MICRO-WELDER AND WELDING METHOD USING MICRO-WELDER

摘要

PURPOSE: To provide an optical fiber microwelder which enables positioning before a fiber is welded and accurate movement in and after the welding. CONSTITUTION: Beams 5 and 5' can move around an X-axis, and a frame 1 supports an optical device for observing a terminal of the optical fiber which includes a means for coupling the optical fibers F and F' with a beam, high- precision guide means 12 and 12' for the fiber on a center support 8, 1st low- precision moving means 23 and 23' for the beam which brings the end surfaces of the fibers into contact with each other by relative translational movement along a lengthwise axis 7 perpendicular to the X-axis, 2nd high-precision moving means 24 and 24' which place the fibers in high-precision translational movement along a Z-axis, two welding electrodes, and a microscope 27. Further, the optical device can obtain a single image of the optical fibers before and after welding with respect to two mutually orthogonal collimation axes by being combined with the microscope 27.