Microfabrication method for optical components
View Patent ↗A ferrule mold having a reverse-image of a through-hole array for optical fibers is formed. A non-polymeric ferrule material is deposited in the reverse-image mold, followed by removing the mold to create a multi-fiber connector ferrule having at least two fiber through-holes. An optical fiber is inserted in each through-hole until each fiber endface is positioned approximately even with a connection surface of the ferrule. A fiber recess for each of the optical fibers is formed such that each fiber is recessed from the multi-fiber ferrule connection surface by a distance of at least 0.1 micron. The recess may be formed by differential polishing of the non-polymeric ferrule and endfaces of the optical fibers. Alternatively, a layer of spacer material may be deposited over the multi-fiber ferrule connection surface. An antireflection coating is deposited over the ends of the recessed fibers.
1. A high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component, comprising:
an optical connector ferrule chip having a front surface and a two-dimensional microfabricated through-hole array including at least twelve through-holes in the two-dimensional microfabricated through-hole array, and having submicron accurate through-hole center positions, each through-hole dimensioned and configured for holding and aligning a single optical fiber and wherein said through-holes are formed at a through-hole tilt angle with respect to the surface normal of said front surface of said optical connector ferrule;
a pedestal mounted to the optical connector ferrule chip;
an optical fiber with a fiber endface, positioned in each of said fiber through-holes;
an antireflection coating deposited over the optical fiber endfaces;
a fiber recess in which the fiber endfaces are positioned at a gap from a contact surface of the optical connector component by either 1) a polished optical fiber endface, or 2) a spacer layer positioned over a portion of the ferrule front surface;
wherein the contact surface of the optical connector component is separated from the antireflection coating of the fiber endfaces by a distance of at least 0.1 micron.
2. The recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 1 , wherein the optical connector ferrule material is a metal.
3. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 1 , wherein through-holes patterns in two orthogonal directions have two scaling factors, the two scaling factors being related to each other by the cosine of said tilt angle.
4. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 1 , wherein said optical fibers are single mode optical fibers.
5. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 1 , further comprising one or more guide pin through-holes or guide pins formed in the optical connector ferrule.
6. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 5 , wherein said guide pin through-holes include one or more channels for accommodating dust or other contamination.
7. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 5 , wherein said guide pin through-hole wall is a deformable spring-like structure.
8. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 1 , wherein said fiber through-holes have a funnel-shaped expansion at a side opposite from said front surface of the connector ferrule.
9. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 5 , wherein at least one guide pin through-hole has an elongated, elliptical cross-sectional profile.
10. A high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component comprising:
an optical connector ferrule chip having a front surface and a two-dimensional microfabricated through-hole array for optical fibers, the through-hole array including at least two through-holes having submicron accurate through-hole center positions, each through-hole dimensioned and configured for holding and aligning a single optical fiber and wherein the through-hole array is formed at a through-hole tilt angle with respect to the surface normal of the front surface of said optical connector ferrule;
a pedestal mounted to the optical connector ferrule chip;
an optical fiber with a fiber endface, positioned in each of said fiber through-holes;
an antireflection coating deposited over said fiber endfaces;
a fiber recess in which the fiber endfaces are positioned at a gap from a contact surface of the optical connector component, the fiber recess formed for each of the optical fibers comprising 1) a polished optical fiber endface, or 2) a spacer layer positioned over a portion of the ferrule front surface;
wherein the contact surface of the optical connector component is separated from the antireflection coating of the fiber endfaces by a distance of at least 0.1 micron.
11. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 10 , wherein the connector ferrule is formed from metal or glass.
12. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 10 , wherein through-holes patterns in two orthogonal directions have two scaling factors, the two scaling factors being related to each other by the cosine of said tilt angle.
13. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 10 , wherein said optical fibers are single mode optical fibers.
14. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 10 , further comprising guide pin through-holes or guide pins formed in said optical connector ferrule.
15. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 14 , wherein said guide pin through-holes include one or more channels for accommodating dust or other contamination.
16. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 14 , wherein said guide pin through-hole incudes a wall having a deformable spring-like structure.
17. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 10 , wherein said fiber through-holes have a funnel-shaped expansion at a side opposite from said front surface of the connector ferrule.
18. The high-density, recessed-fiber, multi-fiber optical connector component as recited in claim 14 , wherein at least one said guide pin through-hole has an elongated, elliptical cross-sectional profile.