Abstract

In this paper, a 2$\,\times\,$2 split cross-bar optical switch which employs a hybrid actuation configuration is presented. The main advantages of this proposed switch include low actuation voltage, low power consumption, and easy fiber alignment. This optical switch consists of a micromachined micro-mirror structure and a mini-actuator module. The micro-mirror structure, which comprises two movable vertical mirrors with cantilevers, two fixed vertical mirrors, and light-path trenches, is realized by using a simple KOH silicon etching process. The mini-actuator module, which includes two commercially-available electromagnetic bistable actuators attached with L-shaped arms, is used to actuate micro-mirrors. The measured insertion losses of the proposed switch is between ${-}1\hbox{--}-1.2$ dB, the cross-talk is about ${-}60$ dB, and the switching time is less than 13 ms. The long-term reliability test of the SCB switch is performed by continuously actuating the device for 10 000 cycles at 1 Hz, and the deviation of the measured insertion loss is less than 0.05 dB.

© 2010 IEEE

A bi-stable 2x2 optical switch monolithically integrated with variable optical attenuators

Bo-Ting Liao, Hsin-Hong Shen, Hsin-Hung Liao, and Yao-Joe Yang
Opt. Express 17(22) 19919-19925 (2009)

Low cross-talk 2 × 2 silicon electro-optic switch matrix with a double-gate configuration

Jiejiang Xing, Zhiyong Li, Yude Yu, and Jinzhong Yu
Opt. Lett. 38(22) 4774-4776 (2013)

16 × 16 silicon Mach–Zehnder interferometer switch actuated with waveguide microheaters

Shuoyi Zhao, Liangjun Lu, Linjie Zhou, Dong Li, Zhanzhi Guo, and Jianping Chen
Photon. Res. 4(5) 202-207 (2016)

Low-cross-talk 2 × 2optical switch

Richard A. Soref
Opt. Lett. 6(6) 275-277 (1981)

Design and fabrication of a micro-optic switch

Wei Li, Jingqiu Liang, Zhongzhu Liang, Xiaoqi Li, Weibiao Wang, Yanchao Zhong, and Degui Sun
Opt. Express 16(9) 6324-6330 (2008)