HIGH DENSITY INTEGRATED OPTICAL CHIP WITH LOW INDEX DIFFERENCE AND HIGH INDEX DIFFERENCE WAVEGUIDE FUNCTIONS

摘要

The invention features a programmable optical chip (20). The optical chip (20) has a plurality of optical functions (26), each of which is connected to a waveguide (22) having a core and a cladding (44, 46). A photosensitive layer is disposed between at least three of the waveguides, and the photosensitive layer (551, 552) has a refractive index similar to that of the cladding prior to exposure to irradiation. The photosensitive layer (551, 552) changes refractive index upon exposure to irradiation to selectively form an optical connection between at least two of the waveguides.