Abstract: A method of connecting waveguides and optical fibers includes the steps of forming the waveguides and a marker at the same time on a waveguide substrate when patterning the waveguides by a photolithography method, forming a clad layer on a region other than another region when the marker is formed so as to embed the waveguides, and forming a fitting pin groove at a position corresponding to a position of the marker. By using this fitting pin groove, a waveguide module and an optical fiber connector are connected so as to connect each of the waveguides and each of the optical fibers with each other. With this method, waveguides and optical fibers can be aligned and connected with each other easily and in a short period of time without employing an expensive aligning device.

Abstract: An optical component and a manufacturing method therefor are provided, in which an optical member is arranged across a spot-size enlarged portion of an optical fiber. The spot-size enlarged portion is formed either by heating and drawing an optical fiber to reduce its diameter or by diffusing core dopant of an optical fiber outwardly while heating the same. The optical component functions as an optical filter, an optical attenuator, a polarizer, a wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer or the like, depending on selection of the optical member.

Abstract: A method for switching an optical connector having paired optical connectors, having pins engaged with engaging holes of the optical connectors, which involves a connector disposing step of disposing the switching optical connector parallel to the separating optical connector, a pin forward moving step of moving the pins engaged with both the reconnecting and separating optical connectors each other to the reconnecting optical connector side, then a connecting switching step of relatively moving the reconnecting optical connector, the separating optical connector and the switching optical connector and the front end faces thereof, and finally pin backward moving step of moving the pins of the reconnecting optical connector side to the switching optical connector side.

Abstract: Opposed ones of optical fibers respectively secured in a plurality of guide grooves formed in first and second blocks, are jointed to each other through an optical film formed on at least one of their opposed inclined end faces in such a way that their optical axes are aligned with each other. Further, each of optical fibers similarly disposed on a third block is formed at its one end face with a total reflection film and is arranged in parallel to the optical fibers of the first and second blocks in such a way that an optical signal incident to the respective fibers of the first block is propagated through the splitting films and total reflection films along optical axes of the associated optical fibers of the third block.

Abstract: An optical switch system used in a monitoring system for monitoring a large-scale optical transmission including a multiplicity of optical fibers, or like systems for switching optical transmission paths. The optical switch system comprises first and second optical switches. The first optical switch serves to optically connect one end face of a single first optical fiber selectively to one end face of any one of n second optical fibers. The second optical switch serves to optically connect end faces of n third optical fibers collectively and substantially synchronously to end faces of fourth optical fibers of a desired bundle selected from a plurality of optical fiber bundles each composed of substantially n optical fibers, the third optical fibers being optically connected at other end faces to other end faces of the second optical fibers.