Patent ID: 7289702

Claim:
An optical module using optical waveguides, comprising at least: a single mode optical waveguide having a first core and a single mode optical waveguide having a second core, an axial extension of said first core and that of said second core intersecting each other; wherein: a gap is formed between said first and second cores in adjacency to the intersecting region between the axial extensions of said first and second cores; said gap being formed between a side face of said optical waveguide having the first core which side face runs along the axial direction of the first core and a light output face of said optical waveguide having the second core; the width of said first core and that of said second core are narrower in the vicinity of the intersecting region between the axial extensions of said first and second cores than the respective other core portions so that a spot diameter of propagating light becomes larger; the optical waveguides of said optical module each have a region of a non-linear shape as viewed in plan at a position spaced away from the narrowed region of the core thereof; and a groove which constitutes one end portion of said first core and a member having at least one of light transmitting, reflecting and absorbing characteristics and inserted into said groove are provided adjacent to the intersecting region between the axial extensions of said first and second cores.