Patent ID: 7099534

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an optical waveguide end structure formed on an underlying surface, said optical waveguide end structure including an optical waveguide guiding light along a first direction parallel to the underlying surface and first converging means formed on the underlying surface and being continuous with the optical waveguide at an end of the optical waveguide, said optical waveguide and said first converging means having a same laminated structure, said first converging means for converging light radiated from the end of said optical waveguide and diverging along directions parallel to the underlying surface, and light being propagated in said first converging means is confined in a direction perpendicular to the underlying surface; second converging means for converging light transmitted through said first converging means and diverging along directions perpendicular to the underlying; and a support member for supporting said first converging means and said second converging means, said support member comprising a distance regulating member for regulating a distance between said first converging means and said second converging means, said distance regulating member changes the distance between said first converging means and said second converging means through thermal expansion, and a coefficient of linear expansion of said distance regulating member is selected in such a manner that an absolute value of Δf−Δg becomes smaller than Δf where Δf is an elongated length of a focal length of said second converging means and Δg is an increased distance between said first converging means and said second converging means, respectively when a temperature changes from a first temperature to a second temperature.