PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a practical high-polymer digital thermooptical optical switch which operates with low power consumption and at high speed by proposing the design method of a new waveguide for a thermooptical switch which makes a core and a heater be in close aproximity without disturbing a single mode light guiding condition with a normal mode diameter. ;SOLUTION: This optical switch has a laminated structure consisting of a lower part clad 5 to be formed on a substrate 3, a core 4 which is formed at the upper part of the lower part clad 5 and which has a refractive index higher than that of the clad 5 and also which guides a light, an upper part clad 6 which has a refractive index lower than that of the core 4 and a heating element to be formed at the upper part of the clad 6 of the part having a branched shape in which the core 4 is plurally branched. In this case, the upper part clad 6 positioned at the lower part of the heating element has an area 8 where a refractive index changes at least one part of a laminated direction.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1999,JPO
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