Abstract: An optical switch for routing light between two waveguides is disclosed. The switch, or router, comprises a movable waveguide, the movable waveguide having two positions, wherein in a first position the movable waveguide is interposed between the two waveguides and transmits light between the two waveguides by evanescent wave coupling, and in the other position the movable waveguide is retracted from the two waveguides and is not transmitting light between the two waveguides. Means for moving the movable waveguide between the two positions is also disclosed. The optical switches are used in M×N optical routing arrays being capable of directing light from any one of the M input ports to any one of the N output ports with additional ADD/DROP functions.

Abstract: An electrical method is described for determining the presence of certain defects in the buried oxide of silicon-on-insulator wafers which cause electrical breakdown at voltages low enough to cause failure during circuit processing. The method consists of carrying out current-voltage measurements on gold/silicon/buried oxide/substrate devices isolated by selective etching and analyzing the current-voltage behavior in terms of short circuit defect densities, low voltage breakdown defects, and excess current leakage defects. An additional method for detecting the low voltage breakdown defects is to monitor light flashes which accompany the breakdown.

Abstract: An electrical method is described for determining the presence of certain defects in the buried oxide of silicon-on-insulator wafers which cause electrical breakdown at voltages low enough to cause failure during circuit processing. The method consists of carrying out current-voltage measurements on gold/silicon/buried oxide/substrate devices isolated by selective etching and analyzing the current-voltage behavior in terms of short circuit defect densities, low voltage breakdown defects, and excess current leakage defects. An additional method for detecting the low voltage breakdown defects is to monitor light flashes which accompany the breakdown.

Abstract: A technique for fabricating a semiconductor heterostructure by growth of a ternary semiconductor on a binary semiconductor substrate from a melt of the ternary semiconductor containing less than saturation of at least one common ingredient of both the binary and ternary semiconductors wherein in a single temperature step the binary semiconductor substrate is etched, a p-n junction with specific device characteristics is produced in the binary semiconductor substrate by diffusion of a dopant from the melt and a region of the ternary semiconductor of precise conductivity type and thickness is grown by virtue of a change in the melt characteristics when the etched binary semiconductor enters the melt.

Abstract: Photoelectrical conversion cells may be assembled on an electrically conducting heat sink and each may be electrically isolated therefrom by employing insulating substrate material between the photoresponsive region of each cell and the heat sink.