Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Photonics Electronics Technology Research Association

Naoki Hirayama

Hideki Ono

Tsuyoshi Horikawa

An optical device includes an optical waveguide provided on a principal surface of a substrate. The optical waveguide includes a core and a cladding provided around the core. The cladding is configured by a substance having a refractive index smaller than 71.4% of the refractive index of the core. The core has constituent atoms substantially forming a diamond lattice structure. The optical waveguide has a light input/output part through which a light beam is input and/or output. The light input/output part decreases stepwise in thickness towards an output end while tapering down in its width. The core is provided in the light input/output part to have a (111) plane or an equivalent plane to the (111) plane exposed on a face of a riser of the stepwise thickness of the light input/output part.

Optical device having a stepwise or tapered light input/output part and manufacturing method therefor

In a method of manufacturing an optical device including an optical waveguide having a core, a cladding and a light input/output part through which a light beam is input or output, a substrate is prepared which is provided with a uniform thickness of single-crystalline film having its constituent atoms forming a diamond lattice structure and its surface being neither the (111) plane nor its equivalent planes. In the single-crystalline film, a precursor structure is formed which has a precursor of light input/output part. A mask is formed such as to expose the precursor with the remaining part covered. The structure is immersed into an alkaline solution for wet etching with the (111) planes used as etch-stop planes.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Naoki Hirayama