Patent ID: 7027707

Claim:
An aligning implement for optical fibers for aligning a plurality of optical fibers that is adapted to be used in an optical fiber array having a plurality of optical fibers each having a diameter and aligned substantially in parallel with one another with a predetermined pitch therebetween, said aligning implement comprising: a substrate having a plurality of ridges formed on one surface of the substrate and aligned substantially in parallel with one another with said predetermined pitch; and a cover member having a plurality of ridges formed on one surface of the cover member and aligned substantially in parallel with one another with said predetermined pitch, said one surface being opposed to said ridges of the substrate; at least one guide groove that is formed on either one of the substrate or the cover member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the ridges; and at least one protrusion that is formed on the other one of the substrate or the cover member and is fitted in and guided by the guide groove, and wherein the width of the ridges of the substrate and the width of the ridges of the cover member are such that the cover member is movable relative to the substrate by a distance greater than the diameter of each optical fiber in the a direction substantially orthogonal to the ridges in a state that the ridges of the substrate and the ridges of the cover member are engaged with one another; and the substrate and the cover member are arranged such that in the state that the ridges of the substrate and the ridges of the cover member are engaged with one another, sliding of the cover member in the direction substantially orthogonal to the ridges relative to the substrate causes each optical fiber to be nipped, positioned and held between a wall surface of each ridge of the substrate and a wall surface of each corresponding ridge of the cover member.