Patent ID: 7231102

Claim:
An optical device comprising at least one electrooptic modulator, said electrooptic modulator comprising an optically functional waveguide portion and an electrode portion, wherein: said optically functional waveguide portion comprises a modulator input portion, a modulator output portion, and first and second waveguide arms defined between an optical signal splitter in said modulator input portion and an optical signal combiner in said modulator output portion; said electrode portion is configured such that a control signal applied thereto alters a transmission characteristic of light propagating along one or both of said waveguide arms in said optically functional waveguide portion; said electrode portion comprises a coplanar stripline extending from a control signal input, across said optically functional waveguide portion, to a control signal output; and said coplanar stripline comprises a control signal electrode and first and second ground plane electrodes and defines a substantially uniform impedance profile from a control signal input, across said optically functional waveguide portion, to a control signal output.