OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURE, OPTICAL DEMULTIPLEXER, OPTICAL MULTIPLEXER, OPTICAL SELECTOR AND OPTICAL MULTIPLEXER-DEMULTIPLEXER

摘要

PURPOSE: To propagate a higher-order made light beam in an intermediate waveguide and to produce an optical waveguide with a simple process by providing a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide consisting of two lines of optical waveguides and the intermediate optical waveguide to make the propagation losses of light beams small. ;CONSTITUTION: In this optical waveguide structure, when a light beam ₁ and a light beam ₂ made incident on a first optical waveguide 11 are made incident on an intermediate optical waveguide 13 capable of the propagation of a higher-roder mode, the light beam ₁ and the light beam ₂ are demultiplexed according to characteristics if respective optical wavelengths in the intermediate optical waveguide 13. Since demultiplexed light beams ₁, ₂ are made to be separately emitted from the two lines of optical waveguides of a second optical waveguide 12, this waveguide operates as an optical demultiplexer. Moreover, when light beam ₁, ₂ made incident on the two lines of the second optical waveguide 12 are made incident on an intermediate optical waveguide 13 capable of the propagation of the higher-order mode, since the light beams ₁, ₂ are synthesized in the intermediate optical waveguide 13 to be emitted from an exit optical waveguide, this waveguide operates as an optical multiplexer.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO