| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waveguide type polarization converter with which thickness of a liquid crystal element is sufficiently reduced and sufficient downsizing and sufficient reduction of optical loss are realized. SOLUTION: The waveguide type polarization converter 100 is equipped with: a substrate 1; a waveguide 2 arranged on a surface 1a of the substrate 1; a waveguide 3 arranged on the surface 1a of the substrate 1, which has an optical axis coinciding with that of the waveguide 2 and an end face 3c separated from an end face 2c of the waveguide 2; and the liquid crystal element 4 arranged between the end faces 2c, 3c of the waveguides 2, 3 so as to intersect the optical axes X1, X2, wherein birefringenceΔn of the liquid crystal element 4 in a plane vertically intersecting the optical axes is 0.15 or more. By using the waveguide type polarization converter 100, when a retardation value of the liquid crystal element 4 is set to be a constant value, the thickness of the liquid crystal element 4 along the optical axes direction is sufficiently reduced and sufficient downsizing and sufficient reduction of optical loss are realized. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI |
