Optical wavelength switch having planar lightwave circuit structure

An optical wavelength switch having a planar wave guide formed on a substrate,

• the planar wave guide having at least one wave-guide-type diffraction grating which includes
• an input/output wave guide,
• a first slab wave guide connected with the input/output wave guide,
• an array wave guide whose one side is connected with the first slab wave guide, and
• a second slab wave guide with which the other side of the array wave guide is connected,
• the optical wavelength switch comprising:
• a moving part supported in a cantilevered manner on the substrate;
• and
• a reflecting mirror formed at the tip of the moving part such that it faces an end face of the second slab wave guide, wherein
• the reflecting mirror is obtained by forming a groove having a dented face on the moving part by etching such that the groove faces the end face of the second slab wave guide, the reflecting mirror being adapted to totally reflect at the dented face a optical beam outputted from the end face of the second slab wave guide.

An optical wavelength switch having a planar wave guide formed on a substrate, comprising:

• a wave-guide-type diffraction grating which includes
• an input/output wave guide having an under-clad layer on a sacrificial layer formed on the substrate, a core layer formed on the under-clad layer and an over-clad layer formed on the core layer,
• a first slab wave guide connected with the input/output wave guide,
• an array wave guide whose one side is connected with the first slab wave guide, and
• a second slab wave guide with which the other side of the array wave guide is connected;
• and
• a movable girder whose one end is firmly secured to the substrate, the movable girder having the same under-clad layer, core layer and over-clad layer as those of the wave-guide-type diffraction grating, wherein
• the optical wavelength switch has a reflecting mirror at the tip of the movable girder, the reflecting mirror facing an end face of the second slab wave guide, with the position of the reflecting mirror being set displaceable along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.