Abstract

An integrated optical waveguide circuit is a thin-film optical circuit designed to have certain functional components such as gratings, splitters, switches, and interconnection waveguide branches. They can be integrated with a laser diode as waveguide light source, with photodiodes as detector, on a single substrate with input/output fiber connection. A compact, stable, and multifunctional optical system can be made through integration. Monolithic integration requires the inclusion of all sources, waveguide, and detector on a single substrate grown with a compatible material system, while hybrid integration refers to components made by different material systems and bonded on a single substrate.