| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To increase the integration of an optical integrated circuit and to unite effectively the circuit and an optical device such as semiconductor laser to one body by laminating plural light guides in three dimensions. CONSTITUTION:An n-light guide layer 2-3 having low carrier density and small loss is held between a p-clad layer 2-2 and an n-clad layer 2-4 each having large band gap energy and low refractive index, and the layer 2-3 is formed on a semiconductor subtrate 2-1 having high carrier density as an epitaxial layer having a double-hetero structure. An epitaxial layer of different kind is further formed using a p-light guide layer 2-5. When voltage is applied to metallic electrodes 2-8, 2-9 keeping ohmic contact with prescribed polarity in the direction of the thickness, the refractive indexes of the layers 2-5, 2-3 are increased and decreased, respectively by an electro-optical effect, and optical switching, optical modulation or other action is carried out according to a change in the optical propagation constant. By the three-dimensional constitution, the integration of the resulting optical integrated circuit is increased, and since one of the light guide has the same structure as the active layer of semiconductor laser, the circuit and the laser are effectively united to one body. |
