2D FA for Optical Circuit Switching Polishing Solution
As AI-driven data deluge sweeps across the industry, traditional electrical switching technology faces increasingly prominent bottlenecks of low bandwidth, high latency and high power consumption. Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) technology, boasting the advantage of all-optical transparent transmission, has emerged as a breakthrough solution for advanced data centers.
The core component enabling efficient switching of array optical signals in OCS systems is the 2D Fiber Array (FA) assembly, and its performance hinges crucially on the core process of polishing.
Neofibo’s 2D fiber array polishing solution targets the core goals of high precision, high consistency and high stability, and resolves process challenges through three key technological breakthroughs.
1.structure：
A 2D fiber array is an optical device fabricated by longitudinally extending a 1D array through processes such as silicon microfabrication, fiber threading and curing. Its core components include V-grooves and spacer plates. The fiber pitch accuracy is controlled within ±0.5μm, enabling high-throughput information transmission. It is widely applied in fields such as optical communication, LiDAR and quantum communication.
2. Dimension：
(1) Array Configuration
Common types: 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, 5×6, 6×5, 8×8, 12×12, etc.
(2) Fiber Pitch
Standard pitches: 127 μm, 250 μm, 500 μm, 750 μm and other custom sizes.
For fibers with a cladding diameter of 80 μm, the core pitch is available in 81 μm or 127 μm.
(3) Fiber Length
Range: 30~3000 mm.
(4) Overall Dimensions
Overall dimensions vary by manufacturer.
Typical specifications:10mm×2.5mm×2.5mm, 12mm×3.5mm×2.5mm, 12mm×5.7mm×2.5mm.
- Suitable for mass production polishing with excellent quality stability;
- Polishing can be finished in two procedures by adopting polishing slurry and polishing liquid of different materials;
- The device is provided with cumulative timing function, and the polishing time can be freely set in hours, minutes and seconds;
- The flatness of the 50 mm diameter glass polishing plate is less than 0.005 mm;
- The polishing removal of the polishing fixture is digitally displayed for fully controllable operation;
- The polishing fixture features horizontal swinging and autorotation during polishing.
Solution Advantages
- Applicable to both R&D samples and mass production;
- Adopt four-step polishing process with short time for each procedure, delivering high polishing efficiency;
- The full-process polishing of small-size FA can be completed within 15 to 30 minutes;
- Polishing parameters are storable, reducing the reliance on experienced operators for consistent polishing quality;
- The repeatability of vertical displacement is controlled within 0.001 mm;
- With lifting pressing mode, the lifting position for polishing can be manually read and stored;
- Custom polishing fixtures are available on demand, with three pressing options: gravity pressing, downward lifting pressing and spring pressing;
- The specially designed structure effectively reduces shaking and swing of the polishing fixture.
- Suitable for small-batch precision polishing and experimental R&D;
- Short polishing time for each process step with high polishing efficiency;
- The polishing pressure is manually adjustable; polishing parameters can be stored in the equipment, requiring no professional operating experience;
- High process fault tolerance; polishing parameters such as time and pressure can be adjusted stage by stage according to the ferrule condition for process correction;
- Three V-grooves limit the deflection of the daughter plate, reduce defective loss in protruding fiber polishing, and improve the surface flatness of 2D fiber polishing;
- Polishing with glass base plate within 0.01mm parallelism;
- Balanced cost and efficiency; the polishing equipment and consumables feature high versatility with simple equipment maintenance.
4.Custom Fixtures and Pressing Principle
(1) Pressure-adjustable Polishing Fixture
- Compatible with horizontal swing surface polishing machines;
- Polishing pressure is manually adjustable, and polished workpieces move down in parallel;
- A digital micrometer monitors the polishing removal in real time; equipped with a wear-resistant base to extend the service life of the polishing fixture;
- High-precision machining guarantees the angle and flatness of polished workpieces;
- The fixture can be disassembled and reassembled without affecting polishing accuracy;
- Custom dedicated fixtures for 2D-FA polishing can be designed with reference to this structure.
(2) Lifting Press Polishing Fixture
- Compatible with Neofibo lifting press polishing machines;
- When polishing workpieces are placed in the center, the fixture mounting positions on the polisher are arranged on both sides;
- Adopting self-weight downward pressing, the polishing surface of the workpiece fits closely with polishing consumables by gravity, ensuring excellent polishing flatness;
- Three customized pressing modes are optional: spring pressing, downward lifting pressing and counterweight pressing;
- Dedicated fixtures can be customized according to 2D-FA specifications.
(3) Custom Four-Corner Press Plate
- Suitable for polishing of protruding fiber FA and two-dimensional fiber arrays;
- Three V-grooves restrict the deflection of the daughter plate, reduce polishing defects of protruding fibers, and improve the surface flatness of 2D fiber polishing faces;
- Matched for use with four-corner pressure polishing machines with low planar runout;
- Polishing adopts glass base plate with parallelism within 0.01 mm;
- When used together with a height gauge, it can effectively improve the consistency of the polished end face.
5.Key Points of Polishing Process Control
- Workpiece clamping parallelism: Whether the workpiece can be clamped horizontally directly determines the polishing angle and affects the polishing time. Proper horizontal clamping can greatly reduce the rough polishing duration.
- Runout direction and displacement control of polishing fixture: During polishing, the three-axis runout of the fixture has a significant impact on the polishing result. Protruding fiber and 2D-FA polishing are more sensitive to fixture jitter along the X and Y axes. Reducing three-axis runout can achieve immediate improvement in polishing quality.
- Quantification of polishing pressure: Empirical data and targeted polishing parameters shall be obtained according to product characteristics.
- Surface finish control: Governed by polishing consumables and process parameters. Sufficient fine polishing time is required to eliminate traces left by the previous process. The optimal combination of time, rotating speed and pressure can effectively enhance the finish of the polished surface.
