Optical fiber passive alignment apparatus using alignment platform

Abstract

An optical fiber passive alignment apparatus for passively aligning optical fibers with input/output optical waveguides of an integrated optical device includes an optical fiber array block on which the optical fibers are mounted with a uniform spacing and having alignment grooves parallel to the optical fibers, and an optical fiber fixing plate for fixing the mounted optical fibers to a substrate; an optical waveguide device chip having an input/output optical waveguide array consisting of optical waveguides corresponding to the optical fibers, for coupling with the optical fibers, and alignment holes; and an alignment platform having first alignment ridges separated by the same spacing as the alignment grooves, for coupling with the alignment grooves, alignment bumps in positions corresponding to the alignment holes, for coupling with the alignment holes, and a space between the first alignment ridges for preventing the optical fiber plate of the optical fiber block array from contacting the alignment platform. The optical fiber passive alignment apparatus does not require a light source and a photodetector, or precise alignment with respect to an alignment axis having six degrees of freedom, so that less time and cost are required for attaching optical fibers to the optical waveguide device chip.