METHOD FOR CONNECTING OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE SUBSTRATE AND OPTICAL FIBER

PURPOSE:To connect and fix the end surfaces of two optical waveguides on a substrate and the end surfaces of two optical fibers in an optimum position by moving an aligning plate to be bonded and fixed on a side surface in the vicinity of the end surface of an optical fiber the on a supporting plate whose one part is fixed to the rear of substrate and executing the alignment. CONSTITUTION:At one end of an aligning plate 4 made of a material in which the coefficient of thermal expansion is very small, an optical fiber 3 is bonded and fixed, thereafter, the other end is held by an inching device, an optical connection loss is monitored on a supporting plate 5 to be bonded and fixed on a substrate 1 beforehand, and simultaneously, the end surface of an optical waveguide 2 and the end surface of the optical fiber 3 are aligned. At such a time, the positioning is executed in a condition in which a transparent acrylic adhesive forms a bridge between the end surface of the optical fiber 3 and the end surface of the optical waveguide 2. After the optimum position is decided, the adhesive between the end surface of the optical waveguide 2 and the end surface of the optical fiber 3 is hardened by a UV light, and next, a space between the aligning plate 4 and supporting plate 5 is fixed with the adhesive. In the same way, an optical fiber 3' is positioned to an optical waveguide 2' through an aligning plate 4' and the supporting plate 5 and fixed.