Ngk Insulators, Inc.

Masakatsu Inoue

Tsuneaki Ohashi

Keiichiro Watanabe

Kunihiko Yoshioka

Kazuhi Matsumoto

Toshiichi Ikami

A first inorganic powder molded body and a second inorganic powder molded body are obtained. Each of the bodies contains an inorganic powder, an organic dispersion medium having a reactive functional group and a gelling agent and is solidified by chemical reaction of the organic dispersion medium and the gelling agent. Slurry containing a powder component and an organic dispersion medium is applied to a joint surface of the first inorganic powder molded body. The inorganic powder molded bodies are allowed to abut on each other while interposing the slurry therebetween, and integrated together into a joined body. A sintered body is obtained by sintering the joined body.

Method for producing sintered body, and sintered body

A mold includes a gate communicating with the entire perimeter of a cavity serving as a space configured to form a molded article. A self-curable molding material with flowability is fed into the perimeter of the cavity through the gate; hence, the mold has a small number of dead ends compared with the case where, for example, the molding material is fed into the cavity through a part of the cavity, preventing the formation of bubbles left in the cavity. The arrangement of a gate and a vent each making an acute angle results in the spontaneous separation of the molded article in the cavity from solidified material portions in the gate and the vent due to shrinkage on curing.

Mold and molding method

A core wire ( ) of an optical fiber ( ) on which a metalized layer is not formed is housed in a fixing groove ( ) having a V shaped cross section. A solder ( ) is filled into a space between holding portion ( ) of a support substrate ( ) and an upper substrate ( ), each having metalized layers ( ) and ( ), respectively, formed thereon, and the core wire is fixed therebetween. The support and upper substrates are fixed to one another by being bonded with solder ( ), which wets along each of the metalized layers. Optical fiber ( ) pinched therebetween is free of a metalized layer, and as such, is free of the forces of bonding with the solder, and is securely fixed by the pinching force from both of the support and upper substrate faces. In this manner, there is provided an optical fiber array for fixing an optical transmission member such as an optical fiber to a predetermined position, wherein each optical transmission member can be securely fixed into a groove by using the solder, and a gap is unlikely to occur between the optical transmission member and the groove.

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Komaki, Japan

Masakatsu Inoue