JPH1123886A - Optical element manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a method for manufacturing an optical element that can easily form a pattern, has excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance, and can obtain an optical element with low loss. SOLUTION: A step of forming a coupling groove 11a in a resin platform 12, connecting to the coupling groove 11a to form mounting grooves 11b, 11b on both sides thereof, and optical fibers in the mounting grooves 11b, 11b. Mounting the optical fiber 30 and the element 50 and the coupling groove 11a;
A liquid photosensitive material 10 is injected into the core portion 4 and photo-cured to form a core portion 4.
1 is formed, and a cladding part 42 is formed using a photosensitive substance so as to cover the core part 41.
Or a step of optically coupling the optical fiber 30 and the element 50 to form a waveguide, wherein the photosensitive material is a liquid photosensitive oligomer. Is the way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical waveguide using a polymer material, and various optical waveguides used in the fields of general optics and micro optics, and in the fields of optical communication and optical information processing. It can be used for optical integrated circuits or optical wiring boards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical elements used in the field of optical information processing and optical communication have been actively studied in recent years with the aim of integration, miniaturization, high performance, and low cost. Investigations are being actively conducted at the research stage to satisfy the purpose of the above. Actually, a silica-based optical waveguide device satisfying these to some extent has been put to practical use in a part of the optical communication field. For example, Masao Kawachi (presenter), NTT R &
D vol. 43 No. 11 p. 101 (199
4).

[0003]

However, in particular, since mounting and assembling require a great deal of labor and time, and there are complicated dedicated devices, waveguide-type optical elements have become widespread in various fields. It is not at present.
Also, from the above point, assembly requires a high level of skill, so unlike the handling of electrical related parts that are common in ordinary households, there is no simple optical element that can be handled at home. Is the current situation.

Although economics are important for optical devices, connecting a waveguide to an optical fiber or a light emitting element and a light receiving element is a major factor in cost. Until now, the connection has been made by forming a V-groove, a waveguide, a light emitting element, and a light receiving element in which the optical fiber is placed in a block structure, finely aligning and fixing them so that the optical axes coincide with each other. In addition, we form platform to carry these,
Later, elements such as a light emitting element and a light receiving element are placed and aligned. However, in these cases, the assembling work is complicated, and both material costs and processing costs are high.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to reduce the cost of optical elements and to simplify mounting and assembly, which is one of the obstacles to the expansion of the field of use. And to reduce the price. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical element which can easily form a pattern, has excellent heat resistance, moisture resistance, etc., can obtain an optical element with low loss, and can be easily connected to an optical component. is there.

[0006]

The gist of the present invention is to form a connecting groove in a resin platform and to form mounting grooves on both sides thereof so as to be connected to the connecting groove. A step of mounting an optical fiber in the groove for forming, and filling the coupling groove with a photosensitive substance and photo-curing to form a core part, and further forming a clad part covering the core part to optically couple the optical fibers. Forming an optical element, wherein the photosensitive substance is a liquid photosensitive oligomer.

[0007] The present inventors first used a resin as a platform, so that the high elasticity makes the fixing of the optical fiber into the groove firm, and the photosensitive oligomer has a simple pattern forming ability. Further, they have found that a polymer optical waveguide pattern for an optical element having excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance, low loss, and easy connection with an optical component can be formed, and the present invention has been completed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a platform used in the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where an optical fiber is mounted on the platform.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining an example of a method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an optical element according to the method for manufacturing of the present invention, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another example. An example of a method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention is a resin-made platform 1 as shown in FIG.
2, a coupling groove 1 at the center of the upper surface, for example.
1a, connecting to the coupling groove 11a to form mounting grooves 11b, 11b on both sides thereof, and as shown in FIG.
Mounting the optical fiber 30 or the optical fiber 30 and the element 50; and as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 8, the coupling groove 11a.
A liquid photosensitive material 10 is injected into the core portion 4 and photo-cured to form a core portion 4.
1 and a clad portion 42 is formed using a photosensitive material so as to cover the core portion 41, and the optical fiber 30 is optically coupled between the optical fibers 30, or between the optical fiber 30 and the element 50. Forming a waveguide, wherein the photosensitive substance is a liquid photosensitive oligomer.

The optical element according to the manufacturing method of the present invention is, as shown in FIGS.
And the optical fiber 30, 30 or the optical fiber 30 and the element 5
0 are integrally joined (coupled) by a cured product of the photosensitive oligomer 10, and the cured product of the photosensitive oligomer has a core portion 41 on one surface side of the platform 12 and a clad portion 42 on the core portion 41. Forming the optical fiber core 31
The optical element is configured such that light passing therethrough directly enters the core portion 41 or light passing through the core portion 41 directly enters the core 31 of the optical fiber.

In the manufacturing method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a resin platform 12 having a coupling groove 11a and mounting grooves 11b, 11b is prepared. The coupling groove 11a is a groove formed for optical coupling between the optical fibers 30 or between the optical fiber 30 and the element 50, and the mounting grooves 11b and 11b are formed for mounting the optical fiber 30 or the element 50. It is a groove to be done.

The platform 12 is made of a resin exhibiting good adhesiveness to a photosensitive substance, for example, an epoxy resin, a silicone resin, or an acrylic resin. A wide variety of manufacturing methods can be used for resin grooves. For example, a combination of lithography and etching, cutting with a saw or dicing saw, molding with a mold, etc. are typical, but the platform manufacturing method can be selected according to the processing accuracy, use application, usage amount, etc. It should be.

In order to reduce the connection loss with the optical fiber 30, the cladding portion 42 is used as the coupling groove 11a.
It is preferable to use a rectangular structure capable of producing a waveguide in consideration of the thickness of the film. For example, in the case of manufacturing a linear waveguide, a mold master 13 as shown in FIG. 4 is manufactured, and a rectangular groove 11b for mounting the optical fiber 30 is formed by molding based on this.
1b and a rectangular groove 1 in consideration of the shape of the core 31 of the optical fiber.
1a.

In fabricating a more complicated pattern shape, for example, a Y-branch waveguide, as shown in FIG. 5, a platform having a Y-shaped coupling groove 11a is used, and a photosensitive film is formed in the Y-shaped coupling groove 11a. It can be produced by injecting a solution 10 of the oligomer. A platform having a Y-shaped coupling groove 11a can be manufactured by using a mold master 13 as shown in FIG.

The shape of the mounting groove 11b is determined by the shape of the optical fiber 30, etc., but is preferably a groove having a V-shaped or rectangular cross section. The width of the mounting groove 11b is about 50 μm to 5 mm, and the depth is about 50 μm to 5 mm.
It can be.

If the width of the coupling groove 11a is smaller than the width of the mounting groove 11b, the mounted optical fiber 30 can be easily positioned, and the photosensitive oligomer can be easily injected. The shape and size of the coupling groove 11a are determined by the shape, size, material and the like of the optical fiber 30, but are preferably V-shaped grooves or rectangular grooves, and the width is about 3 μm to 5 m.
m, depth d about 3 μm-5 mm, length about 5-100 m
m. When the length of the coupling groove 11a is within the above range, the connection loss is small, or the optical fiber is easily mounted and the positioning is easy.

It is preferable to set the cross-sectional dimension of the coupling groove 11a so as to match the diameter of the core 31 of the optical fiber. Matching means that the light transmitted through the core 31 of the optical fiber does not directly enter the cladding part 42 but can enter the core part 41 directly.

An optical fiber 30 is mounted in at least one of the mounting grooves 11b. This optical fiber is preferably selected from a polymer clad optical fiber, a silica-based optical fiber, and a plastic optical fiber. The polymer-clad optical fiber has a core made of quartz glass and a clad made of plastic, and when this optical fiber is used in the present invention, an optical element having a large diameter and easy connection can be obtained. A silica-based optical fiber is one in which both the core and the clad are made of silica glass.
When this optical fiber is used, a large-capacity optical element can be obtained. The plastic optical fiber is one in which both the core and the clad are made of plastic. By using this optical fiber, an optical element having a large diameter and high strength can be obtained.

If a light emitting element such as a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), a light receiving diode (PD) or a light receiving element is mounted in one of the mounting grooves 11b, as shown in FIG. To obtain an optical element in which the element 50 is joined to one end of the optical fiber 30 by the core 41 and the clad 42, and the optical fiber 30, the element 50, and the platform 12 are integrated by a cured product of a photosensitive oligomer. Can be.

If a laser diode is used as the element 50, an optical element having high light intensity can be obtained. If a light emitting diode and a light receiving diode are used, an optical element having a long life and low cost can be obtained.

The optical fiber 3 is inserted into the mounting grooves 11b, 11b.
0 or 30 or the optical fiber 30 and the element 50 are placed, and a liquid photosensitive oligomer solution 10 is injected into the coupling groove 11a using a syringe or the like as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG.
The core portion 41 is formed by irradiating the oligomer solution 10 with ultraviolet rays and curing it. Furthermore, a photosensitive oligomer such as an epoxy oligomer is applied and hardened on the core 41 to form a clad 42 having a lower refractive index than the core 41. The thickness of the cladding 42 can be about 15 to 50 μm.

In the present invention, a photosensitive oligomer which is liquid at normal temperature is used as the photosensitive substance. For the photosensitive oligomer, it is possible to control the refractive index accurately by adjusting the structural components, and to obtain appropriate viscosity and ultraviolet curability corresponding to the core part forming step by adjusting the degree of polymerization. .

Photosensitive oligomer (photocurable oligomer)
It is preferable to use any one of an epoxy oligomer, an epoxy oligomer such as a reactive silicone epoxy oligomer, a reactive silicone oligomer, a silicone oligomer such as a liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer, and an acrylic oligomer. The photosensitive oligomer preferably has a number average molecular weight of about 200 to 5000, and preferably has a viscosity of about 100 to 1000 cp (centipoise) at 25 ° C. With such a viscosity, it is easy to inject into the coupling groove 11a, and handling is easy.

As the epoxy oligomer, those having a general formula represented by the following formula 6 can be used.

Embedded image

Epoxy oligomers are preferred in that they provide a core having excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance. As the epoxy oligomer, R ₁ and R ₂ are a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, X ₁ , X ₂ , and X ₃ each include an alkyl ether group and have at least one hydroxyl group. The inclusions have excellent adhesion to the resin platform.

As the reactive silicone epoxy oligomer, those having a general formula represented by the following formula 7 can be used.

Embedded image

The reactive silicone epoxy oligomer is
A core having excellent heat resistance and strength can be provided. As the reactive silicone epoxy oligomer, those in which X is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms are preferable in that a core having excellent flexibility is provided.

As the reactive silicone epoxy oligomer, those having a general formula represented by the following formula 8 can be used.

Embedded image

The reactive silicone oligomer has heat resistance,
A core having excellent strength can be provided. As the reactive silicone oligomer, X is a hydrogen atom or 1 to 1 carbon atoms.
5 wherein R ₁ and R ₂ are both 1 to 5 carbon atoms
Are highly reactive and give a core having excellent flexibility.

As the liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer, those having a general formula represented by the following formula 9 can be used.

Embedded image

The liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer can provide a core having excellent heat resistance. As the liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer, those in which X is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms and R is an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms are preferable in that a core having excellent flexibility is provided. .

As the acrylic oligomer, those having a general formula represented by the following formula 10 can be used.

Embedded image

The acrylic oligomer is rich in reactivity and can provide a core having excellent transparency. As the acrylic oligomer, those in which X ₁ , X ₂ , and X ₃ each include an alkyl ether group or an aromatic ring, and R ₁ and R ₂ are both alkyl groups having 1 to 5 hydrogen atoms, are flexible. This is preferable in that it can provide an excellent core portion.

The above-mentioned epoxy-type oligomer is polymerized by polymerizing by a light reaction between polymerization active groups (epoxy groups and the like) contained in the general formulas (6) and (7). In order to cause the reaction to occur efficiently and sufficiently, it is desirable to add a photopolymerization initiator. As the photopolymerization initiator, those generally used as a photopolymerization initiator may be used, such as carbonyl compounds such as diphenyltriketone benzoin, benzoin methyl ether, benzophenone, acetophenone, and diacetyl, and peroxides such as benzoyl peroxide. And azo compounds such as azobisisobutyronitrile.

The above-mentioned polymerization of the silicone oligomer is carried out by the reaction between the photosensitive agent and the oligomer. As a photosensitive agent,
Azide compounds such as azidopyrene, 4,4′-diazidobenzalacetone, 2,6-di- (4′-azidobenzal) cyclohexanone, 2,6-di- (4′-azidobenzal) -4-methylcyclohexanone and the like Bisazide compounds and diazo compounds are typical.

The optical waveguide obtained by the present invention has excellent solvent resistance, low waveguide loss, and excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance.

[0036]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Example 1 An optical element shown in FIG. 7 was manufactured as follows. In the present embodiment, first, a liquid epoxy oligomer (having a viscosity of about 500 centipoise at 25 ° C.) having the structural formula shown in the following Chemical Formula 11 and 2% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator are prepared, and Was prepared. Note that n in Chemical Formula 11 is a positive integer.

[0037]

Embedded image

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a width of 125 μm and a depth of 130 μm for placing the optical fibers 30 on both sides.
An epoxy resin platform 12 having m-shaped or rectangular grooves 11b, 11b, and a coupling groove 11a having a width of 50 μm, a depth of 50 μm, and a length of 50 mm in the center was prepared. . The production of the platform 12 was based on a molding method using a mold master 13. The refractive index of the epoxy resin constituting the platform 12 was 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

On the grooves 11b on both sides of the produced platform 12, quartz GI fibers (graded optical fibers) 30 having an outer diameter of 125 μm were adhered and fixed as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The core portion 41 was formed by injecting the solution 10 into a and irradiating the solution with UV light 14 to cure the solution 10.
The irradiation amount of the UV light 14 was 2000 mJ / cm ² .
The cured product of Solution 10 had a refractive index of 1.535 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

Next, an epoxy oligomer adjusted so that the refractive index of the photocured product becomes 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm is applied on the platform 12, and the epoxy oligomer is cured by irradiating UV light. Then, a waveguide was manufactured by forming the clad portion 42. By this operation,
As shown in FIG. 7, a cladding part 42 made of an epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.52 and a thickness of 50 μm
And a multimode module having optical fibers 30, 30 bonded on both sides.

Outside the core portion 41 having a refractive index of 1.535,
The reason why the cladding part 42 having a lower refractive index than the core part 41 and the platform 12 are formed is to allow light to be totally reflected and propagated.

When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 dB or less at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, 1.5 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.3 μm, and 3.0 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. Here, the insertion loss of the module is a fiber,
It refers to the loss including the waveguide. From the above, it was found that the module of this example had low loss. Furthermore, the loss of this module did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 75 ° C./90% RH. That is, the module of this example was excellent in durability. In addition, the core part 41 of the module of this example was particularly excellent in moisture resistance.

Example 2 A solution 10 prepared by mixing a liquid silicone epoxy oligomer represented by the following structural formula (where n is a positive integer) with 2% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator. And a multi-mode module was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0045]

Embedded image

When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 dB or less at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, 1.0 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.3 μm, and 1.5 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. The polarization dependence of the insertion loss is 1.3 μm.
However, even at a wavelength of 1.55 μm, it was 0.1 dB or less. Further, the loss of the optical waveguide did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 75 ° C./90% RH. Note that the core portion 41 of the multimode module of this example was particularly excellent in strength.

Example 3 A solution prepared by mixing a liquid silicone oligomer represented by the following chemical formula (13) (where x and y are positive integers) with 2% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator. Was prepared.

[0048]

Embedded image

Then, a multi-mode module was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1. When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 dB or less at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, 1.0 dB or less at 1.3 μm, and 1.5 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. The polarization dependence of the insertion loss is 0.1 dB at both 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm.
It was below. Further, the loss of this optical waveguide is 75 ° C./9.
It did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 0% RH. Note that the core unit 41 of the multi-mode module of this example
Was particularly excellent in heat resistance.

Example 4 A liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer having a structural formula represented by the following formula (where x and y are positive integers) and 2% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator were prepared. Using this solution, a multi-mode module was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1. When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 at a wavelength of 0.85 μmm.
1.0 dB or less at 1.3 μm, wavelength 1.55 or less
It was 1.5 dB or less at μm. In addition, the polarization dependence of the insertion loss is equal to 0.3 at both 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm.
It was 1 dB or less. Further, the loss of this optical waveguide is 75
It did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of ° C / 90% RH. Note that the core portion 41 of the multi-mode module of this example was excellent in flexibility.

[0051]

Embedded image

Example 5 A solution was prepared by mixing a liquid acrylic oligomer having the structural formula shown below and a 2% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator.

[0053]

Embedded image

Next, a multi-mode module was manufactured using the above solution in the same manner as in Example 1. When the insertion loss of this module was measured, the wavelength was 0.85μ.
m was 1 dB or less, 1.3 μm was 1.0 dB or less, and the wavelength was 1.55 μm was 1.5 dB or less. The polarization dependence of the insertion loss is 1.55 μm even at a wavelength of 1.3 μm.
However, it was 0.1 dB or less. Further, the loss of the optical waveguide did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 75 ° C./90% RH. Note that the core portion 41 of the multi-mode module of this example was excellent in strength.

Example 6 An optical element shown in FIG. 8 was manufactured as follows. A solution 10 in which the liquid epoxy oligomer used in Example 1 and 2% by weight of the photopolymerization initiator were mixed was prepared.

Next, V-shaped or rectangular grooves 11b, 11b having a width of 125 μm and a depth of 130 μm for placing the optical fiber 30 on one side, and a width of 50 μm × 50 μm as shown in FIG. A platform 12 having a coupling groove 11a having a depth of 50 μm × length 50 mm and an epoxy resin having a thickness of 250 μm formed on a substrate was prepared. The refractive index of this epoxy resin is 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.
Met. And a GI optical fiber 3 having an outer diameter of 125 μm.
0 was placed in the groove 11b on one side and fixed.

Next, the semiconductor laser light source (oscillation wavelength: 0.85 μm) 50 was placed in the groove 11b on the other side with the coupling groove 11a interposed therebetween.

Next, the solution 10 was injected into the coupling groove 11a and irradiated with UV light to form the core portion 41. The irradiation amount was 2000 mJ / cm ² . The refractive index after curing was 1.535 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

Thereafter, an epoxy oligomer having a refractive index of a cured product of 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm was applied thereon and cured, thereby producing a waveguide having a clad portion. By this operation, a waveguide element in which an optical transmission device is interconnected by a channel waveguide having a clad part 42 made of a cured product of an epoxy oligomer having a refractive index of 1.52 and a core part 41 made of an epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.535. Was produced. When light was introduced into this waveguide, light transmission was possible with a coupling loss of about 0.3 dB.

Example 7 The optical element shown in FIG. 7 was manufactured using a quartz optical fiber as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, for placing optical fibers 30, 30 on both sides,
V-shaped or rectangular grooves 11b, 11b having a width of 125 μm and a depth of 130 μm, and a width of 10 μm and a depth of 10
An epoxy resin platform 12 having a coupling groove 11a of μm and a thickness of 250 μm was prepared, and quartz optical fibers (core diameter 10 μm, outer diameter 125 μm) 30, 30 were placed and fixed first. Thereafter, the same solution 10 as used in Example 1 was injected into the coupling groove 11a, and the solution 10 was irradiated with UV light 14 to cure the solution 10, thereby forming the core portion 41. The irradiation amount was 2000 mJ / cm ² . The refractive index after curing was 1.535 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

Thereafter, an epoxy oligomer adjusted to have a refractive index of 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm at the time of photocuring is applied onto the platform 12 and cured to form a clad portion 42, thereby forming a conductive layer. A wave path was created. By this operation, a single module having a cladding part 42 made of an epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.52 and an optical fiber and a core part 41 (10 μm) having a refractive index of 1.535 was produced.

When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 dB or less at a wavelength of 0.85 μm and 1.3 dB at a wavelength of 1.3 μm.
5 dB or less, and 3.0 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. Furthermore, the loss of this module is 75 ° C / 90% RH
Did not fluctuate for more than one month.

(Embodiment 8) As shown in FIG.
The optical element was manufactured using a plastic optical fiber.
1mm width for placing optical fibers 30, 30 on both sides
V-shaped or rectangular groove 11 1 mm deep x 50 mm long
b, 11b, and in the middle, as shown in FIG.
having a coupling groove 11a of mx depth 1 mm x length 50 mm
2 mm thick epoxy resin platform 12 is used
First, plastic optical fiber (core 1 mm) 3
0 and 30 were placed and fixed. Then, in Example 1,
The same solution 10 as above was injected and irradiated with UV light 14.
Was. The irradiation dose is 2000mJ / cm ^Two Met. After curing
The refractive index was 1.535 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

Thereafter, an epoxy oligomer solution adjusted to have a refractive index of 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm at the time of photo-curing was applied onto the platform and cured to produce a waveguide. By this operation, a cladding part 42 made of epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.52 with an optical fiber,
A multi-mode module having a core portion 41 (with a thickness of 1 mm) having a refractive index of 1.535 was produced. When the insertion loss of this module was measured, it was 1 dB or less at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, 1.5 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.3 μm, and a wavelength of 1.5 or less.
It was 3.0 dB or less at 5 μm. Furthermore, the loss of this module did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 75 ° C./90% RH.

Example 9 An optical element shown in FIG. 7 was produced using a polymer clad optical fiber as follows. V-shaped or rectangular groove 230 μm wide × 250 μm deep × 50 mm long for placing optical fibers on both sides
1b, 11b and in the middle a width 2 as shown in FIG.
A 500 μm-thick epoxy resin platform 12 having a coupling groove 11 a having a depth of 200 μm and a depth of 200 μm is prepared.
m, outer shape 230 μm) 30 and 30 were placed and fixed. Thereafter, the same solution 10 as used in Example 1 was injected and irradiated with UV light 14. The irradiation dose is 2000mJ / c
m ² . The refractive index after curing was 1.535 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm.

Thereafter, an epoxy oligomer solution adjusted to have a refractive index of 1.52 at a wavelength of 0.85 μm at the time of photocuring is applied onto the platform 12 and cured.
A waveguide was fabricated. By this operation, the clad portion 42 made of epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.52 with an optical fiber
And a core portion 41 having a refractive index of 1.535 (thickness of 200 μm).
m) was obtained.
When the insertion loss of this module was measured, the wavelength was 0.1 mm.
1 dB or less at 85 μm, 1.5 dB or less at 1.3 μm,
It was 3.0 dB or less at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. Furthermore, the loss of this module did not fluctuate for more than one month even under the condition of 75 ° C./90% RH.

[0067]

As described above, according to the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention, pattern formation is easy, heat resistance and moisture resistance are excellent, birefringence is small, and connection with optical components is achieved. A polymer optical waveguide pattern for diameter conversion which can be easily performed can be formed. From these, the production method of the present invention,
This is advantageous for application to an optical waveguide type component to be mass-produced.
Therefore, the present invention can be applied to the manufacture of various optical waveguides, optical integrated circuits, optical wiring boards, and the like used in the fields of general optics and micro optics, and in the fields of optical communication and optical information processing.

[Description of simple drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a platform.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where an optical fiber is mounted on a platform.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a mold master for producing a platform.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another example of the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of a mold master for producing a platform.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an optical element.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another example of the optical element.

[Explanation of symbols]

10. a solution of a photosensitive oligomer, 11a ... a groove for binding, 11b ... a groove for mounting, 12, a platform,
13. mold master, 14 UV light, 30 optical fiber, 31 core of optical fiber, 41 core part,
42..cladding part, 50..element

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A step of forming a coupling groove on a resin platform, forming mounting grooves on both sides thereof so as to connect to the coupling groove, and mounting an optical fiber in the mounting groove. Filling the coupling groove with a photosensitive substance and photo-curing to form a core portion, and further forming a clad portion covering the core portion to form a waveguide for optically coupling between the optical fibers. A method for manufacturing an element,
The method of manufacturing an optical element, wherein the photosensitive substance is a liquid photosensitive oligomer. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional dimension of the coupling groove is set so as to match a core diameter of the optical fiber. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is an optical fiber selected from a polymer clad optical fiber, a silica-based optical fiber, and a plastic optical fiber. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the optical fibers is replaced with a light emitting element or a light receiving element. 5. The method for producing an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive oligomer is an epoxy oligomer having a general formula represented by the following chemical formula 1. Embedded image 6. The production of an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive oligomer is a reactive silicone epoxy oligomer having the general formula represented by the following chemical formula 2. Method. Embedded image 7. The method for producing an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive oligomer is a reactive silicone oligomer having a general formula represented by the following chemical formula 3. . Embedded image 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive oligomer is a liquid silicone vinyl ether oligomer having a general formula represented by the following chemical formula 4.
Item 13. The method for producing an optical element according to item 1. Embedded image 9. The method for producing an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive oligomer is an acrylic oligomer having a general formula represented by the following chemical formula (5). Embedded image