Glass-based ferrules and optical interconnection devices and methods of forming same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345535-B2
Application number	US-201815919550-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 16, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

The glass-based ferrules include a glass substrate and two spaced-apart guide tubes, which can also be made of glass. The guide tubes include bores sized to receive guide pins from another ferrule. The ferrule can be used to form an optical interconnection device in the form of a waveguide connector that includes a planar lightwave circuit that supports multiple waveguides. The ferrule can also be used to form an optical interconnection device in the form of a fiber connector that includes a support substrate and an array of optical fibers supported thereby. The waveguide connector and fiber connector when mated form an integrated photonic device. Methods of forming the ferrule components, the ferrules and the optical interconnection devices are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ferrule, comprising:
a glass substrate having a front end, a back end, a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, opposite sides, and a central axis that runs through the center of the glass substrate between the front and back ends; and
first and second guide tubes each having a tube central axis, a front end, an outer surface and a longitudinal bore with a central bore axis, wherein the first and second guide tubes are secured to either the first surface or the second surface of the glass substrate at their respective outer surfaces, the first and second guide tubes being spaced apart with their respective bore axes running in substantially the same direction as the substrate central axis;
further comprising at least one coarse alignment feature configured to provide coarse alignment with another ferrule.

2. The ferrule according to claim 1 , further comprising a glass cover secured to the outer surfaces of the first and second guide tubes opposite the support substrate.

3. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of each of the first and second guide tubes includes a round portion and at least one flat surface.

4. The ferrule according to claim 1 , further comprising first and second guide pins respectively supported within the bores of the first and second guide tubes.

5. The fiber connector according to claim 4 , wherein the first and second guide pins are each made of glass.

6. The fiber connector according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second guide pins supports an optical waveguide.

7. The fiber connector according to claim 5 , wherein each of the first and second glass guide pins comprises a chemically strengthened glass.

8. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the front ends of the first and second guide tubes are angled relative to a plane transverse to the tube central axes.

9. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second guide tubes comprises glass.

10. The ferrule according to claim 9 , wherein the glass comprises chemically strengthened glass.

11. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second guide tubes comprise one of a metal, a polymer and a ceramic.

12. The ferrule according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing that includes outer walls having an interior surface, and wherein the interior surface defines the at least one coarse alignment feature.

13. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coarse alignment feature comprises a tongue supported by the glass substrate and that extends beyond the front end of the glass substrate.

14. The ferrule according to claim 13 , wherein the tongue is made of glass.

15. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coarse alignment feature comprises a cap attached to the guide tubes on the side opposite the glass substrate and extending beyond the front end of the glass substrate.

16. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coarse alignment feature comprises a first coarse alignment sleeve disposed over the first guide tube and extending beyond the front end of the first guide tube.

17. The ferrule according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one coarse alignment feature comprises a second coarse alignment sleeve disposed over the second guide tube and extending beyond the front end of the second guide tube.

18. A waveguide connector, comprising:
the ferrule according to claim 1 defining a waveguide connector ferrule; and
a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) having a top surface, a front end, a back end, and a PLC central axis that runs through the center of the PLC between the front and back ends, the PLC supporting a plurality of waveguides that run substantially in the direction of the PLC central axis, with each waveguide having a top surface and an end face proximate the front end of the PLC, wherein the ferrule is secured to the top surface of the PLC so that the bore axes of the first and second guide tubes of the ferrule run substantially in the same direction as the PLC central axis.

19. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , wherein the end faces of the waveguides reside at the front end of the PLC.

20. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , wherein the PLC comprises a body that comprises silicon and wherein the plurality of waveguides is formed within a silica layer formed on the body.

21. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , wherein the plurality of waveguides reside in a first plane, the bore axes of the first and second guide tubes reside in a second plane offset from the first plane, and wherein the first and second planes are spaced apart by a distance in the range from 150 microns to 1500 microns.

22. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , wherein the waveguide connector ferrule includes first alignment features, and further comprising:
a fiber connector having a plurality of optical fibers with end faces and a fiber connector ferrule that includes second alignment features and configured to operably engage with the waveguide connector ferrule via cooperation of the first and second alignment features, so that the end faces of the waveguides of the PLC are in optical communication with the plurality of optical fibers of the fiber optic connector.

23. The waveguide connector according to claim 22 , wherein the first alignment features comprise the bores of the first and second guide tubes of the waveguide connector ferrule and wherein the second alignment features comprise first and second guide pins supported by the fiber connector ferrule and sized to fit within the bores of the first and second guide tubes of the waveguide connector ferrule.

24. The waveguide connector according to claim 23 , wherein the first and second guide pins comprise glass.

25. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , further comprising a retention apparatus having first and second cooperating retention components, with the first retention component supported by the waveguide connector and the second retention component supported by the fiber connector.

26. The waveguide connector according to claim 25 , wherein one of the first and second retention components comprises a spring-loaded plunger and the other of the first and second retention features comprises a receiving tube having an end and configured to receive an end of the spring-loaded plunger, wherein the end of the spring-loaded plunger can be locked and unlocked at the end of the receiving tube by rotation of the spring-loaded plunger.

27. The waveguide connector according to claim 25 , wherein one of the first and second retention components comprises a spring-loaded plunger and the other of the first and second retention features comprises a flexible receiving latch configured to receive an end of the spring-loaded plunger, wherein the end of the spring-loaded plunger can be locked and unlocked from the receiving latch.

28. The waveguide connector according to claim 18 , wherein the fiber connector includes a connector housing having a front-end section with a front end, a top and opposite sides that include respective locking guides, and wherein the waveguide connector further comprises:
an attachment fixture having two spaced apart guide arms that define a receiving region sized to accommodate the front-end section so th

Assignees

• Corning Res & Dev Corp

Inventors

• Butler Douglas Llewellyn
• De Jong Michael
• Evans Alan Frank
• Force Robin May
• Sutherland James Scott

Classifications

• G02B6/3881

  using grooves to align ferrule ends · CPC title

• G02B6/423

  using guiding surfaces for the alignment · CPC title

• G02B6/3825

  with an intermediate part, e.g. adapter, receptacle, linking two plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3882

  using rods, pins or balls to align a pair of ferrule ends · CPC title

• G02B6/3874 Primary

  using tubes, sleeves to align ferrules · CPC title