| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To decrease optical-axis adjustment positions by allowing a liquid- crystal optical switch part to switch the propagation direction of light between the same and opposite directions. CONSTITUTION:Trapezoidal glass plates 8 and 9 whose refractive index is 1.75 are placed having electrode surfaces opposite each other and a liquid-crystal material 6 is charged with spacers 10 of 5mum in thickness between the glass plates to manufacture a liquid-crystal cell structure. Long axes of liquid-crystal molecules are oriented by the effect of an SiO2 film in parallel to the transparent electrode surfaces and at right angles to the paper surface. The liquid-crystal material uses nematic liquid crystal which has refractive indexes ne=1.75 and no=1.49. When no voltage is applied between the transparent electrodes 11, light entering the liquid-crystal switch part from a receiving optical fiber 4 is reflected totally by the interface between a transparent electrode and a liquid- crystal film to reach a transmitting optical fiber 4'. When a proper voltage is applied between the transparent electrodes 11, on the other hand, the long axes of the liquid-crystal molecules are oriented at right angles to the transparent electrodes, so light projected by a light emitting element 20 reaches the transmitting optical fiber 4'.
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