Abstract: The invention concerns a integrated optical structure comprising a plurality of parts made at least of a dielectric material, stacked according to the levels of integration and defining at least an optical microguide, and further comprising at least an integrated part (15) made of an electrically conductive material, interposed or inserted between at least two of said dielectric parts and having at least one part (11a) externally accessible to said dielectric parts for at least an external electrical connection.

Abstract: A method for making an optical structure and a multilayer optical structure provided with optical guide elements for transmitting at least a light wave, comprises: providing a substrate with a first and second layer; etching out in the second electrically conducting layer a groove having two opposite ends and partly enclosing a first zone of the layer; filling the groove with electrically insulating material; etching out a cavity in the second layer then in the first non-electrically conducting layer partly enclosing a second zone of the second layer, adjacent to or extending the first zone wherein emerges the groove; the cavity comprises a clearance in the second layer; such that the closed part of the second layer corresponding to the zones is electrically isolated from the rest of the layer and the cleared part beneath the second zone constitutes a beam.

Abstract: A device for transmitting optical waves has a structure having at least an optical guide element wherein the structure comprises hollow parts or notches (9, 10) adapted to receive the end parts (13, 14) of an optical fiber (12) such that the fiber spans the surface (11a) of the structure separating the hollow parts and the ends of the optical fiber are respectively optically coupled to optical guide elements (7, 8) of the structure. The invention also concerns a method for making such a device which consists in etching the notch by cutting off the end of the optical micro-guide. The device is useful for producing optical switches.