What’s Fiber Array?
Fiber Array (FA), using V-Groove substrate, a bundle of optical fibers or a fiber strip installed on the substrate at specified intervals, the array composed of.
Fiber arrays in optical communications mainly include substrates, platens, and optical fibers. Usually, multiple grooves are cut in the base of the substrate, and the platen presses and fixes the optical fiber inserted into the grooves. Fiber optic arrays have very high requirements for materials and manufacturing processes.
Fiber optic arrays mainly rely on precision engraved V-grooves to achieve positioning, V-grooves need to use a special cutting process to achieve accurate positioning of the optical fiber, remove the fiber coating of the bare fiber portion of the V-grooves, the process needs to be ultra-precision machining technology will be accurately positioned in the V-grooves of the optical fiber core in order to reduce the connection loss, and then through the pressurized parts of the pressurization and adhesive fixed, the end face of the optical grinding to form a fiber array. The end faces are optically milled to form the fiber array. The substrate material affects the optical properties of the fiber array, and a material with a low coefficient of expansion is required to ensure a stress-free fiber array, high reliability, and no fiber migration at high temperatures. Glass and silicon are commonly used, but ceramics, conductive substrates, and plastic substrates are also available.