OPTICAL SWITCH, METHOD FOR SWITCHING LIGHT EMITTING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR SWITCHING LIGHT RECEIVING APPARATUS, MULTIPLEXER, DEMULTIPLEXER AND OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the failure probability, transmission loss and size. SOLUTION: The optical switch 10 switches between a plurality of light emitting apparatuses Tx emitting light in different wavelengths and a backup light emitting apparatus 12 which can be substituted for any of the above light emitting apparatuses. The optical switch 10 is provided with: a base member 10A in which a plurality of main waveguides 15 where the main light from the respective light emitting apparatus Tx enters and is guided to a multiplexer 14, and a back up waveguide 16 formed as obliquely intersecting with the main waveguides 15 to guide the backup light from the backup light emitting apparatus 12 from the downstream side to the upstream side in the propagation direction of the main light; a mirror 17x disposed in such a manner that the mirror can be inserted into and retreated from the respective intersection and that when the mirror is inserted, the main light from the light emitting apparatus Tx is blocked while the backup light from the backup light emitting apparatus 12 is reflected to a multiplexer 14; and a driving part for each mirror to insert and retreat the mirror 17x into and from the intersection. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO