JPS54105559A - Integrated light coupling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the difficulty of optical axis alignment, etc. by providing a thick film coupler of a refractive index larger than that of an optical guide on the top surface of the optical guide and optical fiber holding thick film substrates having grooves on the extension line thereof. CONSTITUTION:A buried optical gide 12 whose refractive index is increased by implantation of He ions in formed near the surface of a quartz substrate 11 and the guide 12 is in contact with a thick film coupler 13 with a low refractive index layer 21 in-between. From the relations of refractive indices, the light beam 22 from the core 17 of an optical fiber 16 transmits through the end face 23 of the coupler 13 and the incident light 19 is converted to propagation mode light 20 in the guide 12 via the layer 21, thereby making distribution coupling. The thickness of the layer 21 is controlled by ion implantation conditions and the coupler 13 and optical fiber holding thick film substrates 14, 15 are obtainable by the same photoetching, whereby the central axes of the coupler 13 and the grooves of the substrates 14, 15 may be disposed with high accuracy. Hence, the beams 22 of the fibers 16 fixed by the substrates 14, 15 may be readily coupled without any optical axis misalignment.