The first guided-wave components that employed signals in the form of
light beams traveling along thin films were fabricated a little more
than two decades ago. The parallel development of semiconductor lasers
and the subsequent availability of low-loss optical fibers made possible
the imple- mentation of completely optical systems for communications,
signal pro- cessing and other applications that had used only electronic
circuitry in the past. Referred to as integrated optics, this technology
has been rein- forced by utilizing electronic components that act as
controlling elements or perform other functions for which the optical
counterparts are not as effec- tive. The broader area thus generated was
aptly named optoelectronics and it currently represents a fascinating,
rapidly evolving and most promising technology. Specifically, the
amalgamation of electronic and optics compo- nents into an integrated
optoelectronics format is expected to provide a wide range of systems
having miniaturized, high speed, broad band and reliable components for
telecommunications, data processing, optical computing and other
applications in the near and far future. This book is intended to cover
primarily the optical portion of the op- toelectronics area by focusing
on the theory and applications of components that use guided optical
waves. Hence all aspects of integrated optics are dis- cussed, but
optoelectronic components having primarily electronic rather than
optical functions have not been included. Each chapter has been writ-
ten by experts who have actively participated in developing the specific
areas addressed by them.