JP2001249250A - Method and device for producing optical fiber integrated ferrule - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for continuously producing an inexpensive optical fiber-integrated ferrule, in which an optical fiber is fitted highly precisely in position and bonded strongly, free from a problem due to the use of a core pin or an adhesive, for example, a problem of optical fiber separation by heat cycle during the use which is caused by an adhesive. SOLUTION: A long optical fiber 4 is installed in a manner stretching through each cavity of a metallic die 1 which has at least one cavity 2 for controlling the outward form of a product; and a process of injecting/filling a fluid material in the cavity and a process of intermittently moving the optical fiber are successively repeated, producing a series of intermediate products in which a number of injection molding products B are stuck to the optical fiber at prescribed intervals, with the optical fiber of the intermediate product cut at a prescribed length, and with the finishing applied to the injection molding products.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an optical fiber terminal (or an optical fiber cable terminal) used for optical communication.
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber integrated ferrule used for connecting and / or fixing a ferrule.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical connector members are required to have high dimensional accuracy in order to prevent loss of light. That is, in order to connect the optical fibers so that their axes are aligned with each other and to prevent light loss, it is necessary to process the members for fixing and aligning the optical fibers with high precision on the order of submicrons. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when manufacturing a ferrule (also referred to as a capillary) for an optical connector, first, a primary molding is performed by injection molding, extrusion molding, or the like of ceramic powder containing a binder, a synthetic resin, metal, or the like (Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-307).
No. 75, JP-A-8-15568, JP-A-8-1941
No. 31, JP-A-9-141704, JP-A-10-18
No. 6176), after the obtained blank is degreased and sintered according to the material used, outer diameter polishing, inner diameter polishing,
It is finished to a desired size by machining such as tip convex spherical surface processing (PC polishing). Also, since the inner diameter of the fine hole (optical fiber insertion fine hole) of the optical fiber insertion portion of the ferrule is extremely small (for example, the fine hole diameter of a capillary called SC type is 0.126 mm), the inner diameter processing is generally performed by optical fiber wrapping processing. Has been adopted. For this reason,
The manufacturing process is long and requires expensive equipment such as an inner diameter processing machine and an outer diameter polishing machine, which is problematic in that the manufacturing cost is high.

When a ferrule (capillary) for an optical connector is manufactured by a conventional injection molding method, a core pin used for forming an optical fiber insertion hole is a thin object having a diameter of about 0.1 mm. In addition, there is a problem that the core pin is broken or bent by drawing during or after casting. In addition, since the core pin is expensive, the manufacturing cost is high. Moreover, the inner surface of the optical fiber insertion pore thus formed is smoothed,
To achieve roundness and accuracy in cross-section, inner diameter finishing is required, and manufacturing costs have to be increased.

[0004] Further, the felt formed and processed as described above.
When inserting and fixing the optical fiber into the pores of the
Adhesive is applied to the tip of the fiber and inserted into the pore.
A dressing process is required. The adhesive used at this time is moisture absorbing
And deteriorate over time.
It is difficult to use the ferrules
You. In addition, the coefficient of linear expansion between the optical fiber and the adhesive greatly differs.
(For example, a quartz fiber is 0.5 × 10^-6/
K, metallic glass of ferrule material is 10 × 10^-6/ K,
9 × 10 for zirconia^-6/ K, whereas the adhesive is
30-40 × 10 ^-6/ K), thermal cycle during use
There is also a problem that peeling or the like occurs due to the above.

Further, since the optical fiber is inserted into the fine hole of the ferrule for an optical connector, the inner diameter of the fine hole for inserting the optical fiber is formed slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber.
Therefore, when the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole, there is a problem that the center of the optical fiber is shifted from the center of the ferrule. Such a shift greatly affects the connection loss of the optical fiber.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber having no problems such as the above-mentioned problems caused by the use of the core pin and the use of the adhesive and the fact that the optical fiber is peeled off by the thermal cycle during use caused by the adhesive. The mounting position accuracy of
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus capable of continuously manufacturing an inexpensive optical fiber integrated ferrule which is firmly connected. Another object of the present invention is to produce an optical fiber integrated ferrule satisfying a predetermined shape, dimensional accuracy, and surface quality in a single process with high productivity without using a core pin. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method that does not require a machining process such as the above or a process of bonding an optical fiber to a ferrule, thereby reducing ferrule manufacturing costs.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, at least one device for regulating the outer shape of a product is provided.
A long optical fiber is stretched in a state of being inserted into each cavity of a mold having two cavities, and a step of injecting and filling a fluid material into the cavity and a step of intermittently moving the optical fiber are sequentially performed. Repeatedly producing a series of intermediate products in which a large number of injection molded products are fixed to the optical fiber; and cutting the optical fibers of the intermediate products into a predetermined length, and finishing the injection molded products. And a method of manufacturing an optical fiber integrated ferrule.

The optical fiber extends only from one end to the other end inside the ferrule for an optical connector, or further continuously extends from one end of the ferrule for an optical connector to the outside. Both can be cut and finished. In one more specific embodiment,
The inner diameter of the cavity of the mold (therefore, the outer diameter of the ferrule) is set to 0.2 to 2.5 mm. Further, as the fluid material, various materials such as a ceramic paste, a synthetic resin, a metal, or an amorphous alloy containing an amorphous phase having at least a volume fraction of 50% or more can be used.

Further, according to the present invention, a mold having at least one cavity for regulating a product outer shape; a long optical fiber stretched and inserted into each cavity of the mold; An apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber-integrated ferrule, comprising: means for stretching and intermittently moving an optical fiber; and injection means for injecting and filling a fluid material into a cavity of the mold. Is done.

In a preferred aspect, a centering mechanism is further provided in one or both of the mold before and after the optical fiber moving direction. The mold has at least one cavity opened on the optical fiber moving direction side, and has a mold part provided with ejector means capable of projecting in the optical fiber moving direction in the cavity; It is preferable to include a split mold part which is disposed on the optical fiber moving direction side and has an optical fiber insertion part as a parting surface.
The split mold part may have a cavity opened on the opposite side to the optical fiber moving direction. According to the method and apparatus as described above, an optical fiber integrated ferrule (or capillary) can be manufactured with high productivity.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The production of an optical fiber-integrated ferrule according to the present invention does not use a core pin as in the prior art, but instead uses a mold having at least one cavity for regulating the outer shape of a product. A long optical fiber is stretched in a state where the optical fiber is inserted into the cavity, and a step of injecting and filling a fluid material into the cavity and a step of intermittently moving the optical fiber are sequentially repeated, and a number of injection moldings are performed on the optical fiber. It is characterized by producing a series of intermediate products in which the products are fixed at predetermined intervals, and instead of the conventional batch method using core pins, it is possible to continuously produce an optical fiber integrated ferrule. it can. Since tension is applied to the optical fiber during the injection process, even if the flowable material flows from the side to the optical fiber or causes turbulence in the mold, Injection molded products with high precision of the pores can be produced without inadvertent bending of the fiber.

According to such a method, the optical fiber:
Due to heat shrinkage or solidification shrinkage during the manufacture of the ferrule for an optical connector, the ferrule is integrally and firmly fixed in the ferrule. Therefore, there is no need to use an expensive core pin during injection molding as in the prior art, and it is not necessary to use an adhesive to insert an optical fiber into a ferrule. It is possible to provide an optical fiber integrated ferrule with high optical fiber mounting position accuracy without problems due to use or use of an adhesive, or problems such as peeling of an optical fiber due to a thermal cycle during use caused by the adhesive. Furthermore, since there is no need for a machining process such as inner diameter finishing or the process of bonding the optical fiber to the ferrule, the number of processing steps can be greatly reduced. Can be manufactured in a single process with good mass productivity, and the ferrule manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

The material of the ferrule integrated with an optical fiber of the present invention may be a metal, an amorphous alloy containing an amorphous phase having at least a volume fraction of 50% or more, a paste of ceramics such as zirconia and alumina, or a fiber reinforced thermostat. Synthetic resins such as tropic liquid crystalline polyester can be used. Hereinafter, a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a case where an alloy is used as a ferrule material as an example.

[0014]

1 and 2 show a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber integrated ferrule (capillary) by the method of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a split mold having two product-shaped cavities 2, and a gate 3 communicating with the cavities 2 is formed at a lower portion thereof. On the other hand, reference numeral 4 denotes an optical fiber. The mold 1 can be made of copper, a copper alloy, a cemented carbide, or another metal material, and can be provided with a flow path for flowing a cooling medium or a heating medium such as a liquid or a gas. The optical fiber 4 is supplied from an optical fiber supply reel 5, and is stretched between an optical fiber take-up reel (not shown) while being inserted into each cavity 2 of the mold 1. It is set so that tension is applied.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mold 1 has at least one cavity 2 opened on the optical fiber moving direction side, and ejector means protruding into the cavity in the optical fiber moving direction. A mold part 1a including a mold part 1a (not shown); split mold parts 1b and 1c arranged on the optical fiber moving direction side of the mold part 1a and separable to the left and right with the optical fiber insertion part as a parting surface. Consists of An injection sleeve 7 is provided below the mold 1 so as to be able to move up and down toward the gate 3 of the mold 1. An injection plunger 8 is slidably disposed in the injection sleeve 7, and is moved up and down by a hydraulic cylinder (or pneumatic cylinder) (not shown). A high-frequency induction coil 9 is provided around the upper portion of the injection sleeve 7 as a heating source. As a heating source, any means such as resistance heating can be adopted in addition to high-frequency induction heating. The material of the injection sleeve 7 and the injection plunger 8 is preferably a heat-resistant material such as ceramics or a heat-resistant coating metal material. Reference numeral 10 denotes a fixed board. In order to prevent the formation of an oxide film on the molten metal,
It is preferable that the entire apparatus is placed in a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere such as Ar gas, or at least an inert gas flows between the mold 1 and the injection sleeve 7.

In manufacturing an optical fiber integrated ferrule, first, an alloy raw material A is loaded in a state where the injection sleeve 7 is separated below the mold 1. As a method for loading the alloy raw material A, any method can be adopted.
As shown in (1), a method in which a raw material supply sleeve 11 is attached to the side of the injection sleeve and the raw material is sequentially pushed into the injection sleeve 7 by a raw material supply plunger 12 is advantageous. The raw material supply to the raw material supply sleeve 11 is performed by the raw material supply sleeve 1.
1, a raw material storage magazine is incorporated, and the raw material is stored in the raw material supply sleeve 11 one by one from the raw material storage magazine. Alternatively, a plurality of such raw material storage magazines are incorporated in a turntable. When the raw material in one raw material storage magazine is exhausted, the turntable can be rotated by a predetermined angle to move the next raw material storage magazine to a predetermined position.

Next, the high frequency induction coil 9 is excited to rapidly heat the alloy raw material A. After detecting the temperature of the molten metal to confirm whether or not the alloy raw material A has melted, the high-frequency induction coil 9 is demagnetized, and then the upper end of the injection sleeve 7 is brought into contact with the fixed plate recess 10 a around the gate 3 of the mold 1. Until they come into contact with each other, the injection sleeve 7 and the injection plunger 8 are raised synchronously, and the injection plunger 8 is further raised rapidly to inject the molten metal from the gate 3 of the mold 1. The injected molten metal is injected into the cavity 2, pressurized, and rapidly solidified. At this time, by appropriately setting the injection temperature, injection speed, and the like,
A cooling rate of 10 ³ K / s or more can be obtained. Thereafter, the injection sleeve 7 and the injection plunger 8 are lowered,
The next raw material loading is performed. On the other hand, after the mold temperature is cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of the molten metal (or a glass transition temperature (Tg) or lower when an amorphous alloy material is used), the split mold portions 1b and 1c of the mold 1 are cooled. The optical fiber 4 is separated into right and left parts, and the injection molded product is pushed out by an eject mechanism as described later, and the optical fiber 4 is moved by a predetermined distance. In this way, the injection filling step of the mold 1 into the cavity 2 and the intermittent moving step of the optical fiber 4 are sequentially repeated to produce a series of intermediate products in which a large number of injection molded products B (ferrules) are fixed to the optical fiber 4. I do.

Next, after cutting the intermediate optical fiber 4 to a predetermined length, the outer diameter of the injection-molded portion is finished, the ends are finished (chamfering for rounding both edges), PC
A desired finishing step such as polishing (convex spherical surface polishing) is performed. Note that the outer diameter finishing (outer diameter polishing) is not required to be performed in the case of manufacturing from an amorphous alloy, but may be performed as needed.

In the case of the mold 1, when the product part cavity is composed of two mold parts, burrs and the like are generated on the mold parting surface of the product part. Therefore, it is preferable that the cavity of the product portion where the burr or the like is not desired to be formed is formed by one mold. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cavity of the ferrule (capillary) portion 2a is constituted by one mold portion 1a, and the mold portion on the moving direction side of the optical fiber 4 is divided into two right and left split mold portions. 1b and 1c (the eject mechanism in the mold will be described later, and is omitted). Reference numeral 13 denotes an optical fiber insertion hole formed in the mold part 1a, and reference numeral 14 denotes an optical fiber insertion hole formed in the parting surfaces of the split mold parts 1b and 1c. Further, when manufacturing a ferrule for an optical connector in which the capillary portion and the flange portion are integrated, as shown in FIG. 4, the cavity of the capillary portion 2a requiring roundness and cylindricity is formed from one mold portion 1a. On the other hand, the flange portion 2b, which is difficult to eject in the moving direction of the optical fiber 4 with one mold, is composed of two split mold portions 1b and 1c which can be divided into right and left.

Next, the eject mechanism in the mold will be described. In the case of a mold as shown in FIG. 3, for example, an ejector pin is also used for the optical fiber insertion portion of the mold portion 1a in which the cavity of the capillary portion 2a is formed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber insertion hole 13 is formed in the ejector pin 15a itself so that the ejector pin 15a can protrude into the cavity of the capillary portion 2a. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the product portion or the runner portion in the mold is ejected by the ejector pin 15b.

Since the optical fiber is under tension, considerable concentricity can be obtained. However, in the case of a component for an optical connector that requires higher dimensional accuracy, the concentricity of the optical fiber with respect to the cavity of the capillary portion in the mold needs to be 1 μm or less. For this reason,
Preferably, the optical fiber is provided with a centering mechanism. In addition,
The optical fiber insertion hole 13 of the mold 1 needs a clearance of several μm for the movement of the optical fiber 4. for that reason,
Align the optical fiber outside the mold.

An example of the centering method will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 shows a centering method using a piezoelectric element.
The centering device 17 includes fixing portions 17a,
A pair of piezoelectric elements 18 respectively attached to 17b
a, 18b, a substantially L-shaped movable member 19a operated by the piezoelectric element, and a movable member 19b movably disposed in the movable member 19a toward a corner thereof. The movable member 19b presses the optical fiber 4 against the corner of the movable member 19a by a spring, an electromagnet, or the like. In this state, the movable member 19a positions the optical fiber 4 in the X and Y directions by the piezoelectric elements 18a and 18b. The alignment mechanism as described above can be provided not on the mold part 1a but on the split mold parts 1b and 1c or on both sides thereof. However, in the case of a ferrule for an optical connector, since the concentricity of the hole at the tip (left side in the drawing) is important, it is preferable to arrange a centering mechanism at least on the mold part 1a side.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show examples of other alignment methods. As shown in FIG. 8, when the optical fiber insertion hole 13 of the mold part 1a is tapered so as to expand toward the cavity 2, the flow direction of the molten metal at the time of injection is concentric with the optical fiber insertion hole 13. Therefore, the optical fiber 4 is automatically aligned with the cavity. On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows an example of the alignment method on the optical fiber moving direction side. As shown in FIG. 9, when the injection molded product B taken out of the mold 1 after the injection is located on the same reference plane as the cavity 2 in the mold 1, for example, on the fixed platen 10, the injection molded product B (The left side in the drawing) is used to position the optical fiber on the optical fiber moving direction side with respect to the cavity 2 of the mold 1.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a product shape manufactured by the above method.
0 to FIG. An optical fiber integrated ferrule (capillary) 100a shown in FIG. 10 shows a metal ferrule (capillary) 101 integrally including an optical fiber 4 whose both ends are trimmed, while the optical fiber shown in FIG. The integrated ferrule 100b shows a product in which one end is cut and aligned, but the other end of the optical fiber 4 that is included continuously extends from the other end of the metal ferrule 101. An optical fiber integrated ferrule (capillary) 100c shown in FIG. 12 is a product in which a capillary portion 102 and a flange portion 103 are integrally formed with the optical fiber 10 according to the present invention. As a result, the optical fiber 4 is slightly contracted in the radial direction, so that the optical fiber 4 is integrally and firmly fixed without forming a gap inside the metal ferrule.

As the metal material used for manufacturing the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention, in addition to an amorphous alloy, A
l-base alloy, Mg-base alloy, Zn-base alloy, Fe-base alloy, Cu
It is preferable to use a die casting alloy such as a base alloy or a titanium alloy. Such an alloy for die casting is an alloy used in a normal casting method, and is less expensive than ceramics, amorphous alloys, and the like used in conventional optical connector members. The member for an optical connector can be easily manufactured by press-fitting and molding the alloy into a mold.

For example, Al-based alloys such as ADC1, ADC5, and ADC12 according to JIS symbols may be used.
i-based, Al-Mg-based, Al-Si-Cu-based or Al-S
An i-Mg based aluminum alloy for die casting can be suitably used, and ADC12 is particularly useful. Similarly, as the Mg-based alloy, for example, MDC1A, MDC2
A, MDC3A, etc., Mg-Al system or Mg-Al-Z
An n-based magnesium alloy for die casting can be suitably used, and MDC1A is particularly useful. As a Zn-based alloy, for example, AG40A, AG41A, a high Mn alloy, etc., such as Zn-Al-based, Zn-Al-Cu-based, Zn-Al-
A Cu-Mg-based or Zn-Mn-Cu-based zinc alloy for die casting can be suitably used, and a high Mn alloy is particularly useful. Examples of the Fe-based alloy include gray cast iron, austenitic cast iron, stainless cast steel, and the like, and stainless cast steel is particularly useful. In a Cu-based alloy, for example, brass,
There are bronze and aluminum bronze, and aluminum bronze is particularly useful. In addition, examples of the titanium alloy include an α-type alloy, a β-type alloy and an α + β-type alloy, and the α + β-type alloy is particularly useful.

Among these metals, the general formula: Fe _a M _b
X _c (where M is Ni or / and Co, and X is M
n, at least one element selected from Si, Ti, Al, and C;
b ≦ 40, 0 ≦ c ≦ 10, a is the balance containing unavoidable impurities. ) Are preferred. The Fe-MX-based alloy represented by the above general formula is easy to process with high dimensional accuracy, and has a linear expansion coefficient close to the linear expansion coefficient of an optical fiber, so that it is suitable as a material for a ferrule for mounting an optical fiber. ing.

On the other hand, amorphous alloys have high-precision castability and workability, and can transfer products with a smooth surface that faithfully reproduces the mold cavity shape by die casting or die molding. Since it can be manufactured well, by appropriately manufacturing a mold, an optical fiber integrated ferrule satisfying a predetermined shape, dimensional accuracy, and surface quality can be manufactured with high productivity in a single process. As the amorphous alloy, any material can be used as long as it can be applied to the method of the present invention, and is not limited to a specific material.
An amorphous alloy having a composition represented by any one of (6) can be suitably used.

The general formula _{^{(1): M 1 a M}} 2 b Ln c M 3 d M 4 e M 5 f However, one or two elements M ¹ is selected from Zr and Hf, M ² is Ni, Cu, Fe, Co, Mn, Nb, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of i, V, Cr, Zn, Al and Ga; Ln is Y, La, Ce, N
at least one element selected from the group consisting of d, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Mm (mish metal which is an aggregate of rare earth elements); M ³ is Be, B,
At least one element selected from the group consisting of C, N and O; M ⁴ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ta, W and Mo; M ⁵ is Au, Pt, Pd and A;
at least one element selected from the group consisting of g, a,
b, c, d, e and f are each atomic%, and 25 ≦ a ≦
85, 15 ≦ b ≦ 75, 0 ≦ c ≦ 30, 0 ≦ d ≦ 30,
0 ≦ e ≦ 15 and 0 ≦ f ≦ 15.

The amorphous alloy has the following general formula (1-a)
To (1-p). General formula (1-a): M ¹ _a M ² _b This amorphous alloy has a large negative enthalpy of mixing and good amorphous forming ability because the M ² element coexists with Zr or Hf. Formula ^{(1-b): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c , as in this amorphous alloy, the thermal stability of the amorphous by adding a rare earth element to the alloy of the formula (1-a) is improves.

The general formula ^{(1-c): M 1} a M 2 b M 3 d general formula ^{(1-d): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 3 d like these amorphous alloys, the atomic Element M with small radius
³ By filling the gaps in the amorphous structure with (Be, B, C, N, O), the structure is stabilized and the ability to form an amorphous structure is improved.

The general formula ^{(1-e): M 1} a M 2 b M 4 e general formula ^{(1-f): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 4 e general formula ^{(1-g): M 1} a _{^{M 2 b M 3 d M 4}} e general formula ^{(1-h): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 3 d M 4 e like these amorphous alloys, refractory metal M ⁴ (Ta,
When (W, Mo) is added, heat resistance and corrosion resistance are improved without affecting the ability to form an amorphous phase.

The general formula ^{(1-i): M 1} a M 2 b M 5 f general formula ^{(1-j): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 5 f general formula ^{(1-k): M 1} a _{^{M 2 b M 3 d M 5}} f general formula ^{(1-l): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 3 d M 5 f general formula ^{(1-m): M 1} a M 2 b M 4 e M 5 _f general formula ^{(1-n): M 1} a M 2 b Ln c M 4 e M 5 f general formula ^{(1-o): M 1} a M 2 b M 3 d M 4 e M 5 f general formula (1 _{^{-p): M 1 a M 2}} b Ln c M 3 d M 4 e M 5 f these noble metals ^{M 5 (Au, Pt, Pd} , when the amorphous alloy containing Ag), and crystallization occurred Does not become brittle.

The general formula _{(2): Al 100-ghi} Ln g M 6 h M 3 i However, Ln is Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of b, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Mm; M ⁶ is Ti, V, Cr, Mn,
Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of a and W, M ³ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Be, B, C, N, and O; g, h, and i are each atomic%; 30 ≦ g ≦ 90, 0 <h ≦ 55, 0 ≦ i ≦ 10
It is.

The above amorphous alloy has the following general formula (2-a)
And (2-b) amorphous alloys. Formula _{(2-a): Al 100} -gh Ln g M 6 h This amorphous alloy, mixing enthalpy is large in negative, amorphous forming ability is good. Formula _{(2-b): Al 100} -ghi Ln g M 6 h M 3 i In this amorphous alloy, small elements M ³ atomic radius
By filling gaps in the amorphous structure with (Be, B, C, N, O), the structure is stabilized, and the ability to form an amorphous structure is improved.

General formula (3): Mg _100-p M ⁷ _p where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, and p is atomic% and 5 ≦ p ≦
60. This amorphous alloy has a large negative enthalpy of mixing and a good amorphous forming ability.

General formula (4): Mg _100-qr M ⁷ _q M ⁸ _r where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, and M ⁸ is Al, Si and At least one element selected from the group consisting of Ca, q
And r are each atomic%, 1 ≦ q ≦ 35, 1 ≦ r ≦ 2
5 As in this amorphous alloy, the general formula (3)
Element M ⁸ (Al, S
By filling gaps in the amorphous structure with (i, Ca), the structure is stabilized, and the ability to form an amorphous phase is improved.

General formula (5): Mg _100-qs M ⁷ _q M ⁹ _s General formula (6): Mg _100-qrs M ⁷ _q M ⁸ _r M ⁹ _s where M ⁷ is Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn at least one element selected from the group consisting of at least one element M ⁸ is Al, selected from the group consisting of Si and Ca, M
⁹ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm and Mm, q, r and s are each atomic%, and 1 ≦ q ≦ 35, 1 ≦ r ≦ 25, 3 ≦ s ≦
25. Like these amorphous alloys, by adding a rare earth element to the alloys of the general formulas (3) and (4), the thermal stability of the amorphous is improved.

Among the above-mentioned amorphous alloys, the Zr-TM-Al system and the Hf-TM-Al system (TM: TM) having an extremely wide temperature difference between the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the crystallization temperature (Tx).
Transition metal) amorphous alloys have high strength and high corrosion resistance and have a supercooled liquid region (glass transition region) ΔTx = Tx−
The Tg is 30K or more, particularly the Zr-TM-Al-based amorphous alloy is as wide as 60K or more. In this temperature range, due to viscous flow, very good workability is exhibited even at a low stress of several tens MPa or less. In addition, the amorphous bulk material can be obtained even by a casting method having a cooling rate of about several tens of K / s. As a result of research on the use of these alloys, amorphous materials can be formed by mold casting from a molten metal or by viscous flow molding using a glass transition region, and at the same time, the mold shape and dimensions are extremely faithful. It is suitable as a material for an optical fiber integrated ferrule together with the physical properties of these alloys.

The Zr-TM-Al used in the present invention
The Hf-TM-Al-based amorphous alloy has a very large range of ΔTx, although it differs depending on the alloy composition and the measurement method. For example, Zr ₆₀ Al ₁₅ Co _2.5 Ni _7.5 Cu ₁₅
ΔTx of the alloy (Tg: 652K, Tx: 768K) is 1
It is extremely wide at 16K. It has very good oxidation resistance, and is hardly oxidized even when heated to a high temperature up to Tg in air. Hardness is 46 in Vickers hardness (Hv) from room temperature to around Tg.
0 (DPN), the tensile strength reaches 1,600 MPa, and the bending strength reaches 3,000 MPa. The coefficient of thermal expansion α is from room temperature to T
It is as small as 1 × 10 ^-5 / K up to around g and the Young's modulus is 91G
Pa, the elastic limit at compression exceeds 4-5%. Further, it has high toughness and shows a Charpy impact value of 6 to 7 J / cm ² . When the glass transition region is heated while exhibiting such a very high strength characteristic, the flow stress decreases to about 10 MPa. For this reason, it is a feature of the present alloy that it is extremely easy to process and can be formed into minute parts and high-precision parts having low stress and complicated shapes. Moreover, the processed (deformed) surface has extremely high smoothness due to the characteristics as a so-called glass (amorphous), and substantially no steps such as a step in which a slip band appears on the surface as when a crystalline alloy is deformed. have.

In general, when an amorphous alloy is heated to the glass transition region, crystallization starts by holding for a long time, but an alloy having a wide ΔTx such as the present alloy has a stable amorphous phase and a temperature within ΔTx. If no is selected, no crystal is generated until about 2 hours, and there is no need to worry about crystallization in ordinary molding. In addition, the alloy exerts this property even when solidifying from the molten metal. Generally, rapid cooling is required for the production of an amorphous alloy. However, the present alloy can easily obtain a bulk material composed of an amorphous single phase from a molten metal by cooling at a cooling rate of about 10 K / s. The solidified surface is still extremely smooth, and has a transferability that faithfully reproduces even micron-order polishing scratches on the mold surface.

Accordingly, if the present alloy is applied as a ferrule material integrated with an optical fiber, if the cavity surface of the mold has a surface quality that satisfies the required characteristics of the ferrule for an optical connector, the surface of the mold can be used even in a cast material. The characteristics can be reproduced as they are, and the steps of dimension adjustment and surface roughness adjustment can be omitted or shortened. As mentioned above, relatively low hardness,
High tensile strength and high bending strength, relatively low Young's modulus,
High elastic limit, high impact resistance, high wear resistance, surface smoothness,
The feature of having high precision castability is not only suitable as a material for an optical fiber integrated ferrule, but also allows the molding method of the present invention to be applied, thereby enabling mass production.

Next, an application example of the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 shows a configuration diagram of a typical LD module 20 coupled to an SM type optical fiber. A cap 22 to which a signal input terminal 21 is connected has a monitor PD 23 and an LD (laser diode) chip as a light emitting element. 24 are attached. The laser light from the LD chip 24 passes through the lens 25 and passes through the optical fiber integrated ferrule 100.
b is coupled to the optical fiber 4 contained therein. The optical fiber integrated ferrule 100b is manufactured according to the present invention by the method as described above.

On the other hand, FIG. 14 shows another example of the configuration of an LD module. An optical fiber integrated capillary 100a manufactured according to the present invention is mounted at one end of a module 20a. 25, the optical fiber 4 contained in the capillary 100a.
Is combined with On the other hand, reference numeral 30 denotes the capillary 100
This is a connector member which is butt-joined to a. An optical fiber integrated ferrule 100c as shown in FIG. In this optical fiber integrated ferrule 100c, the capillary portion 102 and the flange portion 103 are integrally formed together with the optical fiber 4 according to the present invention, but they may be formed separately, for example, as shown in FIG. Body Ferrule 10
It may be one in which a flange portion is fixed to 0b. The capillary portion 102 of the optical fiber integrated ferrule 100 c is fitted in the sleeve 32, and a spring member 33 is provided between the flange portion 103 and the housing 31. Therefore, by pushing the connector member 30 into the sleeve 32 so that the exposed end portion of the optical fiber integrated capillary 100a is inserted into the sleeve 32, the connector member 30 is engaged in a snap-fit manner, and the optical fiber integrated capillary 1 is inserted.
The optical fibers 4 included in the optical fiber integrated ferrule 100a and the optical fiber integrated ferrule 100c are connected to each other.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made. For example, in the above-described method, two products are manufactured in a single injection process using a mold having two product molding cavities.
Although the example of the individual cutting has been described, it is of course possible to use a mold in which three or more cavities are formed in parallel, and to obtain a large number of individual parts, or a single part. In addition, the dimensions and shape of the optical fiber integrated ferrule,
The number is not limited to the above example. Further, the optical fiber integrated ferrule according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described application example, and a ferrule for a single-core optical connector for aligning and connecting optical fibers by abutting end faces of ferrules, and a multi-core optical ferrule. The present invention is also applicable to optical connector members for connectors and for aligning multi-core optical fibers.

[0046]

As described above, according to the method and the apparatus of the present invention, the optical fiber is integrally and strongly fixed in the ferrule by the heat shrinkage or the coagulation shrinkage at the time of manufacturing the ferrule (capillary) for the optical connector. The optical fiber integrated ferrule fixed to the
Can be manufactured continuously. Such an optical fiber integrated ferrule is not only durable, has high optical fiber mounting position accuracy, reduces connection loss, but also uses expensive core pins for injection molding as before. No need to
In addition, since it is not necessary to use an adhesive to insert the optical fiber into the ferrule, the above-described problems caused by the use of the core pin and the adhesive, and the thermal cycle during use caused by the adhesive may cause the optical fiber to be damaged. There is no problem of peeling.
Furthermore, since there is no need for a machining process such as inner diameter finishing or the process of bonding the optical fiber to the ferrule, the number of processing steps can be greatly reduced. Can be manufactured in a single process with good mass productivity, and the ferrule manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a continuous manufacturing apparatus for an optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing one embodiment of an injection molding part of the continuous manufacturing apparatus for an optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing one embodiment of a mold used in the method of the present invention, wherein (A) is a left side view, (B) is a longitudinal sectional view, and (C) is a right side view.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing another embodiment of a mold used in the method of the present invention, wherein (A) is a left side view, (B) is a longitudinal sectional view, and (C) is a right side view. .

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing one embodiment of an eject mechanism of a mold used in the method of the present invention, wherein (A) is a left side view,
(B) is a longitudinal sectional view, and (C) is a right side view.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view showing another embodiment of a mold ejection mechanism used in the method of the present invention, wherein (A) is a left side view, (B) is a longitudinal sectional view, and (C) is a right side view. FIG.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic explanatory views showing one embodiment of a mold centering mechanism used in the method of the present invention, wherein FIG. 7A is a left side view and FIG.
Is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a centering mechanism on a tip end side of a cavity of a mold used in the method of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic partial sectional view showing an embodiment of a centering mechanism on the optical fiber moving direction side of a mold used in the method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view showing another embodiment of the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic partial sectional view showing a configuration of an LD module using the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another configuration of an LD module using the optical fiber integrated ferrule of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mold 2 Cavity 3 Gate 4 Optical fiber 5 Optical fiber supply reel 6 Tension reel 7 Injection sleeve 8 Injection plunger 13, 14 Optical fiber insertion hole 15a, 15b Ejector pin 17 Alignment device 100a, 100b, 100c Optical fiber integrated ferrule (Capillary) A Alloy raw material B Injection molded product

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H036 QA19 QA20 QA27 QA28 4F202 AA49 AD15 AH34 AH77 CA11 CB12 CK41 CM01 CQ03 CR06 4F206 AA49 AD15 AH34 AH77 JA07 JB12 JD04 JF05 JF06 JF23 JN41 JW23

Claims (9)

[Claims] An elongated optical fiber (4) is stretched in a state of being inserted into each cavity of a mold (1) having at least one cavity (2) for regulating the outer shape of a product. A step of repeatedly injecting a flowable material and a step of intermittently moving the optical fiber to produce a series of intermediate products in which a large number of injection-molded products (B) are fixed to the optical fiber (4); Cutting the optical fiber of the intermediate product to a predetermined length and finishing the injection molded product. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid material is a ceramic paste, a synthetic resin, a metal or an amorphous alloy containing at least an amorphous phase having a volume fraction of 50% or more. . 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous alloy has the following general formula (1):
The method according to claim 2, wherein the alloy is a substantially amorphous alloy having a composition represented by any one of (6). Formula _{^{(1): M 1 a M}} 2 b Ln c M 3 d M 4 e M 5 f However, one or two elements M ¹ is selected from Zr and Hf, M ² is Ni, Cu, Fe , Co, Mn, Nb, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of i, V, Cr, Zn, Al and Ga; Ln is Y, La, Ce, N
at least one element selected from the group consisting of d, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Mm (mish metal which is an aggregate of rare earth elements); M ³ is Be, B,
At least one element selected from the group consisting of C, N and O; M ⁴ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ta, W and Mo; M ⁵ is Au, Pt, Pd and A;
at least one element selected from the group consisting of g, a,
b, c, d, e and f are each atomic%, and 25 ≦ a ≦
85, 15 ≦ b ≦ 75, 0 ≦ c ≦ 30, 0 ≦ d ≦ 30,
0 ≦ e ≦ 15 and 0 ≦ f ≦ 15. Formula _{(2): Al 100-ghi} Ln g M 6 h M 3 i However, Ln is Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of b, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Mm; M ⁶ is Ti, V, Cr, Mn,
Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, T
at least one element selected from the group consisting of a and W, M ³ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Be, B, C, N, and O; g, h, and i are each atomic%; 30 ≦ g ≦ 90, 0 <h ≦ 55, 0 ≦ i ≦ 10
It is. General formula (3): Mg _100-p M ⁷ _p where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, and p is atomic percentage 5 ≦ p ≦
60. General formula (4): Mg _100-qr M ⁷ _q M ⁸ _r where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, and M ⁸ is made of Al, Si and Ca At least one element selected from the group: q
And r are each atomic%, 1 ≦ q ≦ 35, 1 ≦ r ≦ 2
5 General formula (5): Mg _100-qs M ⁷ _q M ⁹ _s where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, and M ⁹ is Y, La, C
at least one element selected from the group consisting of e, Nd, Sm and Mm, q and s are each atomic%, and 1 ≦ q
≦ 35 and 3 ≦ s ≦ 25. General formula (6): Mg _100-qrs M ⁷ _q M ⁸ _r M ⁹ _s where M ⁷ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Sn and Zn, M ⁸ is Al, Si and At least one element selected from the group consisting of Ca, M
⁹ is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm and Mm, q, r and s are each atomic%, and 1 ≦ q ≦ 35, 1 ≦ r ≦ 25, 3 ≦ s ≦
25. 4. The optical fiber is cut such that the optical fiber continuously extends from one end of the ferrule for an optical connector to the outside.
The method according to claim 1, wherein finishing is performed. 5. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the cavity has an inner diameter of 0.2 to 0.2.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance is 2.5 mm. 6. A mold (1) having at least one cavity (2) for regulating a product outer shape; and a long optical fiber (4) stretched and inserted into each cavity of the mold. Means for stretching the optical fiber and intermittently moving the optical fiber; and injection means (7, 8) for injecting and filling a fluid material into the cavity of the mold. For manufacturing optical fiber integrated ferrules. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a centering mechanism at one or both of the front and rear sides of the mold in the optical fiber moving direction. 8. The mold (1) has at least one cavity (2a) opened on the optical fiber moving direction side, and has ejector means (15a, 15a, 15a, 15) protruding into the cavity in the optical fiber moving direction. 15b) and a split mold part (1b, 1c) arranged on the optical fiber moving direction side of the mold part and having an optical fiber insertion part as a parting surface. Claim 6
Or the apparatus according to 7. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the split mold portion has a cavity that opens on a side opposite to the optical fiber moving direction.