| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To provide an optical switch having the smaller size, high efficiency and lower loss by providing an optical waveguide and electric field impressing means via an intermediate layer formed with multiple quantum wells in a layer thickness direction. CONSTITUTION:A buffer layer 22, an n-AlGaAs layer 23, i-GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well structure intermediate layer 24, a p-AlGaAs layer 25 and a p-GaAs cap layer 26 are laminated on an n<+>-GaAs substrate 21. Clad layers 27, 29 and guide layer 28 consisting of i-AlGaAs are formed in the two grooves arriving at the layer 22. An electrode 9 in contact with the groove is formed on the slit of an SiO2 layer 30 and an electrode 10 is formed on the substrate 21. The layer 28 in the above-mentioned constitution forms a directional coupler via the mesa including the layer 24; therefore, the incident light on one waveguide moves periodically between the waveguides as the light progresses. An electric field is impressed to the layer 24 and the coupling of the coupler is released if a reverse bias is impressed between the electrodes 9 and 10; therefore, the optical switch action is obtd. if an element length is selected. |
