JPH1152194A - Receptacle and optical module formed by using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save the number of parts and assembly time and to reduce a cost by use of inexpensive materials by providing a receptacle with guides which are formed in a plurality so as to project from a main body part and have the elastic force to optically couple an optical fiber and an optical semiconductor element by holding a ferrule inserted into this main body part at its outer peripheral part. SOLUTION: A through-hole 13d which is opened at one side to a lens fixing chamber 13c and opened at the other end to the outside is axially formed at the main body part 13a. The ferrule is optically fixed to the central axis of the receptacle 13 in order to optically fix the optical semiconductor element 11 and the optical fiber via the through-hole 13d and the guides 13b for optically coupling the optical fiber and the optical semiconductor element 11 is formed. Three pieces of the guides 13b are projected and formed outward from the main body part 13a. Since the guides 13b of the receptacle 13 are displaced, the force to be exerted on the receptacle 13 by the ferrule is converted to the displacement of the guides 13b even if the ferrule is inserted into the guides 13b from diagonal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical module receptacle and an optical module for optically coupling an optical fiber and an optical semiconductor element used in the field of optical communication.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In optical fiber transmission in optical communication, a connector for an optical module called a receptacle is used to optically couple an optical fiber and an optical semiconductor element.

[0003] As such a receptacle, one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-40903 is known. Here, the receptacle disclosed in the publication is shown in FIG.

In the receptacle 2 shown in FIG. 7, a ceramic sleeve 3 made of zirconia or alumina is fitted inside a cylindrical main body 6. Also,
A ceramic ferrule stopper 4 made of zirconia or alumina is fitted so as to be in contact with the tip of the ceramic sleeve 3 in the main body 6. Further, a pipe 5 is inserted into the ceramic ferrule stopper 4 on the side opposite to the ceramic sleeve 3.

[0005] The assembly of the receptacle 2 is as follows.
First, the ceramic sleeve 3 is press-fitted into the cylindrical main body 6. After the press-fitting, the inner diameter of the ceramic sleeve 3 is polished to finish the inner diameter tolerance with high accuracy. Next, the ceramic ferrule stopper 4 is inserted into the main body 6, and the pipe 5 is pushed in to fix it.

Then, a ceramic ferrule 1 made of zirconia or alumina and containing an optical fiber is provided.
Is fixed to the receptacle 2 by being inserted from the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the pipe 5.

In such a conventional receptacle 2, the entire surface of the receptacle 2 in contact with the ceramic ferrule 1 to be inserted, that is, the ceramic sleeve 3 and the ceramic ferrule stopper 4 are made of ceramic, so that the ceramic ferrule 1 can be attached and detached. Prevents repeated wear.

[0008]

However, in the prior art as described above, since a large amount of expensive ceramic material is used as a material, it is very expensive.

In addition, the conventional receptacle has a very large number of parts, such as four, and it takes a long time to assemble. Therefore, the two parts, the number of parts and the assembling time, are directly reflected in the price, resulting in a high price. I was

[0010] Further, in the conventional receptacle, since the parts must be processed by cutting, mass productivity is also lacking.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle which can be reduced in cost by using an inexpensive material, and an optical module using the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle which can be reduced in cost by reducing the number of parts and the assembling time, and an optical module using the same.

An object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle which does not require machining of parts by cutting and an optical module using the same.

[0014]

In order to solve this problem, a receptacle according to the present invention is a receptacle for holding a ferrule containing a built-in optical fiber, and a main body to which a condenser lens and an optical semiconductor element are mounted. And a guide having an elastic force for optically coupling the optical fiber and the optical semiconductor element while holding the inserted ferrule at the outer peripheral portion thereof and projecting from the main body.

Accordingly, the force generated when the ferrule is inserted is absorbed by the displacement of the guide, and wear of the guide due to repeated attachment and detachment of the ferrule is eliminated. It can be configured to reduce the cost.

Further, since the receptacle can be constituted by a single component, the number of components is greatly reduced, the time required for assembly is not required, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, since the ferrule is held by the displacement of the guide, there is no need to perform advanced parts processing by cutting.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a receptacle for holding a ferrule containing a built-in optical fiber, comprising: a main body to which a condenser lens and an optical semiconductor element are attached; A receptacle having a guide formed with a plurality of portions protruding from the portion and having an elastic force for optically coupling the optical fiber and the optical semiconductor element while holding the inserted ferrule at the outer peripheral portion thereof, and using an inexpensive material. This has the effect that the receptacle can be configured and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the number of parts is greatly reduced, and assembling becomes unnecessary, so that there is an effect that the price can be reduced from this point.
Further, there is no need to perform advanced parts processing by cutting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the receptacle according to the first aspect, wherein a diameter of an inscribed circle inscribed in the plurality of guides is set smaller than an outer diameter of the ferrule. Since there is no gap between the inserted ferrule and the guide, the ferrule is reliably held in the receptacle.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle having three guides, and the ferrule can be securely held and the receptacle can be easily processed. It has the effect of being able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, the receptacle is made of a resin, and the production of the receptacle can be easily performed by injection molding. And the elastic force can be arbitrarily changed by selecting the resin material.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect,
A condenser lens mounted in the main body of the receptacle, an optical semiconductor element arranged at an object image position determined by the condenser lens in the main body, and an optical fiber are built in and mounted on the receptacle held by a guide. And an optical module having a ferrule.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In these drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an optical module using a receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the optical module of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an optical module of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4, and FIG.
5 is a front view of the receptacle of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a lens fixing chamber 13c is formed inside the main body 13a of the receptacle 13, and the condenser lens 12 is inserted and fixed therein. An optical semiconductor element 11 such as a semiconductor laser, a light emitting diode, or a PIN photodiode is attached to an object image position determined by the condenser lens 12.

In the axial direction of the main body 13a, a through hole 13d is formed, one of which is open to the lens fixing chamber 13c and the other is open to the outside. In order to optically fix the optical semiconductor element 11 and the optical fiber 15 through the through hole 13d, a ferrule 14 (FIG. 3) in which the optical fiber 15 is incorporated is fixed to the receptacle 13 on the central axis. A guide 13b for optically coupling the optical fiber 15 and the optical semiconductor element 11 is formed. 1 and 2
As shown in FIG. 3, three guides 13b are formed to protrude outward from the main body 13a.

Next, the receptacle 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
3 will be described in detail. The receptacle 13 is molded from a resin by injection molding or cutting. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in order to hold the inserted ferrule 14 (FIG. 3) at its outer peripheral portion, the three guides 13b are substantially parallel to the optical axis as described above. Are formed to protrude from the main body 13a.

The inner ends of the three guides 13b are tapered so that the ferrule 14 can be easily inserted. As shown in FIG. 6, the diameter of the circle B formed by the tips of the three chamfered portions provided on the three guides 13b is 0.2 mm larger than the outer diameter of the ferrule 14, for example, 2.5 mm. It is set to about 0.5 mm larger. Further, the diameter of the inscribed circle A of the guide 13 b is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the ferrule 14.
About 505 mm is desirable. This is because, when the diameter of the inscribed circle A is larger than 2.505 mm, the gap between the ferrule 14 and the guide 13b becomes large, causing a shift of the optical axis between the optical fiber 15 and the optical semiconductor element 11, and stable. This is because optical coupling cannot be performed.

Here, consider the case where the diameter of the inscribed circle A is smaller than 2.5 mm. If the three guides 13b that form a part of the receptacle 13 are rigid, it is impossible to insert the ferrule 14 into these three guides 13b. However, as described above, the receptacle 13
Is made of resin, when a force is applied to insert the ferrule 14 into the guide 13b, the ferrule 1
The tip of 4 is guided into the guide 13b along the chamfered portion of the tip of the guide 13b. Further, when a force is applied to insert the ferrule 14, the three guides 13b generate forces that are spread by the ferrule 14, and the three guides 13b are opened so as to be separated from each other. And soon 3
When the diameter of the inscribed circle A of the book guide 13b becomes larger than 2.5 mm which is the outer diameter of the ferrule 14, the ferrule 14 is completely inserted into the guide 13b, and is held by the guide 13b at the outer peripheral portion. To be fixed to the receptacle 14.

However, since the amount of displacement of the guide 13b is limited, in the receptacle 13 of the present embodiment,
If the diameter of the inscribed circle A becomes 2.48 mm or less, such an insertion operation cannot be performed. Therefore, the lower limit dimension is defined as 2.48 mm.

If the diameter of the inscribed circle A is smaller than the outer diameter of the ferrule 14, the gap between the inserted ferrule 14 and the guide 13b is eliminated, so that the ferrule 14 is securely held by the receptacle 13. Optical fiber 15 and optical semiconductor element 11 built in ferrule 14
Optical coupling can be performed stably.

Here, the displacement of the guide 13b is
It is uncertain which fluctuates depending on the thickness of 3b, the material forming the guide 13b, and the like. Therefore, in the present invention, the dimensional relationship between the guide 13b and the ferrule 14 is not limited to the numerical values described above. Guide 1
Although the displacement of 3b is large near the distal end, it decreases as it approaches the main body 13a. Therefore, it is preferable to increase the diameter of the inscribed circle A of the guide 13b on the main body 13a side.

Here, the wear of the receptacle 13 having the above configuration will be considered. When the ferrule 14 is inserted into the receptacle 13, it is rare that the ferrule 14 is accurately inserted from the direction of the axis with respect to the guide 13b of the receptacle 13, but rather is inserted from various angles inclined with respect to the axis. It is thought that there are many. At that time, if the guide 13b is a rigid body or a cylindrical body, the force applied to the guide 13b by the ferrule 14 has no place to escape, and the ferrule 14 or the receptacle 13 is worn and damaged. . However, in the receptacle 13 shown in the present embodiment,
Since the guide 13b is displaced, even if the ferrule 14 is inserted obliquely into the guide 13b, the force applied to the receptacle 13 by the ferrule 14 at that time is converted into the displacement of the guide 13b. Thereby, the ferrule 14 and the receptacle 1
No. 3 is not worn and damaged.

As described above, according to the receptacle 13 of the present embodiment, since the three guides 13b having elasticity are displaced to hold the ferrule 14, the force generated when the ferrule 14 is inserted. Is guide 13
Absorbed by the displacement of b. As a result, the guide 13b is not worn due to repeated attachment / detachment of the ferrule 14, so that the receptacle 13 can be made of an inexpensive material instead of an expensive wear-resistant ceramic material, and the cost can be reduced. it can.

Further, since the receptacle 13 can be constituted by a single component instead of an assembly of a plurality of components, the number of components is greatly reduced, and the time required for assembly is not required. Can be reduced in price.

Further, since the ferrule 14 is held by the displacement of the guide 13b, there is no need to perform advanced component processing by cutting, and the inspection of components can be omitted.

In this embodiment, the guide 1
Although 3b is three, at least two are sufficient to hold the outer peripheral portion of the ferrule 14, and two may be used. Needless to say, the number may be four or more.

However, in particular, the use of three guides 13b not only ensures the holding of the ferrule 14 but also facilitates the processing of the receptacle 13.

Here, in this embodiment, the case where the receptacle 13 for the optical module is made of a resin has been described, but another elastic body such as a metal can be used. However, if it is made of resin, the production of the receptacle 13 can be easily performed by injection molding, and the elastic force can be arbitrarily changed by selecting the resin material.

In this embodiment, the optical semiconductor device 1
Although the lens 1 and the condenser lens 12 are directly attached to the receptacle 13, they may be attached via some member.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the plurality of guides having elastic force are displaced to hold the ferrule, the force generated when the ferrule is inserted is the displacement of the guide. Absorbed. As a result, the guide is not worn due to repeated attachment / detachment of the ferrule, so that the receptacle can be formed of an inexpensive material instead of an expensive ceramic material having abrasion resistance, and the cost can be reduced. Effects can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, since the receptacle can be constituted by a single component, the number of components can be greatly reduced, and the time required for assembly is not required. An advantageous effect is also obtained in that the effect can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, since the ferrule is held by the displacement of the guide, there is no need to perform advanced parts machining by cutting, and an effective effect that inspection of parts can be omitted. Is obtained.

By setting the diameter of the inscribed circle inscribed in the plurality of guides smaller than the outer diameter of the ferrule, there is no gap between the inserted ferrule and the guide.
An advantageous effect is obtained in that the ferrule is securely held in the receptacle, and the optical coupling between the optical fiber and the optical semiconductor element can be stably performed.

By using three guides, it is possible to obtain an effective effect that the ferrule can be securely held and the receptacle can be easily processed.

By constructing the receptacle using a resin as a material, it is possible to easily manufacture the receptacle by injection molding, and to obtain an effective effect that the elastic force can be arbitrarily changed by selecting the resin material. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an optical module configured using a receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the optical module of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a ferrule inserted into the optical module of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the receptacle of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the receptacle of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional receptacle for an optical module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Optical semiconductor element 12 Condensing lens 13 Receptacle 13a Main part 13b Guide 14 Ferrule 15 Optical fiber

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A receptacle for holding a ferrule containing an optical fiber, comprising: a main body to which a condenser lens and an optical semiconductor element are attached; and a plurality of ferrules formed and projected from the main body. And a guide having an elastic force for optically coupling the optical fiber and the optical semiconductor element while holding the optical fiber at an outer peripheral portion thereof. 2. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of an inscribed circle inscribed in the plurality of guides is set smaller than an outer diameter of the ferrule. 3. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the number of the guides is three. 4. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein said receptacle is made of resin. 5. The receptacle according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, a condenser lens mounted in the main body of the receptacle, and an object image position in the main body determined by the condenser lens. An optical module comprising: an arranged optical semiconductor element; and a ferrule which has an optical fiber built therein, is held by the guide, and is attached to the receptacle.