JPH05224046A - Optical circuit device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily connect a single-mode fiber and an optical element such as an LD switch to each other and to manufacture a large-scale matrix switch. CONSTITUTION:The optical circuit device consists of a substrate 1 and the LD switch 2, and an optical input/output waveguide 3 which communicates with the single-mode fiber and a mirror 6 which changes the direction of light to the side of the switch 2 are formed on the substrate 1. The LD switch 2 consists of a lens 7 which converges light from the mirror 6 and a mirror 8 which changes the direction of the light from the lens 7 to the inside of the LD switch 2. Plural LD switches 2 are mounted on the substrate 1 and connected by an optical link waveguide 4. Even when a large-diameter light beam spot is supplied to the optical input/output waveguide 3, a specific small-diameter light beam spot can be guided in the LD switches 2, so the single-mode fiber can easily be connected and the large-scale optical matrix switch can be manufactured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical circuit device connected to an optical transmission line in an optical switching system or an optical information processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of optical transmission line, a single mode fiber that does not have mode diffusion like a multimode fiber and has a very wide transmission band and is capable of long-distance transmission is often used. However, since the core diameter of a single mode fiber is extremely small, a light source, an optical isolator,
An extremely high level of work is required for connection with optical circuit devices that compose the optical circuit network, such as multiplexers, optical switches, demultiplexers, and photodetectors. There are permanent splicing (sleeve method, V-groove method, fusion method, etc.) or a detachable connector for connecting the optical fibers, but a beam is used for connecting the optical fiber and the optical circuit device. Since it needs to be focused and introduced into the inside, a tapered coupler with a predetermined taper angle is formed at the connecting end of the optical fiber, and a hemispherical lens is attached to the tapered tip to open the optical circuit device. It is inserted and fixed inside.

[0003]

However, the beam spot size in a semiconductor optical device such as a laser diode / optical matrix switch is 1 μm or less, and the core diameter of a single mode fiber (generally 10 μm).
Compared to m), the beam spot size is very small, so that the tolerance of positional deviation during optical coupling with the spherical lens at the tip of the taper coupler is small (modular tolerance) when modularized, making modularization difficult. .. Further, there is a problem that the above-mentioned optical element cannot be compactly mounted on the substrate due to difficulty in coupling the optical fibers.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to increase the beam spot size of the optical input / output portion of an optical element so that a single mode fiber or an optical waveguide can be formed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical circuit device that can be easily coupled to each other and can manufacture a large-scale optical matrix switch.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution. That is, an optical circuit device connected to an optical transmission line is composed of an optical element and a substrate on which the optical element is mounted, and the substrate has a waveguide communicating with the optical transmission line and an optical path of the optical waveguide. Is provided with a total reflection surface capable of redirecting light to the optical element side, and the optical element has a lens surface capable of focusing light from the total reflection surface of the substrate, and the light from this lens surface is directed into the optical element. Provide a total reflection surface for conversion. The optical element is a semiconductor optical switch such as a laser diode or an optical matrix switch. Plural semiconductor optical switches are mounted on the substrate, and the optical input / output waveguides communicating with the optical transmission line and the semiconductor optical switches are connected to the substrate. An optical link waveguide is formed to configure an optical matrix switch. A film carrier that supplies a control signal to the optical element is mounted on the optical element.

[0006]

Since the method described above is used, the single-mode fiber can be connected to the waveguide of the substrate through the connector without processing the connecting end portion into a taper as in the conventional case. The light in the waveguide is focused by the total reflection surface of the substrate, the lens surface and the total reflection surface of the optical element into the beam diameter required for the optical element, and is introduced into the optical element. The size can be increased to about 10 μm, a beam spot with a predetermined small diameter can be introduced into the optical element, coupling with a single mode fiber is facilitated, and modularization is facilitated by relaxing the positional deviation tolerance. In addition, since it is possible to form an optical input / output waveguide / optical link waveguide with a large beam spot size on the substrate, it is easy to connect the optical element and the optical waveguide system, and it is possible to mount the semiconductor optical switch on the substrate in high density. Can
Furthermore, since the film carrier enables high-density wiring, large-scale optical matrix switches can be manufactured.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrated embodiment. This is an example in which the present invention is applied to an optical matrix switch to configure a large-scale optical matrix switch, and FIG. 1 is a sectional view and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this optical matrix switch is a device disposed in the middle of a transmission path capable of bidirectional communication, and includes a laser diode as an optical element on a substrate 1 made of quartz glass. A plurality of optical matrix switches (hereinafter referred to as LD switches) 2 are mounted and configured, and a large number of single mode fibers F are connected to both ends of the substrate 1 in the transmission direction via optical connectors 5.

At both ends of the substrate 1 in the transmission direction, L
An optical input / output waveguide 3 extending to the front of the D switch 2 is formed. The optical input / output waveguide 3 is a core of the fiber F.
Similar to the clad, it is made of quartz glass having a refractive index slightly higher than that of the substrate body, and is arranged so as to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of fibers F. Then, this optical input / output waveguide 3
A groove 9 that is inclined at 45 ° is formed at the end of the LD switch on the side, and the end surface of this groove 9 is used as a 45 ° mirror. The mirror 6 is an inclined surface of the light input / output waveguide 3, and the surface toward the lens 7 is provided with an antireflection film 6a to totally reflect the light from the light input / output waveguide 3 or the LD switch 2 and form a right angle. Be able to turn to.

The LD switch 2 is formed by arranging a single LD optical switch element on a semiconductor substrate in a matrix, and amplifies the incident light, or goes straight / stops / stops.
It is a semiconductor whose light path can be selected by changing its path, and is fixed to a predetermined position on the substrate 1 with an adhesive. In the protrusion 2A at the end of the LD switch 2 in the transmission direction,
The lens 7 and the mirror 8 are provided at positions facing the light from the mirror 6. The lens 7 is formed on the back surface of the substrate of the optical element in the projecting portion 2A so as to be convex so as to face the light of the mirror 8, and also collects the light from the mirror 6 to form a beam having a predetermined diameter. To be formed. The mirror 8 redirects the light passing through the lens 7 at a right angle so that the light can be coupled to the light input / output unit of the LD switch 2. The lens 7 is also provided with an antireflection film 7a.

Further, a plurality of LDs are provided at the center of the substrate 1.
An optical link waveguide 4 for connecting the switches 2 is provided. The link waveguide 4 is made of quartz glass having a refractive index larger than that of the substrate 1 like the optical input / output waveguide 3, and mirrors 6 similar to the optical input / output waveguide 3 are provided at both ends thereof.

The power supply of the control signal to the LD switch 2 is L
This is performed by the film carrier 10 mounted on the D switch 2. Each LD switch 2 is attached to the film carrier 10.
A wiring 11 for supplying an electric control signal for the high speed switch is provided. Further, the contacts of the film carrier 10 and the electrodes of the LD switch 2 are electrically joined by solder bumps (protrusions) 12.

In the above-mentioned structure, the light from the single mode fiber F passes through the inside of the optical input / output waveguide 3, is redirected by the mirror 6, is focused by the lens 7, and is inside the protrusion 2A of the LD switch 2. Will be introduced to. LD switch 2
In the inside, the light input signal, which is redirected by the mirror 8, is switch-controlled in the matrix of the optical elements by the control signal from the film carrier 10, and the light guided by being amplified, stopped, and diverted is guided by the mirror 8. The light is changed in direction, coupled with the optical link waveguide 4 by the lens 7 and the mirror 6, and further enters another LD switch 2, and is sent to a predetermined optical fiber F through the same operation as described above.

The light beam spot size introduced into the LD switch 2 can be focused to about 1 μm by the lens 7 and the mirror 8, and the output light beam spot size can be expanded to about 10 μm. Therefore, the single-mode fiber F can be connected to the optical input / output waveguide 3 of the substrate 1 via the optical connector 5 without processing the connecting end portion into a taper as in the conventional case, and the single-mode fiber F Can be easily combined and modularized. Further, since the optical input / output waveguide 3 and the optical link waveguide 4 having a large beam spot size can be formed on the substrate 1, coupling between the optical element and the optical waveguide system is facilitated. Since it can be mounted at a high density in, and the film carrier 10 enables high-density wiring,
High-performance large-scale optical matrix switches can be easily produced with good reproducibility and yield.

Although the large-scale optical matrix switch using the LD switch has been described above, the present invention is applicable to other optical circuits constituting an optical network such as an optical isolator, a multiplexer, a demultiplexer, and a photodetector. It can also be applied to devices.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, the optical circuit device is composed of the optical element and the substrate on which the optical element is mounted. The substrate is provided with the waveguide communicating with the optical transmission line and the optical fiber. Provided with a total reflection surface that can be turned to the element side, the optical element, a lens surface that can focus the light from the total reflection surface of the substrate,
Since it is configured to provide a total reflection surface that can redirect the light from this lens surface into the optical element, without processing the connecting end portion of the single mode fiber into a taper like the conventional one,
Can be connected to the waveguide of the board via a connector,
In addition, the light of the waveguide of this substrate can be focused and introduced into the beam diameter required for the optical element by the total reflection surface of the substrate, the lens surface of the optical element, and the total reflection surface. The size can be increased, a beam spot with a smaller diameter can be introduced into the optical element, coupling with a single-mode fiber is facilitated, and modularization is facilitated by relaxing the positional deviation tolerance. Further, since the optical input / output waveguide / optical link waveguide having a large beam spot size can be formed on the substrate, the LD switches can be mounted on the substrate at a high density, and the film carrier enables high-density wiring. High-performance large-scale optical matrix switches can be easily manufactured with good reproducibility and yield.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a large-scale optical matrix switch.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 substrate 9 groove 2 LD switch 10 film carrier 3 optical input / output waveguide 4 optical link waveguide 5 optical connector 6,8 mirror 7 lens

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical circuit device connected to an optical transmission line, comprising an optical element and a substrate on which the optical element is mounted, wherein the substrate has a waveguide communicating with the optical transmission line. A total reflection surface capable of redirecting the light of the waveguide to the optical element side is provided, and the optical element is provided with a lens surface capable of converging light from the total reflection surface of the substrate, and light from this lens surface. An optical circuit device comprising a total reflection surface that redirects into an optical element. 2. A semiconductor optical switch as an optical element, a plurality of the semiconductor optical switches are mounted on a substrate, and an optical input / output waveguide communicating with an optical transmission line and an optical link connecting the semiconductor optical switches are mounted on the substrate. The optical circuit device according to claim 1, wherein a waveguide is formed. 3. An optical circuit device according to claim 1, wherein a film carrier for supplying a control signal to the optical element is mounted on the optical element.