Optical device having an elastomeric waveguide switch body and related methods

Abstract

An optical device may include a substrate and an optical waveguide carried by the substrate and having a notch therein defining a feed optical waveguide and a longitudinal optical waveguide section on opposite longitudinal sides of the notch. The optical device may also include a transverse optical waveguide section carried by the substrate and transversely aligned with the feed optical waveguide adjacent the notch. The optical device may further include an elastomeric waveguide switch body configured to be moved between a first position within the notch and operative to switch light from the feed optical waveguide to the longitudinal optical waveguide section, and a second position removed from the notch and operative to switch light from the optical waveguide to the transverse optical waveguide section.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.