Method and apparatus for switching an optical beam

Abstract

A device for switching an optical beam. In one embodiment, the disclosed optical switching device includes an array of trench capacitors providing a phase array disposed between an optical input port and an optical output port in a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit die. In one embodiment, the trench capacitors are biased with control circuitry disposed in the semiconductor substrate on the same integrated circuit die. In one embodiment, the array of trench capacitors are biased by the control circuitry to control a charge distribution in the array to switch an optical beam passing from the optical input port through the array of trench capacitors to the optical output port. In another embodiment, there are a plurality of N optical output ports opposite the optical input port and a phase array is provided by the array of trench capacitors. The array of trench capacitors is biased to control a charge distribution across the phase array. Thus, an incident optical beam from the optical input port is selectively directed to any one of the plurality of N optical output ports. In yet another embodiment, there are a plurality of M optical input ports and corresponding phase arrays opposite the plurality of M optical output ports to provide an M×N optical switch.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.