Patent ID: 8326096

Claim:
An electro-optical switch comprising: an X-cut electro-optical substrate; a Y-shaped optical waveguide formed in the substrate and including an input branch intended to be connected to an input optical waveguide, and output branches intended to be connected to respective output optical waveguides; and an electrically conductive electrode structure formed on the substrate and so arranged as to be operatively coupled to the optical waveguide to cause an optical signal received at the input optical waveguide to be selectively supplied to at least one of the output optical waveguides; wherein the electrode structure includes an inner electrode arranged between the output branches, substantially at a branching area of the optical waveguide, and intended to be grounded; and outer electrodes arranged outside the output branches, on opposite sides of the inner electrode, and intended to be electronically supplied with a switching signal; wherein the electrode structure is operable to cause the electro-optical switch to switch between a first switching state wherein transmission of optical energy is enhanced between the input branch and a first one of the output branches, and substantially inhibited in a second one of the output branches, and a second switching state wherein transmission of optical energy is enhanced between the input branch and the second output branch, and substantially inhibited in the first output branch; characterized by an optically transparent, electrically conductive film arranged between each electrode and the substrate and so sized that an inter-film gap between each pair of adjacent optically transparent, electrically conductive films is smaller than an inter-electrode gap between each pair of adjacent electrodes; wherein each optically transparent, electrically conductive film is so sized as to laterally overlap partially an adjacent output branch of the optical waveguide.