SURFACE PLASMON OPTICAL MODULATING DEVICE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily align a light to be modulated and a light for driving modulation and to easily protect a metal film in a surface plasmon optical modulating device. SOLUTION: An optical functional film 13 which changes its refractive index by irradiation with light is formed on one face 11a of a dielectric block 11 disposed in such a manner that the light to be modulated 10 propagates in the block to be incident on the face 11a at a total reflection angle. Then a metal film 12 is formed on the film 13. The optical functional film 13 is irradiated with the light 14 for driving modulation emitted by a driving light source 15 through the dielectric block 11.