OPTICAL CONFLUENCE CIRCUIT

摘要

PURPOSE:To shorten a circuit length and to permit a large-scale integration by providing plural optical guides for input on a base plate, providing an optical waveguide for output to intersect therewith and providing reflection faces on the intersected parts thereof. CONSTITUTION:The plural optical waveguides 3-1-3-n for input and one optical waveguide 4 for output intersecting therewith are provided on a base plate G. The reflection faces 6-1-6-n which incline at the same angle phi with both of the waveguides 3-1-3, 4 in both directions of the plate G are provided to the side faces in the intersected parts 5 of the waveguides 3-1-3, 4 for the input and output. The light of the reflection mode theta of which the angle with the side faces of the waveguides 3-1-3-n is below the critical angle propagates in the waveguides 3-1-3-n from the total reflecting conditions of the light. The light of the mode theta is made incident at the prescribed angle on the reflection face 6-k and the light inputted to the optical waveguide 3-k for output is outputted to an output port 7. The reflection mode theta is not affected by the reflection faces 6-k+1-6-n and therefore said light propagates in the waveguide 4 without radiation loss. The greater part of the light power is thus outputted to the port 7 and the optical confluence is made possible.