Switch apparatus

摘要

An object of the present invention is to provide a switch unit for optical signals which is capable of reducing an area required for arrangement and reducing manufacturing costs, and a switch apparatus including the switch unit. A switch unit 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes two optical switch arrays 34a, 34b arranged to face in opposite directions and in parallel on a substrate. The two optical switch arrays extend along a surface of a chip, and each have four optical switches 31 arranged in parallel. Such a configuration makes it possible to reduce the size of the switch unit because in an excess region of one of the optical switch array, the other optical switch array is disposed.

主权项

1. A switch unit for selecting a route for an inputted optical signal and outputting the optical signal, the switch unit comprising:
a substrate; and first and second optical switch arrays each including an optical switch which includes one common port configured to input and output the optical signal, a plurality of branch ports each configured to input and output the optical signal, a plurality of waveguides connecting the common port and the branch ports, and a plurality of Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) provided on the waveguides, and which extends along a surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first and second optical switch arrays has a shape tapering from the branch ports side toward the common port side, a number of the MZIs disposed in the branch ports side being larger than a number of the MZIs disposed in the common port side in the tapering shape of each of the first and second optical switch arrays, a first direction which is from the common port to the branch ports of the optical switch included in the first optical switch array and a second direction which is from the common port to the branch ports of the optical switch included in the second optical switch array are arranged to be opposite to each other and in parallel, and the number of the MZIs disposed in the common port side in the tapering shape for each of the first and second optical switch arrays is greater than 0.