WO2016098833A1

WO2016098833A1 - Optical element and light source device

Info

Publication number: WO2016098833A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/085277
Authority: WO
Inventors: 北川仁
Original assignee: コニカミノルタ株式会社
Priority date: 2014-12-17
Filing date: 2015-12-16
Publication date: 2016-06-23

Abstract

Provided is an optical element, such as a miniature lens or the like, wherein handling is easy and it is not necessary to detach a runner part or the like at the assembly work-site, with little impact on lens performance. The present invention includes: an element body 10 the outer dimensions of which are no more than 2.5mm; and a gate part 20 that extends out from a lateral surface of the element body 10, and that includes a handling part 21. The gate part 20 extends out from a lateral surface 12c of the support body 10 and includes the handling part 21 formed by being provided with a pair of lateral surfaces 21a, 21b and a different pair of lateral surfaces 21c, 21d which serve as pairs of support portions that extend in parallel. Because of this configuration, the handling part 21 can be utilized to convey an optical element 100, install the same in a target position, position the same, and the like, and handling becomes easier even with the miniature optical element 100. Further, because the handling part 21 is provided to the gate part 20 which becomes relatively small, the gate part 20 can be left as is, and the work of removing the runner part or the like at the assembly work-site becomes unnecessary.

Description

Optical element and light source device

The present invention relates to an optical element used together with a device that performs an optical operation such as light emission or light reception, and a light source device using the optical element.

Conventionally, for a resin lens that is handled as a single item, such as a lens incorporated in a pickup lens or an imaging lens, the gate portion that hits the resin-filled portion is generally cut by secondary processing after molding. (For example, patent document 1).

When the lens is installed, if the gate part protrudes from the outer periphery of the lens part, it will be a detrimental effect for the work such as assembling, so gate cutting will be done to remove most of the gate part, but as the lens becomes smaller, conventional gate cutting and handling However, the lens performance due to gate cuts and the influence on the subsequent process have been problems.

Moreover, since it is difficult to separate only the lens when the lens is miniaturized, it is conceivable to cut the lens and the runner unit integrally before shipping (Patent Document 2). In this case, the runner portion is separated at the assembly site of the pickup lens or the like, and the man-hour is increased by the amount of the separation.

JP-A-10-246801 JP 2003-161880 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background art, and is a small lens or other optical element that is easy to handle and does not require separation of a runner portion or the like at the assembly site, and has an effect on lens performance. An object is to provide a small number of optical elements and a light source device using the optical elements.

In order to achieve the above object, an optical element made of a first resin according to the present invention includes an element body having an outer dimension of 2.5 mm or less, and a pair of supporting portions extending from the side surface of the element body and extending in parallel. And a gate part including a handling part provided. Here, the external dimension means the diameter or long side of the contour viewed from the optical axis direction, and the element body of 2.5 mm or less is considerably small to handle as a single item, Assembly and positioning on the device becomes difficult.

In the optical element described above, the gate part extending from the side surface of the element body includes a handling part in which a pair of supporting parts extending in parallel is provided. Therefore, the optical element is transported using the handling part and mounted at the target position. Therefore, even a small optical element having an outer dimension of 2.5 mm or less can be handled easily. In addition, since the handling part is provided in the relatively small gate part, the gate part can be left as it is, and the work of removing the runner part etc. is not required at the assembly site, improving workability and affecting the optical performance. It becomes easy to suppress. Further, when handling using the flange side surface, it is necessary to have a space corresponding to “the outer shape of the optical element” + “the thickness of the arm” at the place where the optical element is placed. However, since the handling portion can be gripped by the arm, the optical element can be placed without any problem as long as there is a space of “width of the handling portion” + “thickness of the arm”. In addition, it can be cut so that the gate part is left when the optical element is taken out from the resin molded product, so that it is cut at a position close to the optical surface in spite of a small optical element of 2.5 mm or less. The effect (deformation, distortion, etc.) on the optical surface during cutting can be reduced. Even better, if you try to cut a small lens without leaving the gate, it will be difficult to cut stably due to the effects on the optical surface and the difficulty of handling. In the case of an optical element, it is only necessary to cut so as to leave the gate portion, so that the cutting can be performed stably.

To achieve the above object, the second resin-made optical element according to the present invention is a resin-made optical element having an outer dimension of 2.5 mm or less and a rectangular element body as viewed from the optical axis direction, A gate portion extending from a side surface of the element body, and a flange side surface of the element body is fixed for assembly.

In the above optical element, the flange side surface of the element body is fixed for assembly, so that the optical element can be assembled in a horizontal position, and even a small optical element can be easily assembled. .

In order to achieve the above object, the light source device according to the present invention is a light source device for optical communication or projector using an optical element.

1A is a conceptual perspective view of an optical element according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are a front view and a side view of the optical element shown in FIG. 1A. It is a conceptual perspective view explaining the holding | grip of an optical element, conveyance, installation, etc. It is sectional drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the optical element using a metal mold | die. 4A and 4B are perspective views for explaining the process of assembling the optical element shown in FIG. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a modification of the method for supporting an optical element. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and a plan view of an optical element according to the second embodiment. 7A and 7B are a front view and a side view of an optical element according to the third embodiment. It is a front view of the optical element which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a front view of the optical element which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of the support method of the optical element shown in FIG. 11A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a light source device incorporating the optical element shown in FIG. 1A and the like, and FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of a part of the light source device of FIG. 11A.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the optical element according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the optical element 100 of the first embodiment includes a main element body 10 and a gate portion 20 associated therewith. The optical element 100 is a component incorporated in a light source device or other optical system for optical communication or projector, and specifically, a collimator lens that collimates the diverging light (or a cup that condenses the diverging light again). Ring lens). For example, when the optical element 100 is a collimator, even if a prism, a wave plate or the like is inserted, it is parallel light, which is advantageous for routing light in the optical communication module 300 described later. The optical element 100 is a resin-made molded product having optical transparency, and is formed by injection molding using a mold. That is, the element body 10 and the gate portion 20 are integrated.

Among the optical elements 100, the element body 10 is relatively thick and has a block-like contour. The element body 10 includes a circular lens portion 11 and a frame-shaped flange portion 12. The lens unit 11 is a biconvex optical lens, for example, and has a first optical surface 11a and a second optical surface 11b. The outer diameter of the first optical surface 11a is smaller than the outer diameter of the second optical surface 11b. In the present embodiment, the first optical surface 11a is a light incident surface, and the second optical surface 11b is a light exit surface. The flange portion 12 extends from the lens portion 11 to the outside of the side perpendicular to the optical axis AX direction. The flange portion 12 has a circular shape on the inner side and a rectangular shape on the outer side (specifically, when viewed from the optical axis AX direction). Is a square). That is, the element body 10 has a rectangular outline when viewed from the optical axis AX direction. By making the outline of the element body 10 rectangular, the attachment and assembly are stabilized with respect to rotation around the optical axis AX. The flange portion 12 includes two

flange surfaces

12a and 12b extending in parallel to surround the

optical surfaces

11a and 11b of the lens portion 11, and four flat and rectangular flange side surfaces 12c to 12b extending between the

flange surfaces

12a and 12b. 12f. The flange side surfaces 12c to 12f can be, for example, mirror surfaces, but can be roughened microscopically as long as the macroscopic flatness is not impaired. Of the four flange side faces 12c to 12f, the flange side face 12e on the non-gate side is a part for fixing the optical element 100 to an assembly receiving part of another member by adhesion, that is, a part for assembly. ing. Since the optical element 100 is fixed for assembly at the flange side surface (flange side surface 12e in the present embodiment) of the element body 10, the optical element 100 can be assembled at an appropriate position in a horizontal state. Thereby, even the small optical element 100 can be easily assembled. In particular, by assembling the optical element 100 with the flange side surface 12e on the side opposite to the gate, the handling body 21 is conveyed so as to be hung and placed at a prescribed position where, for example, an adhesive is applied. Installation and fixing become possible. Further, by fixing the optical element 100 at one of the flange side surfaces 12c to 12f, it is possible to fix the optical element 100 so as to be placed on the substrate 70 (see FIG. 4B) as a support plate.

The gate portion 20 has a block-like outline, and is the center of one side of the outline of the element body 10 as viewed from the optical axis AX direction (that is, one flange side face 12c of the element body 10), and one flange side face 12c. It protrudes from the area | region near the flange surface 12b among the side wall parts. The edge part 20a of the gate part 20 is cut | disconnected from the gate or runner which existed immediately after shaping | molding. The gate section 20 functions as a handling section 21 as a whole, and is gripped by a handling tool 90 such as tweezers or other holders or a robot hand when handling the optical element 100 for transporting or placing it (see FIG. 2). ).

In addition, by leaving the gate part 20 intentionally, it is possible to prevent the cut part formed by the conventional technique from entering the

optical surfaces

11a and 11b, or the influence of the deformation, distortion, etc. from the cut part up to the optical surface. It is possible to prevent the performance from deteriorating. On the other hand, since the effective diameters of the

optical surfaces

11a and 11b can be expanded to near the outer shape of the element body 10, the optical element 100 can be further reduced in size, and the applicable range of the optical system is expanded. . Further, when the lens unit 11 becomes small, it becomes difficult to cut the gate portion 20 itself, and stable cutting cannot be performed. However, if the gate portion 20 is left large, the difficulty level of the gate cut itself is reduced, and man-hours are reduced. Connected. In consideration of handling such as transport of the optical element 100, if the lens unit 11 becomes small, if the gate unit 20 is cut, it is necessary to hold and handle the flange unit 12, but in such handling, There is a concern of causing scratches and distortion on the optical surface. On the other hand, such a problem does not occur if the gate part 20 is left and gripped during transportation or the like as described above. Thus, by using the gate portion 20 for handling, fine adjustment of the position at the time of bonding becomes possible. In the conventional method in which the flange surfaces 12a and 12b are attracted and transported, it is necessary to perform suction while avoiding the

optical surfaces

11a and 11b. At this time, the

optical surfaces

11a and 11b are caused to be displaced due to misalignment or the like. May hurt.

The gate unit 20, that is, the handling unit 21, has four rectangular side surfaces 21a to 21d around an axis along which the gate unit 20 extends. Among these, the pair of

side surfaces

21a and 21b face each other in parallel, and the other pair of side surfaces 21c and 21d also face each other in parallel. The side surfaces 21a and 21b and the side surfaces 21c and 21d are orthogonal to each other. Here, the pair of

side surfaces

21a and 21b function as supporting portions suitable for holding between the pair of

side surfaces

21a and 21b. Since the handling unit 21 has these side surfaces 21a to 21d, the gripping by the handling instrument 90 (see FIG. 2) is stabilized, and the handling reliability of the transport and installation of the optical element 100 is increased. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the front and rear side surfaces 21 a and 21 b are illustrated as being sandwiched between the pair of holding members 91, but the lateral side surfaces 21 c and 21 d may be sandwiched between the holding members 91 as support portions. When the optical element 100 is gripped by sandwiching the front and rear side surfaces 21a and 21b between the pair of holding members 91, the side surfaces 21c and 21d do not need to be parallel to each other. When the optical element 100 is gripped by sandwiching the side surfaces 21c and 21d between the pair of holding members 91, the front and back side surfaces 21a and 21b do not need to be parallel to each other.

In the case of the present embodiment, for example, the optical element 100 can be bonded to another member using only one flange side face 12e among the four flange side faces 12c to 12f provided on the element body 10. That is, one flange side surface 12e of the flange portion 12 having a quadrangular prism-like contour can be formed relatively accurately. If this flange side surface 12e is used, the element body 10 is assembled with another member precisely. be able to. In the conventional method in which the flange surfaces 12a and 12b are attracted and positioned, when the optical element 100 is stood sideways, not only a dedicated jig is required, but also the adhesive protrudes from the fixed side surface. There is also a risk of sticking to the jig.

Hereinafter, a characteristic dimensional relationship of the optical element 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1B. When the length of the element body 10 with respect to the injection direction AB of the resin at the time of molding is a, the length b of the gate part 20 with respect to the injection direction AB in which the element body 10 and the gate part 20 are arranged is:
a / 8 <b <a
Satisfy the relationship. Note that the element body 10 of the present embodiment has a square outline when viewed from the direction of the optical axis AX, and the length a matches the length of each side and corresponds to the external dimensions. On the premise that the length a corresponding to the outer dimension is 2.5 mm or less, the operation of gripping the handling portion 21 is facilitated by making the length b of the gate portion 20 larger than a / 8. On the other hand, by making the length b of the gate portion 20 smaller than the length a of the element body 10, it is possible to reliably eliminate the need to cut the gate portion 20 at the assembly site. Further, it is possible to suppress the height of the optical element 100 from being lowered and the center of gravity to come to a position close to the gate portion 20 or the gate portion 20, and the stability of the posture can be achieved. Therefore, it is easy to stabilize the support after being placed at the target location, and further, it is possible to prevent the element body 10 from being tilted during transportation, and it is easy to store in the tray for storage and transportation, and it is easy to take out.

The distance c from the end of the lens unit 11 on the gate unit 20 side to the end of the flange unit 12 on the gate unit 20 side is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. Here, the gate unit 20 side of the lens unit 11 is based on the second optical surface 11b having a larger outer diameter than the first optical surface 11a. The distance c corresponds to the flange width on the gate part 20 side (specifically, the distance between the outer diameter of the second optical surface 11b and the boundary BL between the flange part 12 and the gate part 20), Even when an external force is applied to the gate portion 20, it has a role to prevent the element body 10 from being affected, and is preferably 0.05 mm or more as described above. That is, when the distance c is set to 0.05 mm or more, the protection of the lens unit 11 by the flange unit 12 is ensured. On the other hand, an increase in the distance c means that the flange width is widened. From the viewpoint of preventing the element body 10 from being enlarged, it is desirable that the distance c is 0.3 mm or less as described above. That is, by making the distance c 0.3 mm or less, it is possible to meet the demand for downsizing the element body 10. In general, since the lens unit 11 is disposed at the center of the element body 10, the relationship c = (ad) / 2 is established when the diameter of the lens unit 11 is d.

The thickness of the flange portion 12 in the optical axis AX direction has a side surface that depends on the optical design, but the thickness e is a / 3 <e <a.
It is desirable to satisfy this relationship.

Furthermore, the width and thickness of the gate portion 20 are determined mainly depending on molding conditions. In the case of a specific manufacturing example, the width of the gate portion 20 is (a / 8) to 1 mm, and the depth or The thickness is (a / 3) to a.

The production of the optical element 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The optical element 100 is manufactured by injection molding using a mold 80. The mold 80 includes a first mold part 81 and a second mold part 82. A molding space CA, a gate GA, and a runner RU are formed between the

mold parts

81 and 82 in a state where the mold is closed as illustrated. In molding, the molten resin is supplied from the runner RU side and injected into the molding space CA through the gate GA. The molding space CA is sandwiched between a pair of

transfer surfaces

81a and 82a corresponding to the pair of

optical surfaces

11a and 11b, and is a portion where the element body 10 is formed. The gate GA is a space in which the gate portion GP or the gate portion 20 extending from the element body 10 is formed. The runner RU is a space in which a runner portion RP connected to the gate portion GP is formed. The molded product MP taken out after the mold opening for separating the

mold parts

81 and 82 from each other includes the element body 10, the gate part GP, the runner part RP, and the like. The molded product MP is cut off near the boundary between the gate portion GP and the runner portion RP, and includes an element body 10 having an optical function and a gate portion 20 that is a main portion of the gate portion GP on the element body 10 side. Element 100 is obtained. In the optical element 100, distortion remains in the region A1 of the gate portion 20 near the cutting portion C1 due to release, cutting, or the like, but does not affect the element body 10.

The assembly of the optical element 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In the state shown in FIG. 4A, two optical elements 100 are already fixed on the substrate 70. Here, fixing of the third optical element 100 will be described. Note that three laser diodes (see FIG. 11B) are attached to the back side of the substrate 70 corresponding to the arrangement of the three optical elements 100.

As shown in FIG. 4A, a UV curable resin UA is applied in advance to an appropriate position in the target area A3 on the substrate 70. Thereafter, the handling device 90 shown in FIG. 2 is used to hold the gate portion 20, so that the optical element 100 is unloaded from the storage tray or the like and is transported to above the substrate 70. It is placed almost accurately on the target area A3 set on the surface 70a. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the optical element 100 is finely moved two-dimensionally on the substrate 70 while loosely holding the gate portion 20 by using the holding member 91 of the handling instrument 90, thereby making a laser (not shown). Align the diode. At this time, the optical element 100 can be rotated not only in the horizontal CD direction and in the EF direction but also around a vertical axis perpendicular to the CD direction and the EF direction. Further, at the time of alignment, the state of the light beam that passes through the optical element 100 can be confirmed by causing the laser diode to emit light. When the alignment is completed, the holding member 91 of the handling instrument 90 is completely separated from the gate portion 20, and the UV curable resin UA is cured by irradiating the UV curable resin UA with UV light through the optical element 100. Accordingly, the flange side surface 12e of the optical element 100 and the flat surface 70a on the substrate 70 are fixed in close proximity so as to be in close contact with each other. As described above, by arranging the optical elements 100 using the handling unit 21, it becomes easy to combine a plurality of optical elements 100 in parallel, and an array of high-precision optical elements 100 can be manufactured while being small.

The above steps are performed in the same manner when each optical element 100 is attached, and an optical unit 200 as shown in FIG. 4B can be obtained. The optical unit 200 is a lens array in which a plurality of optical elements 100 are arranged in a space-saving manner. Not only can the optical element 100 itself be reduced particularly in terms of lateral width by providing the gate portion 20 in each optical element 100, The size of the optical unit 200 can be reduced by increasing the arrangement density and alignment accuracy. However, although the dimension in the height direction is increased by the amount of the gate portion 20, in the light source device for optical communication or projector, there is often no problem even if the height dimension orthogonal to the arrangement direction is slightly increased. .

With reference to FIG. 5A, another fixing method of the optical element 100 will be described. In this case, of the four flange side surfaces 12c to 12f provided on the optical element 100, the optical element 100 is assembled to the other installation member 170 using the flange side surface 12d adjacent to the flange side surface 12c with the gate portion 20. It adheres to the mounting surface 73a which is a receiving part.

In the case shown in FIG. 5B, among the four flange side surfaces 12c to 12f provided on the optical element 100, the optical element 100 is made to another type by utilizing the flange side surface 12e opposite to the gate and the flange side surface 12f adjacent thereto. It is bonded to a set of mounting

surfaces

73b and 73c which are the assembly receiving portions of the installation member 170.

Hereinafter, the optical communication module 300 using the optical element 100 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the optical communication module 300 is a light source device for optical communication, and a plurality of laser diodes 40 that are light emitting elements on a flat surface 70a of a substrate 70, a plurality of optical elements 100, And a housing 50. FIG. 11B shows an example in which three optical elements 100 are arranged in parallel (that is, the optical unit 200 shown in FIG. 4B). The housing 50 is provided so as to cover the laser diode 40 and the optical element 100. The housing 50 is formed with a fiber fixing portion 60 protruding from one side surface thereof. An optical fiber 61 is inserted and fixed to the fiber fixing portion 60.

The laser diode 40 has a light emitting portion or a light emitting point 41 in the front center. Laser light is output from the light emitting point 41. The optical element 100 is arranged such that its optical axis AX is at the same height as the light emitting point 41 of the laser diode 40 with respect to the substrate 70. The laser light emitted from the light emitting point 41 of the laser diode 40 is divergent light, and the laser light enters the lens unit 11 of the optical element 100 and is emitted as a slight convergent light. The emitted light is coupled to the end face of the optical fiber 61. The laser light may be collimated by the optical element 100. In this case, an additional lens is required before the optical fiber 61.

According to the optical element 100 of the present embodiment, the gate portion 20 extending from the flange side surface 12c of the element body 10 has a pair of

side surfaces

21a and 21b or another pair of side surfaces 21c and 21d as a pair of supporting portions extending in parallel. Therefore, the handling unit 21 can be used to transport the optical element 100 to be placed and positioned at a target position, and even a small optical element 100 can be handled easily. become. In addition, since the handling portion 21 is provided in the relatively small gate portion 20, the gate portion 20 can be left as it is, and the work of removing the runner portion and the like at the assembly site becomes unnecessary, thereby improving the workability and improving the optical performance. It becomes easy to suppress the influence of.

Also, for example, when a semiconductor laser or the like is incorporated in the apparatus as a light source, a small collimator associated with a small light source may be required. The element body 10 functions as a collimator lens, and can be conveniently handled by the optical element 100 that is small and easy to position.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the optical element of the second embodiment will be described. The optical element according to the second embodiment is obtained by partially changing the optical element according to the first embodiment, and the parts that are not particularly described are the same as those of the optical element according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in the optical element 100 of the second embodiment, the gate portion 20 has a trapezoidal shape, and has only the front side surface 21a as a surface perpendicular to the optical axis AX. The side surface 21b facing the side surface 21a is slightly inclined with respect to the side surface 21a. Further, the side surfaces 21c and 21d sandwiched between them form an acute angle with respect to the front side surface 21a, and are inclined toward each other to be narrowed toward the back surface. In such a gate part 20, a pair of

edge parts

21i and 21j formed at both ends of the front side surface 21a in the direction orthogonal to the injection direction AB extend in the injection direction AB and are parallel to each other. These

edge portions

21 i and 21 j can be gripped by the handling instrument 90 as a main portion of the handling portion 21. That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, the gate portion 20 can be gripped by sandwiching the

edge portions

21 i and 21 j between the pair of holding

members

91 and 91 having an L-shaped cross section of the handling instrument 90, and optical The element 100 can be transported, placed, positioned, and the like.

[Third Embodiment]
The optical element according to the third embodiment will be described below. The optical element according to the third embodiment is obtained by partially changing the optical element according to the first embodiment, and the parts that are not particularly described are the same as those according to the first embodiment.

7A and 7B, in the case of the optical element 100 according to the third embodiment, the gate unit 20 includes a handling unit 21 and a base unit 22. The handling part 21 on the distal end side is connected to the gate part 20 via the base part 22 and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the base part 22 as viewed from the injection direction AB. Thus, the handling part 21 does not need to be formed over the entire gate part 20, and can be formed only at a place necessary for gripping by the handling instrument 90.

In the optical element 100 according to the third embodiment, the shape of the handling portion 21 is not limited to the rectangular column shape and the rectangular side surfaces 21a to 21d, but a pair of parallel extending edges similar to those shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. It may be a tapered shape including the

portions

21i and 21j.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The optical element according to the fourth embodiment will be described below. The optical element of the fourth embodiment is a partial modification of the optical element of the first embodiment, and the parts that are not particularly described are the same as those of the optical element of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the optical element 100 of the fourth embodiment, the element body 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped block-like outer shape, and has a rectangular outline when viewed from the optical axis AX direction. That is, the flange portion 12 has a rectangular outline when viewed from the optical axis AX direction. However, the shapes of the gate unit 20 and the handling unit 21 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Also in the optical element 100 of the present embodiment, when the length of the element main body 10 with respect to the resin injection direction AB at the time of molding is a, the length of the gate section 20 with respect to the injection direction AB in which the element main body 10 and the gate section 20 are aligned. B
a / 8 <b <a
Satisfy the relationship. The distance c from the end of the lens unit 11 on the gate unit 20 side to the end of the flange unit 12 on the gate unit 20 side is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The optical element according to the fifth embodiment will be described below. The optical element according to the fifth embodiment is obtained by partially changing the optical element according to the first embodiment, and parts not specifically described are the same as those according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the case of the optical element 100 of the fourth embodiment, the element body 10 has a cylindrical outer shape, and has a circular contour when viewed from the optical axis AX direction. That is, the flange portion 12 also has a circular outline when viewed from the optical axis AX direction, and the flange side surface 112e is a cylindrical surface extending in the optical axis AX direction. However, the shapes of the gate unit 20 and the handling unit 21 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Since the element body 10 has a circular outline, the optical element 100 can be fixed at a target position in a space-saving manner.

Also in the optical element 100 of the present embodiment, when the length of the element main body 10 with respect to the resin injection direction AB at the time of molding is a, the length of the gate section 20 with respect to the injection direction AB in which the element main body 10 and the gate section 20 are aligned. B
a / 8 <b <a
Satisfy the relationship. The distance c from the end of the lens unit 11 on the gate unit 20 side to the end of the flange unit 12 on the gate unit 20 side is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. Note that, regardless of whether or not the boundary BL between the element body 10 and the gate portion 20 is clearly indicated, the end of the flange portion 12 on the gate portion 20 side (that is, the vertex of the boundary BL) is connected to the lens portion 11 with respect to the optical axis. Judgment is made based on the virtual extension of the contour line viewed from the AX direction.

The element body 10 and the flange portion 12 are concentrically arranged in the drawing, but both can be eccentric.

As shown in FIG. 10, the optical element 100 of the fourth embodiment is not supported by a flat support member but supported by a support member 270 having a support groove 74a having a V-shaped cross section. Since the optical element 100 of the fourth embodiment is formed by the cylindrical element body 10, the support can be stabilized by the support groove 74a. At this time, the cylindrical flange side surface 112e of the optical element 100 is in contact with the support groove 74a in two lines. The optical element 100 can be moved along the support groove 74a or rotated around the optical axis AX, but alignment for moving in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis AX is not easy.

In the illustrated example, the three optical elements 100 are arranged in parallel and fixed to the support member 270. However, the single optical element 100 may be fixed to the support member 270.

The optical element according to the embodiment has been described above. However, the optical element according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described one, and various modifications can be made. For example, the shapes of the

optical surfaces

11 a and 11 b provided on the lens unit 11 can be set as appropriate according to the application, specifications, and the like of the optical element 100.

In the above embodiment, an example of a light source device for optical communication (specifically, the optical communication module 300) using the optical element 100 has been described. However, the optical element 100 is used for a light source device for a projector. Also good. In this case, the configuration of the light source device can be changed as appropriate according to the application. For example, light may be guided not by an optical fiber but by a dichroic mirror or the like.

In the above embodiment, the laser diode 40 is used as the light emitting element, but this can be replaced with an LED, a VCSEL, a photodiode, or the like.

Claims

A resin optical element,
An element body having an outer dimension of 2.5 mm or less;
An optical element comprising: a gate portion including a handling portion that extends from a side surface of the element body and includes a pair of support portions extending in parallel.
The optical element according to claim 1, wherein the element body has a rectangular or circular outline when viewed from the optical axis direction.
The optical element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a flange side surface of the element body is fixed for assembly.
The optical element according to claim 3, wherein a flange side surface on the side opposite to the gate of the element body is fixed for assembly.
The optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the element body functions as a collimator lens.
When the length of the element body with respect to the injection direction of the resin at the time of molding is a, the length b of the gate portion with respect to the injection direction is:
a / 8 <b <a
The optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The element body includes a lens portion and a flange portion, and a distance from an end of the lens portion on the gate portion side to an end of the flange portion on the gate portion side is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. The optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
A resin optical element,
A rectangular element body having an outer dimension of 2.5 mm or less as viewed from the optical axis direction;
A gate portion extending from a side surface of the element body,
An optical element in which a flange side surface of the element body is fixed for assembly.
The optical element according to claim 8, wherein one part of the flange side surface of the element body is fixed.
The optical element according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a flange side surface on the side opposite to the gate of the element body is fixed.
A light source device for optical communication or projector using the optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The light source device according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of optical elements are arranged in parallel.