Jds Uniphase Corporation

Jds Uniphase Photonics C.v.

Akzo Nobel N.v.

Tsjerk Hans Hoekstra

Albert Borreman

Berend Hendriksen

Franciscus Martinus Maria Suijten

Bernardus Hendricus Maria Hams

Anthony J Ticknor

Miriam Luizink

Kornelis Propstra

The invention pertains to an optical waveguide component comprising a substrate, a core-matching refractive index lower cladding layer, a core layer, a core-matching refractive index upper cladding layer, a low refractive index upper cladding, wherein the core-matching refractive index lower cladding layer is deposited directly onto the substrate and has a thickness sufficient to avoid substantial capture and/or absorption by the substrate of a guided mode in the core layer, whereas slab modes, quasi-guided modes and/scattered light leak to the substrate. The components according to the invention allow high switching speeds and high confinement of a guided mode on the one hand and, on the other hand, absorption by the substrate of stray-light and radiation modes, which, in turn, leads to improved optical devices, such as optical switches with improved isolation.

Optical waveguide component

The invention pertains to a thermo-optical switch comprising a cascade of 1&times;M optical switches, gates for selectively blocking and unblocking the output paths of the cascaded switch, and means for driving the 1&times;M switches and the gates, which means are arranged to switch a data signal from an input path of the cascaded switch to one of the output paths, wherein the said means are also arranged to switch an unwanted signal, by means of a number of the remaining 1&times;M switches, to at least one of the remaining output paths. In the cascaded switch according to the invention, the generated heat is distributed evenly over the area of the switch and the overall amount of heat generated is reduced.

Thermo-optical cascaded switch comprising gates

The invention pertains to a polymeric optical waveguide device, such as an optical switch, splitter, phased array, Mach Zehnder interferometer, or the like, comprising at least one polymer waveguide channel embedded in a polymer cladding, said waveguide channel having a refractive index higher than that of the cladding and comprising at least one bend or curved section at least part of which has a refractive index contrast higher than that in the rest of the waveguide channel. The devices according to the invention are relatively compact.

Optical waveguide device comprising at least one bent waveguide channel

The invention pertains to a thermo-optical switch comprising at least one input channel, one output channel, one switching channel, and one heating element, where for at least part of the cross-sections of the switch the position of the heating element has been selected such that the difference in effective refractive index, in the switched state, between two of the output channels in said cross-section is at least 80% of the maximally attainable difference. As a result, the load on the switches can be reduced substantially, increasing their lifespan.

Thermo-optical switch provided with a laterally shifted element

The present invention is in the field of optical components, more particularly, polymeric optical components, even more particularly, thermo-optical components, electro-optical components or passive components. The present invention pertains to an optical component having an at least penta-layered polymer structure on a substrate comprising:

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Dieren, Netherlands

Tsjerk Hans Hoekstra