| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reflection type optical switch which is superior in durability and has a thick film of a nonlinear optical medium, and an optical distributing device and an optical multiplexing device which use the same. <P>SOLUTION: On a substrate 10, a reflective layer 12 with a high reflection factor, an inorganic semiconductor crystal layer 14, and a reflective layer 16 with a low reflection factor are laminated in this order. Optical switching uses tertiary nonlinear optical characteristics (Kerr effect) of inorganic semiconductor crystal. When the optical switch is irradiated with signal light which is linearly polarized by a polarizer and control light whose polarization direction is slanted at 45° to the signal light, refractive index anisotropy is induced in the inorganic semiconductor crystal only while the optical switch is irradiated with the control light, so that the signal light is converted from the linear polarized light to elliptic polarized light. Only a component of the elliptic polarized light which is orthogonal to the original polarization direction is detected through an analyzer. Thus, the signal light is turned ON and OFF with the control light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI |
