Variable optical attenuator in micro-electro-mechanical systems and method of making the same
OwnerHawk Chen, Hsuan-Hsi Changinventors
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Abstract
A variable optical attenuator in micro-electro-mechanical systems includes a moving shutter for attenuating the energy of a light entering the attenuator, a first optical fiber transversely located on one side of the moving shutter with a first inclined surface facing the shutter, and a second optical fiber transversely located on the other side of the moving shutter with a second inclined surface facing the shutter. The second optical fiber and the first optical fiber are parallel to each other with a space and a shift on the same plane.
Claims15
A variable optical attenuator (VOA) in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) comprising:
- a moving shutter for attenuating the coupled energy of an optical signal;
- a first optical fiber transversely located on one side of the moving shutter with a first inclined surface facing one terminal of the moving shutter;
- and
- a second optical fiber transversely located on the other side of the moving shutter with a second inclined surface facing one terminal of the moving shutter;
- wherein the second optical fiber and the first optical fiber are disposed on a same plane, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are parallel to each other with a distance in between, and the central axis of the second optical fiber shifts a second distance relative to the central axis of the first optical fiber.
A method for making a VOA in MEMS comprising the steps of:
- paring a terminal facet of a first optical fiber as a first inclined surface;
- paring a terminal facet of a second optical fiber as a second inclined surface;
- transversely locating the first optical fiber on one side of a moving shutter such that the terminal facet faces the moving shutter;
- and
- transversely locating the second optical fiber on the other side of the moving shutter with a distance in between relative to the terminal facet of the first optical fiber, and the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are disposed on a same plane with the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface parallel to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.