Optical fiber grating package

• US 6,356,683 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Hu, Chieh, Yang, Shu-Mei
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASSAF, FAYEZ G
• Application Number:
  US09/454,324
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 385/37, 385/24, 385/15, 385/31, 359/130, 359/161
• US Class Current: 385/37
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0218 using mounting means, e.g. by using a combination of materials having different thermal expansion coefficients

Abstract

The invention describes a structure for an optical fiber grating package. The structure has a fiber grating that is mounted on a multi-layer metal plate. The fiber grating is formed on a fiber in the desired portion. Two ends of the fiber grating are secured to the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate. The multi-layer metal plate includes, for example, a bimetal plate and a thinner metal plate on the bimetal plate. The thinner metal plate is used to reduce the thermal expansion effect on the fiber grating. The structure further includes an adjusting plate located on the multi-layer metal plate on the side where the fiber grating is mounted so that the adjusting plate, serving as a pad, can lift the fiber of the fiber grating. The adjusting plate is also located a position between the grating portion of the fiber grating and one secured end of the fiber grating. As a result, a grating pitch of the fiber grating can be further precisely adjusted by shifting the relative location of the adjusting plate to causing a necessary tension of the fiber. The multi-layer metal plate with the fiber grating is held by a metal substrate.

Claims

1. A fiber grating package, at least comprising:

a substrate, having two ends;

a multi-layer metal plate, mounted on the substrate, the multi-layer metal plate comprising a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and a third metal layer, in which the first metal layer and the second metal layer form a bimetal plate, and the multi-layer metal plate has two ends; and

an optical fiber, directly mounted on the multi-layer metal plate and secured at the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate and the two ends of the substrate, wherein a portion of the fiber between the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate comprises a fiber grating.

2. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the first metal layer has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) greater than a CTE of the second metal layer, and the third metal layer is adhered on the first metal layer.

3. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the third metal layer is thinner than the first metal layer and the third metal layer is thinner than the second metal layer.

4. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the third metal layer has an online adjustable contact length on the bimetal layer.

5. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the third metal layer comprises stainless steel.

6. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the third metal layer has a thickness of about 0.03 mm.

7. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer metal plate is substantially flat at about 100°

C.

8. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein a portion of the fiber at a portion between one of the two ends of the substrate and one of the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate at same side comprises a sufficient length at a packaging temperature so as to avoid pulling as the temperature of the fiber grating package is changed from the packaging temperature.

9. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the fiber grating package further comprises an adjusting plate between the fiber and the multi-layer metal plate, and located at an optimized position, within a working temperature range, between the fiber grating and one of the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate.

10. The fiber grating package of claim 1, wherein the substrate is packaged in a casing for protecting the fiber grating.

11. The fiber grating package of claim 10, wherein the casing comprises a tube-like casing, each end of which tube-like casing is covered with caps, each of the caps having an aperture through which the fiber passes.

12. An optical fiber grating package, comprising:

a metal substrate, having two ends;

a multi-layer metal plate, mounted on the substrate, the multi-layer metal plate comprising a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and a third metal layer, wherein the first metal layer with a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the second metal layer with a second CTE less than the first CTE together form a bimetal plate, the third metal layer is adhered on the first metal layer by an adjustable contact length for adjusting a net CTE of the multi-layer metal plate, and the multi-layer metal plate has two ends;

an optical fiber, mounted on the multi-layer metal plate and secured at the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate and the two ends of the substrate , wherein a portion of the fiber between the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate comprises a fiber grating; and

an adjusting plate, located between the fiber and the multi-layer metal plate and positioned at an optimized position, within a working temperature range, between the fiber grating and one of the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate.

13. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the third metal layer comprises stainless steel.

14. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the third metal layer has a thickness of about 0.03 mm.

15. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the multi-layer metal plate is substantially flat at about 100°

C.

16. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the fiber at a portion between the substrate fixing ends and the metal-plate fixing ends comprises a sufficiently loose length at 100°

C. so as to avoid overly stretching and breaking as the temperature of the fiber grating package changes.

17. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the substrate is packaged in a casing for protecting the fiber grating.

18. The fiber grating package of claim 12, wherein the casing comprises a tube-like casing, each end of which tube-like casing is covered with caps, each of the caps having an aperture through which the fiber passes.

19. A method for fabricating an optical fiber grating, the method comprising:

providing a bimetal plate, which comprises a first metal layer and a second metal layer, the first metal layer having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) than that of the second metal layer;

setting the bimetal plate to be approximately flat at a packaging temperature, and adhering a contact length of a third metal layer onto the bimetal plate so as to form a multi-layer metal plate, wherein the contact length is used to adjust a net CTE of the multi-layer metal plate;

at the packaging temperature, mounting a fiber grating of a fiber on the multi-layer metal plate and securing the fiber to two ends of the multi-layer metal plate;

adjusting a central wavelength of the fiber grating and the contact length at the packaging temperature; and

mounting the multi-layer metal plate on a substrate, and securing the fiber other than the fiber grating portion to two substrate ends, wherein a fiber length between the two substrate ends and the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate at both sides is sufficiently long so as to avoid excessive pulling and breakage.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the packaging temperature is about 100°

C.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises placing an adjusting plate between the multi-layer metal plate and the fiber, and at an optimized position between the fiber grating and one of the two ends of the multi-layer metal plate, so that the central wavelength is further precisely adjusted.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein after the step of mounting the multi-layer metal plate on a substrate, the method further comprises:

mounting the substrate with the multi-layer metal plate and the fiber grating in a tube-like casing, and covering both ends of the tube-like casing with caps.

23. A fiber grating package, at least comprising:

a substrate, having two first attach locations on a surface of the substrate;

a multi-layer metal plate, having two second attach locations and mounted on the surface of the substrate, the multi-layer metal plate comprising a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and a third metal layer adhered on the first metal layer by an adjustable contact length for adjusting the thermal expansion of the multi-layer metal plate; and

an optical fiber, directly mounted on the multi-layer metal plate and secured at the two second attach locations of the multi-layer metal plate and at the two first attach locations of the substrate, wherein a portion of the fiber between the two second attach locations of the multi-layer metal plate comprises a fiber grating.