Patent ID: 7386196

Claim:
A method for controlling an optoelectronic component during a rise time period with control signals, in which component there are at least two waveguides optically coupled to each other, the first waveguide ( 3 ) and the second waveguide ( 4 ), which form tracks to an optical signal, and in the beginning of which rise time period both control signals are on a common start level, namely on the first amplitude level (I), which is clearly higher than zero, so that the refractive indices of the waveguides ( 3 , 4 ) are equal and the phase difference between them is zero, and at the end of which rise time period the first control signal is on its target level, namely on the second amplitude level (II), which is clearly higher than the start level, and the second control signal is correspondingly on its own target level, namely on the third amplitude level (III), which is clearly lower than the start level, so that the refractive indices of the waveguides ( 3 , 4 ) are unequal and there is a predetermined phase difference between them, and the length of which rise time period is limited by the time required for generating and stabilizing a phase difference change between the waveguides, and in which method the rise time period is shortened by adjusting the control signals between their start and target levels in an appropriate manner, characterized in that for shortening the rise time period the second control signal is first lowered to a fifth amplitude level (V), which is zero or substantially lower than the third amplitude level (III), and simultaneously the first control signal is set to a fourth amplitude level (IV), which is clearly higher than the second amplitude level (II), and finally both control signals are set to their target level, and during which rise time period the control signals are adjusted so that in the last part of the rise time period the phase difference between the waveguides is already substantially settled to its target value, while the refractive indices of the individual waveguides are still clearly changing towards their target values.