Semiconductor optical component and optical switching system and wavelength variable laser

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor optical element capable of regulating the outgoing angle of light by simple current control and easy to manufacture.;SOLUTION: The semiconductor optical element is provided with a semiconductor substrate 2, a lower clad layer 6, an active layer 4 and an upper clad layer 5 which are laminated on the semiconductor substrate and forming a part of a waveguide, and an outgoing end surface 8 from which outgoing of light from the waveguide is effected and which is formed by cleavage. In this case, the waveguide is intersected with the normal line of the outgoing end surface in the outgoing end surface in a plane parallel to the substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate while forming a first angle θ₁ and the optical axis of the light outgoing from the waveguide is intersected with the normal line of the outgoing end surface with a second angle θ₂ in the outgoing end surface in a plane parallel to the substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate. In such a semiconductor optical element, a partial hating means 14 is provided in the neighborhood of the outgoing end surface above the upper clad layer to change the equivalent refractive index of the waveguide by heating the waveguide with the partial heating means whereby the second angle is changed.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT