Electro-optical switch and modulator

US4008947A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Peter Baues · Krailling, DE
• Hans Mahlein · Unterhaching, DE
• Achim Reichelt · Unterhaching, DE
• Gerhard Winzer · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 28, 1975
• Grant date: Feb 22, 1977
• Expiry date: Jul 28, 1995

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F2201/124
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An electro-optical switch and modulator for use in a region of a waveguide system which consists of either intersecting waveguides or branching waveguides, which are arranged on a dielectric substrate and consists of electro-optical material at the region and have at least one insulating layer engaging the region of the waveguides characterized by at least one electrode structure being located at the region and comprising a plurality of electrode fingers extending at right angles to a line which either is a bi-sector of the angle between the intersecting and branching waveguides when the region is located at the point of branching and intersecting or is a longitudinal axis of the waveguide when the region is spaced from the point of branching and intersecting. Preferably, the dielectric insulating layer also consists of an electro-optical material. When more than two electrode structures are used, the fingers may either have equal spacing or possess differing and separate switchable periodicity.