| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To speed up the operation to inject and remove liquid into and from a gap and to allow high-speed optical switching. CONSTITUTION:This optical switch has an optical waveguide 5 which is formed on a substrate 1 and is constituted by coating a core 3 for propagating light with clads 2, 4 having the refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core, the groove-shaped gap 8 which is provided in the optical waveguide 5 so as to cut the core 3 thereof, the liquid 6 which is packed into the gap and has the refractive index approximately equal to the refractive index of the core 3, and a liquid temp. control means 22 which is provided near the gap 8, forcibly heats and evaporates the liquid 6 in the gap and forcibly cools and condenses the evaporated liquid. |
