OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE WITH MIRROR, OPTICAL FIBER CONNECTOR, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140321807A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakai, Daichi, Kuroda, Toshihiro, Betsui, Hiroshi, Segawa, Kouta, Uchigasaki, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12166 Manufacturing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/122 Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/136 by etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/30 for use between fibre and thin-film device
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/43 Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74

Abstract

The optical waveguide with mirror 10 of the present invention includes: a lower clad layer 22; a core pattern 24 formed above the lower clad layer 22; a mirror 30 formed on the inclined surface 31 of the core pattern 24; an upper clad layer 26 covering the part other than the mirror 30 on the core pattern 24; and an opening 26a with an approximate pillar shape, the opening being formed on the upper clad layer 26, wherein the mirror 30 is formed in the opening 26a.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide with mirror, comprising:

a lower clad layer;

a core pattern formed above the lower clad layer;

a mirror formed on an inclined surface of the core pattern;

an upper clad layer covering a part other than the mirror on the core pattern; and

an opening with an approximate pillar shape, the opening being formed on the upper clad layer,

wherein the mirror is formed in the opening.

2. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, wherein the upper side, the lower side, and the both lateral sides of the inclined surface are placed in the opening.

3. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a void between at least one of the upper side, the lower side, and the both lateral sides of the mirror and the inner wall of the opening, viewed in the thickness direction of the optical waveguide with mirror.

4. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a clad inclined surface formed on the lower clad layer in the opening, the clad inclined surface being on the same plane as the inclined surface and continuing from the inclined surface, wherein the clad inclined surface extends outside at least one of the both lateral sides of the mirror.

5. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, wherein

the core pattern forms an optical path through which a light signal transmits,

the mirror changes the direction of a light signal so that a light signal transmits through the optical path exits from the clad layer and so that a light signal entering from the lower clad layer transmits through the optical path, and the mirror is formed on the optical path.

6. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, wherein the mirror is a dummy mirror for recognizing the position of the mirror.

7. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, wherein the opening is a void.

8. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a cover member covering the opening.

9. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 8, wherein the void between the mirror and the cover member connects to the space outside of the optical waveguide with mirror at only one position.

10. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 9, further comprising an air vent path connecting the void to the space outside of the optical waveguide with mirror, the air vent path being formed on the lower clad layer or the upper clad layer.

11. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 9, further comprising a spacer layer between the upper clad layer and the cover member, wherein the air vent path connects the void to the space outside of the optical waveguide with mirror is formed on the spacer layer.

12. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 10, wherein the air vent path is formed by photolithography.

13. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 10, wherein the air vent path extends to the side opposite to the side on which the core pattern is provided in an axial direction of the core pattern in which the optical path is changed by the mirror.

14. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a resin member filled in the opening.

15. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 14, wherein the resin member is formed from a photosensitive resin composition.

16. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 15, wherein

the lower clad layer, the upper clad layer, and the core pattern are formed from a resin composition for a lower clad layer, a resin composition for an upper clad layer, and a resin composition for a core pattern, respectively, and

the photosensitive resin composition is any one of the resin composition for a lower clad layer, the resin composition for an upper clad layer, and the resin composition for a core pattern.

17. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, wherein the mirror has a metal layer formed on the inclined surface.

18. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 17, wherein the metal layer is provided on at least one of the upper surface of the core pattern, the lateral surfaces of the core pattern, and the lower clad layer which are exposed in the opening.

19. The optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 17, wherein the metal layer formed on the inclined surface reflects a light signal transmitting through the core pattern and a light signal entering from the lower clad layer.

20. An optical fiber connector comprising:

the optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1;

a substrate to which the optical waveguide is laminated; and

an optical fiber guide pattern laminated to the substrate, the optical fiber guide pattern forming a groove to which an optical fiber is introduced so that the optical fiber optically connects with the optical path of the core pattern.

21. A method of producing the optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 1, sequentially comprising:

a core pattern formation step of forming a core pattern on a lower clad layer;

a mirror formation step of forming a mirror on the core pattern;

an upper clad layer formation step of laminating an upper clad layer to the surface on which the core pattern is formed; and

an opening formation step of forming an opening with an approximate pillar shape by removing the upper clad layer that covers the mirror by photolithography.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising a cover formation step of forming a cover member on the opening after the opening formation step.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising a metal layer formation step of forming a metal layer that reflects a light signal onto the mirror after the opening formation step.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising a resin filling step of filling the opening with resin after the metal layer formation step.

25. A method of recognizing a position in an optical waveguide with mirror, comprising recognizing a position of the mirror based on at least one of the upper side, the lower side, and the both lateral sides of the mirror of the optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 2.

26. A method of recognizing a position in an optical waveguide with mirror, comprising recognizing a position of the mirror by the clad inclined surface of the optical waveguide with mirror according to claim 4.

27. The method of recognizing the position in an optical waveguide with mirror, according to claim 25, further comprising observing the position of the mirror from the upper clad layer side or the lower clad layer side.