Waveguide-type optical control device and process for producing the same
First Claim
1. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
- first and second directional couplers provided while leaving a predetermined spacing therebetween, said first and second directional couplers being constituted respectively by two right and left optical waveguides provided on a substrate; and
a control unit provided between the first directional coupler and the second directional coupler, first, second, and third electrodes being provided respectively on the left side of the left optical waveguide, on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and between the two optical waveguides, said control unit functioning to control light, which passes through the two optical waveguides, according to a voltage applied to the first, second, and third electrodes, said first, second, and third electrodes being extended into the first and second directional couplers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Two right and left optical waveguides are provided so as to pass through a first directional coupler, a phase shifter, and a second directional coupler and so that directional couplers are provided in the first directional coupler portion and the second directional coupler portion. A third electrode is provided between these optical waveguides. A first electrode is provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, and a second electrode is provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide. These electrodes are extended into the first directional coupler. Upon the application of a bias voltage, the voltage is simultaneously applied to all the first to third electrodes. By virtue of this construction, a waveguide-type optical control device can be realized which, in a directional coupler-type Mach-Zehnder (MZ) construction, can improve the extinction ratio without the complication of the construction.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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first and second directional couplers provided while leaving a predetermined spacing therebetween, said first and second directional couplers being constituted respectively by two right and left optical waveguides provided on a substrate; and
a control unit provided between the first directional coupler and the second directional coupler, first, second, and third electrodes being provided respectively on the left side of the left optical waveguide, on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and between the two optical waveguides, said control unit functioning to control light, which passes through the two optical waveguides, according to a voltage applied to the first, second, and third electrodes, said first, second, and third electrodes being extended into the first and second directional couplers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter provided with a first electrode section comprising an electrode provided on the left side of a left optical waveguide, an electrode provided on the right side of a right optical waveguide, and an electrode provided between the two optical waveguides; and
a directional coupler comprising two optical waveguides which are connected respectively to the two right and left optical waveguides in the phase shifter and are provided parallel to each other with the spacing between the two optical waveguides being partially reduced, said directional coupler being used in at least one of an optical branching section provided on the input side of the phase shifter and an optical coupling section provided on the output side of the phase shifter, the refractive index of the two optical waveguides being varied according to a voltage applied across the electrodes provided respectively on the left side of the left optical waveguide and the right side of the right optical waveguide and the electrode provided between the two optical waveguides in the phase shifter, said directional coupler being provided with a second electrode section comprising an electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, an electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and an electrode provided between the two optical waveguides, the three electrodes constituting the second electrode section being electrically connected respectively to the three electrodes constituting the first electrode section provided adjacent to the second electrode section in the longitudinal direction of the two optical waveguides, the voltage applied to the first electrode section being applied to the second electrode section. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter comprising two left and right optical waveguides, a first electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, a second electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and a third electrode provided between the two optical waveguides;
a first directional coupler that is connected to one end of the phase shifter and functions to branch an optical signal introduced through one of the two optical waveguides into optical signal parts which are then introduced respectively into the two optical waveguides; and
a second directional coupler that is connected to the other end of the phase shifter and functions to couple the optical signal parts received respectively from the two optical waveguides, at least one of the first and second electrodes and the third electrode having been extended into a part or the whole of the first directional coupler or the second directional coupler.
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19. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter comprising two left and right optical waveguides, a first electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, a second electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and a third electrode provided between the two optical waveguides;
a first directional coupler that is connected to one end of the phase shifter and functions to branch an optical signal introduced through one of the two optical waveguides into optical signal parts which are then introduced respectively into the two optical waveguides; and
a second directional coupler that is connected to the other end of the phase shifter and functions to couple the optical signal parts received respectively from the two optical waveguides, at least one of the first and second electrodes and the third electrode having been extended into a part or the whole of the first directional coupler, at least one of the first and second electrodes and the third electrode having been extended into a part or the whole of the second directional coupler.
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20. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter comprising two left and right optical waveguides, a first electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, a second electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and a third electrode provided between the two optical waveguides;
a first directional coupler that is connected to one end of the phase shifter and functions to branch an optical signal introduced through one of the two optical waveguides into optical signal parts which are then introduced respectively into the two optical waveguides; and
a second directional coupler that is connected to the other end of the phase shifter and functions to couple the optical signal parts received respectively from the two optical waveguides, said first directional coupler comprising, in its directional coupling section, first directional coupling section outer electrodes disposed respectively at a portion near the left side of the left optical waveguide and at a portion near the right side of the right optical waveguide in the first directional coupling section and a first directional coupling section intermediate electrode disposed between the two optical waveguides in the first directional coupling section, said first electrode and said second electrode having been electrically connected respectively to the first directional coupling section outer electrodes, said third electrode having been electrically connected to the first directional coupling section intermediate electrode. - View Dependent Claims (21, 24)
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22. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter comprising two left and right optical waveguides, a first electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, a second electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and a third electrode provided between the two optical waveguides;
a first directional coupler that is connected to one end of the phase shifter and functions to branch an optical signal introduced through one of the two optical waveguides into optical signal parts which are then introduced respectively into the two optical waveguides; and
a second directional coupler that is connected to the other end of the phase shifter and functions to couple the optical signal parts received respectively from the two optical waveguides, said second directional coupler comprising, in its directional coupling section, second directional coupling section outer electrodes disposed respectively at a portion near the left side of the left optical waveguide and at a portion near the right side of the right optical waveguide in the second directional coupling section and a second directional coupling section intermediate electrode disposed between the two optical waveguides in the second directional coupling section, said first electrode and said second electrode having been electrically connected respectively to the second directional coupling section outer electrodes, said third electrode having been electrically connected to the second directional coupling section intermediate electrode. - View Dependent Claims (23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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26. A variable optical attenuator comprising:
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a phase shifter provided with a first electrode section comprising an electrode provided on the left side of a left optical waveguide, an electrode provided on the right side of a right optical waveguide, and an electrode provided between the two optical waveguides; and
a directional coupler comprising two optical waveguides which are connected respectively to the two optical waveguides in the phase shifter and are provided parallel to each other with the spacing between the two optical waveguides being partially reduced, said directional coupler being used in at least one of an optical branching section provided on the input side of the phase shifter and an optical coupling section provided on the output side of the phase shifter, the refractive index of the two optical waveguides being varied according to a voltage applied across the electrodes provided respectively on the left side of the left optical waveguide and the right side of the right optical waveguide and the electrode provided between the two optical waveguides in the phase shifter, whereby the attenuation level of the lights passed through the optical waveguides is controlled, said directional coupler being provided with a second electrode section comprising an electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, an electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and an electrode provided between the two optical waveguides, the three electrodes constituting the second electrode section being electrically connected respectively to the three electrodes constituting the first electrode section provided adjacent to the second electrode section in the longitudinal direction of the two optical waveguides, the voltage applied to the first electrode section being applied to the second electrode section.
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33. A waveguide-type optical control device comprising:
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a phase shifter comprising two left and right optical waveguides, a first electrode provided on the left side of the left optical waveguide, a second electrode provided on the right side of the right optical waveguide, and a third electrode provided between the two optical waveguides;
a first directional coupler that is connected to one end of the phase shifter and functions to branch an optical signal introduced through one of the two optical waveguides into optical signal parts which are then introduced respectively into the two optical waveguides; and
a second directional coupler that is connected to the other end of the phase shifter and functions to couple the optical signal parts received respectively from the two optical waveguides, at least one of the first and second electrodes and the third electrode having been extended into a part or the whole of the first directional coupler or the second directional coupler, the third electrode in its extended electrode portion being provided so that a longitudinal electric field is applied to one of the two optical waveguides. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. A process for producing a waveguide-type optical control device, comprising the steps of:
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forming two right and left optical waveguides so as to construct a phase shifter and at least one directional coupler within a substrate;
forming a first electrode and a second electrode respectively on the left side of the left optical waveguide and on the right side of the right optical waveguide so as to extend from the phase shifter to a part of the directional coupler, forming a third electrode between the two optical waveguides so as to extend from the phase shifter to a part of the directional coupler, and, in addition, forming a plurality of independent electrode pieces at a predetermined interval at the end of the second electrode and at the end of the third electrode, or forming a plurality of electrode pieces at a predetermined interval connected to each other or one another in a cascade form through a fuse; and
successively wire bonding the necessary number of the plurality of independent electrode pieces from the inner side, or successively fusion cutting the fuse of the necessary number of the plurality of cascaded electrode pieces from the outer side so as to bring the characteristic value of the directional coupler to a desired value.
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Specification