Optical connector and optical connector manufacturing method
AssigneeAdamant Namiki Precision Jewel Co., Ltd.
InventorsTsuyoshi NAMEKAWA, Masahiro ABUMI, Satoshi KANO, Keishiro KOMATSU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical connector includes: at least a ferrule and n self-forming optical waveguides, wherein the ferrule includes n optical fiber insertion holes, and optical fibers are each inserted into and included in the optical fiber insertion holes, the number n indicates a natural number not including zero, there are variations in an angle of each optical fiber in a core axial direction and a core gap between adjacent ones of the optical fibers, an end surface of the ferrule is formed with roundness, and end portions of the self-forming optical waveguides are each optically connected to the optical fibers.
Claims12
An optical connector comprising:
- at least a ferrule and n self-forming optical waveguides,
- wherein the ferrule includes n optical fiber insertion holes, and optical fibers are each inserted into and included in the optical fiber insertion holes,
- the number n indicates a natural number not including zero,
- there are variations in an angle of each optical fiber in a core axial direction and a core gap between adjacent ones of the optical fibers,
- an end surface of the ferrule is formed with roundness, and
- end portions of the self-forming optical waveguides are each optically connected to the optical fibers.
An optical connector manufacturing method comprising:
- preparing two ferrules and photo-curing resin, each ferrule including at least n optical fiber insertion holes and including optical fibers in the optical fiber insertion holes, the optical fibers being inserted therein;
- arranging the two ferrules to face each other and arranging the photo-curing resin between the ferrules;
- confirming that there are variations in an angle of each optical fiber in a core axial direction and a core gap between adjacent ones of the optical fibers, an end surface of one of the ferrules is formed with roundness, and an end surface of the other ferrule is formed with no roundness;
- curing end portions of the photo-curing resin with the core gap by incident light entering the end portions of the photo-curing resin from the optical fibers, thereby transferring the core gap onto the photo-curing resin and forming the n self-forming optical waveguides at the photo-curing resin such that a variation in the core gap on one end side of the self-forming optical waveguides is smaller than a variation in the core gap on the other end side;
- forming a clad by curing of the photo-curing resin;
- and
- detaching the other ferrule from the self-forming optical waveguides, thereby forming a ferrule body including the one of the ferrules and the self-forming optical waveguides,
- wherein the number n indicates a natural number not including zero.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.