Optical connector and process for producing the same

Abstract

An optical connector comprises an optical fiber connector ferrule which comprises a substrate plate having at least one optical fiber groove and pin grooves each being formed at one surface thereof, and a cover plate joined to the substrate plate to form at least one optical fiber groove holes into which an optical fiber is inserted; a guide pin means to be inserted into the pin grooves for coupling the optical fiber connector ferrule with another; and means for absorbing the variation in the diameter of the guide pin means. A process for producing an optical connector comprises the steps of: preparing a substrate plate wafer and a cover plate wafer; forming a plurality of optical fiber grooves on a top surface of said substrate plate wafer and a plurality of windows in said cover plate wafer; stacking the cover plate wafer on the substrate plate wafer; heating the cover and substrate plate wafers at an elevated temperature to join them into a unitary assembly; cutting the unitary assembly in a direction that is parallel to the plurality of optical fiber grooves and in a direction that is perpendicular to the plurality of optical fiber grooves and in traversing the centers of the plurality of windows in the cover plate wafer to produce a plurality of chips of optical fiber connector ferrule having a cutout in the rear portion of each cover plate; and fixing a plurality of optical fibers in a fiber array in position in a plurality of optical fiber holes.