JPH02238410A - Production of optical semiconductor coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the degradation in the optical coupling efficiency of an optical semiconductor element and an optical fiber by positioning the optical semiconductor element in such a manner that the optical fiber is brought to the center on a weld fixing surface by the optical semiconductor element for positioning and then fixing an element mounting member to a lens holder. CONSTITUTION:The optical semiconductor element for positioning is disposed at the center on the weld fixing surface of a welding ring 10 at the time of fixing the element mounting member 2 to the lens holder 5. The optical semiconductor element 1 is positioned by the optical semiconductor element for positioning in such a manner that the optical fiber 6 is positioned at the center on the weld fixing surface and thereafter, the element mounting member 2 is fixed to the lens holder 5. The need for shifting holding members 8, 9 in a direction X-Y with respect to the welding ring 10 is eliminated and the fixing can be executed by aligning the outer peripheral surfaces at the time of fixing the holding members 8, 9 holding the optical fiber 6 to the welding ring 10 by YAG laser welding. The stable weldability is obtd. and the degradation in the optical coupling efficiency of the optical semiconductor element 1 and the optical fiber 6 is prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical semiconductor optical coupler constructed by optically coupling an optical semiconductor element and an optical fiber through a lens. It is.

[Prior Art] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of this type of optical semiconductor coupler, in which l represents an optical semiconductor element as a light emitting element or a light receiving element, 2 represents a package stem as an element mounting member, 3 is an electrode, 4 is a lens, 5 is a lens holder, 6
is an optical fiber, 7 is a coating material for the optical fiber 6, 8 is a ferrule, 9 is a ferrule holder which together with the ferrule 8 forms a holding member for holding the optical fiber 6, and 9a is formed at one end of this ferrule holder 9. The flange portion 10 is made of the same material as the ferrule 8 and the ferrule holder 9, and is a welding ring 11 formed to have an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the flange portion 9a.

Here, the lens holder 5 is made of iron. The lens holder 5 is made of a material that is easily gold-plated, such as Kovar, and has a gold-plated surface.A gold metalized lens 4 is fixed in the lens holder 5 by solder 10. That is, the lens 4 is soldered inside the lens holder 5.

As this lens 4, a gradient index lens (selfoc lens) or a ball lens is used, and the figure shows an example of a self-occuring lens.

A package system 2 is fixed to one end of the lens holder 5 at a portion A by YAG laser welding, resistance welding, or the like.

An optical semiconductor element 1 is attached to one side of the package stem 2 so as to face the lens 4, and an electrode 3 connected to the optical semiconductor element 1 via a conductor or the like penetrates through the thickness of the package stem 2. It is set up to do so.

On the other hand, the ferrule 8 has a structure in which ceramic is press-fitted into a stainless steel cylinder, and the end of the optical fiber 6 from which the coating material 7 has been removed is fixedly held in the center by resin bonding. It is inserted into the holder 9 and fixed at part B by YAG laser welding.

Further, the welding ring 10 is attached to the other end of the lens holder 5 by a method such as press fitting or screw fitting, and the flange portion 9a of the ferrule holder 9 to which the welding ring 10 and the ferrule 8 are fixed is attached to the C portion. The optical semiconductor element 1 and the optical fiber 6 are thus configured to be optically coupled via the lens 4.

Note that the welding fixation of the A section and the B section is performed at a plurality of locations for each.

An optical semiconductor coupler having such a configuration has conventionally been manufactured by the method described below.

First, the pan cage stem 2 with the optical semiconductor element 1 and the electrode 3 attached to one end of the lens holder 5 to which the lens 4 and the welding ring 10 have been fixed in advance is fixed by resistance welding or the like at the A section as described above.

Thereafter, the ferrule 8 holding the end of the optical fiber 6 is inserted into the ferrule holder 9.
is placed on the side of the welding ring 10 together with the ferrule 8, and the focal length and optical axis of the optical fiber 6 are finely adjusted by a manipulator (not shown).

As a result, the ferrule 8 and ferrule holder 9 are fixed by YAG laser welding at part B at the point where the optical coupling efficiency in the direction parallel to the optical axis (Z direction) is maximized, and then The ferrule holder 9 and the welding ring 1o are fixed at the C portion by YAG laser welding so that the optical coupling efficiency in the direction (X-Y direction) is maximized to complete the optical semiconductor coupler.

Figure 3(a). (b) is a partially enlarged view showing the YAG laser welding process at section C at this time.
), the flange portion 9a of the ferrule holder 9 and the welding ring 10, which are the parts to be YAG laser welded, are placed one on top of the other, and the end of the joint surface is irradiated with the YAG laser. As a result, the ends of the joint surfaces are welded as shown in FIG. Very stable weldability can be obtained by positioning the outer circumferential surfaces so that they match each other so that there is no deviation in the vertical direction.

[　Problem to be solved by the invention〕

However, in the conventional manufacturing method described above, the element mounting member (pan cage stem) to which the optical semiconductor element is attached is
After fixing the lens to the lens holder, optical coupling with the optical fiber is performed, which poses the following problems.

In other words, the manufacturing dimensional tolerance of the lens holder, the deviation of the central axis in the X-Y direction when the lens is fixed to the lens holder, and the deviation of the central axis in the X-Y direction between the optical semiconductor chip and the mounting member that constitute the optical semiconductor element. Due to angular misalignment, etc., the optical semiconductor chip and the lens of the optical semiconductor element may be misaligned in the X-Y direction when the element mounting member and the lens holder are fixed. As a result, the condensed light beam bends, and the condensed spot becomes eccentric with respect to the welding ring on the welding fixed surface of the ferrule holder and welding ring, and as a result, the connection between the optical semiconductor element and the optical fiber is caused. There is a problem in that the optical coupling efficiency is reduced.

In addition, in order to avoid reducing the optical coupling efficiency between the optical semiconductor element and the optical fiber, if the ferrule holder is shifted in the X-Y direction with respect to the welding ring and welded, the weldability becomes unstable. A new problem arises in that characteristic deterioration occurs and manufacturing yield is lowered.

This is the invention. The purpose of this invention is to realize a method of manufacturing an optical semiconductor coupler that does not cause a decrease in optical coupling efficiency between an optical semiconductor element and an optical fiber or a decrease in manufacturing yield. It is something.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention fixes an element mounting member to which an optical semiconductor element is attached to one end of a lens holder in which a lens is fixed, and A welding ring is fixed to the other end, and a holding member (ferrule and ferrule holder) that has the same outer diameter as the welding ring and holds the optical fiber fixed is fixed to this welding ring by YAG laser welding. In the method for manufacturing an optical semiconductor coupler in which the optical semiconductor element and the optical fiber are optically coupled via the lens, when fixing the element mounting member to the lens holder, the welding fixation of a welding ring is performed. After arranging a positioning optical semiconductor element corresponding to the optical semiconductor element at the center of the surface, and positioning the optical semiconductor element so that the optical fiber is centered on the welding fixed surface by this positioning optical semiconductor element. , the element mounting member is fixed to the lens holder.

Therefore, according to this, when the holding member holding the optical fiber is subsequently fixed to the welding ring by YAG laser welding, there is no need to shift the holding member in the X-Y direction with respect to the welding ring, and the outer peripheral surface is Since they can be aligned and fixed, stable weldability can be obtained, and optical semiconductor couplers can be manufactured without reducing the optical coupling efficiency between the optical semiconductor element and the optical fiber or reducing the manufacturing yield. becomes.

〔Example〕

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the method for manufacturing an optical semiconductor coupler according to the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is an optical semiconductor element, 2 is a pan cage stem,
3 is an electrode, 4 is a lens, 5 is a lens holder, 10 is a welding ring, and 11 is solder. These are the same parts as those shown in FIG. 2, and therefore are designated by the same reference numerals.

12 is a positioning optical semiconductor element corresponding to the optical semiconductor element 1, and in this embodiment, the optical semiconductor element 1 is a light emitting element. The optical semiconductor element 12 for positioning is a light receiving element having a light receiving diameter of 30 μm, for example.

13 is an electrode for taking out the output current of this light receiving element 12.

In the manufacturing method of this embodiment, first, the package stem 2 to which the optical semiconductor element 1 and the electrode 3 are attached is placed on one end of the lens 4 to which the lens 4 and the welding ring 10 are fixed in advance in the same way as in the conventional case, and the lens holder 5 At the other end, there is a light receiving element l2.
is installed at the center of the welding fixing surface of the welding ring 7.

In this state, the semiconductor laser 1 is energized through the electric scraper 3 to cause the semiconductor laser 1 to emit light, and the light receiving element 12 is irradiated with a focused spot through the lens 4 .

In order to maximize the light receiving current output from the light receiving element 12 to the electrode 13 by this irradiation, the semiconductor laser 1 is adjusted together with the package stem 2 in the X-Y direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis. After positioning the semiconductor laser 1 so that the optical fiber 6 fixed to the welding ring 10 via the ferrule 8 and the ferrule holder 9 is centered on the welding fixing surface, the lens holder 5 and the package stem 2 are Fix at part A using resistance welding.

Thereafter, the light-receiving element 12 is removed, and the ferrule 8 and ferrule holder 9, which fixedly hold the optical fiber 6, and the ferrule holder 9 and the welding ring 10 are sequentially fixed by YAG welding as in the conventional method. Since the semiconductor laser 1 is positioned and fixed as shown, the ferrule holder 9 is placed in the X-
There is no need to shift in the Y direction, and the outer peripheral surfaces can be aligned and fixed, resulting in stable weldability.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case was explained in which a semiconductor laser, which is a light emitting element, is used as the optical semiconductor element 1. However, when a light emitting element is used as the optical semiconductor element 1, a light emitting element may be used instead of the light receiving element 12. Welding ring 10
By irradiating a condensed light spot from this light emitting element onto the optical semiconductor element 1 through the lens 4, the light receiving current output from the optical semiconductor element 1 to the electrode 3 is adjusted to be maximum. Of course, the lens holder 5 and the pan cage stem 2 may be fixed at the A portion by resistance welding.

〔 Effect of the invention 〕

As explained above, the present invention provides a positioning optical semiconductor element similar to the optical semiconductor element at the center of the welding fixing surface of the welding ring when fixing the element mounting member to which the optical semiconductor element is attached to the lens holder. After positioning the optical semiconductor element using this positioning optical semiconductor element so that the optical fiber is centered on the welding and fixing surface, the element mounting member is fixed to the lens holder.

Therefore, after that, the holding member holding the optical fiber was
When fixing to the welding ring by laser welding, there is no need to shift the holding member in the XY direction with respect to the welding ring, and the outer peripheral surfaces can be aligned and fixed, resulting in stable weldability and light The effect is that the optical semiconductor coupler can be manufactured without reducing the optical coupling efficiency between the semiconductor element and the optical fiber or reducing the manufacturing yield.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the method for manufacturing an optical semiconductor coupler according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the optical semiconductor coupler, and Fig. 3 is a ferrule holder and a welding ring. It is a partially enlarged view showing the process of YAG laser welding with. 1: Optical semiconductor element (semiconductor laser) 2: Package stem (element mounting member) 4: Lens 5: Lens holder 6: Optical fiber 8: Ferrule (holding member) 9: Ferrule holder (holding member) For lO matrix connection Ring 12: Positioning optical semiconductor element (light receiving element) 3 Electric scratching Patent applicant Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An element mounting member to which an optical semiconductor element is attached is fixed to one end of a lens holder with a lens fixed therein, a welding ring is fixed to the other end of the lens holder, and the welding ring is attached to the welding ring. An optical semiconductor coupler that optically couples the optical semiconductor element and the optical fiber through the lens by fixing a holding member having the same outer diameter as the optical fiber ring and holding the optical fiber by YAG laser welding. In the manufacturing method, when fixing the element mounting member to the lens holder, a positioning optical semiconductor element corresponding to the optical semiconductor element is arranged at the center on the welding fixing surface of the welding ring, and the positioning optical semiconductor element A method for manufacturing an optical semiconductor coupler, comprising: positioning the optical semiconductor element so that the optical fiber is centered on the welding fixing surface, and then fixing the element mounting member to the lens holder.