US 10,473,862 B2Granted

Integrated MEMS switches for selectively coupling light in and out of a waveguide

AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

InventorsSteven J. Spector, Michael G. Moebius, Benjamin F. Lane, Gregg E. Favalora

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A steerable optical transmit and receive terminal includes a MEMS-based N×1 optical switch network. Each optical switch in the optical switch network uses an electrostatic MEMS structure to selectively position a translatable optical grating close to or far from an optical waveguide. In the close (“ON”) position, light couples between the translatable optical grating and the optical waveguide, whereas in the far (“OFF”) position, no appreciable light couples between the translatable optical grating and the optical waveguide. The translatable optical grating is disposed at or near a surface of the optical switch network. Thus, the translatable optical grating emits light into, or receives light from, free space. The steerable optical transmit and receive terminal also includes a lens and can steer a free space optical beam in a direction determined by which port of the N×1 optical switch network is ON.

Claims1

Dependent claims

An optical switch network, comprising:

a common input/output port;
a waveguide having a length and being optically coupled to the common input/output port;
and
a plurality of binary optical switches disposed on a planar surface, the plurality of binary optical switch being disposed along the length of the waveguide, each binary optical switch of the plurality of binary optical switches comprising:
a translatable optical grating configured to translate between at least two positions, a first position of the at least two positions being sufficiently close to the waveguide to optically couple between the waveguide and free space beyond the planar surface with a coupling efficiency of at least about 25%, and a second position of the at least two positions being sufficiently far from the waveguide to optically couple between the waveguide and the free space with a coupling efficiency of at most about 5%;
and
a MEMS structure configured to selectively translate the translatable optical grating to the first position and to the second position.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/844,527Filed 16 Dec 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 16 Dec 2016
Published: US 2018/0175961 A121 Jun 2018
Granted: 12 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

G02B 6/3548
2D constellations, i.e. with switching elements and switched beams located in a plane: 1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output…
B81B 3/0083
Constitution or structural means for improving or controlling the physical properties of a device: optical properties
G01S 7/4814
Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements: of transmitters alone
G01S 7/4816
Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements: of receivers alone

Family

Application62/498,158Us provisional application · filed 16 Dec 2016
Application62/450,855Us provisional application · filed 26 Jan 2017
Application62/516,602Us provisional application · filed 7 Jun 2017
US 2018/0175961 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Jun 2018
US 10,473,862 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.