Environmentally protected integrated optical component and its production process

An environmentally protected integrated optical coupler for coupling first and second superimposed light guides with very different index variations, wherein the first guide consists of a first upper layer and a first lower layer on either side of a first guide layer with a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the first upper and lower layers and the second guide consists of a second upper layer and a second lower layer on either side of a second guide layer with a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the second lower and upper layers, the first upper layer and the second lower layer constituting one and the same coupling layer in which are provided several cavities carrying a material having a refractive index which is different or which can be made different than the refractive index of the coupling layer, said cavities being isolated from the environment.

An environmentally protected integrated optical coupler for coupling first and second superimposed light guides with very different index variations, wherein the guides have a first, a second, a third and a fourth stacked layers, the second and third layers constituting the guide layers respectively of the first and second guides and having refractive indices higher than those of the first and fourth layers, the refractive index of the second layer also being different from that of the third layer, said third layer having cavities filled with a material having a refractive index which is different or which can be made different than the refractive index of the third layer, said cavities being isolated from the environment.

A process for producing an environmentally protected integrated optical component having at least one sealed cavity isolated from the environment and formed in at least one layer of a light guide, said cavity being filled with a material having a refractive index which is different or which can be made different than the refractive index of said layer, said process comprising the following stages:

• depositing at least one first layer on a support,
• producing at least one trench in said first layer by etching said first layer, said trench having a height and a width such that height/width ratio is .ltoreq.0.5, and
• chemical vapor phase depositing (CVD) a second layer on the thus etched first layer, forming an air-filled sealed cavity in the trench wherein said air in said sealed cavity in the gas present is the environment during manufacture.

An environmentally protected integrated optical component having at least one sealed cavity isolated from the environment and formed in at least one layer of a light guide, said cavity being filled with a gaseous material having a refractive index which is different from the refractive index of said layer, wherein said light guide comprises a lower layer, a guide layer, an upper layer and a covering layer stacked on a substrate, the guide layer having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the lower, upper and covering layers, and wherein the cavity is located in at least one of the lower, guide and upper layers.

An environmentally protected integrated optical component having at least one sealed cavity isolated from the environment and formed in at least one layer of a light guide, said cavity being filled with a gaseous material having a refractive index which is different from the refractive index of said layer wherein said component includes a support, at least one first layer deposited on said support, a cavity filled with a gas, and a second layer deposited on said first layer in such a way that said cavity is sealed and isolated from the environment.

An environmentally protected integrated optical component having at least one sealed cavity isolated from the environment and formed in at least one layer of a light guide, said cavity being filled with a gaseous material having a refractive index which is different from the refractive index of said layer wherein said light guide comprises a lower layer, a guide layer and an upper layer which are stacked, said guide layer having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the lower and upper layers and being disposed between said upper and lower layers and wherein the cavity is formed in at least one of said lower, guide and upper layers.