Butt Coupling Of Optical Waveguide Devices Automation Technology

Integrated optical waveguide devices own the advantages of small volume, high integration of functions, suitable for mass-production. They are widely used in the ultra-high-speed transmission of Optical Communication truck network, as well as the FTTH technology. In the optical fiber communication network into optical waveguide devices, aligning and packaging of optical fiber array and waveguide must be solved. There are two key. One is the low-loss alignment of optical fiber and waveguide, and the other is stable and reliable packaging technology. With the end coupling of sub-micrometer precision, mulit-channel device, and the requirement of mass-production, Low-loss alignment of optical fiber array and waveguide is a particularly important key technology. Automatic aligning proceeding is used by abroad. The mechanism of automatic alignment simulates conventional manual thinking, the logic of relying on the judgment and tight precision servo operation. Alignment system equipment from a high-quality work environment demands a high degree of stability, so the cost of system is high. The stability and high requirements of hardware and technical indicators raises the threshold from both domestic funding of independent research and development and technology. This paper works on the waveguide chip package technology key to the automatic coupling alignment technology. New automatic alignment scheme and its prototype system with the low system requirements and indicators is expected to design.This paper studies the end-coupling of optical waveguide and fiber detailed theoretical analysis. Combining genetic algorithms and evolutionary algorithm optimization theory, center-integration, adaptive genetic algorithm and multi-objective evolution algorithm, three completely different from the conventional methods of the new auto-alignment schemes are introduced, we verified the feasibility of the scheme by numerical simulation, programmed the process control software, developed the corresponding automatic-alignment prototype system.With the same waveguide sample, we do the compared aligning experiment between our prototype system based on center-integration algorithm and automatic alignment systems (Moritex Co and Suruga Co, Japan). The result confirmed that our prototype has achieved low end coupling loss and the same effectiveness as the equipment abroad. At the same time, a horizontal compared experiment for three alignment schemes has also been done. The results showed: Center-integration algorithm has the best insert loss, Adaptive genetic algorithm has the same advantages as Multi-objective evolution algorithm in the degree of automation, Multi-objective evolution algorithm has much more obvious advantage both the homogeneity index and aligning speed. In addition, the result of automatic alignment of fiber, waveguide and fiber array with three alignment schemes showed that the homogeneity index and insert loss all achieved the Telcordia GR-1209 standard.Our prototype system implemented the packaging experiment of 1×8, 1×16×32 quartz optical waveguide splitters. And then, the resistant environment experiment was implemented 500 hours under 85℃and 85 percent humidity conditions. The result shows that the insert loss of each channel and PDL completely satisfied the existing industry indicators.Some of the above experimental results show that our research has obvious practical value. All results on promoting the progress of the waveguide device packaging technology and enriching the academic research of automatic alignment mechanism are of great significance.