Apparatus and method for combining optical waveguide and optical fiber

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for combining an optical waveguide and optical fibers are provided. The apparatus includes an apparatus for combining optical fibers with an optical waveguide device, including a guide rail portion for alignment including guide rails for alignment spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, on a flat substrate, an optical fiber array portion put on the guide rail portion for alignment when the optical fibers are combined with the optical waveguide device, including an array of grooves for arranging the optical fibers spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in an array pattern, and including guide grooves for alignment having a concavo-convex relationship with the guide rail portion for alignment, and an optical waveguide device chip put on the guide rail portion when the optical fibers are combined with the optical waveguide, including the optical waveguide connected to the optical fibers of the optical fiber array portion, and including guide grooves for alignment spaced apart from each other by the same distance as that by which the rails of the guide rail portion are spaced apart from each other and having a concavo-convex relationship with the guide rail portion for alignment, to the outside of an optical waveguide area in which the cores of the optical fibers of the optical fiber array portion respectively coincide with those of the optical waveguide. According to the present invention, a light source and a photodetector (required for active alignment) are not necessary. A complicated alignment process of performing an alignment with respect to an alignment axis having six degrees of freedom with submicron precision is not necessary. Also, it is possible to save time and money when attaching the optical fibers to the optical waveguide device chip.