Optical switch
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsVladimir J. Aksyuk, Bradley P. Barber, David J. Bishop, Clinton R. Giles, Lawrence W. Stulz, Rene R. Ruel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical switch uses a MEMS device to insert a highly reflective shutter in a gap between a pair of coaxially aligned fibers. When the switch is closed, an input optical signal passes with little loss through the gap. When the switch is open and the shutter is positioned in the gap, an input optical signal incident on the shutter is reflected back into the input fiber. Such light is diverted by an optical circulator into a new path.
Claims17
An optical switch comprising:
- a source optical waveguide and an output optical waveguide aligned end-to-end and having adjacent ends spaced apart to define a gap therebetween;
- and a MEMS device including an actuator formed by a pair of spaced plates, the first of the two plates fixed and the second suspended over the first plate to be moved by a voltage applied between the two plates, a lever arm that at one end is flexibly coupled to the second plate and at the other end supports a shutter whose position in or out of the gap is determined by the voltage between the two plates, the shutter when in the gap reflecting an incident optical signal from the source fiber back into the source fiber;
- and
- hinge means that connect the lever arm to the movable plate of the pair of spaced plates whereby movement of the movable plate deflects the lever arm to control the shutter position in the gap relative to the waveguides.
An optical switch comprising a pair of optical waveguides aligned end-to-end with a gap therebetween and a MEMS device for inserting controllably a reflective shutter in the gap;
- said MEMS device including
- an actuator having a pair of parallel plates that are spaced apart and of which one is rigid and the other movable by a voltage applied between the plates;
- a shutter including a reflecting surface;
- a lever of which one end supports the shutter and the other end is coupled to the movable plate for interposing the shutter in the gap under control of a voltage applied to the actuator;
- and
- means for coupling the movable plate to said other end of the lever comprising a pair of support posts, a pair of flexible extension arms that extend between the support posts and an end of the movable plate, and a brace portion that extends between the two extension arms and to which is connected said other end of the lever arm.
An optical switch that includes a source waveguide and an output waveguide aligned end to end for defining a gap between a pair of adjacent ends;
- a MEMS device comprising a shutter that is movable in and out of the gap under control of an applied voltage, a pair of spaced apart plates including a movable plate, the shutter being integral with a lever arm, the lever arm being integral with a flexible section, the flexible section including a pair of flexible arms that are integral with the movable plate of the pair of spaced plates, the upper plate, the flexible arms, and the lever, the assembly being supported by posts extending between the movable plate and a substrate;
- and
- means for applying a control voltage between the pair of spaced plates for controlling the separation of the spaced plates and the position of the shutter with respect to the gap.
An optical switch including a source waveguide and a first and second output waveguides, one end of the source waveguide being spaced apart by a gap with one end of each of the first and second output waveguides, and
- a MEMs device including an actuator formed by a pair of spaced plates, the first of the two plates fixed and the second suspended over the first plate to be moved by a voltage applied between the two plates, a lever arm that at one end is flexibly coupled to the second plate and at the other end supports a shutter whose position in or out of the gaps is determined by the voltage between the two plates, the alignment of the waveguides and the nature of the shutter being such that the division of light exiting from the source waveguide and entering the output fibers is determined by the position of the shutter in the gap.
A device for use as an actuator in an optical switch comprising:
- a pair of spaced apart plates, the first of the pair being fixed on a substrate and the second suspended over the first such that the space between the two can be varied by a voltage applied between the two,
- a shutter connected to the moveable plate by way of a lever and a flexure section, the flexure section comprising a pair of flexible arms interconnected by a brace, the lever being connected to the brace, and one end of each flexible arm being connected to the moveable plate and the other end of each flexible arm being connected to a separate support post that is fixed to the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.