| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To provide the circulator which operates without utilizing a magneto- optical effect, is smaller in size with an element and syabler, has the good matching property with optical fibers and can be effectively integrated with waveguide type optical function elements by coupling the optical waveguide formed by a titanium diffusion method and an optical waveguide formed by a proton exchange method. CONSTITUTION:This circulator is constituted of the titanium diffused optical waveguide 1 and proton exchanged optical waveguide 2 respectively formed on a lithium niobate crystal substrate. The extraordinarry light refractive index of the proton exchanged optical waveguide 2 is extremely higher than the extraordinary light refractive index of the titanium diffused optical waveguide 1 in the boundary region between the titanium diffused optical waveguide 1 and the proton exchanged optical waveguide 2. Then, total reflection arises at the boundary thereof inclined by an angle theta. The exit ports to which the difference in the progressing direction of light waves corresponds can be discriminated by utilizing the total reflection of the light waves generated at the time of progression from the high-refractive index region to the low-refractive index in such a manner. |
