Patent ID: 7079724

Claim:
An integrated optic switch comprising: an optical Y-branch waveguide structure capable of guiding at least one optical mode and including: a cladding medium; a channel waveguide core disposed in said cladding medium and containing an input branch and first and second output branches; a first elongated trench formed in said cladding medium and filled with a first liquid crystal material and laterally spaced apart from said channel waveguide core, the longitudinal axis of said first trench being disposed along one side of said input branch and said first output branch opposite to said second output branch; said first liquid crystal material associated with the first output branch and having ordinary and isotropic refractive indices corresponding to nematic and isotropic phases of the first liquid crystal material, respectively; and a first temperature control element disposed in heat exchange relationship with the first liquid crystal material, the first temperature control element being operative to selectively add heat to the first liquid crystal material to change the phase thereof from nematic to isotropic, thereby producing differential refractive index loading of the channel waveguide core such that at least a portion of optical mode light directed into one of the first and second output branches is redirected into the other of the first and second output branches.