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We report on a 4x4 optical matrix switch for telecom application. It consists of a 4x4 array of vertical mirrors that have the same pitch as the fibers of commercially available fiber ribbons (250 μm). This compact design enables a parallel assembly to optical components, which simplifies the time consuming and costly process for switches with larger pitch. Additionally, a small pitch leads to a short optical coupling length, which facilitates the integration of a suitable collimation system. However there are physical limitations for optical MEMS in conjunction with assembled micro-optics. The optical beam exiting a collimator diverges, the divergence angle is indirectly proportional to the beam waist and the coupling length increases quadratically. Our calculations show that for a pitch of 250 µm a mirror height of 100 μm is optimal. The mirrors are monolithically etched onto a platform etched during a previous step. No assembly of the mirrors to the actuators is needed. Alignment structures for the optical components are etched during the same step as the mirrors, which lead to self aligned structures. The platform is supported by 150 μm long torsion beams with sub-micron diameter. The electrostatic actuation voltage is given by a separate chip. The mirror moves out of the optical path when the platform is actuated and goes to the switching state if no voltage is applied. The first prototypes have been actuated at 200 V, which agrees with a CoventorWare simulation used for designing the device. Light was successfully switched with a 4x4 OXC. An 8x8 OXC is shown and electrostatically characterized.

We present the design and characterization of a new 4 X 4 switch based on the previously developed 2 X 2 fiber switch. The switching principle uses plasma etched vertical mirrors that can be moved in and out of two pairs of optical fibers with the integrated electrostatic actuator. The 4 X 4 switch is built by connecting 16 individual 2 X 2 switches in a common package (100 X 50 X 35 mm). Instead of integrating the 16 switch elements on the same chip, we preferred assembling the switches by fusion splicing. The insertion loss is less than 1.8 dB for each state.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Optical MEMS is a challenging new field that combines micro- optics with micro-mechanics in order to build compact systems. In this paper we present a miniaturized Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) fabricated on silicon. The FTS is a Michelson interferometer with one scanning mirror. The motion of the mirror is carried out by a new type of electrostatic comb drive actuator. The mirror is designed to be linear with respect to the applied voltage. Experimentally, we have measured a mirror displacement of 38.5 micrometer corresponding to a maximum optical path difference of 77 micrometer. The applied voltage was plus or minus 10 V and the non-linearity of the driving system is plus or minus 0.25 micrometer. A method is presented to correct the spectrum in order to get rid of the non-linearity. The measured resolution of the spectrometer after the phase correction is 16 nm at a wavelength of 633 nm.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

In this paper we present a miniaturized Fourier Transform spectrometer based on a Michelson interferometer with a scanning mirror. The motion of the mirror is carried out by a new type of electrostatic comb drive actuator. The displacement of the mirror is linear with the applied voltage. Experimental results are presented.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.