MECHANICAL OPTICAL SWITCH

摘要

PURPOSE:To make it possible to form arbitrary optical waveguide patterns on substrates of respective layers of a multilayered optical circuit board and to switch the three-dimensional intermediary connections of these optical waveguides in arbitrary connection patterns. CONSTITUTION:The substrates 1a to 1c which are to be intermediated and are formed with switching unit fitting holes 3 penetrating the substrate surfaces are laminated. The first and second optical waveguides 4a1 to 4c2 are respectively extended from one end side 10 and the other end side 11 of the substrates 1a to 1c to be intermediated to the one end side 16a and the other end side 16b of the switching unit fitting holes 3. The interlayer intermediary switching unit substrate (switching substrate) 2 formed with the three-dimensional intermediary optical waveguides 5a to 5c of three different patterns is freely slidably fitted into the switching unit fitting holes 3. This switching substrate 2 is moved along the switching unit fitting holes 3, by which the three-dimensional intermediary optical waveguides 5a to 5c for intermediaing the first and second optical waveguides 4 to each other are switched and the connections between the first and second optical waveguides 4 are switched.