Patent ID: 9442248
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: G02B,G02F,H04B,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A polarization beam combiner/splitter, comprising: a substrate; a polarization beam combining/splitting film placed on the substrate, for allowing a first polarization signal to pass through and causing a second polarization signal having a different polarization plane from the first polarization signal to branch off; a first optical waveguide placed on the substrate, with an end surface facing a first surface of the polarization beam combining/splitting film and with a waveguide direction coinciding with a propagation direction of the first polarization signal; and a second optical waveguide placed on the substrate, with an end surface facing a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface of the polarization beam combining/splitting film and with a waveguide direction coinciding with a propagation direction of the second polarization signal, wherein the polarization beam combining/splitting film allows the first polarization signal contained in incident focused polarization multiplexed signal light to pass through and causing the second polarization signal to branch off, to split the polarization multiplexed signal light by polarization, and wherein the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide are placed in closer proximity to a focal point of the focused polarization multiplexed signal light than a distance where a focal plane of the polarization multiplexed signal light is within the end surface of the first optical waveguide and the end surface of the second optical waveguide.