MXPA00000974A - Planar optical device connector and method for making same - Google Patents

Abstract

A planar optical device connector (10) and a method for making the same is disclosed in which a connector body (12) contains an annulus (14) for receiving a planar optical device (16) and datums (18) to which the planar optical device (16) is actively aligned. After the planar optical device (16) has been aligned to the datums (18), it is secured to the annulus (14).

Description

FLAT OPTICAL DEVICE CONNECTOR AND METHOD TO MANUFACTURE THE SAME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to optical components. Particularly, the present invention relates to flat optical device connectors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Flat optical devices, such as flat waveguides, light wave optical circuits, flat glass optical devices and semiconductor substrates are becoming increasingly important for multiple wavelength transmission systems, household fibers, and fiber optic systems. portable equipment for personal use. For them to work, a region of light guidance in flat optical devices must be connected or coupled with a light guide region in an optical fiber or other flat optical device. Interconnection requires low loss, typically less than about 0.2 db per connection, environmental reliability against heat and humidity, and cost effectiveness. To achieve a low loss connection, very high precision alignment of the light guide regions is required.

One way of aligning the waveguide region in flat optical devices with the light guide regions in another optical plane device or optical fiber is by active alignment, where the waveguide regions are assembled together, the alignment is monitored with an optical monitoring tool, and then the assembled waveguide regions are fixed together. The optical monitoring tool can be a photodetector device to measure the amount of optical radiation lost in the interconnection. A disadvantage associated with the active alignment of two assembled waveguide regions is that it can be expensive and time-consuming, especially when active alignment is performed at the work site. Another approach is passive alignment, which involves aligning waveguide regions by mechanical means. For example, a flat optical device may be aligned with a fiber arrangement or other flat device using a pair of MV type connector devices, manufactured by forming V-shaped slots on a silicon wafer that supports a flat waveguide surrounded by a MT type connector molded in plastic. The V-shaped slots are placed precisely on the wafer, and the V-shaped grooves support guide pins. The guide pins are positioned so that they are received by guide holes over an opposingly placed MT type connector containing an array of optical fibers. The connection of the two ends of the connector passively aligns the flat wave guide and the fiber arrangement. An example of a device using an MV connector and V-shaped slots is described in IEEE Photonics Letters, Volume 7, No. 12, December 1995, which is taken as the basis herein and incorporated by reference. There are several disadvantages to using the V-shaped passive alignment approach described above. Due to the small center diameters of the waveguides that must be connected, the precision at which a V-shaped groove can be machined is insufficient to achieve the desired losses of less than about 0.2 db per connection. Another problem is that the pins are placed and aligned by silicon, which is brittle and subject to fracture by the torques and stresses created when the bolts and the MT type connector are joined. In addition, manufacturing requires high precision grinding of the V-grooves with respect to a reference line, which is a costly procedure. Also, the formation of V-shaped grooves on a semiconductor surface requires an extremely useful surface area of the integrated circuit that could be better allocated to the optical circuit system. In view of the above disadvantages there is an explicit need to obtain a flat optical device connector which combines the advantages of the aforementioned active and passive alignment approaches. Therefore, it would be of great advantage to provide a connector device that produces losses of less than 0.2 db per connection where the assembled waveguide regions do not have to be actively aligned, and which avoids the disadvantages associated with placing V-shaped slots on a semiconductor substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this way, the present invention generally provides a flat optical device connector comprising a body having a ring and reference points. A flat optical device is actively aligned with the reference points and placed inside the ring, and preferably secured to the ring with an adhesive. Preferably the body of the device is molded, most preferably molded into plastic, and the reference points are guide pins or holes for receiving guide pins. Another aspect of the invention includes a method for manufacturing a flat optical device connector comprising a body having a ring therein adapted to receive a flat optical device and reference points. The flat optical device is actively aligned to the reference points, and the flat optical device is secured in the ring. The reference points can be guide pins or guide pin holes, and the guide pins can be molded integrally with the connector body, or separately and inserted into the body of the connector. The main advantage of the device and method of the present invention is to provide a device having a low loss connection where no useful surface area of the semiconductor is wasted forming V-shaped grooves thereon. Another advantage of the present invention is that the low loss connection can be achieved without having to actively align the assembled waveguide regions of optical devices. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the device and method particularly indicated in the description and claims thereof, as well as in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that both the above brief description and the following detailed description are illustrative and explanatory and are intended to give a further explanation of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a more complete understanding of the invention illustrating one embodiment thereof, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings, whenever possible, the same or similar parts are identified in all drawings with the same reference numbers. It should be understood that various elements of the drawings do not attempt to be drawn to scale, but are sometimes purposely modified for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a flat optical device connector according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of a flat optical device connector according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the following, detailed reference will be made to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the example of which is illustrated in the attached drawing. The illustrative embodiment of the flat optical device connector of the present invention is shown in Figure 1 and is designated generally by the reference number 10. As set forth herein and with reference to Figure 1, the flat optical device connector 10 include a body 12, which has a ring 14 therein adapted to receive a flat optical device 16. The flat optical device 16 contains waveguide regions 17 for receiving and transmitting optical signals. As used herein, the term "waveguide region" refers to the region in an optical waveguide device that transmits an optical signal. The waveguide region 17 is preferably silica or purified silica, but may be another material such as silicon, lithium niobate, etc. Body 12 is similar in shape to typical MT type connectors and is manufactured by any known method such as injection molding. The reference points 18 are aligned with the ring during the manufacture of the body 12. As used in the present invention, a reference point is a point that indicates which positions can be measured. The reference points 18 can be guide pins as shown in Figure 1, or they can be holes for receiving guide pins (not shown). If the reference points 18 are guide pins, they can be made of metal, stainless steel, ceramic or plastic. The guide pins can be permanently secured in the guide pin holes with an adhesive such as epoxy, or they can be removed from the guide pin holes to facilitate disconnection and reconnection. The guide pins can be manufactured separately or integrally with the body of the connector device of the present invention. It should be understood that although the cross-sectional areas of the reference points 18 are shown in the generally cylindrical drawings, the reference points 18 may have other cross-sectional areas, for example, square or rectangular. With reference to Figure 2, which is an end view of a flat optical device connector according to the present invention, the waveguide regions 17 of the flat optical device 14 are actively aligned to the center line of the optical points of the optical device. Reference 18. As shown in Figure 2, the cross-sectional area of the ring 14 is slightly larger than the flat optical device 16 inserted therein. The ring 14 will generally have a rectangular shape to accommodate a flat optical device of similar shape and is manufactured only at moderate dimensional tolerances of about ± 10 microns. Another embodiment of the invention includes a method for manufacturing a flat optical device connector 10 including a step for providing a body 12 having a ring 14 adapted to receive a flat optical device 16 and reference points 18. As mentioned above, the ring 14 is only of moderate dimensional accuracy (about ± 10 microns), and has a size slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the flat optical device 16 to be inserted therein. This embodiment further includes a step to actively align the flat optical device 16 to the reference points after the flat optical device has been inserted into the ring 14. The active alignment of the reference points 18 and the flat optical device 16 can achieved using a suitable known method. For example, a peak power method may be used wherein an MT type connector containing light waveguides may be connected to the body 12, and the interconnection between the MT type connector and the flat optical device 16 may be optically monitored by a photodetector for determining the optimal alignment of the waveguide regions 17 in the flat optical device 16 and the waveguide regions in the MT type connector (not shown). The active alignment may also include other methods such as an image analysis technique where an image of the reference points 18 and the flat optical device 16 is used to actively align the flat optical device 6 to the reference points 18 either manually or automatically. This embodiment finally includes a step to secure the flat optical device 16 in the ring 14 by a suitable method. For example, it is possible to use an adhesive or epoxy to secure the flat optical device 16 actively aligned in the ring 14. After the flat optical device 16 has been aligned with the reference points 18, the adhesive or epoxy is cured to ensure the flat optical device actively aligned. Healing of the adhesive can occur, for example using radiation of heat or light, such as ultraviolet light. After the flat optical device has been secured to the ring, it would be desirable to polish the face of the end of the device, or cut the end of the optical device flat at an angle to minimize counter reflections. Advantageously, after the flat optical device has been actively aligned to the reference points and secured in the ring, the flat optical device connector of the present invention can be connected to a type MT connector containing waveguide regions without having that actively align the assembled waveguide regions. Because the waveguide regions on a flat optical device are usually formed by a high precision method such as photolithography, the alignment of the waveguide regions is inherent. In the embodiments described above, the reference points are located near the outer lateral end along the connector face, the optical device being placed flat therein. The arrangement is logical, but only illustrative, and other configurations are within the scope of the invention.

The invention has been described in terms of a device for connecting a flat optical device to a type MT connector. The flat optical device may include a flat waveguide having an arrangement of waveguide regions, or an optical integrated circuit having a waveguide arrangement. The optical integrated circuit can be associated with a modulator, switch, amplifier, multiplier, etc. It should be understood that the MT type connector interconnecting with the device of the present invention may comprise a fiber arrangement or a flat optical device 16 containing an arrangement of waveguide regions in an optical integrated circuit. Also, within the scope of the invention is the use of the device of the present invention to interconnect a variety of flat optical devices to a wide variety of devices capable of transmitting optical signals. It will also be apparent that the guide pins used to connect the device of the present invention to an MT type connector are part of the final interconnection when both parts are connected together, and the pins are not necessarily associated with one or the other part. . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations in the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of the invention as long as they are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (19)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A flat optical device connector comprising: a connector body having a connector ring and connector reference points and a flat optical device positioned within the connector ring, the flat optical device includes an optical integrated circuit flat wave having a waveguide region arrangement, wherein the connector ring has a cross-sectional area that is larger than the cross-sectional area of the optical plane device, and the waveguide regions are actively aligned to the reference points of the connector.

2. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the flat optical device is secured to the connector ring with an adhesive.

3. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the body is molded in plastic.

4. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the reference points are guide pins.

5. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the reference points are guide pins molded integrally in the body.

6. - The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the reference points are holes for receiving the guide pins.

7. A method for manufacturing a flat optical device connector comprising the steps of: providing a flat optical device having an arrangement of waveguide regions, the flat optical device having a cross-sectional area; providing a connector body having a connector ring and connector reference points, the connector ring having a cross-sectional area that is greater than the cross-sectional area of the optical device; Insert the flat optical device into the connector ring; actively align the arrangement of waveguide regions to the connector reference points; and securing the flat optical device actively aligned on the connector ring.

8. The method according to claim 7, further characterized in that the reference points are holes for receiving the guide pins.

9. The method according to claim 7, further characterized in that the reference points are guide pins.

10. The method according to claim 9, further characterized in that the guide pins are molded integrally with the body.

11. The method according to claim 9, further characterized in that the step of actively aligning includes the step of moving the optical device flat within the connector ring to improve the alignment between the waveguide regions and the reference points. of connector.

12. The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that the step of actively aligning includes the step of moving the optical device flat within the connector ring and using an optical monitoring device to actively align the waveguide regions to the centerline of the connector's reference points.

13. The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that the step of actively aligning includes the step of moving the optical device flat within the connector ring and analyzing an image of the connector reference points and the optical plane device to actively align the waveguide regions to the centerline of the connector's reference points.

14. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the step of actively aligning does not include the use of a V-shaped slot structure to align the waveguide regions to the centerline of the reference points of the connector.

15. The method according to claim 13, further characterized in that the step of actively aligning does not include the use of a V-shaped slot structure to align the waveguide regions to the centerline of the reference points of the connector.

16. - The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the waveguide regions of the optical plane device are actively aligned to the centerline of the connector reference points.

17. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the waveguide regions of the optical plane device are actively aligned to the connector reference points through the use of an optical monitoring device to determine the optimal alignment .

18. The connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that the waveguide regions are actively aligned to the connector reference points by analyzing an image of the connector reference points and the optical plane device to determine the optimal alignment.

19. The connector according to claim 16, further characterized in that the connector ring is placed between the reference points of the connector.