OPTICAL SWITCHING ELEMENT AND ITS MANUFACTURE

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain the fast-response optical switch element which uses not heat effect, but light reaction for the operation principle of an optical switch. CONSTITUTION:In the manufacturing process of the optical switching element which is provided with a layer, varying in refractive index with control light, between optical waveguides of a coupler composed of the optical waveguides, the layer is formed by vapor-deposition or light-irradiating vapor-deposition. A photochromic compound is used preferably for the layer. The internal strain stress of the formed noncrystalline vapor-deposited film itself is 1-3 digits less than that of a conventional optical switch which requires a substrate heating process and postbaking and variation and a noise due to stress between the couplers are made small.