US 7,582,233 B2
Method of manufacturing directional coupler
Tomoko Koyama, Hara-mura (Japan); Takeo Kaneko, Misato-mura (Japan); Taketomi Kamikawa, Shiojiri (Japan); Norio Oguchi, Chino (Japan); and Atsushi Harada, Suwa (Japan)
Assigned to Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Apr. 10, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/400,246.
Application 11/400246 is a division of application No. 10/286768, filed on Nov. 04, 2002, abandoned.
Claims priority of application No. 2001-356161 (JP), filed on Nov. 21, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2006/0174657 A1, Aug. 10, 2006
Int. Cl. G02B 6/26 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 264—1.25  [264/1.7] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing a directional coupler that includes a cladding material, a first waveguide layer, and a second waveguide layer, a part of the first waveguide layer and a part of the second waveguide layer overlapping each other to form an optical coupling section, and a separation material separating the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer at least at one end of the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer, the method comprising:
forming the cladding material on a substrate by an ink-jet method;
forming the first waveguide layer on the cladding material by an ink-jet method;
forming the separation material on the first waveguide layer by an ink-jet method; and
forming the second waveguide layer on the separation material and the part of the first waveguide layer by an ink-jet method, a width of the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer being configured to be narrower than a width of the substrate.