lntegrated optics

345

Buf fer

(b)

Waveguides

layer

Eleclrodes

Electrodes

Fig. 13.15
Substratc

(a) Schematic reprcscntation of a directional coupler. (b) Integrated Optics realization of the directional coupler. (c) Cross-section ofthe der ice shorving also an electnc

field line.

created is

JA:

2:r L Ln

/"

(1i.12)

A voltage of 5 V with a distance of 5 pm bet\\ieen the elcctrodes gives an electric

L is the length of the electrodes.

field of 106 V m- l for which we found previously ( Section 1 3.4) An : 1 .86 x 4. i0 A little algebra will then tell us that in order to produce a phase difference of z at a wavelength of about i.5 pm (good tbr optical communications) we need electrode lengths of about 4 mm. So rve have no'"v a phase shifter. or if we keep on varying the voltage befween 0 and 5 V. w'e have a phase modulator.

13.7.3 Directional coupler

One of the elementary requirements of signal processing is the faciliry to direct the signals into different locations. In its simplest form it means fsee Fig. I 3. I 5(a)] that a signal coming in at port I should be divided between output ports 1/ and 2' in any desired proportion, including the possibility that all the input power should appear at one single output port. And, similarly, power coming in at input 2 shouid be divided bet'ween the same output ports. The realization in integrated optics form is shown in Fig. 13. l5(b). For a length of 1-,
the fwo waveguides are so close to each other that there is leakage of power from one to the other one. In addition, it is possible to change the relative velociry of wave propagation in the two waveguides by applying a voltage between the two

electrodes. As shown in Fig. 13.15(c), the vertical component of the electric field is in the opposite direction for the lwo waveguides. Hence, according to eqn (13.1) the indices of refraction will vary in the opposite direction.

Let us now formulate this problem mathematically. A wave propagating

in the positive z-direction with a wavenumber ft1 is of the form (recall