Patent ID: 8164043

Claim:
An optical module, comprising: a ferrule having a fiber insertion hole extending from a first end of the ferrule to a second end of the ferrule, the second end of the ferrule having an end surface on which an electrical circuit is formed, the fiber insertion hole having an inner surface; a photoelectric conversion element connected to the electrical circuit and facing the fiber insertion hole; and an optical fiber having a glass fiber and a protective coating covering the glass fiber, the glass fiber having a first outer diameter and the protective coating having a second outer diameter greater than the first outer diameter, an exposed portion of the glass fiber extending out of one end of the protective coating, the optical fiber extending through the fiber insertion hole from the first end of the ferrule to proximate the second end of the ferrule such that the protective coating of the optical fiber is interposed between the inner surface of the fiber insertion hole and the glass fiber, with the entire exposed portion of the glass fiber being spaced apart from the inner surface of the optical fiber insertion hole, and such that the exposed portion of the glass fiber is optically coupled with the photoelectric conversion element.