Patent ID: 7236678

Claim:
An optical fiber array comprising: one or a plurality of optical fibers to be aligned in position; an optical fiber holder having an optical fiber holding hole corresponding to each optical fiber to be aligned in position, the optical fiber holding hole being formed through said optical fiber holder from one end face to an opposing end face thereof; a first positioning plate having a first optical fiber positioning hole corresponding to each optical fiber holding hole of said optical fiber holder, the first optical fiber positioning hole being formed through said first positioning plate from one principal surface to an opposing principal surface thereof and increasing in size toward the opposing principal surface, said first positioning plate being mounted on the end face of said optical fiber holder with the first optical fiber positioning hole being communicated with a corresponding optical fiber holding hole of said optical fiber holder at the opposing principal surface; a second positioning plate having a second optical fiber positioning hole corresponding to each optical fiber holding hole of said optical fiber holder, the second optical fiber positioning hole being formed through said second positioning plate from one principal surface to an opposing principal surface thereof and increasing in size toward the opposing principal surface, said second positioning plate being mounted on the opposing end face of said optical fiber holder with the second optical fiber positioning hole being communicated with a corresponding optical fiber holding hole of said optical fiber holder at the principal surface; and fixing means for adhering each optical fiber to at least one of said first and second positioning plates in a state that said first and second positioning plates are mounted on the end face and opposing end face of said optical fiber holder and each optical fiber is inserted into a corresponding second optical fiber positioning hole of said second positioning plate, a corresponding optical fiber holding hole of said optical fiber holder and a corresponding first optical fiber positioning hole of said first positioning plate, and wherein at least one of said first and second optical fiber positioning holes has a sidewall having a radius (R) portion at one end, at which end a diameter of the hole is increased, when the sidewall is viewed from a cross section parallel to a piercing direction of the optical fiber holding hole; and wherein said first and second positioning plates each have a thickness of no more than 80 μm.