US 11,307,483 B2Granted

MEMS optical switch with dual cantilever couplers

AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH

InventorsZilun Gong, Ning Wang, Alexander Huebel, Tobias Graf

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Abstract

An optical switch includes a bus waveguide and an optical antenna supported by a substrate, a first and second coupling waveguide, a first and second actuation electrode, and a first and second reaction electrode. The first coupling waveguide is disposed parallel with the substrate and aligned with the bus waveguide. The first reaction electrode is coupled with, and adjacent to, the first coupling waveguide. The second coupling waveguide is optically connected with the first coupling waveguide and suspended over and configured to optically couple with the optical antenna. The second reaction electrode is coupled with, and adjacent to, the second coupling waveguide. The first and second actuation electrodes are supported by the substrate and configured to control the position of the first and second coupling waveguide, respectively, relative to the bus waveguide and optical antenna, via the first and second reaction electrodes.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An optical switch comprising:

a bus waveguide supported by a substrate;
a plurality of first coupling waveguides being disposed parallel with the substrate and aligned with the bus waveguide;
a plurality of first reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the first coupling waveguides;
a plurality of second coupling waveguides, each of the second coupling waveguides optically connected with one of the first coupling waveguides;
an array of optical antennae, each optical antenna supported by the substrate and in plane with the bus waveguide relative to the substrate, and each optical antenna associated with a respective one of the first coupling waveguides and a respective one of the second coupling waveguides, wherein each of the second coupling waveguides are suspended over and configured to optically couple with one of the optical antennae;
a plurality of second reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the second coupling waveguides;
a plurality of first actuation electrodes supported by the substrate, each of the first actuation electrodes configured to control the position of one of the first coupling waveguides relative to the bus waveguide via one of the first reaction electrodes;
and
a plurality of second actuation electrodes supported by the substrate, each of the second actuation electrodes configured to control the position of one of the second coupling waveguides relative to one of the optical antennae via one of the second reaction electrodes,
wherein when a voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and one of the first actuation electrodes is less than a lower threshold, one of the first coupling waveguides is positioned a first distance from the bus waveguide, and when the voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and one of the first actuation electrodes is greater than an upper threshold, the one of the first coupling waveguides is positioned a second distance from the bus waveguide, and the second distance being less than the first distance.

7 more elements

A beam steering system comprising:

a bus waveguide supported by a substrate;
a plurality of first coupling waveguides suspended over the bus waveguide;
a plurality of first reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the first coupling waveguides;
a plurality of second coupling waveguides, each optically connected with one of the first coupling waveguide;
an array of optical antennae, each optical antenna supported by the substrate and coplanar with the bus waveguide, and each optical antenna associated with a respective one of the first coupling waveguides and a respective one of the second coupling waveguides, wherein each of the second coupling waveguides are suspended over and configured to optically couple with one of the optical antennae;
a plurality of second reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the second coupling waveguides;
a plurality of first actuation electrodes supported by the substrate and each configured to control the position of one of the first coupling waveguides relative to the bus waveguide via one of the first reaction electrodes;
a plurality of second actuation electrodes supported by the substrate and each configured to control the position of one of the second coupling waveguides relative to one of the optical antennae via one of the second reaction electrode;
an optical tree having at least one type of optical switch and configured to distribute light to the optical antennae;
and
a lens that is spaced apart from the substrate and configured to diffract the light received from the optical antennae,
wherein when a voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and one of the first actuation electrodes is less than a lower threshold, one of the first coupling waveguides is positioned a first distance from the bus waveguide, and when the voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and one of the first actuation electrodes is greater than an upper threshold, the one of the coupling waveguides is positioned a second distance from the bus waveguide, and the second distance is less than the first distance.

9 more elements

A beam steering system comprising:

a bus waveguide supported by a substrate;
a plurality of first coupling waveguides suspended over the bus waveguide;
a plurality of first reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the first coupling waveguides;
a plurality of second coupling waveguides, each optically connected with one of the first coupling waveguides;
an array of optical antennae, each optical antenna supported so as to be coplanar with the bus waveguide, and each optical antenna associated with a respective one of the first coupling waveguides and a respective one of the second coupling waveguides, wherein each of the second coupling waveguides are suspended over and configured to optically couple with one of the optical antennae;
a plurality of second reaction electrodes each coupled with, and adjacent to, one of the second coupling waveguides;
a plurality of first actuation electrodes each supported by the substrate and configured to control the position of one of the first coupling waveguides relative to the bus waveguide;
a plurality of second actuation electrodes each supported by the substrate and configured to control the position of one of the second coupling waveguides relative to one of the optical antennae;
an optical tree having at least one type of optical switch and configured to collect light from the optical antennae;
and
a lens that is spaced apart from the substrate, the lens configured to diffract the light and direct the light to the optical antennae,
wherein when a voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and the one of first actuation electrodes is less than a lower threshold, one of the first coupling waveguide is positioned a first distance from the bus waveguide, and when a voltage difference between one of the first reaction electrodes and one of the first actuation electrodes is greater than an upper threshold, the one of the coupling waveguides is positioned a second distance from the bus waveguide, and the second distance is less than the first distance.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/919,561Filed 2 Jul 2020
Published: US 2022/0004077 A16 Jan 2022
Granted: 19 Apr 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G02B 6/3596
Having switching means: with planar waveguide arrangement, i.e. in a substrate, regardless if actuating mechanism is outside the substrate
G02F 1/313
Digital deflection, i.e. optical switching: in an optical waveguide structure
G01S 7/4815
Of transmitters alone: using multiple transmitters
G02B 6/34
Optical coupling means: utilising prism or grating

Family

US 2022/0004077 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Jan 2022
US 11,307,483 B2This patent

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

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