Connector for optical fibre, with adjusting mechanism - uses two contacting blocks having hollow sections, forming cavity, receiving sealing material, and permits sliding contact

摘要

The two optical components to be aligned are rigidly mounted on supporting blocks which are in sliding contact with each other uner under spring pressure. The plane sliding contact surface of each is hollowed out so as to form a cavity into which sealing material can be introduced without stress. One block has a cylindrical hole perpendicular to the sliding surface. One of the blocks is made of high thermal conductivity material. The blocks are held together under the pressure of a spring washer resting between one block and the head of a screw screwed into the other block passing through the cylindrical hole in the first block. For alignment, the two parts are mounted in a frame with three-axis positional control adjustment screws and a binocular viewer. The sliding surfaces are perpendicular to the axes of the components. The axes of the parts are then aligned by micro-manipulators which hold one part on a tipping platform. The two parts are locked together by glue in the cavity, and are used to align a semiconductor laser with an optical fibre.