High-performance stress-induced micromachined optical switch with multiswitching function using seesaw structure

In this paper, we present a high-performance electrostatically actuated optical switch with a multiswitching function using stress-induced bending micromirrors and a seesaw structure. The use of a curved polysilicon seesaw structure and a torsional beam substantially lowers the electrostatic operating voltage of the optical switch and provides a multi-switching function. Large mirror deflection angles of 15° (with a mirror elevation of 310 μm) are obtained at a low operating voltage of 17V. Furthermore, the device demonstrates a submillisecond switching time (<900 μs) and a low optical insertion loss (0.65 dB). The developed optical switch, which uses mirrors in an N × N array, could redirect 4N optical inputs to 4N outputs. The compact nature of the optical multiswitch element renders it ideal for the construction of optical crossconnects (OXCs) with a large number of ports on a chip. © 2006 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.