EP0233011A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Optical switch
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1987-01-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-01-28
Abstract
Abstract An optical switch has a semiconductor waveguide region (2) formed on a substrate (1), with a cladding region (3) on a projection of the waveguide region (2). By controlling the fields applied to electrodes (4, 5, 6) on the substrate (1), the waveguide region (2), and the cladding region (3), the injection and extraction of carriers into and from the waveguide region can be controlled. It is found that the carriers can be removed rapidly through the electrodes (4, 5, 6) and this causes the switch to turn off very rapidly.
Inventors
- 👤 Kunio Tada
- 👤 Hiroaki Inoue
- 👤 Yoshitaka Okada
- 👤 Hiroyoshi Matsumura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 18:27
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/29; G02F1/31; G02F1/313; G02F1/3137; G02F1/3138
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
An optical switch comprising: a semiconductor substrate region (1,21); a semiconductor waveguide region (2,26) having a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate region (1,21) and being adjacent the substrate region (1,21); a semiconductor cladding region (3,28) having the same conductivity type as that of the substrate region (1,21) being spaced from the substrate region (1,21) and being adjacent the waveguide region (2,26); and
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
An optical switch comprising: a semiconductor substrate region (1,21); a semiconductor waveguide region (2,26) having a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate region (1,21) and being adjacent the substrate region (1,21); a semiconductor cladding region (3,28) having the same conductivity type as that of the substrate region (1,21) being spaced from the substrate region (1,21) and being adjacent the waveguide region (2,26); and
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
122 words
a plurality of electrodes for applying electric fields to the substrate region (1,21), the waveguide region (2,26), and the cladding region (3,28), respectively. 2. An optical switch according to claim 1, wherein injection of carriers from the substrate region (1,21) and/or the cladding region (3,28) into the waveguide region (2,26) causes a first change in the direction of light output of the switch or first modulation of light intensity, and extraction of injected carriers from the waveguide region (2,26) by controlling the electric fields of the substrate region (1,21) and/or the cladding region (3,28) causes a second change in the direction of light output of the switch or second modulation of light intensity, the first and second changes being in opposite senses.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
An optical switch according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the substrate region (1,21), the waveguide region (2,26), and the cladding region (3,28) are of compound semiconductors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
An optical switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there is at least one current confining region (7) in at least one of the substrate region (1,21), the waveguide region (2,26), and the cladding region (3,28).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
85 words
An optical switch according to any one of the preceding claims having at least one input waveguide and at least two output waveguides (9,10) defined by the waveguide region (2,26) and/or the cladding region (3,28), the input waveguide being connected at a junction region to the output waveguides (9,10), there being one electrode (6) on the cladding region (3,26) extending over (in plan) the junction, and at least one electrode (5) on the waveguide region (2,26) adjacent the junction but not overlapping (in plan) therewith.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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