Abstract: In the manufacture of an arrayed waveguide grating type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer, respective slab waveguides are provided at input sides and output sides of a waveguide array in a cladding layer formed upon a substrate, which includes plural waveguides whose lengths differ and which are arranged in parallel; and an input waveguide is provided at the input side of the input side slab waveguide, while plural output waveguides are provided at the output side of the output side slab waveguide. The waveguides are made from a material for which the difference between the effective refractive indices for the two polarizations is large, and thereby, when multiplexed light which consists of plural lights of different wavelengths is inputted to said input waveguide, lights which have been separated by wavelength and by polarization are outputted from each of said output waveguides. As a result, it is possible to make a polarization/wavelength multiplex transmission circuit using fewer elements.

Abstract: In the manufacture of an arrayed waveguide grating type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer, respective slab waveguides are provided at input sides and output sides of a waveguide array in a cladding layer formed upon a substrate, which includes plural waveguides whose lengths differ and which are arranged in parallel; and an input waveguide is provided at the input side of the input side slab waveguide, while plural output waveguides are provided at the output side of the output side slab waveguide. The waveguides are made from a material for which the difference between the effective refractive indices for the two polarizations is large, and thereby, when multiplexed light which consists of plural lights of different wavelengths is inputted to said input waveguide, lights which have been separated by wavelength and by polarization are outputted from each of said output waveguides. As a result, it is possible to make a polarization/wavelength multiplex transmission circuit using fewer elements.