Integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and reading head

Claim 2

An integrated optical device for magneto-optic recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting a light energy beam and including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a polarized light energy beam into said first waveguide section toward said one end portion; means for receiving a light energy beam entered from said one end portion and passed through said second waveguide section; and means for controlling the light amount arriving at said light receiving means in response to the polarization.

Claim 3

An integrated optical device according to claim 1, wherein said light supplying means includes a light source that emits a randomly polarized light.

Claim 4

An integrated optical device according to claim 1 further comprising means for controlling polarization of said light energy beam transmitting into said first waveguide section.

Claim 5

An integrated optical device according to claim 3, wherein said polarization control means includes electrodes having a periodic structure and being disposed along said first waveguide section.

Claim 6

An integrated optical device according to claim 4, wherein the periodicity of said periodic structure is proportional to the wavelength of said light from said light source.

Claim 7

An integrated optical device according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for rotating polarization of light transmitted into said second waveguide section and means for dividing said light in accordance with polarization rotation angle.

Claim 8

An integrated optical device according to claim 6, wherein said dividing means includes polarization selecting waveguides provided in said second waveguide section to divide said light into first and second polarization components.

Claim 9

An integrated optical device according to claim 7, wherein said light receiving means includes first and second detectors and said polarization selecting waveguides transmit said first and second polarization components to said first and second detectors, respectively.

Claim 10

An integrated optical device according to claim 6, wherein said polarization rotating means includes electrodes having a periodic structure and being disposed along said second waveguide section.

Claim 11

An integrated optical device according to claim 9, wherein the periodicity of said periodic structure is proportional to the wavelength of said light form said light source.

Claim 12

An integrated optical device for magneto-optic recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; light source means provided on said substrate for emitting a polarized light energy beam; light sensing means provided on said substrate; waveguide means provided on said substrate and including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section disposed between said light source means and said one end portion to transmit said polarized light energy beam to said one end portion and a second waveguide section branched from said first waveguide section to transmit light entered into said first waveguide means from said one end portion to said light sensing means; and means for controlling the light amount arriving at said light sensing means in response to the polarization.

Claim 13

An integrated optical device for magneto-optic recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; light source means provided on said substrate for emitting a polarized light energy beam; light sensing means provided on said substrate; waveguide means provided on said substrate and including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section disposed between said light source means and said one end portion to transmit said polarized light energy beam to said one end portion and a second waveguide section branched from said first waveguide section to transmit light entered into said first waveguide means from said one end portion to said light sensing means; and means for controlling the light amount arriving at said light sensing means in response to the polarization.

Claim 14

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said light source means includes a light source emitting randomly polarized light.

Claim 15

An integrated optical device according to claim 12, wherein said light source means further includes means for controlling polarization of said randomly polarized light from said light source.

Claim 16

An integrated optical device according to claim 13, wherein said polarization control means includes electrodes having a periodic structure and being disposed along said first waveguide section.

Claim 17

An integrated optical device according to claim 14, wherein the periodicity of said periodic structure is proportional to the wavelength of said light from said light source.

Claim 18

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said control means detects the amount of polarization rotation of light.

Claim 19

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said control means includes means for rotating polarization of light transmitted into said second waveguide section and means for dividing said light in accordance with polarization rotation angle.

Claim 20

An integrated optical device according to claim 17, wherein said dividing means includes polarization selecting waveguides provided in said second waveguide section to divide said light into first and second polarization components.

Claim 21

An integrated optical device according to claim 18, wherein said light sensing means includes first and second detectors and said polarization selecting waveguides transmit said first and second polarization components to said first and second detectors, respectively.

Claim 22

An integrated optical device according to claim 17, wherein said polarization rotating means includes electrodes having a periodic structure and being disposed along said second waveguide section.

Claim 23

An integrated optical device according to claim 20, wherein the periodicity of said periodic structure is proportional to the wavelength of said light from said light source.

Claim 24

An integrated optical device according to claim 11 further comprising another light source means provided on said substrate for emitting another light energy beam, another light sensing means provided on said substrate and another waveguide means provided on said substrate, said another waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section disposed between said another light source means and said one end portion to transmit said light energy beam to said another one end portion and a second waveguide section branched from said first waveguide section to transmit light entered into said first waveguide means from said one end portion to said another light sensing means.

Claim 25

An integrated optical device according to claim 1, further comprising: a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each of the last-mentioned first waveguide sections toward the respective one end portions; and means for receiving light beams entered from each of the last-mentioned one end portions and passed through the respective second waveguide sections.

Claim 26

An integrated optical device according to claim 23, wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other along a direction in which light energy beams enter into the respective one end portions.

Claim 27

An integrated optical device according to claim 23, wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in a direction along the thickness of said substrate.

Claim 28

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, further comprising: a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each of the last-mentioned first waveguide sections toward the respective one end portions; and means for receiving light beams entered from each of the last-mentioned one end portions and passed through the respective second waveguide sections.

Claim 29

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other along a direction in which light energy beams enter into the respective one end portions.

Claim 30

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in a direction along the thickness of said substrate.

Claim 31

An integrated optical device according to claim 11, wherein said light control means is provided on said substrate.

Claim 32

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting a light energy beam and including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a polarized light energy beam into said first waveguide section toward said one end portion; means for receiving a light energy beam entered from said one end portion and passed through said second waveguide section; and means for controlling the light amount arriving at said light receiving means in response to the polarization, said light control means being provided on said substrate.

Claim 33

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting a light energy beam and including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a polarized light energy beam into said first waveguide section toward said one end portion; means for receiving a light energy beam entered from said one end portion and passed through said second waveguide section; and means for controlling the light amount arriving at said light receiving means in response to the polarization, said light control means being provided on said substrate.

Claim 34

An integrated optical device according to claim 30, wherein said light control means includes means for rotating polarization of light transmitted into said second waveguide section and means for dividing said light in accordance with polarization rotation angle.

Claim 35

An integrated optical device according to claim 31, wherein said polarization rotating means includes electrodes having a periodic structure and being disposed along said second waveguide section.

Claim 36

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each first waveguide section toward the respective one end portion; and means for receiving a light energy beam entered from each one end portion and passed through the respective second waveguide section; wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in the direction of entering of said beams at said one end portions.

Claim 37

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each first waveguide section toward the respective one end portion; and means for receiving a light energy beam entered from each one end portion and passed through the respective second waveguide section; wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in the direction of entering of said beams at said one end portions.

Claim 38

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each first waveguide section toward the respective one end portion; and means for receiving a light energy beam entered from each one end portion and passed through the respective second waveguide section; wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in the direction of the thickness of said substrate.

Claim 39

An integrated optical device for magneto-optical recording and/or reading, comprising: a substrate; a pair of waveguide means provided on said substrate for transmitting light energy beams, each waveguide means including one end portion exposed to the outside of said substrate, a first waveguide section lying along a surface of said substrate from said one end portion and a second waveguide section lying along said surface and branched from said first waveguide section; means for supplying a light energy beam into each first waveguide section toward the respective one end portion; and means for receiving a light energy beam entered from each one end portion and passed through the respective second waveguide section; wherein said one end portions of said pair of waveguide means are spaced from each other in the direction of the thickness of said substrate.