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Types of Fiber Optical Splitter

According to the principle, optical splitters can be divided into two types: fused taper type and planar waveguide type, it is PLC Splitter.

The fused tapered product is formed by side melting two or more optical fibers; PLC Splitter is a micro optical element type product, which adopts photolithography technology,Forming optical waveguides on dielectric or semiconductor substrates to achieve branch distribution functions. And changing the fiber radius to achieve different branch sizes; PLC splitter is manufactured using semiconductor processes such as lithography, etching, and development. The optical waveguide array is located on the upper surface of the chip, and the branching function is integrated on the chip, which means equal branching is achieved on one chip; Then, the multi-channel fiber array at the input and output ends of the chip are coupled and packaged separately.

Advantages of a PLC Splitter

(1) loss is not sensitive to optical wavelength and can meet the transmission needs of different wavelengths. (2) Uniform light distribution allows for uniform distribution of signals to users. (3) Compact in structure and small in size, it can be directly installed in various existing junction boxes without leaving a large installation space (4) There are many branching channels for a single device, which can reach over 32 channels (5) Low cost of multiplexing, more branching, more obvious cost advantage

The main packaging process for PLC splitters is as follows:

(1) Preparation for coupling alignment: First clean the waveguide and carefully install it onto the waveguide frame; Clean the optical fiber again, install one end on the precision adjustment bracket at the incident end, and connect the other end to the light source (connect the 6.328 micron red light source first for preliminary debugging and observation during light transmission).

(2) By using a microscopic observation system, observe the position of the incident fiber and waveguide, and manually adjust the parallelism and end face spacing between the fiber and waveguide through computer commands.

(3) Turn on the laser light source, observe the X-axis and Y-axis images from the microscopic system, and use the light spot at the output end of the waveguide to preliminarily determine the coupling alignment between the incident fiber and the waveguide, in order to achieve good light transmission effect when the fiber and waveguide are docked.

(4) After the microscopic observation system observes the ideal effect of the light spot at the waveguide output end, remove the microscopic observation system.

(5) Clean the first and eighth channels of the waveguide output fiber array (FA) and blow dry them with a blowing balloon. Then use the method in step (2) to connect the waveguide output end to the fiber array and preliminarily adjust it to the appropriate position. Then connect it to the two detection interfaces of the dual channel power meter.

(6) Switch the light source with a wavelength of 6.328 microns at the incident end of the fiber array to 1. 310/1.550 micron light source, start the optical power search program to automatically adjust the position of the waveguide output end and the fiber array to maximize the received optical power value at the wave output end, and the optical power values of the two sampling channels should be as equal as possible (that is, automatically adjust the output fiber array to achieve precise alignment with the waveguide input end, thereby improving the overall coupling efficiency)

(7) When the optical power value of the waveguide output end fiber array reaches its maximum and is as equal as possible, the dispensing work can be carried out.

(8) Repeat step (6) to find the maximum optical power received by the waveguide output end fiber array again, to ensure the optimal coupling alignment between the waveguide and the fiber array after dispensing, and solidify it before proceeding with subsequent operations to complete the encapsulation.

In the coupling alignment process above, the PLC splitter has 8 channels and each channel needs to be accurately aligned. Due to the manufacturing process of the waveguide chip and fiber array (FA) ensuring the relative position between each channel, it is only necessary to align the PLC splitter with the first and eighth channels of the FA simultaneously to ensure that other channels are also aligned, which can reduce the complexity of packaging. The most important and technically challenging encapsulation operation mentioned above is the coupling alignment operation, which includes two steps: initial and precise alignment. The purpose of the initial adjustment is to enable the waveguide to pass light well; The purpose of precise alignment is to accurately locate the optimal optical power coupling point, which is achieved through a program that searches for the maximum optical power. Docking optical waveguides requires 6 degrees of freedom; 3 translations (X, Y, Z) and 3 rotations（ α、β、 g) To ensure the good performance of the packaged waveguide device, the translational accuracy of alignment should be controlled below 0.5 micrometers, and the rotational accuracy should be higher than 0.05 degrees.

At the connection part of the PLC splitter chip, in order to ensure the mechanical strength and long-term reliability of the connection, the entire glass plate is glued. The fiber optic array is mechanically processed into a V-shaped groove at a spacing of 250 microns on the glass plate, and then fixed here. The average maximum cumulative interval error for producing an 8-core fiber array is 0. 48 microns, with extremely high accuracy. In the connection between PLC splitter chips and fiber optic arrays, as well as the assembly process of various components, in order to reduce assembly time, ultraviolet curing adhesive is used. The fiber optic connection interface is a key to maintaining long-term reliability, and a combination of moisture resistant and peel resistant fluoride epoxy resin and silane chain material adhesive should be selected. In order to reduce reflection on the end face, an 8 ° grinding technique is used.