Abstract: A laminated electrode disposed on a substrate includes a first layer disposed at a top surface and a second layer directly joined to the first layer. A material of the first layer is gold. A material of the second layer is nickel silicide.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light coupler and a manufacturing method thereof. The light coupler of the invention includes a plurality of light input terminals, a plurality of light output terminals, a plurality of half mirrors, and an optical wave guide connecting the plurality of the light input terminals, the plurality of the light output terminals and the plurality of the half mirrors. The optical wave guide has kinked line shape and each of the plurality of half mirrors is placed at a respective corner of the kinked line shape. Especially, the kinked line shape includes a polygon network.

Abstract: The optical branching-coupling device having a self-written optical waveguide core is formed without using half mirrors. In the optical branching-coupling device, three POFs are inserted into a housing having an approximately D-shaped sidewall. An approximately semi-columnar region V in the housing was filled with an uncured liquid light-curing acrylic resin. A laser beam was introduced from one of the POFs, and a cured material was formed of the end face of the POF. The diameter was equal to the core diameter of the POF. The cured material grew, resulting in the cured material reaching the end face of another one of the POFs, thereby forming an optical waveguide core. Next, a laser beam was introduced from the end face of the last one of the POFs. The cured material grew, resulting in a connection with the optical waveguide core, thereby forming the optical waveguide core.

Abstract: The optical branching-coupling device having a self-written optical waveguide core is formed without using half mirrors. In the optical branching-coupling device, three POFs are inserted into a housing having an approximately D-shaped sidewall. An approximately semi-columnar region V in the housing was filled with an uncured liquid light-curing acrylic resin. A laser beam was introduced from one of the POFs, and a cured material was formed of the end face of the POF. The diameter was equal to the core diameter of the POF. The cured material grew, resulting in the cured material reaching the end face of another one of the POFs, thereby forming an optical waveguide core. Next, a laser beam was introduced from the end face of the last one of the POFs. The cured material grew, resulting in a connection with the optical waveguide core, thereby forming the optical waveguide core.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light coupler and a manufacturing method thereof. The light coupler of the invention includes a plurality of light input terminals, a plurality of light output terminals, a plurality of half mirrors, and an optical wave guide connecting the plurality of the light input terminals, the plurality of the light output terminals and the plurality of the half mirrors. The optical wave guide has kinked line shape and each of the plurality of half mirrors is placed at a respective corner of the kinked line shape. Especially, the kinked line shape includes a polygon network.

Abstract: A method for optically immobilizing very small objects, where a material with the capability of photoinduced deformation to possibly immobilize very small objects is used at least as a surface layer of a carrier and where the very small objects are immobilized via irradiation light while they are arranged on the surface of the carrier. Very small objects particularly preferably include proteins, nucleic acids and the like. A very small object-immobilized carrier having immobilized very small objects in such manner, particularly a biosensor. A method for observing a very small object immobilized on the surface of a carrier by an appropriate approach giving displacement force to the very small object. The present invention provides a method for strongly immobilizing very small objects on the surface of a carrier with a simple tool.

Abstract: An optical recording method suited for recording a very small object or movement of a living organism such as a microorganism, which comprises irradiating an informative object set on or above a recording layer comprising a photosensitive material capable of undergoing a storable and detectable photochemical reaction, preferably a polymer material containing a photoreactive component capable of photoisomerization and having in the repeating unit thereof at least one group selected from a urethane group, a urea group, an amide group, a carboxyl group and a hydroxyl group, and recording a distribution of an optical near field generated from the informative object being irradiated on the photosensitive material as a photoreacting quantity of the photosensitive material.

Abstract: An optical recording method suited for recording a very small object or movement of a living organism such as a microorganism, which comprises irradiating an informative object set on or above a recording layer comprising a photosensitive material capable of undergoing a storable and detectable photochemical reaction, preferably a polymer material containing a photoreactive component capable of photoisomerization and having in the repeating unit thereof at least one group selected from a urethane group, a urea group, an amide group, a carboxyl group and a hydroxyl group, and recording a distribution of an optical near field generated from the informative object being irradiated on the photosensitive material as a photoreacting quantity of the photosensitive material.

Abstract: A waveguide device having a waveguide layer provided with a core and a cladding, and having a mode filter function of propagating either of TE mode polarized light and TM mode polarized light, wherein the core and the cladding are formed of a variable anisotropic refractive index material or a material in which a variable anisotropic refractive index material is dispersed in a matrix. Upon photoirradiation, the refractive indices (n.sub.o, n.sub.e) of the core and the cladding can be changed to satisfy the formulae: one of n.sub.o and n.sub.e of the core is greater than that of the cladding, and the other of n.sub.o and n.sub.e of the core is less than or equal to that of the cladding, wherein n.sub.o is the ordinary refractive index and n.sub.e is the extraordinary refractive index. This waveguide device can be an important constitutional component in a compact optical system. A method of producing the waveguide device is also disclosed.