Optical device and adhesive composition used therefor

• US 6,415,093 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Koichiro, Yamamoto, Hiroaki, Hori, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robertson, Jeffrey B.
• Application Number:
  US09/670,693
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 430/321, 385/51, 385/141, 385/142, 385/143, 385/144, 385/145, 156/99, 156/307.3, 156/326, 156/329, 65/171, 65/42, 65/43, 65/605.2, 65/608
• US Class Current: 385/141
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/10 with the aid of adhesive specially adapted for that purpose
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 183/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 183/14 in which at least two but not all the silicon atoms are connected by linkages other than oxygen atoms C09J183/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 185/00 Adhesives based on macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing atoms other than silicon, sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon; Adhesives based on derivatives of such polymers
• 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 6/3801 Permanent connections, i.e. wherein fibres are kept aligned by mechanical means splices by bonding G02B6/255; fusion splices G02B6/2551
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4212 the intermediate optical element being a coupling medium interposed therebetween, e.g. epoxy resin, refractive index matching material, index grease, matching liquid or gel
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4239 Adhesive bonding; Encapsulation with polymer material

Abstract

An optical device having at least two optically transparent optical parts which are bonded together with an optically transparent adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is formed from a matrix containing silicon, titanium, zirconium, aluminum or germianium, and oxygen atoms. At least part of the atoms is bonded to other atom(s) through a polyvalent hydrocarbon group and directly bonded a monovalent hydrocarbon group. The refractive index value of the adhesive layer approximates to the refractive index values of the at least two optically transparent optical parts. An adhesive composition for bonding optical parts and a method of bonding optical parts are also proposed.

Claims

1. An optical device comprising at least two optically transparent optical parts which are bonded together with an optically transparent adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is formed from a matrix containing oxygen atoms and at least one type of specific atoms selected from the group consisting of silicon, titanium, zirconium, aluminum and germanium, at least part of the specific atoms is bonded to other specific atom(s) through a polyvalent hydrocarbon group having 2 to 8 carbon atoms and directly bonded to at least one monovalent hydrocarbon group selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group, phenyl group, monovalent fluorine-containing hydrocarbon group, and monovalent sulfur-containing hydrocarbon group, and the contents of the above specific atom, the polyvalent hydrocarbon group and the monovalent hydrocarbon group are adjusted such that the refractive index value of the adhesive layer approximates the refractive index values of the at least two optically transparent optical parts, wherein when the refractive index values of the two optical parts are represented by n₁ and n₂ (n₁≧

n₂), the adhesive layer between the optical parts has a refractive index n₃ represented by the following expression (1);

2. The optical device of claim 1, wherein when the refractive index values of the two optical parts are represented by n₁ and n₂ (n₁≧

n₂), the adhesive layer between the optical parts has a refractive index n₃ represented by the following expression (2);

3. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical parts are optical fibers, lenses, filters, optical waveguides, diffraction gratings or optical active elements.

4. The optical device of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two optical parts is an optical fiber and the other optical part is a lens, filter or optical waveguide.

5. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the at least two optical parts are both optical fibers.

6. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the at least two optical parts are made from glass, plastic or organic-inorganic composite material.

7. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the at least two optical parts are made from glass.