Semiconductor optical switch

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE:To make a titled optical switch small in size, and also to execute switching at a high speed by varying the optical waveguide area of an optical waveguide layer by injecting a current, and switching the route of light. CONSTITUTION:A current injection control is executed selectively in the optical waveguide layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, and an optical waveguide area corresponding to this control is formed by utilizing a fact that a refractive index of the part to which a current is injected is varied, by which the route of light is changed. In case of fetching input light to the output 1 of an output terminal, an optical waveguide area is formed along the shape of an electrode to which a current is made to flow, on an InGaAsP optical waveguide layer 7 by making current flow to electrodes 12, 12', 15, 17, 14 and 14', therefore, the input light passes through the optical waveguide area and can be fetched to the output 1. On the contrary, in case of fetching the input light to an output 2, it is executed by making a current flow to the electrodes 12, 12', 16, 17, 13 and 13'. That is to say, the optical waveguide area should be formed until a part where it is desired to output the input light by injecting a current, and also the route of a light can be switched by varying this optical waveguide area, therefore, a high speed switching can also be executed.

Inventors

• 👤 Shigeyuki Akiba
• 👤 重幸 秋葉
• 👤 Katsuyuki Uko
• 👤 宇高　勝之
• 👤 Kazuo Sakai
• 👤 堺　和夫
• 👤 Yuichi Matsushima
• 👤 松島　裕一

Bibliographic Details