  The optical conductivity \sigma(\omega) in the two-dimensional Hubbard model
is examined by applying the exact diagonalization technique to small square
clusters with periodic boundary conditions up to \sqrt{20} X \sqrt{20} sites.
Spectral-weight distributions at half filling and their doping dependence in
the 20-site cluster are found to be similar to those in a \sqrt{18} X \sqrt{18}
cluster, but different from 4 X 4 results. The results for the 20-site cluster
enable us to perform a systematic study of the doping dependence of the
spectral-weight transfer from the region of the Mott-gap excitation to
lower-energy regions. We discuss the dependence of the Drude weight and the
effective carrier number on the electron density at a large on-site Coulomb
interaction.
