embodiment, p ₃ <p ₁ <p _2, and the maximum of these, that is, the maximum light amount p ₂ is detected. Then, the x-coordinate “x ₂ ” and the z-coordinate “z ₂ ” of the optical element 4 when the maximum light amount p ₂ is reached are specified as coordinates satisfying the optimum positional relationship.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, in the state in which the optimum positional relationship is maintained, that is, in a state where the optical element 4 is positioned at coordinates (x, z) = (x ₂ , z ₂ ) with respect to the optical waveguide 3 The waveguide 3 and the optical element 4 are fixed to the substrate 2 respectively.

Incidentally, as the substrate 2, three

substrates

2a, 2b and 2c are prepared. Substrate 2a ~ 2c, respectively, the thickness _{t 1} of the substrate body 21 are different. The substrate 2a is used when the coordinates satisfying the optimal positional relationship are (x, z) = (x ₁ , z ₁ ). The substrate 2b is used when coordinates satisfying the optimum positional relationship are (x, z) = (x ₂ , z ₂ ). The substrate 2c is used when coordinates satisfying the optimum positional relationship are (x, z) = (x ₃ , z ₃ ).

Then, one substrate 2 is selected from the substrates 2a to 2c, but the coordinates satisfying the optimum positional relationship as described above are (x, z) = (x ₂ , z ₂ ). The substrate 2b can be selected.

The substrates 2a to 2c are previously provided with

solders

23 and 24 and an adhesive layer 5, respectively.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a substrate 2b is inserted between the optical waveguide 3 and the optical element 4 in a state where the optimum positional relationship is maintained. Thereafter, a reflow process is performed to fix the substrate 2b and the optical element 4 via the

solders

23 and 24. Further, the adhesive layer 5 is cured by a suitable curing method, and the substrate 2 b and the optical waveguide 3 are fixed via the adhesive layer 5.

In the optical waveguide module 1 manufactured in this way, the optical waveguide 3 and the optical element 4 are reliably regulated in an optimal positional relationship. Thereby, if the optical waveguide module 1 is installed and used in the electronic device, the light L can be reliably projected toward the light receiving unit so that the amount of light at the light receiving unit is as large as possible. .

Therefore, when the optical waveguide module 1 is manufactured by mounting the optical waveguide 3 and the optical element 4 on the substrate 2, the optical element 4 is optically optimal with respect to the optical waveguide 3 by using this manufacturing method. It can be reliably mounted at a position, that is, at a position where the light amount at the light receiving portion is as large as possible.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a process of manufacturing the optical waveguide module by the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide module of the present invention (second embodiment).

Hereinafter, the optical device mounting position determination method, the optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and the second embodiment of the optical waveguide module according to the present invention will be described with reference to this figure. The description will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment. The description of similar matters is omitted.

This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configurations of the optical waveguide module and the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus are different from each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, an optical element 4 </ b> A serving as a light receiving element that receives the light L is disposed opposite to the upper side (one surface side) of the optical waveguide 3. As the optical element 4A, for example, an optical element formed of a photodiode can be used.
As in the first embodiment, a reflecting surface (mirror) 33 is formed in the middle of the optical waveguide 3 in the longitudinal direction at a position corresponding to the optical element 4A, that is, a position directly below the optical element 4A. Yes. The reflection surface 33 performs optical path conversion that directs the optical path of the light L passing through the core portion 31 of the optical waveguide 3 upward (in the direction of the optical element 4A).
The inclination angle θ of the reflecting surface 33 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to 70 °, more preferably 27 to 57 °, and still more preferably 32 to 52 °. In particular, the inclination angle θ is most preferably 42 ° ± 3.

The optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11A includes a light emitting element (light emitting apparatus) 14 disposed on the right side of the optical waveguide 3 in FIG. The light emitting element 14 includes, for example, a light emitting diode, and can emit light L from the light emitting diode to the reflecting surface 33. Then, the light L from the light emitting element 14 passes through the core portion 31 of the optical waveguide 3 and is reflected by the reflecting surface 33. The reflected light L (reflected light) is received by the optical element 4A. In the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 11A, the control unit 12 can detect the amount of reflected light received by the optical element 4A.

As described above, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the positional relationship between the light emitting side element and the light receiving side element is interchanged. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the optical waveguide module 1 is manufactured by mounting the optical waveguide 3 and the optical element 4A by the manufacturing method substantially the same as that described in the first embodiment, the optical element 4A can be reliably mounted on the optical waveguide 3 at an optically optimal position.

The optical element mounting position determining method, the optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and the optical waveguide module according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the optical waveguide module is configured. Each part to be replaced can be replaced with one having any configuration capable of performing the same function. Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.

In addition, the optical element mounting position determination method, the optical waveguide module manufacturing method, and the optical waveguide module of the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above embodiments. .

For example, the optical waveguide module is one in which either the light emitting element or the light receiving element is mounted in the illustrated configuration, but is not limited to this. For example, both optical elements are mounted respectively. It may be a thing.

In addition, the optical waveguide module has a reflective surface disposed in the core portion of the optical waveguide in the configuration shown in the drawing, but is not limited thereto, and a reflective surface is disposed on the extension line outside the core portion. It may be.

Further, in the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus, three coordinates are stored in advance as z coordinates that can satisfy the optimum positional relationship, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two or four or more coordinates are stored in advance. May be.

The optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus fixes each z coordinate that can satisfy the optimum positional relationship and continuously moves the optical element in the x-axis direction in each case. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The optical element may be moved in the x-axis direction while continuously moving in the z-axis direction.

Also, the optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus may be configured to move the optical element in the y-axis direction and specify a y-coordinate that can satisfy the optimum positional relationship.

Also, an optical waveguide module can be obtained in which the optical element can be reliably mounted at an optically optimal position with respect to the optical waveguide.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1

Optical waveguide module

2, 2a, 2b, 2c Board | substrate 21 Board | substrate body 22

Electric circuit

23, 24 Solder 3 Optical waveguide 31 Core part 32 Clad part 33 Reflecting surface (mirror)
4, 4A Optical element 41

Light emitting part

42, 43 Terminal 5 Adhesive layer 11, 11A Optical waveguide module manufacturing apparatus 12 Control part 13 Light receiving element (light receiving apparatus)
14 Light emitting element (light emitting device)
L light p ₁ , p ₂ , p ₃ maximum light quantity t ₁ , t ₂ thickness x ₁ , x ₂ , x ₃ , z ₁ , z ₂ , z ₃ coordinates θ tilt angle

Claims

A core portion, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, An optical element mounting position determination method in an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that emits light toward
Detecting the amount of reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface while moving the optical waveguide and the optical element relative to each other and emitting light from the optical element, and based on the detection result A method for determining an optical element mounting position, wherein a relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the amount of light becomes maximum is specified as an optimal positional relationship.
A core part, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core part, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, An optical element mounting position determination method in an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that receives reflected reflected light,
While the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved and light is emitted from one end of the optical waveguide, the reflected light is reflected by the reflecting surface and received by the optical element. An optical element mounting position, wherein the optical element mounting position is characterized in that the relative positional relation between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the light quantity is maximum is identified as an optimum positional relation based on the detection result. Decision method.
A core portion, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that emits light toward
Detecting the amount of reflected light reflected by the reflecting surface while moving the optical waveguide and the optical element relative to each other and emitting light from the optical element, and based on the detection result The relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the light quantity becomes maximum is identified as the optimal positional relationship, and the optical waveguide and the optical element are fixed while maintaining the optimal positional relationship. A method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module, comprising:
4. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 3, wherein a light receiving device that receives light is installed on one end side of the optical waveguide to receive the reflected light.
A core part, a plate-shaped or strip-shaped optical waveguide having a reflective surface inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the core part, and disposed on one surface side of the optical waveguide, A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module comprising an optical element that receives reflected reflected light,
While the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved and light is emitted from one end of the optical waveguide, the reflected light is reflected by the reflecting surface and received by the optical element. A state in which the amount of light is detected, and the relative positional relationship between the optical waveguide and the optical element when the amount of light is maximum is identified as the optimal positional relationship based on the detection result, and the optimal positional relationship is maintained. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module, comprising fixing the optical waveguide and the optical element.
6. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 5, wherein a light emitting device that emits light is installed on one end side of the optical waveguide to emit light to the reflecting surface.
7. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 3, wherein the optical waveguide and the optical element are moved relative to each other within a range in which the reflection surface and the optical element overlap in a plan view.
The longitudinal direction of the core part is the x-axis direction, the width direction of the core part orthogonal to the x-axis direction is the y-axis direction, and the thickness direction of the core part orthogonal to the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction is z Assuming the axial direction, the movement direction of the optical element relative to the optical waveguide when the optical waveguide and the optical element are relatively moved is the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 3, wherein at least the x-axis direction and the z-axis direction are included.
The position of the optical waveguide is fixed, the position of the optical element in the z-axis direction is fixed at a first z coordinate, and the optical element is fixed with respect to the optical waveguide along the x-axis direction. A first step of moving, detecting the light quantity at each x-coordinate of the optical element at that time, and storing the maximum first light quantity among the respective light quantities;
The position of the optical waveguide is fixed, the position of the optical element in the z-axis direction is fixed with a second z coordinate different from the first z coordinate, and the optical element is fixed to the optical waveguide in the fixed state. A second step of moving along the x-axis direction, detecting the amount of light at each x-coordinate of the optical element at that time, and storing the maximum second amount of light among the amounts of light. And
When one of the first light quantity and the second light quantity is compared to be larger than the other, the x-coordinate and z-coordinate of the optical element when obtaining the one light quantity are expressed as the optimum positional relationship. The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 8, wherein the optical waveguide module is satisfied.
10. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 9, wherein the second step is repeated a plurality of times, and each of the second z coordinates is different.
The optical waveguide module includes a substrate on which the optical waveguide and the optical element are mounted,
The optical waveguide and the optical element are respectively fixed to the substrate by inserting the substrate between the optical waveguide and the optical element while maintaining the optimum positional relationship. The manufacturing method of the optical waveguide module of description.
12. The optical waveguide module according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of substrates having different thicknesses are prepared, and one substrate that can regulate the optimum positional relationship is selected from the plurality of substrates. Production method.
The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the optical waveguide is fixed to the substrate via an adhesive layer, and the optical element is fixed to the substrate via solder.
The optical waveguide has a core portion and a cladding portion,
The method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 3, wherein the reflection surface is formed across the core portion and the clad portion.
15. The method of manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to claim 3, wherein an inclination angle of the reflecting surface is 20 to 70 °.
An optical waveguide module manufactured by the method for manufacturing an optical waveguide module according to any one of claims 3 to 15.