MULTILAYERED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND ITS PRODUCTION

摘要

PURPOSE:To enable the power of interlayer propagating light to be controlled and to make size smaller and density higher by providing an optical coupling part where a part of the cores of three-dimensional optical waveguides and a part of the cores of the three-dimensional optical waveguides of the other layer are disposed in proximity to each other via a clad layer held therebetween. CONSTITUTION:A lower clad layer 12a, an interlayer clad layer 12b and an upper clad layer 12c are formed on a substrate 11 and a lower core 13a is formed within the interlayer clad layer 12b on the lower clad layer 12a. An upper core 13b is formed within the upper clad layer 12c on the interlayer clad layer 12b and an interlayer core 13c for optical coupling is formed above the lower layer core 13a in proximity thereto so as to intrude into the interlayer clad layer 12b physically continuously with the upper core 13b. The interlayer clad layer 13c and a part of the lower layer core 13a are in proximity to the extent of allowing optical coupling by holding the interlayer propagation layer 14 which is a part of the interlayer clad layer therebetween, by which the optical coupling part 15 is constituted. Then, the light power propagating in the different layers is controlled by changing the length or thickness of the interlayer propagation layer 14.