JPH10282368A - Optical fiber module and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: Alignment of an optical circuit block 10 on which a photoelectric conversion element 16 is mounted and a fiber block 20 is efficiently performed in a short time. A package accommodating blocks (10, 20) includes a base (30) and a lid (40), and a base side wall (33) does not exist on a side of a joint between the blocks. After the optical circuit block 10 is fixed and electrically connected to the base 30, coarse alignment is performed. The coarse alignment is performed by observing the connection portion of each block from above each block and from the side of each block without the base side wall portion 33. Next, the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10 is energized, for example,
If the photoelectric conversion element 16 is a light-emitting element, the photoelectric conversion element 16 emits light, and the fiber block 20 is positioned at a position where the amount of light passing through the optical waveguide 13, the optical fiber 21, and the ferrule 26 becomes maximum. After the fine alignment, the blocks are connected to each other, and the lid 40 is fixed to the base 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber module used for optical communication, and more particularly, to an optical fiber module comprising an optical circuit block on which a photoelectric conversion element is mounted and an optical fiber, and an optical fiber module of the optical fiber module. It relates to a manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an optical fiber module in which an optical planar circuit block and an optical fiber are coupled, it is necessary to align the fiber coupling between the optical planar circuit block and the optical fiber with high positional accuracy.

As a method of such alignment, for example, a base on which an optical fiber is mounted is formed of silicon, and a high-precision groove is formed on the silicon base by anisotropic etching or the like at a portion where the optical fiber is mounted. There is a method of performing processing and aligning an optical fiber there. In addition, light for position search is injected into the optical fiber, the optical waveguide portion of the optical planar circuit block is opposed to the optical fiber, and light passing from one end of the optical planar circuit block to the other end is subjected to light receiving area. There is also a method in which the light is received by a large light receiving element or an optical fiber having a large core diameter, and the position of the fiber is adjusted so as to maximize the transmitted light.

In order to couple the optical planar circuit block and the optical fiber with a low loss, it is necessary to align the optical planar circuit block and the optical fiber with a positional accuracy of about 1 μm. The latter method is often used for fiber coupling. In the assembly and manufacture of an optical fiber module, such position adjustment is called alignment, which is an important process that requires time in the assembly process and requires high-precision positioning.

In the latter alignment of the optical fiber, the optical power is detected and positioned by the light receiving element or the like as described above while the fiber is spirally or reciprocally moved within a certain range. Most of the alignment time is required for the movement of the optical fiber when detecting the optical power. Therefore, considering that the movement of the optical fiber is performed two-dimensionally, the alignment time is calculated as the square of the initial displacement. It will increase in proportion. The moving range of the optical fiber is large enough to cover the position error due to the shape of the component and the position error on the base side where the component is fixed.
The size of this fiber movement range is, for example, several hundred μm.
m × several hundreds of μm, one of the required alignment accuracy
It can be said that the size is enormous compared to μm. Therefore, if the alignment is performed only by the latter method, the alignment time becomes abnormally long.

Therefore, in order to shorten the alignment time, it is necessary to devise a method of reducing the initial displacement. Conventionally, to reduce the initial displacement as described above,
For example, a method of optically detecting the shape of a component to perform coarse alignment, such as that described in JP-A-8-54535, or a method described in JP-A-8-54536, In addition, there is a method in which a dedicated alignment mark is attached to a component, and this mark is optically detected to perform coarse alignment. With these methods,
In each case, components and the like are optically detected from two or more different directions in order to recognize the shapes and marks of the components.

[0007]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Prior to performing precise fine alignment, such as those described in JP-A-535-535 and JP-A-8-54536, the shape or the like of a part is optically detected from the outside, and based on the detection result, Performing coarse alignment is an excellent method in terms of shortening the alignment time. However, for example, an optical circuit block equipped with a photoelectric conversion element, an optical fiber,
In the case where the optical circuit block and the package that covers the coupling-side end of the optical fiber are provided, when the optical circuit block and the optical fiber are completely mounted in the package, the package becomes an obstacle, and the centering operation is performed. Can not do. Therefore, before the optical circuit block and the optical fiber are mounted on the package, it is conceivable to perform the alignment work. However, in this case, the precise alignment work cannot be performed. This is because the optical circuit block has a photoelectric conversion element such as a light receiving element or a light emitting element, so that after the inspection light injected into the optical fiber enters the optical circuit, the photoelectric conversion element becomes an obstacle. This is because the light cannot pass from one end of the optical circuit block to the other end and cannot detect the passing light.

That is, an optical fiber module including an optical circuit block on which a photoelectric conversion element is mounted, an optical fiber coupled to the optical circuit block, and a package covering the coupling end of the optical circuit block and the optical fiber. However, there is a problem that the conventional technology cannot be simply introduced, and the work time for the alignment becomes very long, resulting in a high manufacturing cost.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and provides an optical fiber module suitable for reducing the manufacturing cost by shortening the alignment work time, and a method of manufacturing the same. The purpose is to:

[0010]

An optical fiber module for achieving the above object comprises an optical fiber, a fiber block having a fiber base to which an end of the optical fiber is fixed, and an optical circuit. An optical circuit board, an optical circuit block having a photoelectric conversion element fixed to the optical circuit board and receiving and transmitting the optical circuit and light, and a package covering the fiber block and the optical circuit block; The fiber block and the optical circuit block are coupled so that light can be transmitted and received between an end of a fiber and an end of the optical circuit of the optical circuit board, and the package includes the fiber block and the optical circuit. A base on which a circuit block is mounted, the base having a connection end electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block; and the fiber in cooperation with the base. A lock and a cover for covering the optical circuit block, wherein the base has a bottom plate portion on which the fiber block and the optical circuit block are mounted, and an edge of the bottom plate portion, which is formed by the fiber block and the optical circuit block. Excluding at least a portion corresponding to the coupling portion and the vicinity of this portion, a base side wall portion provided along an edge of the bottom plate portion, wherein the lid is a top plate portion facing the bottom plate portion,
It has an edge of the top plate portion and a lid side wall portion for closing between the top plate portion and the base.

Here, the optical fiber module has an optical circuit block mounting plate on which the base is fixed to the bottom plate and to which the optical circuit block is fixed. The board is not present between the bottom plate portion and the portion near the fiber block in the optical circuit block and the vicinity thereof, and a gap is provided between the bottom portion and the connection portion and the vicinity of the portion in the optical circuit block. Is formed,
It is preferable that the fiber block is coupled to the coupling portion of the optical circuit block having a gap formed between the fiber block and the bottom plate, and a gap is formed between the fiber block and the bottom plate.

In each of the above-described optical fiber modules, it is preferable that a surface of the bottom plate of the base facing the top plate is a diffusely reflecting surface. In addition,
The light diffuse reflection surface here is, for example, a surface having a large number of fine irregularities, such as a satin surface, that irregularly reflects received light.

Further, a method of manufacturing an optical fiber module for achieving the above object is a method of manufacturing an optical fiber module, comprising: a fiber block having an optical fiber and a fiber base to which an end of the optical fiber is fixed; An optical circuit block having a substrate and a photoelectric conversion element fixed to the optical circuit board and configured to transmit and receive light to and from the optical circuit, and a package covering the fiber block and the optical circuit block; The fiber block and the optical circuit block are coupled so that light can be transmitted and received between the optical circuit board and the end of the optical circuit of the optical circuit board, and the package includes the fiber block and the optical circuit block. A base having a connection end electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block; and the fiber block cooperating with the base. And a lid for covering the optical circuit block, comprising: a component manufacturing step of manufacturing the fiber block, the optical circuit block, and the package, respectively, An optical circuit block fixing step of fixing the package to the base, an electrical connection step of electrically connecting the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block fixed to the base, and the connection end of the base, A fiber block is positioned on the base, and the optical circuit block electrically connected to the connection end and a portion to be coupled to the fiber block are optically captured from at least two different directions, and the optical circuit block is A coarse alignment step of determining an approximate relative position of the fiber block with respect to the fiber block; Energize the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit book via the connection end, and when the photoelectric conversion element is a light emitting element, pass the optical fiber of the fiber block from the light emitting element through the optical circuit. Detecting the amount of light that has passed, and when the photoelectric conversion element is a light receiving element, injects light into the optical fiber of the fiber block and reaches the light receiving element via the optical circuit of the optical circuit block. A fine alignment step of detecting the amount of light and positioning the fiber block at a position where the detected amount of light is maximized, a block coupling step of coupling the fiber block after the completion of the fine alignment step to the optical circuit block, and the fiber And a lid joining step of joining the lid to the base after the block and the optical circuit block have been joined.

In the method of manufacturing an optical fiber module, in the component manufacturing step, the base may include a bottom plate on which the fiber block and the optical circuit block are mounted, and an edge of the bottom plate, the fiber Except for at least a portion corresponding to a coupling portion of the block and the optical circuit block and the vicinity of this portion, a base side wall portion provided along an edge of the bottom plate portion is formed, and the lid includes:
It is preferable that a top plate portion facing the bottom plate portion and a lid side wall portion which is an edge of the top plate portion and closes between the top plate portion and the base are formed.

[0015] In this case, in the coarse alignment step, the part to be coupled between the optical circuit block and the fiber block is oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom plate part and without the base side wall part; It is preferable to optically capture from at least two directions, that is, the direction facing the bottom plate portion.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an optical fiber module and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an optical fiber module according to this embodiment includes an optical circuit block 10 and a fiber block 20 coupled to the optical circuit block 10.
And a package 3 covering these blocks 10 and 20
0, 40.

The fiber block 20 includes an optical fiber 21
A silicon fiber base 22 to which the end of the optical fiber 21 is fixed, and a protection plate 24 for sandwiching the end of the optical fiber 21 with the fiber base 22 to protect the end of the optical fiber 21. have. The fiber base 22 is
As shown in FIG. 7, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed, and a V for positioning and fixing the end of the optical fiber 21 is formed on one surface thereof.
A groove 23 is formed. The V-groove 23 is formed by performing anisotropic etching on the fiber base 22 made of silicon. As shown in FIG. 3, the integrated body in which the optical fiber 21 is sandwiched between the fiber base 22 and the protective plate 24 is polished until the end of the optical fiber 21 is exposed, at the portion on the coupling side with the optical circuit block 10. , Mirror finished. This mirror surface becomes the coupling surface 25 with the optical circuit block 10. The coupling surface 25 is not perpendicular to the optical fiber 21 but slightly inclined as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, a ferrule 26 or an optical connector (not shown) for coupling to another optical fiber or the like is provided at an end of the optical fiber 21 opposite to the coupling end. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the optical circuit block 10 has an optical planar circuit board 12 having an optical waveguide 13 formed on its surface, and is fixed to the optical planar circuit board 12 by soldering or the like. The plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 16 and the optical waveguide 1
And a protection plate 14 for protecting the protection plate 3. The optical planar circuit board 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, an optical waveguide 13 is formed on one surface thereof, and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 16 are fixed. The plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 16 are connected to the optical waveguide 13 so as to be able to receive and transmit light. Of the surfaces adjacent to the surface on which the optical waveguide 13 of the optical planar circuit board 12 is formed, the surface 15 farthest from the photoelectric conversion element 16 is mirror-finished and forms the coupling surface 15 with the fiber block 20. I have. The end of the optical waveguide 13 is exposed on the coupling surface 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the optical waveguide 13 is formed such that the fiber block 20 and the optical circuit block 10 are arranged linearly when the coupling surface 15 is coupled to the coupling surface 25 of the fiber block 20. Inclined with respect to the plane

As shown in FIG. 1, the packages 30 and 40 include a base 30 on which the fiber block 20 and the optical circuit block 10 are mounted, and a cover 40 which covers the fiber block 20 and the optical circuit block 10 in cooperation with the base 30. have.

The package base 30 includes an optical circuit block mounting plate 32 to which the optical circuit block 10 is fixed, a bottom plate portion 31 to which the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 is fixed,
Base side wall 33 provided on the edge of the bottom plate 31
A base-side fiber base 35 on which a portion of the optical fiber 21 that is not sandwiched by the fiber base 22 and the protection plate 24 is placed;
It has a wiring base 34 that is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10. The bottom plate portion 31
It has a rectangular plate shape, and a fiber block 2
0 and the optical circuit block 10 are mounted. In addition, for convenience of the following description, the fiber block 20 is
The side on which is mounted is defined as an upper side, the opposite side is defined as a lower side, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction is defined as a side. Upper surface 31a of bottom plate 31
Has a satin finish so that when light is irradiated here, the light is irregularly reflected. The base side wall portion 33 is an edge of the rectangular plate-shaped bottom plate portion 31 and has a short side on the optical circuit block side,
The two long sides are formed on the optical circuit block side. That is, when viewed from above, the base side wall portion 33 has a groove shape along the edge of the bottom plate portion 31 on the optical circuit block side. Therefore, the base side wall 33 is provided near both sides of the joint between the fiber block 20 and the optical circuit block 10.
Does not exist. The wiring base 34 has a groove shape when viewed from above, and is provided along the inner surface of the base side wall portion 33 which also forms the groove shape. This wiring base 3
A connection end (not shown) electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10 is exposed on the upper surface 34a of the optical circuit block 10. A pin 36 penetrating the bottom plate portion 31 downward is connected to the connection end. Bottom plate 31
On the upper surface 31a of the optical circuit block mounting plate 3 in the form of a rectangular plate.
2 is fixed. This optical circuit block mounting plate 32
Partially penetrates the inside of the wiring base 34 which forms a groove. The optical circuit block 10 is fixed to the upper surface 32a of the optical circuit block mounting plate 32. The length of the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 in the longitudinal direction is equal to that of the optical circuit block 1.
0 is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, the photoelectric conversion element side end of the optical circuit block 10 and the optical circuit block mounting plate 3
When the two ends are fixed so as to coincide with the wiring base side end, the coupling surface 15 of the optical circuit block 10 and a portion in the vicinity thereof are not placed on the optical circuit block mounting plate 32. Therefore, the optical circuit block 10 is mounted on the optical circuit block
3, a gap is formed between the lower surface 12c of the coupling portion of the optical circuit block 10 and the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate 31, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the thickness of the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 is set to 0.5 m.
m, the lower surface 12 of the optical circuit block 10
The distance between c and the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate portion 31 is also 0.5 mm or more.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 40 of the package has a top plate portion 41 facing the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30, and a lid side wall portion 43 provided at an edge of the top plate portion 41. And The top plate portion 41 has exactly the same shape as the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30 and has a rectangular plate shape.
The lid side wall portion 43 is an edge of the rectangular plate-shaped top plate portion 41,
The short side on the fiber block side and the two long sides on the fiber block side are formed. That is, the lid side wall 43 forms a groove shape along the edge of the top plate 41 on the fiber block side when viewed from below. When fixing the lid 40 to the base 30 with the top plate 41 of the lid 40 facing the bottom plate 31 of the base 30, the lid side wall 43
The lower surface 43a of the base 30 is joined to the upper surface 31a on the fiber block side of the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30, the upper surface 33a of the base side wall portion 33 is joined to the lower surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 of the lid 40 on the optical circuit block side, The end surface 43b of the lid side wall portion 43 forming a groove shape is joined to the end surface 33b of the base side wall portion 33 also forming a groove shape.

Next, the manufacturing procedure of the optical fiber module in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the fiber block 20,
The optical circuit block 10 and the packages 30 and 40 are respectively manufactured (Step 1, component manufacturing process). At this stage, as shown in FIG. 1, the fiber block 20, the optical circuit block 10, and the packages 30, 40 are disjointed, and the package lid 40 is not fixed to the base 30.

Next, an adhesive is applied onto the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 fixed to the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30, and as shown in FIG.
(Step 2, optical circuit block fixing step).
When the fixing of the optical circuit block 10 is completed, as shown in FIG. 2, the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10 and the connection end of the base 30 on the wiring base 34 are electrically connected by wire bonding or the like. (Step 3, electrical connection step).

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the fiber block 20 is positioned on the bottom plate 31, and
The camera 51a, 51b, 51c images the vicinity of the portion to be joined with the fiber block 20 with the cameras 51a, 51b, 51c, and views the images obtained by these cameras 51a, 51b, 51c. 20
(Step 4, coarse alignment step).
The coarse alignment step will be described later in detail.

When the coarse alignment step is completed, the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10 is energized through the pin 36 of the base 30 and the connection end, and the photoelectric conversion element 16 is driven.
The light amount and the like received by the photoelectric conversion element 16 are detected, and the fiber block 20 is positioned at a position where the detected light amount becomes maximum (step 5, fine alignment process). The fine alignment step will be described later in detail.

Fiber block 2 after completion of the fine alignment process
0 is coupled to the optical circuit block 10 (step 6, block coupling step). In this connection, the fiber block 20
The fiber block 20 is fixed to the optical circuit block 10 by applying an adhesive to the coupling surface 25 of the optical circuit block 10 or the coupling surface 15 of the optical circuit block 10. The application of the adhesive may be performed before the coarse alignment step as long as the curing speed of the adhesive is relatively slow. Since the outer sheath of the optical fiber 21 is warped, in this step, the optical fiber 2 is protected so that an unreasonable stress is not applied to the optical fiber 21 itself or the coupling portion.
1 is fixed to the base-side fiber base 35. Finally, lid 4
The edge of the base 30 or the edge of the base 30 is coated with an adhesive to cover
Is fixed to the base 30, and the inside of the package is hermetically sealed (step 7, lid 40 bonding step).

Next, the coarse alignment step will be described in detail. In this coarse alignment step, as shown in FIG. 5, three cameras 51a, 51b, 51c and two mirrors 52a, 52c are provided.
Is used. The three cameras 51a, 51b, 51c are arranged side by side above the base 30. Three cameras 51
Of the cameras a, 51b, and 51c, the middle camera 51b is disposed right above the portion to be combined so that the upper surface 14a, 24a of the portion to be combined can be imaged as the front. The remaining two cameras 51a and 51c are arranged side by side in parallel with the side of the middle camera 51b. The two mirrors 52a and 52c are respectively arranged on both sides of the portion to be joined, and the cameras 51 on both sides are arranged.
a, 51c are set so that the side surfaces 12b, 22b of the portion to be combined can be imaged as the front. Here, what is important is that the base side walls 33 do not exist on both sides of the portion to be joined, so that both side surfaces 12b and 22b of the portion to be joined are provided.
Can be observed as a front. In observing the side surfaces 12b, 22b of the portion to be joined, it is possible to observe the side surfaces 12b, 22b of the portion to be joined from obliquely above.
By observing 2b from the side, the accuracy of the coarse alignment can be improved.

The three cameras 51a, 51b, 51c and the two mirrors 52a, 52c are set so that they can be easily and quickly set around a portion to be joined in a short time. It is preferable to prepare a jig or the like for maintaining the relative positional relationship between 52a and 52c and fix it to this jig or the like. Note that, here, the mirror 52a,
Although 52c was used, even if these mirrors 52a and 52c are not provided,
By arranging the cameras 51a and 51c on both sides right beside the side of the portion to be joined, the side surfaces 12b and 22 of the portion to be joined are arranged.
It goes without saying that b can be observed from the side.

Regarding the illumination, when the surface of the portion to be joined to be imaged by the camera is a mirror surface, coaxial epi-illumination is performed with reference to this camera, and the surface of the portion to be joined to be imaged by the camera is a relatively rough cut surface. When the camera is on a pear ground, coaxial epi-illumination and oblique illumination are performed with reference to this camera. Specifically, the upper surfaces 14a, 2a of the blocks 10, 20
Since 4a is often a mirror surface, in this case, coaxial epi-illumination is performed with reference to the center camera 51b that images the upper surfaces 14a and 24a of the blocks 10 and 20. Also, the side surfaces 12b, 22b of the blocks 10, 20
Is often a relatively rough cut surface, in this case, the coaxial epi-illumination and the oblique illumination are performed with reference to the cameras 51a and 51c on both sides for imaging the side surfaces 12b and 22b of the blocks 10 and 20. .

Each camera 51a, 51b, 51c and mirror 52
When the setting of a and 52c and the lighting are completed, the imaging by the cameras 51a, 51b and 51c is started. An image as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained from each of the cameras 51a, 51b, 51c. The figure shows each camera 51a, 51b,
FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C schematically illustrate the image obtained by the camera 51a, and FIGS.
The images obtained by the cameras 51b and 51c are shown. However, mirrors 52a and 52c are inserted in the optical path of the cameras 51a and 51c on both sides, and the images are inverted by the mirrors 52a and 52c. ing. Also, in the same figure, the field of view of each of the cameras 51a, 51b, 51c is represented by a rectangular frame 53a,
These are indicated by 53b and 53c.

The image obtained by the camera 51b in the middle includes
As shown in FIG. 6B, the upper surface of the portion to be joined, that is, the upper surface 24a of the protection plate 24 of the fiber block 20,
The upper surface 24a of the protective plate 14 of the optical circuit block 10 and the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30 are shown as the background. As described above, each block 1
Since the upper surfaces 14a and 24a of 0 and 20 are smooth mirror surfaces, coaxial epi-illumination is performed based on the camera 51b. As a result, the upper surfaces 14a and 24a of the mirror-finished blocks 10 and 20 appear bright, whereas the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate 31 as the matte surface irregularly reflects the illumination light and appears dark. The upper surfaces 14a, 24a of the base plate 20 and the upper surface 31a of the bottom plate portion 31 can be clearly distinguished.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (c), the images obtained by the cameras 51a and 51c on both sides show the side of the portion to be joined, that is, the side of the protection plate 24 of the fiber block 20. , Fiber base 22 of fiber block 20
22b, the side surface of the protective plate 14 of the optical circuit block 10, the side surface 1 of the optical planar circuit board 12 of the optical circuit block 10.
2b and the side surface 31b of the bottom plate portion 31 of the base 30 are shown. As described above, since the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 is provided between the optical circuit block 10 and the bottom plate portion 31, the lower surface 1 of the optical circuit block 10 on the coupling portion side is provided.
There is a gap between the optical circuit block mounting plate 32 (0.5 mm or more) and 2 c and the upper surface 31 a of the bottom plate portion 31. Therefore, the side surface 31b of the bottom plate portion 31 and each block 1
The side surfaces 12b and 22b of 0 and 20 can be clearly distinguished. For the cameras 51a and 51c on both sides, the bottom plate portion 3 is provided on the side surfaces 12b and 22b of the blocks 10 and 20.
The first side surface 31b is located on the near side, and when the side surfaces 12b and 22b of the blocks 10 and 20 are focused, the side surface 31b of the bottom plate portion 31 is blurred. The size of the field of view of the cameras 51a and 51c in this embodiment is approximately 5
In consideration of the lens characteristics of the cameras 51a and 51c, the side surfaces 12b and 22b
When the distance between the bottom plate 31 and the side 31b of the bottom plate 31 is 0.5 mm or more as in this embodiment, the lower side of each of the blocks 10 and 20 is not affected by the blur of the bottom plate 31.

While viewing the above images obtained by the cameras 51a, 51b and 51c, as shown in FIG.
The fiber block 20 is relatively moved in the axial direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, and further twisted around each axis so that the edge of the fiber block 20 is aligned with the edge of the optical circuit block 10. The position error is reduced to 10 μm or less. In this coarsely adjusted core, since the work of matching the angle of the joint of the fiber block 20 with the angle of the joint of the optical circuit block 10 is performed, the lower angle of the joint of the fiber block 20 and the lower angle of the joint of the optical circuit block 10 are performed. It is highly preferred that In this sense, it is significant that the base side wall portion 33 on the side of the portion to be joined is eliminated, and the portion to be joined can be observed from the side.

Next, the fine alignment step will be described in detail. In this fine alignment step, the photoelectric conversion element 16 of the optical circuit block 10 is energized through the pin 36 of the base 30 and the connection end to drive the photoelectric conversion element 16. When the photoelectric conversion element 16 is a light emitting element, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the amount of light passing from the light emitting element through the optical fiber 21 and the ferrule 26 of the fiber block 20 via the optical waveguide 13 is detected. . When the photoelectric conversion element 16 is a light receiving element, the optical fiber 2
Light is injected into the light receiving element 1 and the amount of light reaching the light receiving element via the optical waveguide 13 of the optical circuit block 10 is detected. Then, the fiber block 20 is relatively moved in each axial direction with respect to the optical circuit block 10 and twisted around each axis so that the detected light amount becomes maximum, and the position of the fiber block 20 with respect to the optical circuit block 10 is adjusted. Make the error less than 1 μm.

As described above, in this embodiment, like the optical circuit block 10 including the photoelectric conversion element 16,
Even if light cannot pass from one end of the optical circuit block 10 to the other end, the optical circuit block 10 is electrically connected before the alignment operation is performed.
When the power is supplied to the motor 6, the fine alignment work can be performed using the power. In the fine alignment step, the photoelectric conversion element 1
6, the drive test of the photoelectric conversion element 16 and the light transmission test of the optical waveguide 13 and the optical fiber 21 of the optical circuit block 10 are also performed, so that various test steps can be omitted. In this embodiment, in the coarse alignment step, even when the optical circuit block 10 is mounted on the base 30, the portion to be joined is observed not only from directly above but also from the side, so that the coarse alignment Accuracy can be increased. Further, since the fine alignment is performed after the high-precision coarse alignment is performed, the efficiency of the alignment operation is improved, the alignment time can be shortened, and the various tests described above are omitted. In addition, the manufacturing time can be greatly reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In this embodiment, in the coarse alignment step,
Although the portion to be joined is observed from three directions, it may be observed from two directions. However, when observing from three or more directions, the same position data can be obtained from a plurality of images, so that the accuracy of the coarse alignment can be improved. For example, as in this embodiment, when observing the portion to be joined from both sides, the amount of posture such as torsion and inclination of the block can be grasped from the data difference from each side, and the accuracy of the coarse adjustment center can be improved. it can.

[0038]

According to the method of manufacturing an optical fiber module according to the present invention, even if the light cannot be passed from one end to the other end of the optical circuit block, such as an optical circuit block having a photoelectric conversion element. Since the alignment work is performed after the optical circuit blocks are electrically connected, if the photoelectric conversion element is energized, the fine alignment work can be performed using this. In the fine alignment process, the photoelectric conversion element is energized, and the drive test of the photoelectric conversion element and the light transmission test of the optical circuit and the optical fiber of the optical circuit block are also performed. be able to. Further, in the present invention, since the coarse alignment step is performed before the fine alignment step after the optical circuit blocks are electrically connected, the efficiency of the alignment operation is improved, and the alignment is performed. The time can be shortened, and the manufacturing time can be significantly reduced in addition to the omission of the various tests described above.

Further, according to the optical fiber module of the present invention, since the package is composed of the lid and the base and there is no base side wall on the side of the portion to be joined, the optical circuit block is mounted on the base. Even in this state, before the lid is fixed to the base, the part to be joined is observed not only from directly above, but also from the side, so that the accuracy of the coarsely adjusted core can be improved. As a result, the efficiency of the fine alignment work can be improved, the alignment time can be shortened, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical fiber module as one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an optical fiber module as one embodiment according to the present invention, and is a perspective view when an optical circuit block and a fiber block are fixed to a base.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing procedure of an optical fiber module as one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a coarse alignment step as one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an image obtained in a coarse alignment step as one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a coupling portion of an optical fiber module as one embodiment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Optical circuit block, 12: Optical flat circuit board, 13:
Optical waveguide, 14: protective plate, 15: coupling surface, 16: photoelectric conversion element, 10: fiber block, 21: optical fiber,
22: Fiber stand, 23: V groove, 24: Protective plate, 25:
Coupling surface, 26: ferrule, 30: base, 31: bottom plate, 32: optical circuit block mounting plate, 33: base side wall, 34: wiring base, 35: base fiber base, 36
... Pin, 40 ... Lid, 41 ... Top plate, 43 ... Lid side wall part, 51
a, 51b, 51c: camera, 52a, 52c: mirror.

Claims (9)

[Claims] An optical fiber, a fiber block having a fiber base to which an end of the optical fiber is fixed, an optical circuit board on which an optical circuit is formed, and an optical circuit fixed to the optical circuit board. An optical circuit block having a photoelectric conversion element that performs transmission and reception of light; and a package that covers the fiber block and the optical circuit block. The optical circuit block includes: an end of the optical fiber and an end of the optical circuit of the optical circuit board. The fiber block and the optical circuit block are coupled so that transmission and reception of light can be performed between the fiber block and the optical circuit block. The package mounts the fiber block and the optical circuit block, and electrically connects the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block with the photoelectric conversion element. A base having a connection end that is connected to the base, and a lid that covers the fiber block and the optical circuit block in cooperation with the base; A bottom plate portion on which the fiber block and the optical circuit block are mounted, and a bottom plate portion excluding at least a portion corresponding to a coupling portion between the fiber block and the optical circuit block at an edge of the bottom plate portion and the vicinity of the portion; A base side wall portion provided along an edge of the top plate portion, wherein the lid has a top plate portion facing the bottom plate portion, and an edge of the top plate portion, the top plate portion and the base An optical fiber module comprising: a lid side wall for closing the gap. 2. The optical fiber module according to claim 1, wherein the base has an optical circuit block mounting plate fixed to the bottom plate and to which the optical circuit block is fixed. The block mounting plate is not present between the bottom plate portion and the vicinity of the coupling portion of the optical circuit block with the fiber block and the bottom plate portion. A gap is formed therebetween, and the fiber block is coupled to the coupling portion of the optical circuit block having a gap formed with the bottom plate portion, and a gap is formed between the fiber block and the bottom plate portion. An optical fiber module, characterized in that: 3. The optical fiber module according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the bottom plate of the base that faces the top plate is a light diffusely reflecting surface. Optical fiber module. 4. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber module according to claim 1, wherein: the component manufacturing step for manufacturing the fiber block, the optical circuit block, and the package; and the optical circuit. An optical circuit block fixing step of fixing a block to the bottom plate portion of the package; and an electric circuit for electrically connecting the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block fixed to the bottom plate portion and the connection end of the base. The connecting step, the fiber block is positioned on the bottom plate portion, and the portion to be connected between the optical circuit block and the fiber block electrically connected to the connection end is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom plate portion. And the direction of the portion without the base side wall portion,
A coarse alignment step of optically capturing from at least two directions opposite to the bottom plate portion and determining a general relative position of the fiber block with respect to the optical circuit block; and The photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit book is energized through the connection end, and when the photoelectric conversion element is a light emitting element, passes from the light emitting element through the optical fiber of the fiber block through the optical circuit. The light amount detected is detected, and when the photoelectric conversion element is a light receiving element, light is injected into the optical fiber of the fiber block, and the light amount reaching the light receiving element via the optical circuit of the optical circuit block. And a fine alignment step of positioning the fiber block at a position where the detected light amount becomes maximum; and coupling the fiber block, which has been subjected to the fine alignment step, to the optical circuit block. And the block coupling step, after said fiber block and the optical circuit blocks bonded method of manufacturing an optical fiber module, comprising a, a lid bonding step of bonding the lid to the base. 5. A fiber block having an optical fiber and a fiber base to which an end of the optical fiber is fixed, an optical circuit board on which an optical circuit is formed, and an optical circuit and an optical circuit fixed to the optical circuit board. An optical circuit block having a photoelectric conversion element that performs transmission and reception; and a package that covers the fiber block and the optical circuit block, between the end of the optical fiber and the end of the optical circuit of the optical circuit board. The fiber block and the optical circuit block are coupled so that transmission and reception of light is possible, and the package, on which the fiber block and the optical circuit block are mounted, is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block. An optical fiber module comprising: a base having a connection end to be connected; and a lid cooperating with the base to cover the fiber block and the optical circuit block. A component manufacturing step of manufacturing the fiber block, the optical circuit block, and the package, respectively, an optical circuit block fixing step of fixing the optical circuit block to the base of the package, An electrical connection step of electrically connecting the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit block fixed to the base, and the connection end of the base; and positioning the fiber block on the base, and connecting the connection end to the connection end. A coarse alignment step of optically capturing a portion to be coupled between the optical circuit block and the fiber block that are electrically connected from at least two directions different from each other, and determining a general relative position of the fiber block with respect to the optical circuit block; Energizing the photoelectric conversion element of the optical circuit book electrically connected to the connection end via the connection end; Then, when the photoelectric conversion element is a light emitting element, the amount of light that has passed through the optical fiber of the fiber block from the light emitting element via the optical circuit is detected, and the photoelectric conversion element is a light receiving element. Inject light into the optical fiber of the fiber block, detect the amount of light reaching the light receiving element through the optical circuit of the optical circuit block, and position the fiber block at a position where the detected amount of light is maximized. And a block coupling step of coupling the fiber block to which the fiber block has been completed, to the optical circuit block. After the fiber block and the optical circuit block have been coupled, the lid is attached to the base. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber module, comprising: a lid bonding step of bonding to an optical fiber module. 6. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber module according to claim 5, wherein in the component manufacturing step, the base includes a bottom plate on which the fiber block and the optical circuit block are mounted, and an edge of the bottom plate. Forming at least a portion corresponding to a coupling portion between the fiber block and the optical circuit block and a vicinity of this portion, and forming a base side wall portion provided along an edge of the bottom plate portion; A top plate portion facing the bottom plate portion, and a lid side wall portion which is an edge of the top plate portion and closes between the top plate portion and the base. Method. 7. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber module according to claim 6, wherein, in the coarse alignment step, a portion to be joined between the optical circuit block and the fiber block is in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom plate portion. A method for optically capturing the optical fiber module in at least two directions, that is, a direction where the base side wall does not exist and a direction facing the bottom plate. 8. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber module according to claim 4, wherein in the coarse alignment step, a direction substantially parallel to the bottom plate and opposite to a portion without the base side wall is opposed. And a method of manufacturing the optical fiber module, wherein the portion to be coupled is optically captured from three directions, that is, a direction facing the bottom plate portion. 9. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber module according to claim 4, wherein in the coarse alignment step, the portion to be connected is detected by a camera. Manufacturing method.