Planar lightwave circuit-based optical switches using micromirrors in trenches

An optical routing matrix comprising:

• a waveguide substrate having at least one trench along a surface of said waveguide substrate;
• an array of optical crosspoints at said at least one trench, said optical crosspoints being defined by a plurality of waveguides extending along said surface of said waveguide substrate to form a planar lightwave circuit, each optical crosspoint being substantially at an optical intersection of an input waveguide with first and second waveguides that are on opposite sides of a corresponding trench;
• and
• a plurality of solid actuators positioned to correspond to said optical crosspoints, each actuator having a reflecting position in which a corresponding one of said input waveguides is optically coupled to a corresponding said second waveguide, each actuator further having a non-reflecting position in which said corresponding one of said input waveguides is optically coupled to a corresponding said first waveguide.

A method of routing optical signals comprising steps of:

• forming a plurality of light-transmitting waveguides on a waveguide substrate, including forming a trench at a crosspoint of said waveguides such that optical coupling of an input waveguide to spaced apart first and second waveguides is dependent upon optical characteristics at said crosspoints;
• providing a micromirror that is displaceable between a first position and a second position;
• and
• switching said optical coupling of said input waveguide by manipulating said micromirror, including displacing said micromirror to said first position at said crosspoint to optically couple said input waveguide to said second waveguide, and further including removing said micromirror from said crosspoint to optically couple said input waveguide to said first waveguide.