optical branching device

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE:To constitute a light branching device with inexpensive materials and at the same time to realize a new selecting system of an optical guidewave, by using a heat generator that heats up the area adjacent to the branching point of the optical guide wave. CONSTITUTION:An optical waveguide 2 having a high refractive index is formed on a transparent dielectric substrate 1 made of a soda glass plate. The waveguide 2 is expanded at an input side 2I and before the branching point and then branched to branches 2A and 2B at the branching point. A buffer layer 3 is provided at the branching point of the waveguide 2, and the vapor-deposited heat generating layers 4 and 5 are formed on the layer 3. When the voltage VA is applied to the layer 4, the Joule heat is produced. Thus the area adjacent to the branching point of the guidewave 2 is heated up to increase the refractive index. As a result, the numbers of beams transmitted to the guidewave 2 are allotted to the branch 2A. The good optical switching is possible by controlling the voltages VA and VB.

Inventors

• 👤 Hideo Segawa
• 👤 瀬川　秀夫
• 👤 Jiro Koyama
• 👤 次郎 小山
• 👤 Masamitsu Haruna
• 👤 正光 春名

Bibliographic Details