Optical device

• US 20030142902A1
• Filed: 07/10/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugitatsu, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US10/191,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142902A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/27
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3515 All-optical modulation, gating, switching, e.g. control of a light beam by another light beam G02F1/353, G02F1/37, G02F1/39 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals

Abstract

An optical device having a waveguide that is formed in a photonic crystal and is provided with a special function utilizing a property specific to the photonic crystal is obtained. The waveguide device includes a waveguide formed in the photonic crystal having a periodic structure formed of at least two kinds of optical mediums. The waveguide is configured not to satisfy arrangement of the periodic structure so as to pass the light of a frequency in a photonic band gap range of the photonic crystal. At a prescribed portion of the waveguide, an optical non-linear medium having linear response as well as quadratic or higher-order non-linear response to the incoming energy of the photoelectric field is provided.

Claims

1. An optical device having a waveguide formed within a photonic crystal having a periodic structure formed of at least two kinds of optical mediums, the waveguide being formed not to satisfy arrangement of said periodic structure so as to pass light of a frequency in a photonic band gap range of said photonic crystal,

an optical non-linear medium having linear response as well as quadratic or higher-order response with respect to an incoming energy of a photoelectric field being provided at a prescribed portion of said waveguide.

2. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical non-linear medium functions as a wavelength shifter which shifts a wavelength of the light propagating through said waveguide.

3. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said photonic crystal is formed as a photonic crystal fiber, and said waveguide is placed as a core of the photonic crystal fiber.

4. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, with said waveguide being placed in a unique portion other than a simple linear continuous portion or a preceding portion of the unique portion, said optical non-linear medium functions as an optical path changing device which receives light directed to the optical non-linear medium and changes an optical path of the light for emission.

5. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, with said waveguide being located in a unique portion other than a simple linear continuous portion or a preceding portion of the unique portion, said optical non-linear medium functions as a luminous flux changing device which receives light directed to the optical non-linear medium and changes a luminous flux of the light for emission.

6. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical non-linear medium is placed in a meeting portion where at least two waveguides meet and a fewer number of waveguides go out therefrom, and receives lights propagated through said at least two waveguides and bends the lights to the outgoing waveguides for emission.

7. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical non-linear medium is placed in a branch portion where one waveguide is branched into at least two waveguides going out therefrom.

8. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical non-linear medium is a medium whose degree of non-linearity is controlled and changed by external control means.

9. The optical device according to claim 8, wherein said optical non-linear medium is any of electro-optic material, optoacoustic material, temperature driven material and stress driven material.