JPH0458605B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a jig for processing the end face of an optical fiber using a plastic fiber.

[Background technology]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, optical transmission technology using glass fibers has made remarkable progress in optical communication systems and the like. In addition to the above-mentioned glass fibers, plastic fibers are also available as optical fibers that serve as light transmission media, but their practical use has lagged behind that of glass fibers. Other components of optical communication systems that use plastic fiber as a transmission medium include continuous optical connectors, optical splitters, optical demultiplexers/combiners, optical switches, and optical modules (optical-electrical/electrical-optical converters). equipment) etc. are required.

In order to maintain the durability of plastic fibers, it is necessary to treat the end faces of the plastic fibers. Conventionally, the end faces of plastic fibers were polished with a file and then buffed and then maintained. It is difficult to process the end faces, and there are many variations, resulting in large optical signal losses.

In addition, in the sustainability of plastic fiber,
A method of heat-sealing the end faces of plastic fibers together is also often used, but conventional heaters for heat-sealing are large, making them inconvenient to carry.

Furthermore, in these methods, in order to maintain the pre-routed plastic fiber with other plastic fibers, the end face of the pre-routed plastic fiber must be left extra long, or
Alternatively, the wired plastic fiber had to be removed and connected by polishing or heat fusion, which required a lot of work.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an end face processing jig that is compact and convenient to carry, can easily and quickly perform mirror finishing, and can reduce connection loss.

[Disclosure of the invention]

The inventors have made extensive studies to achieve the above objectives. As a result, we have now completed this invention.

The optical fiber end face processing jig according to the present invention is an optical fiber end face processing jig equipped with a heating section, a circuit section, and a power supply section, in which a glass substrate that is crimped onto the end surface of the optical fiber is heated. A heater is provided on the front surface of the glass substrate, and a heater is provided on the rear surface of the glass substrate in a portion corresponding to the position to be crimped onto the end surface of the optical fiber, and a magnetic film is coated on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate. and a magnet is provided at the rear of the glass substrate.

Above, this will be explained in detail based on the drawings showing the embodiments thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber end face processing jig (hereinafter referred to as the "jig") consists of a heating section 1, a circuit section 2, and a power supply section 3. In the heating section 1,
A glass substrate 5 is held by the crusher 4. An electrode 6 is provided on the rear surface of the glass substrate 5.
and the glass substrate 5 corresponding to the position on the front surface of the glass substrate 5 where the end face of the optical fiber is crimped.
A heater 7 is disposed at the rear surface of. Parts of the electrodes 6 are overlapped on both sides of the heater 7. A magnetic film 8 is adhered to the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate 5. A magnet 9 is provided at the rear part of the glass substrate 5. A circuit section 2 is connected to the rear of the heating section 1, and a power supply section 3 is connected to the rear of the circuit section 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical fiber 10 to be subjected to end face treatment is a strand 12 consisting of a core and a graft.
is covered with a coating 11. A presser metal fitting 13 is bonded to the tip of the optical fiber 10.

Next, an optical fiber end face treatment process using the jig according to the present invention will be explained. The coating 11 is removed from the end face of the optical fiber 10 to which the presser fitting 13 is attached, leaving the strands 12 exposed. Then, as shown in Figure 3, leave an appropriate length,
Cut off unnecessary wire 12. Next, the end surface of the optical fiber 10 is brought close to the front surface of the glass substrate 5 of the heating section 1 of the jig so that the end surface of the optical fiber 10 just hits the center of the glass substrate 5.
Then, because the magnetic film 8 is magnetized by the action of the magnet, it attracts the presser metal fitting 13. Therefore, the glass substrate 5 and the presser metal fitting 13 are in a connected state. When a current is applied to the heater 7, the heater 7 is disposed only at a position on the rear surface of the glass substrate 5 corresponding to the position where the end surface of the optical fiber on the front surface of the glass substrate 5 is crimped.
Only the portion of the glass substrate 5 necessary for the end face treatment of the optical fiber is heated. In this way, the end face of the optical fiber 10 press-bonded to the glass substrate 5 is melted. Thereafter, the power supply to the heater 7 is stopped and the heater 7 is cooled. The end face of the optical fiber 10 thus produced is as shown in FIG. 4, and has a mirror surface.

In the embodiment of the jig according to the present invention, the magnetic film is deposited on both the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate, but the magnetic film may be deposited only on either the front or rear surface. Furthermore, it is possible to use a jig in which the magnetic film is not adhered to both sides of the glass substrate, but in that case, a fairly strong magnet must be used, so at least one side of the glass substrate must be , it is preferable that a magnetic film be applied.

The magnetic film used in the jig according to the present invention is preferably a ferromagnetic material such as Fe, Co, Ni, Cd, EuO, _CrO2, etc., but other magnetic materials may also be used.

Methods for forming the magnetic film used in the jig according to the present invention include sputtering, ion plating, vapor deposition, and the like.

Since the softening point of plastic is around 100°C, it is desirable that the heater of the jig according to the present invention be capable of heating the glass substrate at the portion where the end face of the optical fiber is crimped to around 140°C. In addition to ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), Ni-
Metals such as Cr, nitrides such as tantalum nitride, oxides such as ruthenium oxide, etc. are preferably used.

Necessary mechanisms such as a temperature compensation mechanism, a time control mechanism, a display mechanism, and a current control mechanism may be incorporated into the circuit section of the jig according to the present invention.

In consideration of portability, it is desirable to use a rechargeable battery in the power supply section of the jig according to the present invention.

The end face of the optical fiber whose end face has been treated using the jig according to the present invention is that the tip portion 14 of the molten optical fiber is cooled and solidified, and as shown in FIG. However, it is extended to the surrounding area. The refractive index of the extended plastic fiber tip 14 has changed slightly compared to before melting due to the action of heat. However, in general, the tip of the optical fiber is originally coated with a material having a refractive index of about 10 μm that differs from that of the core and cladding, so no practical problems arise.

Next, an example of manufacturing the jig according to the present invention will be described.

[Manufacturing example]

The heating part is a glass substrate (thickness 0.8 cm, 29φ, product name: Hoya NA40, manufactured by Hoya Glass Co., Ltd.) and a heater (ITO
It consists of a membrane) and an electrode (Au). After thoroughly cleaning the glass substrate, an ITO film with the characteristics of high stability over time, resistance to oxidation, and high adhesion to the glass substrate is applied by sputtering to a 2-3μ film.
After applying it to the rear surface of the glass substrate so that the sheet resistance value is approximately 1Ω/□ with a thickness of m,
In order to improve the adhesion between the glass substrate and the heater,
The entire circumference of the glass substrate was coated with a thin ITO film. Next, change the mask and add approximately 5,000 〓 electrodes (Au).
It was provided by sputtering. Thereafter, the mask was changed and a magnetic film (Ni) was coated on the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate by sputtering. A nickel cadmium battery was used for the power supply section.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the optical fiber processing jig according to the present invention is an optical fiber end face processing jig that includes a heating section, a circuit section, and a power supply section, and is adapted to be crimped onto the end surface of an optical fiber. A glass substrate is provided on the front surface of the heating section, a heater is provided on the rear surface of the glass substrate in a portion corresponding to the position to be crimped onto the end surface of the optical fiber, and a magnetic film is provided on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate. is coated on the glass substrate, and a magnet is provided at the rear of the glass substrate.The heater installed at the rear of the glass substrate does not heat the entire surface of the substrate, but only the necessary parts. Because it heats up locally, the time required for heating is short and efficient.
In addition, the power consumption in the power supply part is low, making it possible to use it for a long time at the work site, and since it is made of glass, the time required for cooling is short, making it easy to process the end face of the optical fiber. This can be done in a short time and has the effect of reducing costs. In addition, the jig according to the present invention magnetizes the magnetic film using a magnet, and thereby attracts a presser fitting attached to the tip of the optical fiber, so that the end face of the optical fiber is crimped onto the glass substrate. Since the process is carried out in such a way that the presser metal fitting and the glass substrate are connected extremely firmly, the end face of the optical fiber can be processed quickly and easily, and the end face of the optical fiber is not visible under a microscope. It also has the effect of being fully mirrored and thus reducing the loss of the optical signal.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the jig according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an optical fiber with a presser fitting attached , FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the optical fiber after end face treatment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Heater part, 2... Circuit part, 3... Power supply part, 4... Frame, 5... Glass substrate, 6... Electrode,
7... Heater, 8... Magnetic film, 9... Magnet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber end face processing jig comprising a heating section, a circuit section, and a power supply section, in which a glass substrate adapted to be crimped onto the end surface of the optical fiber is provided in front of the heating section, and the glass substrate A heater is provided on the rear surface at a portion corresponding to the position to be crimped onto the end surface of the optical fiber, and a magnetic film is coated on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the glass substrate, and a magnet is provided on the rear surface of the glass substrate. An optical fiber end face processing jig, characterized in that it is provided with a jig.