JPS63163406A - Optical fiber array - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and closely align an optical fiber by covering the optical fiber with aligning parts being a little shallower than the outside diameter of the optical fiber, and having a hollow of the same width as the time when the optical fiber has been aligned closely. CONSTITUTION:A covering part 13 of an optical fiber is fixed to a glass plate 11a by an adhesive agent 16, and a fiber core wire 13 is aligned on a glass plate 11b by an optical fiber aligning jig. Subsequently, optical fiber aligning parts 15 are put on the fiber core wire 13 so that the aligned fiber core wire 13 goes into a recessed part 17 of the optical fiber aligning parts 15, and fixed by an adhesive agent. Subsequently, the glass plate 11b is removed from the optical fiber aligning jig, a thermosetting adhesive agent is applied onto the aligned optical fiber, glass plates 12a, 12b which have been stuck by an adhesive agent are put on, the thermosetting adhesive agent is hardened, and the tip of an optical fiber array is polished specularly and finished. In such a way, the optical fiber core wire can be aligned closely, easily and exactly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber array used in an optical coupling component for optical communications.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as optical fiber networks have been introduced, optical multiplexers and the like have been used to distribute optical signals. Due to its structure, this optical multiplexer requires the use of an optical fiber array in which several optical fibers are arranged in two vanes.

Hereinafter, the conventional optical fiber alignment component as described above will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a conventional optical fiber alignment component. In Fig. 2, 1a and 1b are lower quartz plates, 21L
, 2b is the upper quartz plate, 3 is the coating part of the optical fiber, 4
is a fiber core wire, and 6 is an adhesive bonding them together. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the fiber core wires 4 are lined up with the upper quartz plates 2a and 2b in FIG. 2 removed, and 6 is an adhesive for temporary fixing.

FIG. 4 shows a method of aligning optical fibers. Figure 4 (A
) is a diagram showing how to align optical fibers from above, 4th
Figure (B) is a side view showing how the optical fibers are aligned. Fiber core wire 4 using optical fiber alignment jig 7
Lightly press on the quartz plate 1b, and insert the fiber core wire 4 from the left and right.
and bring it close until the six fiber core wires 4 touch. Furthermore, in order to maintain this state, it is temporarily fixed with an ultraviolet curable adhesive 6. After the ultraviolet curable adhesive 6 hardens, remove the lower quartz plates 1a and 1b of page 3 from the optical fiber alignment jig 7, and apply the thermosetting adhesive 5 onto the temporarily fixed fiber core 4.
An optical fiber array is fabricated by applying and hardening the upper quartz plates 2fa and 2b.

Next, the tips of the optical fiber array are polished to a mirror finish.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional configuration, as the number of optical fibers increases, a gap of several microns increases between the optical fibers, and the optical fibers do not come into close contact with each other. When an optical fiber array is connected to an optical waveguide for a 6-brancher in this way, the spacing between the waveguide parts of the optical waveguide is 125 μm, which is the same as that of the optical fibers, but the spacing between the optical fiber arrays is wider than 125 μm, so it is difficult to couple efficiently. There was a problem.

The present invention solves these problems and provides an optical fiber array in which many optical fibers are completely attached to each other.

Means to Solve the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides an alignment component that has a recess that is slightly shallower than the outer diameter of the optical fiber and has the same width as when the optical fibers are closely aligned. It is placed over the optical fibers to align the optical fibers.

Function: With this configuration, it is possible to easily align optical fibers in close contact with each other simply by covering the optical fibers with the optical alignment component.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11a.

Reference numerals 11b, 12a, and 12b are glass plates, a covering portion of the 13Fi optical fiber, 14 is a fiber core wire, 16 is an optical fiber aligning component, 16 is an adhesive, and 17 is a recess.

This optical fiber array is manufactured using the same optical fiber alignment jig as the conventional one.

The glass plates 112L and 11b are attached with an adhesive (not shown). The coating part 13 of the optical fiber is fixed to the glass plate 1 i ILK with adhesive 5 and base 16, and the fiber core wire 1
3 are aligned on the glass plate 11b using an optical fiber alignment jig (not shown). Next, the optical fiber alignment component 16 is placed over the fiber core wire 13 so that the aligned fiber core wire 13 enters the recess 17 of the optical fiber alignment component 16, and this is fixed with an adhesive.

The glass plate 11b was removed from the optical fiber alignment jig (not shown), a thermosetting adhesive was applied onto the aligned optical fibers, and the glass plates 12iL, 12 were bonded with the adhesive.
Cover with b'iz and cure the thermosetting adhesive.

Next, the tips of the optical fiber array are polished to a mirror finish.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, several optical fiber core wires to be aligned are covered with a recess of an optical fiber alignment member having a recess having the same width as these core wires and slightly shallower than the outer diameter of the optical fiber core wires. This provides the effect that the optical fiber core wires can be aligned in close contact with each other easily and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional optical fiber array, and Fig. 3 shows a state in which the optical fibers of the conventional optical fiber array are aligned. The illustrated plan view and FIGS. 4A and 4B are a plan view and a side view showing how optical fibers are aligned by an optical fiber alignment jig. 111L, 11b, 121L, 12b...-Glass plate,
13”°°°゛°Optical fiber coating, 14...
- Fiber core wire, 15... Optical fiber alignment component, 17... Recess. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person 2nd
Figure 4th ridge (△) b

Claims (1)

[Claims] An optical fiber alignment member comprising two or more optical fibers and a recess slightly shallower than the outer diameter of the optical fiber and having a width equal to the outer diameter of the optical fibers times the number of fibers, and the recess is provided to cover the optical fiber. and a flat plate sandwiching the optical fibers and the optical fiber alignment member having the recessed portions from above and below.