JPS6068329A - Optical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To speed up the switching recovering operation of a switch while reducing the cost by using a glass plate for a switch body and providing a radiation plate. CONSTITUTION:An optical fiber 6a for incident light is connected to one end surface of the switch body 5 made of glass, and optical fibers 6b and 6c for a straight traveling and a refracted projection light beam are connected to the opposite end surface. The optical axes of the optical fibers 6a and 6b are aligned with each other, and the optical axis of the optical fiber 6c shifts slantingly. A heater 7 is provided on a main body flank close to the optical path of refraction connecting the optical fibers 6a and 6c. The heater 7 is obtained by forming a thick layer of a resistor on a ceramic plate by a printing method, etc. When the heater 7 is not fed through a lead line 8, the main body 5 is not heated and the internal temperature distribution is uniform; and light from the optical fiber 6a travels straight to enter the optical fiber 6b. When the heater 7 is powered on and heats up to specific temperature, the main body 5 has a temperature gradient internally to cause variation in refractive index, and the light from the optical fiber 6b enters the optical fiber 6c.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical switch for switching optical paths in optical communication devices and the like.

Background of the technology> Optical switches for switching optical paths can be made using various methods such as mechanical, electro-optic, and acousto-optic.

One of them is the thermo-optic type, which changes the temperature of the switch body through which light passes and changes its refractive index to form a refractive index distribution gradient, thereby refracting the light and switching the optical path. A light switch has been developed.

<Prior Art and Discrepancies> An example of a conventional thermo-optical optical switch is shown in FIG. An incoming sunlight path 2 and an exit optical path 3α, 3A are formed on the switch body 1, and a heating resistor 4 is provided at a branch of the exit optical path 6α, 3A. In this conventional optical switch, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is used as the switch body material.
), etc., whose refractive index is highly dependent on temperature, the manufacturing cost is high, and as a heating means to change the humidity, a thin film of Or, titanium, or the like is formed. Since it constitutes a heating resistor, it has the drawbacks of poor manufacturability and high manufacturing costs.

<Objective of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the drawbacks of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch with good manufacturability and low manufacturing cost.

<Structure of the Invention> In order to achieve this object, in the present invention, an optical fiber for incident light is connected to an end face on the incident light side of a switch body made of glass, and a fiber is connected to the end face on the output light side opposite to the end face on the input light side. An optical fiber for direct incident light and an optical fiber for refracted outgoing light are connected to a position aligned with the optical axis of the incoming optical fiber and an optical fiber for refracted outgoing light, respectively, and connected to the optical fiber for incoming light and the optical fiber for refracted outgoing light. An optical switch is provided in which heating means for optical path switching is provided on the side surface of a switch body close to a refracted optical path.

<Embodiment of the invention> FIG. 2 is an external view of an optical switch according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view thereof. Switch body 5 made of glass
An optical fiber 6a for incident light is connected to one end surface of the optical fiber 6a, and an optical fiber 6b for direct incident light and an optical fiber 6C for refracted and emitted light are connected to the opposite end surface. Optical fiber 6α for incident light
The optical axes of the optical fiber 6h for direct incident light are aligned with each other, and the optical axis of the optical fiber 6C for refracted and emitted light is diagonally shifted from the optical axis of the optical fiber 6α for incident light. Optical fiber 6 for incident light
A heater 7 is provided on the side surface of the switch body close to the refraction optical path connecting α and the refraction/emission optical fiber 6C. The heater 7 is made by forming a thick film of a resistor on a ceramic plate using a printing method or the like. 8 is a lead wire to the resistor. When the heater 7 is de-energized, the switch body 5 is not heated and the internal temperature distribution becomes uniform, so the refractive index does not change and the refractive index distribution becomes uniform, so that the light from the incident light optical fiber 6α travels straight. The light enters the output light optical fiber 6h. When the heater 7 is energized and heated to a predetermined temperature, the switch body 5
A temperature gradient occurs inside, and the refractive index changes accordingly, creating a gradient in the internal refractive index distribution, and the light emitted from the incident light optical fiber 6α is refracted toward the heater 7 side, and is refracted to the output light optical fiber 6C. incident on . In this way, by turning on and off the heater 7, the optical path of the light from the incident light optical fiber 6α can be switched to the direct incident light optical fiber 6h side or the refracted/outgoing light optical fiber 6C side.

FIG. 4 is an external view of another example of the optical switch according to the present invention. In this example, a heat sink 9 made of a material with high thermal conductivity is provided on the opposite side of the switch body 5 from the mounting surface of the heater 7 . Due to the action of this heat sink 9, the heater 7
When turned off, the cooling time of the switch body 5 is shortened, and the time for switching from the refracted optical path to the straight optical path is shortened. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

Front views of the outgoing light side end faces of different examples of the optical switch according to the present invention are shown in FIGS. 5 to 10. FIG. 5 is a view showing the end face on the output light side of the optical switch in FIG.
Equipped with C. Figure 6 shows a multiple optical switch, with multiple pairs (
In this example, four pairs of optical fibers 6h for direct emitting light and optical fibers 6C for refracted emitting light are provided, and the optical paths can be switched simultaneously by a common heater 7. Figure 7 shows an optical fiber 6h for straight and refracted output light in a multiple optical switch.
A heater 7 is provided for each pair of , l, and c, and a heat insulating material 10 is interposed between each pair to prevent mutual thermal influence, and the optical path can be switched independently for every 6 pairs. It is. 8th
In the figure, two optical fibers 6C and 60' for refracting and precipitating light are provided on the upper and lower sides for one optical fiber 6h for direct emitting light. A plurality of sets of optical fibers, each consisting of an optical fiber 6b and two optical fibers 6C and 60' for refracting and emitting light, are arranged in parallel, and the optical path can be switched to the upper side, the center, or the lower side at the same time. FIG. 9 shows optical fibers 6 for refracted and emitted light on the lower side and right side of the optical fiber 6h for direct emitted light, respectively.
C and 60', and an optical fiber 60' for refracting and emitting light is provided between them, and by heating the lower heater or the right heater, the optical path is changed to the refracting and emitting light on the lower side or the right side. By switching to the optical fiber 6c or 60' and heating both heaters simultaneously, the optical path is switched to the intermediate optical fiber 6CI for refracting and emitting light.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which six optical fibers 6C for refracting and emitting light are arranged radially around one optical fiber 6h for direct emitting light, and a heater 7 is provided corresponding to each optical fiber 6C. , by selectively heating each heater 7.
The optical path can be switched in seven directions including

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, the optical switch according to the present invention is inexpensive because it uses a glass material for the switch body, and by providing a heat sink, the switch operates quickly after switching. can do. Furthermore, if a thick film resistor is used as the switching heating means, manufacturing becomes easy and manufacturing costs can be reduced, and small, multiple optical switches can be easily manufactured.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an external view of a conventional optical switch, Fig. 2 is an external view of an optical switch according to the present invention, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the optical switch shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is an external view of another optical switch according to the present invention. The external view of the optical switch, and FIGS. 5 to 10 are front views of the end face on the output light side of various optical switches according to the present invention. 5... Switch body, 6α... Optical fiber for incident light, 6h... Optical fiber for direct incident light, 6c, 6c'. 6C'... Optical fiber for refracting and emitting light, 7... Heater, 9... Heat sink. Patent Applicant Fujitsu Limited Patent Application Agent Akira Aoki Patent Attorney Kazuyuki Nishidate Patent Attorney Yukio Uchida Patent Attorney Akiyuki Yamaguchi Figure 1 Figure 3 - Surprise Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 F Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber for incident light is connected to the end face on the incident light side of a switch body made of glass, and the optical axis of the optical fiber for incident light is connected to the end face on the output light side opposite to the end face on the input light side. An optical fiber for direct incident light and an optical fiber for refracted and emitted light are connected to positions aligned with and deviated from, respectively, and a switch is provided near the refracted optical path that connects the optical fiber for incident light and the optical fiber for refracted and emitted light. An optical switch with heating means for switching the optical path on the side of the main body. 2. Connect an optical fiber for incident light to the end face on the incident light side of the switch body made of glass, and determine the position and misalignment of the end face on the output light side opposite to the end face on the incident light side to align with the optical axis of the optical fiber for input light. An optical fiber for direct incident light and an optical fiber for refracted output light are connected to each of the positions, and an optical fiber for switching the optical path is connected to the side of the switch body close to the refracted optical path that connects the optical fiber for incident light and the optical fiber for refracted output light. An optical switch that is provided with a heating means and further provided with a heat dissipation means on the side surface of the switch body opposite to the side surface on which the heating means is provided. 6. In the optical switch according to claim 1,
A plurality of the above optical fibers for incident light are provided in parallel, and optical fibers for direct incident light and optical fibers for refracted and emitted light corresponding to each optical fiber for incident light are respectively arranged in parallel and provided on the end face on the output light side. Features an optical switch. 4. An optical switch according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that a plurality of optical fibers for refracted and emitted light are provided corresponding to one optical fiber for incident light. .