Patent ID: 7072537

Claim:
An optical switch comprising: at least one input channel waveguide and a plurality of output channel waveguides; a first optical deflecting unit which deflects a light input to said input channel waveguide; a slab type optical waveguide unit through which the light deflected by said first optical deflecting unit is propagated; and a second optical deflecting unit which deflects the light passed through said slab type optical waveguide unit at a deflection angle symmetrical to that by said first optical deflecting unit, to guide the light to one output channel waveguide selected from said plurality of output channel waveguides, wherein said first optical deflecting unit and said second optical deflecting unit each includes: a slab type optical waveguide formed by using a material having a polarization dependence and an electro-optic effect; input side upper electrode portions each of which is formed with at least one prism type electrode on a position of the optical input side on the top surface of said slab type optical waveguide; output side upper electrode portions each of which is formed with at least one prism type electrode on a position of the optical output side on the top surface of said slab type optical waveguide; a lower electrode formed on the bottom surface of said slab type optical waveguide; a drive circuit which applies voltages to said input side upper electrode portions and said output side upper electrode portions, to generate substantially equal electric fields between said input side upper electrode portions and said lower electrode, and between said output side upper electrode portions and said lower electrode; and a mode conversion element which performs the inter-conversion between TE/TM modes of the light being propagated within said slab type optical waveguide positioned between said input side upper electrode portions and said output side upper electrode portions.