Sumitomo Special Metal Co. Ltd.

Makoto Minakata

Sachio Toyota

Shojiro Kawakami

Kazunori Miura

Mitsuhiro Takata

The present invention provides a wide band optical modulator comprising an optical waveguide which is provided on a substrate and comprises a substance having electrooptic effects, a laminate which is provided on the optical waveguide and comprises a substance having a refractive index smaller than that of the optical waveguide, and two traveling-wave electrodes which are provided opposite to each other on the parallel side surfaces of the laminate in the traveling direction of light so as to hold the laminate therebetween. When the laminate provided on the optical waveguide is replaced by a gap, similar effects to those of the above-described optical modulator can be obtained.

Wide-band optical modulator

There is disclosed an optical switch comprising an optical fiber, a block of PLZT, and two polarizers disposed on opposite sides of the block. The fiber has one or more grooves in which the block and the polarizers are received. The block of PLZT induces an electric field perpendicular to the axis of the core of the fiber. The groove or grooves extend across the core of the fiber such that the block covers the whole cross section of the core. Each polarizer consists of alternate laminations of a metal and a dielectric. The laminations are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the core. Each dielectric lamination is thicker than each metal lamination. If incident light is polarized, one of the polarizers is omitted.

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Sendai, Japan

Makoto Minakata