Components for Integrated Optics.

Recent progress in the fabrication of low attentuation optical fibers raises the attractive possibility of optical communications via these waveguides. Integration of different optical functions on one substrate in the form of optical circuits will form ideal terminals for such a communication network. The authors discuss the theory, fabrication and performance of a few building stones of such optical circuits. Optical directional couplers capable of coupling light from one channel to another are described and their use as switches is discussed. Distributed feedback for integrated lasers is analyzed. Laser action in a GaAs waveguide, in which distributed feedback was supplied by corrugations fabricated on the surface, is described. Longitudinal and transverse mode control of such a laser is also discussed. Author