MEMS optical switch: Switching time reduction

Abstract

Existing 3D MEMS-based optical switches offer good optical properties (low insertion loss, low crosstalk), high reliability and low power consumption. These switches utilize highly reflective micro-mirrors to manipulate an optical signal inside the switch directly without any conversions. They are used to build dynamically reconfigurable, highly-scalable physical optical network layer. As indicated by the simulation results of this paper, many of existing micro-mirror designs do not have their dynamic characteristics well optimized and this limits the switching speed of the optical switch. In a 3D MEMS switch, the coupling between the mechanical structure (micro-mirror) and electrostatic field (electrodes) results in dynamic coupled rotation of the micro-mirror about its axes, known as the cross-axis coupling effect. The coupling nature of micro-mirror rotation makes its control difficult. In this paper, we present the simulation case studies and a simple optimization technique leading to decoupled rotation of the micro-mirror about two perpendicular axes. This helps to reduce the switching time of the switch while keeping the same manufacturing process and only minimal design changes.

Research Status and Development Trend of MEMS Switches: A Review

“…The MOEMS optical switch is not a kind of conventional MEMS mechanical switch, so this review only mentions it in passing. It is actually a technology of optical path switching employing MEMS components such as movable micromirrors and movable resonators [149,150]. Typical MOEMS optical switches consist of input/output optical fibers, movable micromirrors and actuators.…”

A 3-Dimensional Modelling of the Optical Switch Based on Guided Mode Resonances in Photonic Crystals

“…Thus, coupling a probe signal in the waveguide, affects the field distribution and quality factor of both of the PhC-cavities, enabling the structure to be comprehended as an optical switch. Soft PhCs in the form of chiral liquid crystals are also used for obtaining certain properties of the optical switch, as described in [52], while through effects of physics in terms of parity-time symmetry and topological insulators in [53], using phase change nanomaterials [54], air-trench [55] and carrier diffusion and recombination processes in PhCs [56], with the design based on 3D Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) reported in [57].…”

Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Optical Switch Based on Guided-Mode Resonances in Photonic Crystals

“…Thus, coupling a probe signal in the waveguide affects the field distribution and quality factor of both of the PhC-cavities, enabling the structure to be comprehended as an optical switch. Soft PhCs in the form of chiral liquid crystals are also used to obtain certain properties of the optical switch, as described in [ 52 ], while are obtained through effects of physics in terms of parity–time symmetry and topological insulators in [ 53 ], and by using phase change nanomaterials [ 54 ], air-trench [ 55 ] and carrier diffusion and recombination processes in PhCs [ 56 ], with the design based on 3D Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) reported in [ 57 ].…”