摘要 |
A multilayer dielectric optical waveguide (30, 40) is formed on a III-V semiconductor substrate layer (6) comprised of either InGaAsP or AlGaAs. A lower cladding layer (30) of dielectric material such as SiOx, (x DIFFERENCE 2) having a lower index of refraction than the substrate layer is directionally deposited on an exposed surface (17) of the substrate layer by a controlled evaporation process. A core layer (40) is fabricated on the lower cladding layer by coating an exposed surface (31) of the lower cladding layer with a dielectric material having an index of refraction greater than the index of the cladding layer. One material useful as the core layer is polyimide. Both one-dimensional (FIG. 8) and two-dimensional (FIG. 10) waveguides are capable of being made by appropriate addition of an upper cladding layer (50 or 60) about the core layer. The refractive index of the upper cladding layer is less than the refractive index of the core layer.
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