A versatile optically-gated optical switch using an organic-dye is suitable for light-path switching in an optical
communication for various wavelengths of a signal-light. An organic dye for absorbing a gating-light combined with a
high-boiling solvent for forming a thermal-lens is properly selected choosing a wavelength of both a gating- and a signal-light.
The incidence gating-light passed through a short focal-length lens is absorbed around the focal point and form
high-temperature region in the high-boiling solvent, which refract a simultaneously incidence signal-light by a thermal-lens
effect. Mechanism of forming a thermal-lens and refracting the signal-light is discussed.
A novel technique for optical switching using an optical gate for light path switching has been developed. The
developed "optical switch" is capable of separating the incident signal light from the optical fibers directly, without
conversion to the corresponding electrical signals, under optical gating and of outputting these optical signals to other
multiple optical fibers. The separation of a signal light under optical gating is achievable by utilizing a high-speed
thermal-lens effect generated in a thin-film element by applying the gating light to an organic thin-layer optical element
(thermal-lens forming element). This system is capable of separating the incident signal light with performances of high
throughput and low crosstalk. The application of the versatile switch described here to telecommunication involves the
combination of both an originally developed optical network and a traditional Ethernet network. The optical network
between a data server and a client PC is connected by a perfect optical circuit without any electronics circuit: no optics-electronics
conversion within the circuit of data transfer. In this circuit, by rooting using several optically gated optical
switches, the data in a server can be distributed to each client PC. A protocol of rooting is "circuit switching". The
switching of optically gated optical switches in this optical circuit is controlled by an Ethernet network. In these
networks, i.e., several client PCs are connected by a bus network with each optical switch. The advantages of the
proposed system are suitable for a small and limited network for limited users with the uses of large-scale data transfer,
especially within a domain (building and/or yard).
We have developed a simple process method, "vapor transportation method", for surface treatments and functionalization of polymeric materials. The method is addition of versatile functions to the solid polymeric materials with treatment of vapors under vacuum. Polymeric waveguides can be easily fabricated using the method. Exposing rods of transparent polymer, poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), by vapor of organofluorine compounds, fluorinated esters, with lower refractive indices made the organofluorines dispersed into the PMMA from the surface. The refractive index of the organofluorine-doped PMMA surface was decreased and a cladding layer was formed. The core was the central part of the rod, which was the PMMA without dispersion of organofluorines. The properties of the waveguides made by the method were characterized. The refractive index and thickness of the cladding layer can be controlled by conditions of vapor transportation, such as treatment time and temperature.
The "vapor transportation method" with vacuum technique, developed previsouly in our laboratory, was used to form polymer thin layers with densely dispersed photochromic dyes on polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and polymcarbonate (PC) substrates. The organic photochrmoic dye cis-1,2-dicyano-1,2-bis(2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thienyl)ethane (CMTE) was used, and the rate of formation of the CMTE-conatining layer was as follows: PS > PC > PMMA. These observations are important for application of the present method to the formation of organic memory media for optical recording etc. These results also indicate that the formation rate is dependent on not only the chemical composition and the structure of the polymer substrate, but also on the treatment temperature. Optical density measurements of the CMTE-dispersed thin polymer films showed maximum values near the glass transition temperature (g) with increases in temperature of film formation. The Tg values of CMTE-dispersed polymers decreased rapidly after CMTE-dispersal into the polymer matrices, indicating that Tg values of the polymers are important parameters for investigation of the mechanism of formation of CMTE-dispersed layers on polymer substrates using the present method.
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