A new waveguide switch/modulator for integrated optics

A waveguide optical switch and/or modulator device is described that uses a single‐mode waveguide version of the Mach‐Zehnder interferometer. A mode selective branching waveguide is used for switching, and modulation can be accomplished without external polarizers in single‐mode waveguides. The operation of a 1×2 switch fabricated by diffusion techniques in ZnSe is described.