Patent ID: 6853758

Claim:
An integrated optical device comprising (i) first and second optical waveguide arms arranged to define an optical signal splitting region near an input side of said integrated optical device and an optical signal combining region near an output side of said integrated optical device and (ii) a functional region between said optical signal splitting and combining regions, wherein: said first optical waveguide arm comprises a first waveguide core passing through a first electrooptic portion of said functional region, said first waveguide core being optically non-functional relative to a remaining portion of said functional region; said second optical waveguide arm comprises a second waveguide core passing through a second electrooptic portion of said functional region, said second waveguide core being optically non-functional relative to a remaining portion of said functional region; a first set of control electrodes are positioned to generate an electric field in said first portion of said functional region; a second set of control electrodes are positioned to generate an electric field in said second portion of said functional region; said first set of control electrodes, said first waveguide core, and said first portion of said functional region are configured such that a TE electromagnetic polarization mode of an optical signal propagating along said first waveguide core encounters an electrooptically induced change in refractive index that is more predominant than an electrooptically induced change in refractive index encountered by a TM electromagnetic polarization mode of said optical signal propagating along said first waveguide core; and said second set of control electrodes, said second waveguide core, and said second portion of said functional region are configured such that a TM electromagnetic polarization mode of an optical signal propagating along said second waveguide core encounters an electrooptically induced change in refractive index that is more predominant than an electrooptically induced change in refractive index encountered by a TE electromagnetic polarization mode of said optical signal propagating along said second waveguide core.