JP2005242069A - Optical waveguide device and optical information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical information processing device which can use a multi-mode optical waveguide capable of reducing cost, having little wavelength dependency, being advantageous to reduction in size and power consumption, and permitting add-drop optical switch operation, and to provide an optical waveguide device suitably used for manufacturing the same. <P>SOLUTION: In an optical waveguide layer 2, a core 3 for a port of incidence, a 1st optical coupling path core 4, and a core 5 for an exit port faced to a 1st end part 9 are arranged and a 1st gap 11 permitting to insert a 1st reflecting plane 51 therein is arranged between the 1st end part 9 and the core 5 for the exit port, a core 6 for add, a 2nd optical coupling path core 7, and a core 8 for drop faced to a 2nd end part 10 are arranged and a 2nd gap 12 permitting to insert a 2nd reflecting plane 53 therein is arranged between the 2nd end part 10 and the core 8 for drop; and further, the 1st optical coupling path core 4 is connected to the 2nd optical coupling path core 7 on the light reflecting plane 13 in a manner of an optical path. A driving means for inserting the 1st reflecting plane 51 and the 2nd reflecting plane 53 into the 1st gap 11 and the 2nd gap 12, respectively, is arranged on the cores 4 and 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical waveguide device and an optical information processing device that are preferably used in various devices for optical wiring.

  Until now, information transmission over a relatively short distance, such as between boards in electronic equipment or between chips in a board, has been performed mainly by electrical signals, but in order to further improve the performance of integrated circuits. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the signal speed and the signal wiring density. However, in the electric signal wiring, it is difficult to increase the speed of the electric signal and increase the density of the electric signal wiring due to problems such as signal delay due to the time constant of the wiring and generation of noise.

  Optical wiring (optical interconnection) that solves these problems is drawing attention. Optical wiring can be applied to various locations such as between electronic devices, between boards in electronic devices, or between chips in a board. For example, chips are mounted for transmission of signals over a short distance such as between chips. It is possible to construct an optical transmission / communication system in which an optical waveguide is formed on a substrate, and this optical waveguide is used as a transmission path for signal-modulated laser light or the like.

  In such an optical wiring system, an optical signal switching device for selecting an appropriate optical path from a plurality of optical paths and an optical add / drop device for adding (adding) and extracting (dropping) an optical signal are indispensable. .

  Conventionally, an optical switch of an optical wiring system using an optical waveguide has been constituted by a multistage connection branch using a directional coupler, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 described later discloses an example in which an optical add drop multiplexer (OADM) with a switching function is realized by a combination of a directional coupler and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of an OADM device with a switching function disclosed in Patent Document 1. In FIG. This device is formed on a semiconductor substrate, and is formed of input / output optical waveguides 101 to 106, directional couplers 111 to 114 formed by bringing two optical waveguides close to each other, and a fiber Bragg grating (Bragg wavelength: λ ₁ ) 115 and 116 written therein, and optical waveguides 109 and 110 provided with heaters 117 and 118, respectively.

In this apparatus, the Mach-Zehnder interferometer 121 that selects and reflects light having a specific wavelength λ ₁ is constituted by the directional coupler 111, the optical waveguides 107 and 108 in which the grating is written, and the directional coupler 112. doing.

That is, when incident light incident from the input port 101 passes through the directional coupler 111, 50% shifts from the input port 101 side to the first coupling path 103 side and branches to 50:50, They are guided to the optical waveguides 107 and 108, respectively. Of the incident light, light of wavelength λ ₁ is selectively reflected by gratings (Bragg wavelength: λ ₁ ) 115 and 116 and returned to directional coupler 111. When the light having the wavelength λ ₁ passes through the directional coupler 111 in the opposite direction, the remaining 50% shifts from the input port 101 side to the first coupling path 103 side, and as a result, 100% is the first It is sent out to the coupling path 103. On the other hand, incident light having a wavelength other than λ ₁ passes through the grating 115 or 116 to the directional coupler 112, and when passing through the directional coupler 112, the remaining 50% is also from the second coupling path 104 side. As a result, 100% is emitted to the output port 102.

  On the other hand, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer including a directional coupler 113, optical waveguides 109 and 110 including a heater, and a directional coupler 114 is a thermo-optic switch (hereinafter referred to as a TO switch) 122. Is configured. The TO switch 122 has no phase difference between the light propagating through the optical waveguide 109 and the light propagating through the optical waveguide 110 when the heater 117 is off, but the refractive index changes when the heater 117 is on. Therefore, a phase difference of π is generated between the two.

Therefore, when the heater 117 is on, the phase difference of light traveling through the two optical waveguides constituting the TO switch 122 is generated by the action of the heater 117 in π generated by the two directional couplers 113 and 114. 2π (or 0) is obtained by adding or subtracting π, and light does not shift from one optical waveguide to the other. As a result, the light of wavelength λ ₁ incident on the TO switch 122 from the first coupling path 103 is sent out to the second coupling path 104. The light of wavelength λ ₁ sent out to the second coupling path 104 is guided to the Mach-Zehnder interferometer 121 in which the grating is written, reflected here, and emitted to the output port 102. When the heater 117 is on, the add light incident from the add light input port 105 is emitted to the add light output port 106.

On the other hand, when the heater 117 is off, the phase difference of the light traveling through the two optical waveguides constituting the TO switch 122 is only π generated in the two directional couplers 113 and 114. The light of wavelength λ ₁ sent from the one coupling path 103 to the TO switch 122 is emitted to the add light output port 106 as drop light. At this time, the add light incident from the add light input port 105 is sent out to the second coupling path 104 and guided to the Mach-Zehnder interferometer 121 in which the grating is written. If the add light includes light of wavelength λ ₁ , this light is reflected by the Mach-Zehnder interferometer 121 and emitted to the output port 102.

As described above, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 11, the output destination of the light having the wavelength λ ₁ included in the incident light and the add light is switched to the output port 102 or the add light output port 106 by turning on and off the heater 117. And drop switch operation.

JP 2001-109022 A (2nd and 3rd pages, FIG. 1)

  However, in order to use a directional coupler or a Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a means for switching the optical path, the optical waveguide needs to be a single mode waveguide because of its operating principle. The size of the cross section of the core is limited to approximately 6 to 10 μm or less. If an optical wiring is formed using such a thin optical waveguide core, high work accuracy is required, resulting in high costs. Therefore, in order to form an optical wiring that allows a large optical waveguide core size and can be manufactured at low cost, an optical path switching means that can be used even in a multimode optical waveguide having a large number of modes is required. It is.

  Further, in the optical path switching means composed of a directional coupler and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, as shown in FIG. 11, there are many places where the direction of the optical waveguide needs to be changed, and a curved optical waveguide is frequently used. . In an optical waveguide made of a material having a small difference in refractive index between the core and the clad, when a curved optical waveguide having a small curvature radius is formed, optical loss due to light leakage to the clad increases. Therefore, in order to suppress optical loss due to light leakage, it is necessary to use a large number of optical waveguides having a large radius of curvature, which increases the size of the optical wiring and makes it difficult to reduce the size of the device.

  Further, since the refractive index changes depending on the wavelength, the phase difference generated in the directional coupler and the Mach-Zehnder interferometer has wavelength dependency. For this reason, in an optical switch that switches the path of light based on the phase difference of light, there is a possibility that the path of light changes when the wavelength changes.

  Further, when a thermo-optic switch (TO switch) is used for switching the optical path, there is a problem that power consumption due to heater heating increases. In addition, there is a method in which the optical waveguide is heated with heaters provided at a plurality of locations in order to cope with the above-described wavelength dependency. In this case, however, the power consumption is further increased, and the apparatus is avoided from being enlarged. I can't.

  In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to use a multimode optical waveguide that can be reduced in cost, has little wavelength dependency, is advantageous for downsizing and low power consumption, and has an add-drop light. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical information processing apparatus capable of switching operation and an optical waveguide device suitably used for manufacturing the same.

That is, the present invention
The first light incident path and the first optical coupling path are provided so as to intersect with each other on the first end portion or an extension line thereof, and the first light exit path is opposed to the first end portion with a first gap. Provided,
The first gap is provided so that a first direction changing means having a first reflecting surface facing the first end portion can be selectively taken in and out of the gap.
The light emitted from the first light incident path and the first optical coupling path is incident on the first light exit path by the operation of the first direction changing means, or at least the first light incident path. Whether the light emitted from the light is reflected to the first optical coupling path is selected,
The second light incident path and the second optical coupling path are provided so as to intersect with each other on the second end or an extension line thereof, and the first light exit path is provided with a first gap facing the second end. Provided,
The second gap is provided such that second direction changing means having a second reflecting surface facing the second end can be selectively taken in and out of the gap.
The light emitted from the second light incident path and the second optical coupling path is incident on the second light exit path by the operation of the second direction changing means, or at least the second light exit path. Whether the light emitted from the light is reflected to the second optical coupling path is selected,
Furthermore, the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are optically connected.
The present invention relates to an optical waveguide device.

  According to the present invention, the optical waveguide device and the first direction changing means and the second direction changing means that can be selectively inserted and removed are provided in the first gap and the second gap, respectively. The present invention also relates to an optical information processing apparatus, and also relates to a composite optical information processing apparatus in which a plurality of these optical information processing apparatuses are juxtaposed.

  According to the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention, the first direction changing means having the first reflecting surface facing the first end portions of the first light incident path and the first optical coupling path may include: The first gap provided between the first end and the first light exit path is selectively detachable, and the second light incident path and the second optical coupling path are arranged. The second direction changing means having the second reflecting surface facing the second end of the second selection means is selected with respect to the second gap provided between the second end and the second light emission path. The first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are optically connected to each other. When the first direction changing means is not inserted into the first gap, the light emitted from the first light incident path and the first optical coupling path is incident on the first light emitting path. When the first direction changing means is inserted into the first gap, the light emitted from the first light incident path is reflected by the first reflecting surface and enters the first optical coupling path. In addition, when the second direction changing means is not inserted in the second gap, both the light emitted from the second light incident path and the second optical coupling path are incident on the second light emitting path. When the second direction changing means is inserted in the second gap, the light emitted from the second light incident path is reflected by the second reflecting surface and enters the second optical coupling path. Are arranged to be.

  For this reason, four operation modes are possible in the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention. That is, when both the first and second direction changing means are not inserted into the first and second gaps, the first optical signal propagated through the first light incident path is the first light signal. The second optical signal sent out to one light exit path and propagated through the second light entrance path is sent out to the second light exit path. The first direction changing means is not inserted into the first gap, but when the second direction changing means is inserted into the second gap, the first optical signal is While being sent to the first light exit path, the second optical signal is reflected by the second reflecting surface and enters the second optical coupling path, and is optically connected to the second optical coupling path. The first light coupling path is sent to the first light exit path. As a result, both the first optical signal and the second optical signal are sent out to the first optical emission path, and the second optical signal is added to the first optical signal. Operation is performed. Further, when the first direction changing means is inserted in the first gap, but the second direction changing means is not inserted in the second gap, the first optical signal is Reflected by the first reflecting surface, enters the first optical coupling path, and is sent out to the second optical emission path through the second optical coupling path optically connected to the first optical coupling path. It is. As a result, a drop operation for taking out the first optical signal to the second light emission path is performed. Further, when the first and second direction changing means are inserted in the first and second gaps, respectively, the first optical signal and the second optical signal are respectively The optical signal is not reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface and is not sent to the first light emitting path or the second light emitting path.

  At this time, since the switching of the optical path along which the first optical signal and the second optical signal travel is performed only by the presence or absence of reflection on the first reflection surface or the second reflection surface, light interference is used. Unlike the optical waveguide, the optical waveguide is not limited to a single-mode optical waveguide, and the wavelength dependence hardly occurs in the selection of the optical path along which the optical signal travels.

  In addition, the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention, unlike an optical information processing apparatus such as an optical switch using a conventional directional coupler or Mach-Zehnder interferometer, has few bent portions for changing the direction of the optical waveguide, Since there is no optical waveguide portion that requires a long distance like the interference region, the optical wiring can be reduced in size, and as a result, the entire optical information processing apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Further, since the operation necessary for switching the optical path is only to put the first direction changing means and / or the second direction changing means into and out of the first gap and the second gap, respectively, the thermo-optic switch Compared to a method that requires heater heating, such as a (TO switch), it is advantageous in reducing power consumption.

  In the optical waveguide device of the present invention, the first light incident path, the first optical coupling path, and the first light emission path are appropriately arranged, and the first direction changing means can be selectively taken in and out. 1 gap is provided between the first end and the first light exit path, and the second light entrance path, the second optical coupling path, and the second light exit path are appropriately disposed, The second gap capable of selectively taking in and out the second direction changing means is provided between the second end portion and the second light exit path, and further, the first optical coupling path and the second light path. Since it has a structure in which the optical coupling path is optically connected, the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention can be formed by combining with the first direction changing means and the second direction changing means.

  In addition, since the composite optical information processing apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of the optical information processing apparatuses of the present invention juxtaposed, the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention has less wavelength dependency, is small, The feature of low power consumption can be exhibited best.

  The light incident on the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include laser light such as semiconductor laser light.

  In the optical waveguide device of the present invention, the first light incident path and the first light exit path are substantially linearly provided, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path are substantially It is good to be provided in a straight line. This is to reduce the propagation loss from the first light incident path to the first light exit path and to reduce the propagation loss from the second light incident path to the second light exit path.

  At this time, the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path intersect at an end portion or an extension line thereof, and a light reflecting surface is provided at a position facing the end surface or the end surface, and the first optical coupling path and the It is preferable that the light emitted from one optical coupling path of the second optical coupling path is reflected by the light reflecting surface and incident on the other optical coupling path. As is often the case, when the first light incident path and the second light incident path are provided substantially in parallel, the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are respectively Since the first gap and the second gap are oriented in substantially the same direction, in order to connect these two waveguides in an optical path, the path of light propagating through these waveguides is approximately 180 degrees. It is necessary to change direction. If this is attempted only with a curved optical waveguide, the curvature becomes too large and the optical loss due to leakage increases, or if the curvature is decreased to suppress the optical loss, the optical wiring becomes larger and the entire device becomes larger. Inconvenience occurs. In such a case, by using the reflection by the light reflecting surface, the curved portion of the optical waveguide can be reduced, and both suppression of optical loss and miniaturization of the apparatus can be achieved.

  Alternatively, the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path may be connected and integrated. For example, when it is difficult to provide the light reflecting surface or when the requirement for downsizing is not strict, the first optical coupling path and the second light are integrated with an optical waveguide having a relatively small curvature. You may comprise a coupling path.

  The first light incident path and the first light exit path may be changed in directions opposite to each other, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path may be changed in directions opposite to each other. . At this time, the first light incident path and the first light exit path, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path are respectively changed in direction by a reflecting surface and provided substantially antiparallel. It is good. Further, it is preferable that the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are connected and integrated, and the direction is changed in the direction of the first end portion and the second end portion. . In this case, when the optical information processing apparatus is formed in combination with the driving unit of the first direction changing unit and the second direction changing unit, the first light incident path and the first light emitting path, Alternatively, the distance between the second light incident path and the second light exit path is reduced, and the whole becomes an elongated shape. For this reason, when a large number of the optical information processings are juxtaposed so that the incident / exit directions of the signal light are substantially parallel or substantially anti-parallel to each other, the pitch of the arrangement is reduced and the mounting density is improved.

  Here, it is preferable that the optical waveguide layer is formed by a joined body of a core and a clad, the joined body is partially removed, and the reflection surface is present on a wall surface of the removed portion. In this case, the reflection surface can be easily formed by using a semiconductor manufacturing technique, and the notched portion is occupied by air, and the refractive index is small, so that the signal light is totally reflected by the reflection surface. be able to.

  Further, the optical waveguide device comprises a joined body of a core and a clad, and the first light incident path, the first optical coupling path, the first light emitting path, the second light incident path, and the like by the core. A second optical coupling path and the second light emission path may be formed. At this time, an optical waveguide layer is formed by the joined body, and the first gap and the second gap are preferably provided so as to divide at least the core of the optical waveguide layer. The joined body may be partially removed, and the first gap and the second gap may be formed by the removed portion. If it does in this way, the said optical waveguide apparatus can be efficiently produced collectively using a semiconductor manufacturing technique.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the joined body is formed of a resin. By using an organic material-based resin as the material of the optical waveguide, the optical waveguide manufacturing process can be simplified as compared with the case of using a conventional silica-based optical waveguide. For example, when UV (ultraviolet) curable organic materials are used, film formation by spin coating or the like and core processing by photolithography are possible, and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) like a quartz optical waveguide is used. ) Or FHD (Flame Hydrolysis Deposition), etc. and core processing by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) are no longer required, and the light A waveguide can be manufactured.

  In the optical information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the first direction changing means and the second direction changing means are provided on both sides of the support shaft, respectively. It is preferable to have driving means for rotating in the direction.

  Further, it is preferable that the driving means is constituted by a current-carrying coil provided in the rotating body and magnets arranged in the vicinity of both ends of the rotating body.

  The first light incident path is used as an input port, the first light exit path is used as an output port, the second light incident path is used as an add light input port, and the second light exit path is used as a drop light output port. It may be formed as an add / drop switch.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Embodiment 1
The first embodiment is an example in which an optical add / drop switch is configured as an example of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention. This optical add / drop switch is formed by mounting the mirror driving device shown in FIG. 2 on the optical waveguide device shown in FIG. 1 as shown in FIG.

  1A and 1B are a perspective view and a plan view of an optical waveguide device according to the first embodiment. In this optical waveguide device, for example, an optical waveguide layer 2 made of a core-cladding assembly is formed on a substrate 1 such as silicon, and more specifically, a core serving as a light guide between a lower cladding and an upper cladding. Is embedded. The core includes an entrance port core 3 as the first light incident path, a first optical coupling path core 4 as the first optical coupling path, an exit port core 5 as the first light exit path, and the second light incident path. As the second optical coupling path, a second optical coupling path core 7 is provided, and a dropping core 8 is provided as the second light emitting path.

  The optical waveguide layer 2 is manufactured using, for example, an acrylic organic solvent, has a relative refractive index difference Δn = 0.8% between the core and the clad, and each of the cores 3 to 8 is a square having a cross section of 40 μm × 40 μm. This is a multimode optical waveguide.

  The incident port core 3 and the first optical coupling path core 4 are provided such that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects on the first end portion 9 or its extension line, and faces the first end portion 9. Thus, the output port core 5 is disposed. Between the first end portion 9 and the end face of the exit port core 5, there is a first gap 11 into which the first mirror 50 as the first direction changing means having the first reflecting surface 51 can be inserted. Is provided. Specifically, the first gap 11 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 2 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom surface of the recess is positioned below the core, and the first reflecting surface 51 of the first mirror 50 inserted into the recess is made to completely block between the cores 3 and 4 and the core 5. Yes.

  Similarly, the add core 6 and the second optical coupling path core 7 are provided so that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects the second end 10 or its extension line, and the second end 10 A drop core 8 is disposed opposite to. A second gap 12 is provided between the second end 10 and the end face of the drop core 8 so that the second mirror 52 as the second direction changing means having the second reflecting surface 53 can be inserted. It has been. Specifically, the second gap 12 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 2 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom surface of the recess is located below the core, and the second reflecting surface 53 of the second mirror 52 inserted into the recess is made to completely block between the cores 6 and 7 and the core 8. Yes.

  Further, the first optical coupling path core 4 and the second optical coupling path core 7 intersect each other on the other end or its extension line, and the light reflecting surface 13 is provided at a position facing the end surface or the end surface, Light emitted from one optical coupling path core of the first optical coupling path core 4 and the second optical coupling path core 7 is reflected by the light reflecting surface 13 and is incident on the other optical coupling path core. Yes. As the light reflecting surface 13, for example, a thin film such as gold is formed on the side surface of the optical waveguide layer 2 by vapor deposition or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view (a) and a top view (b) of the mirror driving device according to the first embodiment. The mirror driving device 40 includes a first mirror 50 and a second mirror 52 which are the first direction changing means and the second direction changing means, respectively, provided as a recess in the optical waveguide layer 2. It functions to selectively move in and out of the gap 11 and the second gap 12.

  The main part of the mirror driving device 40 shown in FIG. 2 is formed of a mirror driving device forming substrate 41 made of, for example, silicon, and a seesaw plate 43 as a rotating body is rotated by a support rod 42 as a support shaft. It is supported so that it can move. The shape of the seesaw plate 43 is, for example, a rectangle of 1200 μm × 200 μm, and a coil 44 is formed on the seesaw plate 43 by, for example, aluminum wiring, and the coil 44 is provided with a first wiring electrode 45 and a second wiring. It is formed so that it can be energized from the wiring electrode 46. The seesaw plate 43 is produced, for example, by etching the substrate 41.

  A first magnet 47 and a second magnet 48 are mounted on the mirror drive device forming substrate 41 in the vicinity of both longitudinal ends of the seesaw plate 43. The magnetic field generated by the first magnet 47 and the second magnet 48 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the short side of the seesaw plate 43. Therefore, when a current is passed through the coil 44, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, a force due to the interaction between the magnetic field and the current acts on the coil 44, and the seesaw plate 43 depends on the direction of the current passed through the coil 44. Is rotated about the support bar 42 in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. As a result, the seesaw plate 43 is inclined downward or downward to the left with the support bar 42 as an axis.

  A first mirror 50 and a second mirror 52 of the same size are provided at positions equidistant from the support rod 42 at the lower portions of both end portions of one long side of the seesaw plate 43. A first reflecting surface 51 and a second reflecting surface 53 are formed. For example, each mirror has a height of 280 μm, a width of 200 μm, and a thickness of 50 μm, and a gold reflecting surface is formed on the surface thereof.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view (a) and a top view (b) of the optical add / drop switch which is the optical information processing apparatus based on the first embodiment. In this optical information processing apparatus, the mirror driving device 40 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on the optical waveguide layer 2 of the optical waveguide device shown in FIG. At this time, the mirror driving device forming substrate 41 is stacked on the optical waveguide layer 2 in the vertical direction, and the first gap 11 and the second gap provided as recesses in the optical waveguide layer 2 in the horizontal direction. The first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 of the mirror driving device 40 are positioned and fixed to each other directly above the gap 12.

  In this optical information processing apparatus, the first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 are selected as the first gap 11 and the second gap 12, respectively, depending on the presence / absence and direction of the current flowing through the coil 44 of the mirror driving device 40. Thus, three operation modes can be taken out of the four operation modes of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention described above.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing three operation modes of the optical information processing apparatus based on the present embodiment.

  When no current is flowing through the coil 44 of the mirror driving device 40, the seesaw plate 43 is kept horizontal, and the first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 are respectively connected to the first gap (recessed portion) 11 and the first gap. 2 is not inserted into the gap (recessed portion) 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4A, the first optical signal propagated through the entrance port core 3 passes through the first gap 11 and is sent out to the exit port core 5. Similarly, the second optical signal (added light) that has propagated through the add core 6 passes through the second gap 12 and is sent out to the drop core 8.

  When a current is passed through the coil 44, the magnetic field is formed in a direction perpendicular to the short side of the seesaw plate 43, so that a current having a magnitude determined by the product of both is applied to a current flowing in a direction parallel to the short side. It is made to act in the direction orthogonal to both.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, when a current is passed through the coil 44 in the counterclockwise direction, force is generated on the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the seesaw plate 43 on the left side and on the right side, respectively. The seesaw plate 43 is rotated about the support rod 42 as a central axis, tilted to the right, and the second mirror 52 pushed down is inserted into the second gap (recess) 12. At this time, the first mirror 50 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the first gap (recessed portion) 10.

  In this case, the first optical signal that has propagated through the entrance port core 3 passes through the first gap 11 and is sent out to the exit port core 5. On the other hand, the second optical signal (added light) that has propagated through the add core 6 is reflected by the second reflecting surface 53 of the second mirror 52 through the second gap 12 to the second optical coupling path core 7. After being incident and passing through the second optical coupling path core 7, it is reflected by the light reflecting surface 13, enters the first optical coupling path core 4 that is optically connected, and passes through the first optical coupling path core 4. After that, it is sent out to the exit port core 5 through the first gap 11. As a result, the first optical signal propagated through the incident port core 3 and the second optical signal propagated through the add core 6 can be extracted from the output port core 5 together with FIG. In the state of b), the optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical add apparatus that adds the second optical signal to the first optical signal.

  Further, when the direction of the current is reversed, the direction of the force is reversed. That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, when a current is passed through the coil 44 in the clockwise direction, a force determined by the magnetic field and the direction of the current acts on the current from the magnetic field, and the longitudinal ends of the seesaw plate 43 are applied to both ends. Since a downward force is generated on the left side and an upward force is generated on the right side, the seesaw plate 43 is rotated about the support rod 42 as a central axis and tilted downward to the left, and the pressed first mirror 50 is moved to the first gap. (Recess) 10 is inserted. At this time, the second mirror 52 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the second gap (concave portion) 12.

  In this case, the first optical signal propagating through the incident port core 3 is reflected by the first reflecting surface 51 of the first mirror 50 in the first gap 10 to the first optical coupling path core 4. After being incident and passing through the first optical coupling path core 4, it is reflected by the light reflecting surface 13, enters the second optical coupling path core 7 that is optically connected, and passes through the second optical coupling path core 7. After that, it is sent out to the drop core 8 through the second gap 12. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 4C, this optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical drop apparatus that takes out the first optical signal propagated through the incident port core 3 to the drop core 8.

  As described above, the optical information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment functions as an optical add / drop switch that selects three operation modes depending on the presence / absence and direction of a current flowing through the coil 44. In this case, since the light path is switched based on the presence or absence of light reflection rather than light interference, the optical waveguide to be applied is not limited and can be applied to a high-order multimode optical waveguide that can be manufactured at low cost. . In addition, the switching of the optical path by reflection has no wavelength dependence, and therefore it is not necessary to have a different design for each wavelength.

  Also, compared to conventional optical information processing devices such as optical switches using directional couplers and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, the portion using curved optical waveguides is drastically reduced, and a long distance such as an optical interference region is increased. Since there is no required optical waveguide portion, the optical wiring can be reduced in size, and as a result, the entire optical information processing apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Further, as compared with an optical switch using a thermo-optic effect by heater heating, only current flows through the coil 44, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  As in the present embodiment, when the entrance port core 3 and the add core 6 are provided substantially parallel to the same side of the mirror driving device 40, the first optical coupling core 4 Since the second optical coupling path core 7 is directed in substantially the same direction in the vicinity of the first gap 11 and in the vicinity of the second gap 12, in order to connect the two optically, these waveguides are used. It is necessary to change the direction of propagating light by approximately 180 degrees. If this is to be realized with a curved optical waveguide as in the second embodiment described later (see FIG. 5), the curvature becomes too large and the optical loss due to leakage increases or the optical loss is reduced. If the curvature is reduced in order to suppress it, there arises a disadvantage that the optical wiring becomes larger and the entire apparatus becomes larger. In the present embodiment, since the reflection by the light reflecting surface 13 is used to change the direction of light by approximately 180 degrees, the curved portion of the optical waveguide is reduced, and both the suppression of light loss and the miniaturization of the apparatus are achieved. be able to.

Embodiment 2
The second embodiment is different from the first optical coupling path core 4 and the second optical coupling path core 7 only in that an optical coupling path core 14 that is connected and integrated is used. This is an example in which an optical add / drop switch is configured as an example of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention by using an optical waveguide apparatus different from the optical waveguide apparatus used in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view (a) and a plan view (b) of the optical waveguide device according to the second embodiment. In the optical waveguide device shown in FIG. 5, the optical coupling path core 14 is joined at one end to the incident port core 3 and the first end 9 and at the other end to the add core 6 and the first core. The two end portions 10 are joined, and a substantially semicircular arc is formed therebetween.

  Since the optical add / drop switch is combined with the mirror driving device 40 shown in FIG. 2 and the three operation modes as the optical add / drop switch are the same as those in the first embodiment, they will be described again here. Although omitted, it goes without saying that it has the same advantages as the first embodiment over the optical add / drop switch according to the conventional method.

  In other words, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment switches the light path based on the presence or absence of light reflection, not the light interference, so there is no limitation on the optical waveguide to be applied, and it is a low-cost multimode optical waveguide. However, it is not necessary to use a different design for each wavelength because it is not dependent on wavelength. In addition, the number of parts that use curved optical waveguides is drastically reduced, and there is no optical waveguide part that requires a long distance, such as an optical interference region, so that the optical wiring can be miniaturized. Can be Further, as compared with an optical switch using a thermo-optic effect by heating a plurality of heaters, since only a current is passed through the coil 44, power consumption can be suppressed.

  The semi-circular optical coupling path core 14 desirably has a small curvature in order to reduce the optical loss due to light leakage, but there is a trade-off problem that the apparatus becomes large. For this reason, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment has a problem that the apparatus is increased in size as compared with the optical add / drop switch according to the first embodiment, but it does not require the trouble of forming the light reflecting surface 13. There are some advantages. Therefore, it is a useful optical add / drop switch when it is difficult to provide the light reflecting surface 13 or when the demand for downsizing is not strict.

Embodiment 3
In the optical add / drop switches of the first and second embodiments, the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40 is an optical waveguide core (incident port core 3, outgoing port core 5, outgoing core 6) that receives or emits signal light. And the drop core 8) are arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal (see FIG. 3), for example, a large number of optical add / drop switches are juxtaposed in such a manner that signal light incident / exit directions are substantially parallel to each other. In this case, since the lower limit of the pitch of the array is limited by the length in the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40, the mounting density is reduced.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment, the optical waveguide core that receives or emits signal light is turned approximately 90 degrees in the vicinity of the first gap or the second gap, and the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40 is changed to the signal light. The optical add / drop switch is configured as an example of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention by being arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the optical waveguide core that performs the incidence or emission of the light. In this optical add / drop switch, when a large number of optical add / drop switches are juxtaposed with the input / output directions of signal light being substantially parallel or substantially antiparallel, the lower limit of the pitch of the arrangement is limited by the mirror driving device 40. Since the length is not the length in the longitudinal direction but the length in the width direction, the mounting density is improved.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view (a) and a plan view (b) of the optical waveguide device according to the third embodiment. In this optical waveguide device, for example, an optical waveguide layer 22 made of a core-cladding assembly is formed on a substrate 21 such as silicon, and more specifically, a core serving as a light guide between the lower cladding and the upper cladding. Is embedded. The core includes an entrance port core 23 as the first light entrance path, an exit port core 25 as the first light exit path, an add core 26 as the second light entrance path, and a drop as the second light exit path. Core 28 is provided, and the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are integrated to provide an optical coupling path core 24.

  The optical waveguide layer 22 is manufactured using, for example, an acrylic organic solvent and has a relative refractive index difference Δn = 0.8% between the core and the clad, and each of the cores 23 to 26 and 28 has a cross section of 40 μm × 40 μm. This is a square multimode optical waveguide.

  The incident port core 23 and the optical coupling path core 24 are provided so that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects on the first end portion 29 or an extension line thereof, and faces the first end portion 29. An exit port core 25 is disposed. Between the first end portion 29 and the end face of the exit port core 25, there is a first gap 31 into which the first mirror 50 as the first direction changing means having the first reflecting surface 51 can be inserted. Is provided. Specifically, the first gap 31 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 22 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom of the recess is located below the core, and the first reflecting surface 51 of the first mirror 50 to be inserted is made to completely block between the cores 23 and 24 and the core 25.

  Similarly, the add core 26 and the optical coupling path core 24 are provided so that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects the second end 30 or an extension line thereof, and faces the second end 30. A drop core 28 is arranged. Between the second end 30 and the end face of the drop core 28, there is provided a second gap 32 into which the second mirror 52 as the second direction changing means having the second reflecting surface 53 can be inserted. It has been. Specifically, the second gap 32 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 22 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom of the recess is located below the core, and the second reflecting surface 53 of the second mirror 52 to be inserted is made to completely block between the cores 26 and 24 and the core 28.

  The structure of each of the cores 23 to 28 described above is the same as that of the second embodiment, except that the first optical coupling path core and the second optical coupling path core are integrated. 1 is the same. As described above, the core structure of the present embodiment is different from the core structures of the first and second embodiments, and any of the cores is provided in the vicinity of the first gap 31 or the second gap 32. That is, the direction is changed by approximately 90 degrees on the reflecting surfaces A to F.

  That is, the incident port core 23 is a reflection surface A33, the emission port core 25 is a reflection surface B34, the add core 26 is a reflection surface C35, and the drop core 28 is a reflection surface D36, which are approximately 90 degrees direction. As a result, the optical waveguide core that inputs and outputs these optical signals is changed in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40 fixed thereon, as will be described later. Further, in accordance with this, the optical coupling path core 24 is also turned approximately 90 degrees by the reflecting surface E37 and the reflecting surface F38 provided in the vicinity of the first gap 31 and the second gap 32.

  As a method of forming the reflection surface A33 to the reflection surface F38, the joined body may be partially removed (in the shape of a triangular prism in FIG. 6), and the wall surface of the lacking portion may be used as the reflection surface. Since the refractive index of the air occupying the lacking portion is as small as approximately 1, when the direction is changed to approximately 90 degrees, the light is totally reflected by this reflecting surface. However, the method of forming the reflective surfaces A to F is not limited to this, and a reflective surface made of an appropriate reflective material may be formed in the waveguide layer 22.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view (a) and a top view (b) of the optical information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In this optical information processing apparatus, the mirror driving device 40 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on the optical waveguide layer 22 of the optical waveguide device shown in FIG. At this time, the mirror drive device forming substrate 41 is stacked on the optical waveguide layer 22 in the vertical direction, and the first gap 31 and the second gap provided as recesses in the optical waveguide layer 22 in the horizontal direction. The first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 of the mirror driving device 40 are positioned and fixed to each other directly above the gap 32.

  In this optical information processing apparatus, the first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 are respectively connected to the first gap (recessed part) 31 and the second gap depending on the presence / absence and direction of the current flowing through the coil 44 of the mirror driving device 40. By selectively putting it in and out of the (concave portion) 32, it is possible to take three operation modes among the four operation modes of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention described above.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing three operation modes of the optical information processing apparatus based on the present embodiment.

  When no current is passed through the coil 44 of the mirror driving device 40, the seesaw plate 43 is kept horizontal, and the first mirror 50 and the second mirror 52 are respectively connected to the first gap (concave portion) 31 and the second mirror 52, respectively. 2 is not inserted into the gap (recessed portion) 32. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8A, the first optical signal propagated through the incident port core 23 is redirected by the reflecting surface A33, and then passes through the first gap 31. After the direction is changed again at the reflecting surface B34, it is sent to the exit port core 25. Similarly, after the second optical signal (add light) propagating through the add core 26 is redirected by the reflection surface C35, the second optical signal passes through the second gap 32 and is again redirected by the reflection surface D36. And sent to the drop core 28.

  Further, when a current is passed through the coil 44 in the counterclockwise direction, the seesaw plate 43 is inclined downward to the right, and the second mirror 52 that is pushed down has a second gap (concave portion) as shown in FIG. 8B. 32. At this time, the first mirror 50 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the first gap (concave portion) 31.

  In this case, after the first optical signal propagating through the incident port core 23 is redirected by the reflecting surface A33, the first optical signal passes through the first gap 31 and is redirected again by the reflecting surface B34. , And sent out to the core 25 for the emission port. On the other hand, the second optical signal (added light) propagating through the add core 26 is redirected by the reflecting surface C35 and then reflected by the second reflecting surface 53 of the second mirror 52 through the second gap 32. After entering the optical coupling path core 24 and passing through the optical coupling path core 24 while being redirected by the reflecting surface F38 and the reflecting surface E37, passing through the first gap 31 and being redirected by the reflecting surface B34. , And sent out from the exit port core 25. As a result, the first optical signal that has propagated through the incident port core 23 and the second optical signal that has propagated through the add core 26 can be extracted from the exit port core 25 together, as shown in FIG. In the state of b), the optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical add apparatus that adds the second optical signal to the first optical signal.

  Further, when a current is passed through the coil 44 in the opposite direction, the seesaw plate 43 is tilted downward to the left, and the pushed down first mirror 50 enters the first gap (concave portion) 31 as shown in FIG. Inserted. At this time, the second mirror 52 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the second gap (concave portion) 32.

  In this case, the first optical signal propagated through the incident port core 23 is redirected by the reflecting surface A33 and then reflected by the first reflecting surface 51 of the first mirror 50 by the first gap 31. Is incident on the optical coupling path core 24, passes through the optical coupling path core 24 while being redirected by the reflecting surface E37 and the reflecting surface F38, passes through the second gap 31, and is redirected by the reflecting surface D36 and dropped. To the core 28 for use. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 8C, the optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical drop apparatus that extracts the first optical signal that has propagated through the incident port core 23 to the drop core 28.

  As described above, the optical information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment functions as an optical add / drop switch that can select three operation modes depending on the presence / absence and direction of a current flowing through the coil 44. The function as an optical add / drop switch and the advantages over the conventional optical add / drop switch are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In other words, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment switches the light path based on the presence or absence of light reflection, not the light interference, so there is no limitation on the optical waveguide to be applied, and it is a low-cost multimode optical waveguide. However, it is not necessary to use a different design for each wavelength because it is not dependent on wavelength. In addition, the number of parts that use curved optical waveguides is drastically reduced, and there is no optical waveguide part that requires a long distance, such as an optical interference region, so that the optical wiring can be miniaturized. Can be Further, as compared with an optical switch using a thermo-optic effect by heating a plurality of heaters, since only a current is passed through the coil 44, power consumption can be suppressed.

  Further, compared with the optical add / drop switch according to the first or second embodiment, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment has an optical waveguide core in which the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40 performs incidence or emission of signal light, Since the direction is changed by approximately 90 degrees so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40, the entrance port core 23 and the exit port core 25, or the add core 26, which are disposed substantially antiparallel to each other, The distance from the drop core 28 is small, and the whole has an elongated shape. For this reason, when a large number of optical add / drop switches are juxtaposed so that the input / output directions of the signal light are substantially parallel or substantially anti-parallel to each other, the pitch of the arrangement is reduced, and the mounting density is improved.

Embodiment 4
As in the first embodiment, when the entrance port core 3 and the add core 6 are provided substantially in parallel on the same side of the mirror driving device 40, the first optical coupling core 4 Since the second optical coupling path core 7 is directed in substantially the same direction in the vicinity of the first gap 11 and in the vicinity of the second gap 12, in order to connect the two optically, these waveguides are used. It was necessary to change the direction of propagating light by approximately 180 degrees. In the fourth embodiment, the first optical coupling path core and the second optical coupling path core are provided by providing the entrance port core 3 and the add core 6 substantially antiparallel to the opposite sides of the mirror driving device 40. Is an example in which an optical add / drop switch is configured as an example of the optical information processing apparatus of the present invention using an optical waveguide device that is connected and integrated without greatly changing the direction.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view of the optical waveguide device according to the fourth embodiment. In this optical waveguide device, an optical waveguide layer 62 composed of a core and cladding is formed on a substrate such as silicon, for example. More specifically, a core serving as a light guide path is formed between a lower cladding and an upper cladding. Embedded. The core includes an entrance port core 63 as the first light entrance path, an exit port core 65 as the first light exit path, an add core 66 as the second light entrance path, and a drop as the second light exit path. Core 68 is provided, and the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are integrated to provide an optical coupling path core 64.

  The optical waveguide layer 22 is manufactured using, for example, an acrylic organic solvent and has a relative refractive index difference Δn = 0.8% between the core and the clad, and each of the cores 63 to 66 and 68 has a cross section of 40 μm × 40 μm. This is a square multimode optical waveguide.

  The incident port core 63 and the optical coupling path core 64 are provided so that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects on the first end portion 69 or an extension line thereof, and faces the first end portion 69. An exit port core 65 is disposed. A first gap 71 is provided between the first end 69 and the end face of the exit port core 65 so that the first mirror 73 serving as the first direction changing means having the first reflecting surface can be inserted. It has been. Specifically, the first gap 71 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 62 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom of the recess is located below the core, and the first reflecting surface of the first mirror 73 to be inserted is made to completely block between the cores 63 and 64 and the core 65.

  Similarly, the add core 66 and the optical coupling path core 64 are provided so that the center line in the width direction of each core intersects with the second end portion 70 or an extension line thereof, and faces the second end portion 70. A drop core 68 is arranged. Between the second end portion 70 and the end surface of the drop core 68, a second gap 72 is provided in which a second mirror 74 as the second direction changing means having a second reflecting surface can be inserted. ing. Specifically, the second gap 72 is provided as a recess formed in the optical waveguide layer 62 by removing the joined body, and has a width of 200 μm, a depth of 80 μm, and a depth of 100 μm, for example. The bottom of the recess is located below the core, and the second reflecting surface of the second mirror 74 to be inserted is made to completely block between the cores 66 and 64 and the core 68.

  A mirror driving device 75 similar to the mirror driving device shown in FIG. 2 is used as driving means for taking the first mirror 73 and the second mirror 74 into and out of the first gap 70 and the second gap 72, respectively. be able to. In that case, the mirror driving device 75 is mounted on the optical waveguide layer 62 at the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. However, in the mirror driving device 75, the first mirror 73 and the second mirror 74 are provided below the two short sides of the seesaw plate. The device for driving the mirror is not limited to this, and for example, the first mirror 73 and the second mirror 74 may be driven separately.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing three operation modes of the optical information processing apparatus based on the present embodiment. The following description will be made assuming that a mirror driving device 75 similar to the mirror driving device 40 is used.

  When no current is flowing through the coil of the mirror driving device 75, the seesaw plate is kept horizontal, and the first mirror 73 and the second mirror 74 are respectively connected to the first gap (concave portion) 71 and the second mirror 74, respectively. It is not inserted into the gap (concave portion) 72. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first optical signal that has propagated through the entrance port core 63 passes through the first gap 71 and is sent out to the exit port core 65. Similarly, the second optical signal (added light) propagated through the add core 66 passes through the second gap 72 and is sent out to the drop core 68.

  When a current is passed through the coil, the seesaw plate is tilted to the left and the second mirror 74 that is pushed down is inserted into the second gap (concave portion) 72 as shown in FIG. 9B. At this time, the first mirror 73 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the first gap (concave portion) 71.

  In this case, the first optical signal that has propagated through the entrance port core 63 passes through the first gap 71 and is sent out to the exit port core 65. On the other hand, the second optical signal (added light) that has propagated through the add core 66 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the second mirror 74 through the second gap 72 and enters the optical coupling path core 64 to be optically coupled. After passing through the road core 64, it passes through the first gap 71 and is sent out from the exit port core 65. As a result, the first optical signal that has propagated through the incident port core 63 and the second optical signal that has propagated through the add core 66 can be extracted from the exit port core 65, as shown in FIG. In the state of b), the optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical add apparatus that adds the second optical signal to the first optical signal.

  Further, when a current is passed through the coil 44 in the opposite direction, the seesaw plate is tilted downward to the right, and the depressed first mirror 73 is inserted into the first gap (recessed portion) 71 as shown in FIG. 9C. Is done. At this time, the second mirror 74 is pushed upward and is not inserted into the second gap (concave portion) 72.

  In this case, the first optical signal that has propagated through the incident port core 63 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the first mirror 73 in the first gap 71 and enters the optical coupling path core 64 to be optically coupled. After passing through the road core 64, it passes through the second gap 71 and is sent to the drop core 68. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 9C, this optical information processing apparatus functions as an optical drop apparatus that extracts the first optical signal that has propagated through the incident port core 63 to the drop core 68.

  As described above, the optical information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment functions as an optical add / drop switch that can select three operation modes depending on the presence / absence and direction of the current flowing through the coil. The function as an optical add / drop switch and the advantages over the conventional optical add / drop switch are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In other words, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment switches the path of light depending on the presence or absence of light reflection rather than light interference, so there is no limitation on the optical waveguide to be applied, and it is a low-cost multimode optical waveguide. However, it is not necessary to use a different design for each wavelength because it is not dependent on wavelength. In addition, the number of parts that use curved optical waveguides is drastically reduced, and there is no optical waveguide part that requires a long distance, such as an optical interference region, so that the optical wiring can be miniaturized. Can be Further, compared to an optical switch using a thermo-optic effect by heating a plurality of heaters, only current flows through the coil, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  Further, the optical add / drop switch according to the present embodiment is advantageous in miniaturization and cost reduction because the optical waveguide core is simple.

Embodiment 5
In the fifth embodiment, the optical add / drop switches A to D described in the third embodiment are juxtaposed in the width direction to form a four-channel optical add / drop switch array. This is an example.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view of the optical add / drop switch array according to the present embodiment. The functions and features of the individual optical add / drop switches are as described in the third embodiment. In the optical add / drop switch according to the third embodiment, since the direction of the signal light input / output core is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mirror driving device 40, an arbitrary number of switches are mounted in parallel in the width direction. Thus, a multi-channel integrated optical add / drop switch array can be realized.

  Further, when the optical add / drop switch is juxtaposed as described above to form an optical add / drop switch array, the arrangement pitch is reduced and the mounting density is improved. The arrangement pitch of 1 mm is realized.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these examples at all, and can be suitably changed in the range which does not deviate from the main point of invention.

  The optical waveguide device and the optical information processing device of the present invention are suitable for optical wiring applicable to various places such as between electronic devices, between boards in electronic devices or between chips in a board, from among a plurality of optical paths. Multimode optical waveguides that can be used suitably for optical path switching devices (optical add / drop switches) that select optical paths, and that can reduce costs, have small wavelength dependence, are compact, and have low power consumption This can contribute to the construction of a transmission / communication system.

It is the perspective view (a) and top view (b) of an optical waveguide device based on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the perspective view (a) and top view (b) of a mirror drive device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view (a) and a top view (b) of the optical add / drop switch. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of an optical add / drop switch. It is the perspective view (a) and top view (b) of an optical waveguide apparatus based on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the perspective view (a) and top view (b) of an optical waveguide device based on Embodiment 3 of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view (a) and a plan view (b) of the optical add / drop switch. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the optical add / drop switch. It is a top view of the optical waveguide device based on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a top view of the optical add drop switch array based on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the optical add drop filter (OADM) with a switching function currently disclosed by patent document 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Board | substrate, 2 ... Optical waveguide layer, 3 ... Core for incident ports, 4 ... 1st optical coupling path core,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Output port core, 6 ... Add core, 7 ... Second optical coupling path core, 8 ... Drop core, 9 ... First end, 10 ... Second end, 11 ... First gap (Concave part of optical waveguide layer),
12 ... second gap (concave portion of optical waveguide layer), 13 ... light reflecting surface, 14 ... optical coupling path core,
21 ... Substrate, 22 ... Optical waveguide layer, 23 ... Core for incident port, 24 ... Optical coupling path core,
25 ... Output port core, 26 ... Ad core, 28 ... Drop core,
29 ... 1st edge part, 30 ... 2nd edge part, 31 ... 1st clearance gap (recessed part of an optical waveguide layer),
32 ... second gap (concave portion of optical waveguide layer), 40 ... mirror drive device,
41 ... Substrate for mirror drive device formation, 42 ... Support rod, 43 ... Seesaw plate, 44 ... Coil,
45 ... 1st wiring electrode, 46 ... 2nd wiring electrode, 47 ... 1st magnet,
48 ... second magnet, 49 ... mirror drive device forming substrate removal section, 50 ... first mirror,
51 ... 1st reflective surface, 52 ... 2nd mirror, 53 ... 2nd reflective surface, 63 ... Core for incident ports,
64 ... Optical coupling path core, 65 ... Output port core, 66 ... Add core,
68 ... Drop core, 69 ... First end, 70 ... Second end,
71 ... 1st gap (concave part), 72 ... 2nd gap (concave part), 73 ... 1st mirror,
74 ... second mirror, 75 ... mirror driving device,
101 ... input port, 102 ... output port, 103 ... first coupling path,
104: second coupling path, 105: add light input port, 106: add light output port,
107, 108 ... Optical waveguide with grating written therein,
109, 110: an optical waveguide provided with a heater,
111, 112, 113, 114 ... directional couplers,
115, 116: grating (Bragg wavelength: λ ₁ ), 117, 118: heater,
121 ... Mach-Zehnder interferometer, 122 ... Thermo-optic switch (TO switch)

Claims (19)

The first light incident path and the first optical coupling path are provided so as to intersect with each other on the first end portion or an extension line thereof, and the first light exit path is opposed to the first end portion with a first gap. Provided,
The first gap is provided so that a first direction changing means having a first reflecting surface facing the first end can be selectively taken in and out,
The light emitted from the first light incident path and the first optical coupling path is incident on the first light exit path by the operation of the first direction changing means, or at least the first light incident path. Whether the light emitted from the light is reflected to the first optical coupling path is selected,
The second light incident path and the second optical coupling path are provided so as to intersect with each other on the second end or an extension line thereof, and a second light exit path is provided with a second gap facing the second end. Provided,
The second gap is provided so that a second direction changing means having a second reflecting surface facing the second end can be selectively taken in and out,
The light emitted from the second light incident path and the second optical coupling path is incident on the second light exit path by the operation of the second direction changing means, or at least the second light exit path. Whether the light emitted from the light is reflected to the second optical coupling path is selected,
Furthermore, the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are optically connected.
Optical waveguide device.   The first light incident path and the first light exit path are provided in a substantially linear shape, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path are provided in a substantially linear shape. 1. The optical waveguide device described in 1.   The first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path intersect at an end portion or an extension line thereof, and a light reflecting surface is provided at a position facing the end surface or the end surface, and the first optical coupling path and the second light The optical waveguide device according to claim 2, wherein light emitted from one optical coupling path of the coupling path is reflected by the light reflecting surface and is incident on the other optical coupling path.   The optical waveguide device according to claim 2, wherein the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are connected and integrated.   The first light incident path and the first light exit path are redirected in opposite directions, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path are redirected in opposite directions. The described optical waveguide device.   The first light incident path and the first light exit path, and the second light incident path and the second light exit path are respectively changed in direction by a reflecting surface and provided approximately antiparallel. 5. The optical waveguide device described in 5.   The optical waveguide device according to claim 6, wherein the optical waveguide layer is formed by a joined body of a core and a clad, the joined body is partially removed, and the reflecting surface is present on a wall surface of the removed portion.   The said 1st optical coupling path and the said 2nd optical coupling path are connected and integrated, and it is turning to the direction of a said 1st edge part and a said 2nd edge part, Claim 5 The described optical waveguide device.   The optical waveguide according to claim 8, wherein the first optical coupling path and the second optical coupling path are redirected by a reflecting surface in the vicinity of the first end and the second end. apparatus.   The optical waveguide device according to claim 9, wherein the optical waveguide layer is formed by a joined body of a core and a clad, the joined body is partially removed, and the reflection surface is present on a wall surface of the removed portion.   The core comprises a joined body of a clad, and the first light incident path, the first optical coupling path, the first light emitting path, the second light incident path, the second optical coupling path, and the first are formed by the core. The optical waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein two light emission paths are formed.   The optical waveguide according to claim 11, wherein an optical waveguide layer is formed by the joined body, and the first gap and the second gap are provided so as to divide at least the core of the optical waveguide layer. apparatus.   13. The optical waveguide device according to claim 12, wherein the joined body is partially removed, and the first gap and the second gap are formed by the removed portion.   The optical waveguide device according to claim 11, wherein the joined body is formed of a resin.   The optical waveguide device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, and the first direction changing means and the second direction that can be selectively inserted into and removed from the first gap and the second gap, respectively. An optical information processing apparatus provided with conversion means.   Driving means for rotating the rotating body in a predetermined direction, wherein the first direction converting means and the second direction converting means are provided on both sides of the supporting shaft, respectively. The optical information processing apparatus according to claim 15, comprising:   The optical information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the driving unit is configured by a current-carrying coil provided in the rotating body and magnets arranged in the vicinity of both ends of the rotating body.   The first light incident path is used as an input port, the first light exit path is used as an output port, the second light incident path is used as an add light input port, and the second light exit path is used as a drop light output port. The optical information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the optical information processing apparatus is formed as an add / drop switch.   A composite type optical information processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of optical information processing apparatuses according to claim 15 are juxtaposed.

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