Optical switch

A method for manufacturing with a punch and die an optical switch which consists of a cell member inside which cells are formed and a waveguide member having fine slits, wherein said cells, whose side walls are formed by piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements or antiferroelectric elements, are filled with a gas, and said fine slits are filled with a liquid, said cells and said fine slits being communicated to each other via a corresponding communicating hole, wherein optical waveguides are intersected at said fine slits, and said cells are disposed at the intersection areas, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

• preparing a plurality of green sheets made of piezoelectric/electrostrictive material or antiferroelectric material;
• performing a first substep for machining first slit apertures in a first green sheet with said punch, a second substep for raising said first green sheet in tight contact with a stripper in the state where said punch is not withdrawn from said first slit apertures, and a third substep for raising said punch in such a manner that the front end of said punch is withdrawn slightly from the lowest part of said first green sheet thus raised;
• performing a fourth substep for machining second slit apertures in a second green sheet with said punch, a fifth substep for raising said second green sheet together with said first green sheet in the state where said punch is not withdrawn from said second slit apertures, and a sixth substep for raising said punch in such a manner that the front end of said punch is withdrawn slightly from said second green sheet thus raised;
• and
• subsequently laminating a plurality of green sheets by repeating the fourth substep to the sixth substep, and then forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements or antiferroelectric elements including a plurality of slits.