Optical device mounted substrate assembly
An optical device mounted substrate assembly includes a ceramic substrate having a first recess, an optical device mounted on the ceramic substrate and having one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device being to be optically connected to one of an optical waveguide and an optical fiber connector in way as to align optical axes of the optical wave guide or the optical fiber connector with each other, a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess, and an alignment guide member fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from a front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of one of the optical waveguide and the optical fiber connector. A fabrication method of such a substrate assembly is also provided.
1. An optical device mounted substrate assembly comprising:
a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface;
an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device capable of being optically connected to one of an optical waveguide and an optical fiber connector in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and one of the optical waveguide and the optical fiber connector with each other;
a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface; and
an alignment guide member press-fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of one of the optical waveguide and the optical fiber connector,
wherein the second recess is a high-precision machined hole, and the alignment guide member includes a guide pin fitted in the high-precision machined hole; and
wherein the resin layer contains an inorganic filler having a thermal conductivity higher than that of a resin material forming the resin layer.
2. An optical device mounted substrate assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the ceramic substrate comprises two first recesses each having the resin layer formed with the second recess, the optical device being disposed between the second recesses.
3. An optical device mounted substrate assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the ceramic substrate comprises at the front surface thereof a positioning reference portion that serves as a reference for positioning of the optical device and for forming the second recess.
4. An optical device mounted substrate assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the optical device is positioned with reference to the second recess.
5. A fabrication method of an optical device mounted substrate assembly including a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface, an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device capable of being optically connected to one of an optical waveguide and an optical fiber connector in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and one of the optical waveguide and the optical fiber connector with each other, a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface, and an alignment guide member fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of one of the optical waveguide and the optical fiber connector, the method comprising:
a first perforating step of forming the first recess in an unsintered ceramic product by machining;
a firing step of firing the unsintered ceramic product to form the ceramic substrate;
a resin layer forming step of forming the resin layer in the first recess;
a curing step of curing the resin layer;
a second perforating step of forming the second recess in the resin layer by machining after the curing step; and
a guide member fitting step of fitting the alignment guide member in the second recess.
6. A fabrication method according to claim 5 , wherein the first perforating step and the second perforating step comprise forming the first recess and the second recess so that the inner diameter of the first recess after the firing step is larger than the inner diameter of the second recess and the outer diameter of the alignment guide member.
7. A fabrication method according to claim 5 , wherein the second perforating step comprises forming the second recess by high-precision machining.
8. A fabrication method according to claim 5 , wherein the resin layer forming step comprises filling an uncured resin material in the first recess and curing the resin material.
9. A fabrication method according to claim 8 , wherein the resin layer forming step comprises using, as the uncured resin material to be filled in the first recess, an uncured resin material containing an inorganic filler having a thermal conductivity higher than that of a resin material forming the resin layer.
10. An optical waveguide equipped optical device mounted substrate assembly comprising:
an optical waveguide;
a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface;
an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device being optically connected to the optical waveguide in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and the optical waveguide with each other;
a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface; and
an alignment guide member press-fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of the optical waveguide, and
wherein the second recess is a high-precision machined hole, and the alignment guide member includes a guide pin fitted in the high-precision machined hole; and
wherein the resin layer contains an inorganic filler having a thermal conductivity higher than that of a resin material forming the resin layer.
11. An optical fiber connector equipped optical device mounted substrate assembly comprising:
an optical fiber connector;
a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface;
an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device being optically connected to the optical fiber connector in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and the optical fiber connector with each other;
a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface; and
an alignment guide member press-fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of the optical fiber connector;
wherein the second recess is a high-precision machined hole, and the alignment guide member includes a guide pin fitted in the high-precision machined hole; and
wherein the resin layer contains an inorganic filler having a thermal conductivity higher than that of a resin material forming the resin layer.
12. A fabrication method of an optical waveguide equipped optical device mounted substrate assembly including an optical waveguide, a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface, an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device being optically connected to the optical waveguide in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and the optical waveguide with each other, a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface, and an alignment guide member press-fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of the optical waveguide, and
wherein the second recess is a high-precision machined hole, and the alignment guide member includes a guide pin fitted in the high-precision machined hole; and
wherein the resin layer contains an inorganic filler having a thermal conductivity higher than that of a resin material forming the resin layer, the method comprising:
an alignment hole forming step of forming the alignment hole in the optical waveguide;
a first perforating step of forming the first recess in an unsintered ceramic product by machining;
a firing step of firing the unsintered ceramic product to form the ceramic substrate;
a resin layer forming step of forming the resin layer in the first recess;
a curing step of curing the resin layer;
a second perforating step of forming the second recess in the resin layer by machining after the curing step;
a guide member fitting step of fitting the alignment guide member in the second recess; and
an alignment step of aligning the optical axes of the optical waveguide and the optical device with each other by fitting the alignment guide member in the alignment hole.
13. A fabrication method of an optical fiber connector equipped optical device mounted substrate assembly including an optical fiber connector, a ceramic substrate having a front surface and a first recess having an open end at least at the front surface, an optical device mounted on the front surface of the ceramic substrate and having at least one of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the optical device being optically connected to the optical fiber connector in a way as to align optical axes of the optical device and the optical fiber connector with each other, a resin layer disposed in the first recess and having a second recess smaller in diameter than the first recess and having an open end at least at a side corresponding to the front surface, and an alignment guide member fitted in the second recess and having a protruded portion protruding from the front surface of the ceramic substrate and fittingly engageable in an alignment hole of the optical fiber connector, the method comprising:
an alignment hole forming step of forming the alignment hole in the optical fiber connector;
a first perforating step of forming the first recess in an unsintered ceramic product by machining;
a firing step of firing the unsintered ceramic product to form the ceramic substrate;
a resin layer forming step of forming the resin layer in the first recess;
a curing step of curing the resin layer;
a second perforating step of forming the second recess in the resin layer by machining after the curing step;
a guide member fitting step of fitting the alignment guide member in the second recess; and
an alignment step of aligning the optical axes of the optical fiber connector and the optical device with each other by fittingly engaging the alignment guide member in the alignment hole.