| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To attain efficient switching operation by impressing a required operation voltage to a heat generating element to heat optical waveguides and generate a required transmission constant difference. CONSTITUTION:Ion exchange is applied to a substrate consisting of glass or the like having a thermo-optic effect to form optical waveguides 12, 13 and a heat generating element 20 is formed on the coupling area of both the optical waveguides 12, 13. The element 20 is made of a resistor film and constituted of conductive parts 23-25 for supplying current to a heat generating part 21 of the optical waveguide 12 corresponding to an area B and a heat generating part 22 of the waveguide 23 corresponding to an area A. At the impression of a voltage V to the element 20, the area B of the waveguide 12 and the area A of the waveguide 13 are heated by heat generated in the heat generating parts 21, 22 and transmission constant difference +DELTAbeta, -DELTAbeta are respectively generated in the area A, B between the wavegudes 12 and 13 by the thermo- optic effect. Thereby, the operating state of the switch is switched from a light coupling state to a light branching state or its reverse state.
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