An optical switch is disclosed in which a switching section for switching the optical path of an incident light is formed in a region where two semiconductor optical waveguides cross each other. The switching section is composed of n-, i-, p-, i- and n-type semiconductor layers laminated in that order, each i-type layer being formed by a superlattice layer composed of a plurality of semiconductor thin films so that the i-type layer is higher in the effective refractive index and smaller in the effective energy gap than each n-type layer. The impurity concentrations of the n-, i-, p-, i-, and n-type layers and the thicknesses of the i-, p-, and i-type layers are determined so that the i-, p- and i-type layers are depleted in a thermal equilibrium state.