Multi-piece fiber optic component and manufacturing technique

• US 20030002802A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xanoptix, Inc. (Cubic Wafer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xanoptix, Inc. (Cubic Wafer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trezza, John, Dudoff, Greg, Kang, Keith, Olson, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/896,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20030002802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/53
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3636 the mechanical coupling means being grooves G02B6/3652 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3644 the coupling means being through-holes or wall apertures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3652 the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3672 with fibres arranged in a regular matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3676 Stacked arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3692 with surface micromachining involving etching, e.g. wet or dry etching steps surface micromachining involving subtractive techniques B81C1/00055
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3696 by moulding, e.g. injection moulding, casting, embossing, stamping, stenciling, printing, or with metallic mould insert manufacturing using LIGA or MIGA techniques shaping the mould surface by machining B29C33/38; moulding techniques B29C39/00, B29C43/00, B29C45/00, B29C48/00, B29C59/00; stamping, printing or embossing techniques B81C1/00444; surface micromachining using LIGA B81C2201/032
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/38 having fibre to fibre mating means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3834 Means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3835 using discs, bushings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3839 for a plurality of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/42 Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4249 comprising arrays of active devices and fibres

Abstract

A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit involves coupling at least one high precision piece, having holes configured to accept an array of optical fibers, to a low precision piece to form a unit, inserting optical fibers into the unit and housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing. A commercial fiber optic connector of a style constructed to accept a ferrule-like unit therein has a connector housing, at least 36 optical fibers, a low precision piece, and at least one high precision slice having at least 36 fiber holes each adapted to accept one of the optical fibers, the low precision piece and the at least one high precision slice being contained substantially within the connector housing and forming the ferrule like unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus to facilitate insertion of a fiber into a commercial fiber optic connector at a low angle comprising:

a high precision holder having

a first side,

a second side, opposite the first side and spaced therefrom by a thickness, and multiple walls therein,

the multiple walls each, when viewed from the first side, defining an opening in the holder having a first size at the first side and narrowing to a second size at a location within the thickness, and

the multiple walls each, when viewed from the second side, defining a substantially cylindrical opening in the holder extending from the second side to the location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder comprises a first piece and a second piece, the first piece having a first piece thickness defined by the first side and the location, and the second piece having a second piece thickness defined by the second side and the location.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first piece comprises silicon wafer and the walls are created using an isotropic wet etch process.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the isotropic wet etch process is a KOH etch.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the second piece comprises silicon wafer and the walls are created using an anisotropic etch process.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the anisotropic etch process is a Bosch process.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second piece walls adjoin the second side at a clean edge created by an isotropic silicon wet etch.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the second piece walls are created using a drilling process.

9. An apparatus to facilitate insertion of a fiber into a commercial fiber optic connector at a low angle comprising:

a piece cleaved from a silicon wafer having a first side and a second side, wherein the piece has internal walls defining holes created by

i) performing a Bosch etch on the first side of the silicon wafer to create etch indentations in the silicon wafer,

ii) depositing a SiN_X stop layer in the etch indentations;

iii) photoresist patterning the second side in alignment with the indentations in the first side,

iv) wet etching the second side, and

v) removing the SiN_X stop layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the apparatus is further created by vi) performing a clean up etching of the holes.

11. A fiber holder of a size suitable for use in a commercial fiber optic connector adapted to accept a ferrule of a size including a ferrule face length and ferrule face width defining a ferrule face area, the fiber holder comprising:

a piece having a thickness and edges defining a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface,

the piece further having an array of at least 36 holes, at least some of the holes being adapted for receiving optical fibers,

the at least some holes extending through the thickness between the first surface and the second surface,

the at least some holes having axes substantially perpendicular to at least one of the first surface or the second surface,

the at least some holes having a first opening size on the first surface and a second opening size on the second surface smaller than the first opening size,

the second opening size being approximately equal to a diameter of an optical fiber to provide support for the optical fibers inserted therein.

12. The fiber holder of claim 11 wherein the second opening size is substantially constant in an axial direction into the thickness for a distance.

13. The fiber holder of claim 12 wherein the distance is approximately {fraction (1/2)} of the thickness.

14. The fiber holder of claim 12 wherein the distance is approximately equal to a slice thickness.

15. The fiber holder of claim 12 wherein the distance is approximately equal to a thickness of one of a four inch or an eight inch silicon wafer.

16. The fiber holder of claim 11 wherein the first surface has a first surface area no larger than the ferrule face area.

17. The fiber holder of claim 11 wherein the first surface has a first surface area substantially equal to the ferrule face area.

18. The fiber holder of claim 11 wherein the first piece comprises a stack of at least two slices.

19. The fiber holder of claim 18 wherein the first surface is on one of the at least two slices and the second surface is on another of the at least two slices.

20. The fiber holder of claim 11 further comprising a low precision unit adapted to receive the piece, the low precision unit and piece in combination, being substantially equal to the size.

21. The fiber holder of claim 11 wherein the commercial fiber optic connector is one of an MTP, MPO, MPX or SMC type connector and wherein the fiber holder comprises a low precision unit adapted to receive the piece and the piece, the low precision piece and the high precision piece when combined having dimensions substantially equal to a respective one of an MTP, MPO, MPX or SMC ferrule dimensions.

22. A commercial fiber optic connector of a style constructed to accept a ferrule-like unit therein, the commercial fiber optic connector comprising:

a connector housing,

at least 36 optical fibers having first ends and second ends,

a low precision piece, and

at least one high precision slice having at least 36 fiber holes and an external face, each of the fiber holes being adapted to accept one of the optical fibers,

the low precision piece being connected to the at least one high precision slice,

the at least 36 optical fibers passing through the low precision piece and into the high precision slice so that the first end terminates at the external face, and

the low precision piece and the at least one high precision slice being contained substantially within the connector housing and forming the ferrule like unit.

23. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 22 wherein the style is one of an MTP style, MPO style, MPX style or SMC style.

24. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 22, further comprising:

an alignment piece contained within the connector housing and having posts extending through at least one of the low precision piece or a high precision slice.

25. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 22 wherein the at least 36 optical fibers are single mode fibers

26. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 25 wherein each of the fiber holes has an axis and wherein the axis is offset at an angle from a perpendicular to the external face.

27. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 26 wherein the offset is 8 degrees.

28. The commercial fiber optic connector of claim 26 wherein the offset is between zero and about 8 degrees.

29. A method of making a fiber optic connector adapted to receive a fiber bearing unit, the method comprising:

coupling at least one high precision piece, having holes configured to accept an array of optical fibers inserted therein, to a low precision piece to form a unit,

inserting optical fibers into the unit, the fibers terminating in the holes, and

housing the unit within a fiber optic connector housing.