Rotational MEMS mirror with latching arm for silicon photonics

Brière, Jonathan; Beaulieu, Philippe-Olivier; Saidani, Menouer; Nabki, Frédéric; Ménard, Michel

doi:10.1117/12.2077033

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…It is worth mentioning that the proposed platform is also suitable for other optical applications, for example the 1 × N switch proposed in Figure 1 b [ 29 , 30 ]. Notably, the waveguides patterns can be designed and optimized independently of the MEMS platform design to use single mode operation or polarization independent waveguides.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MEMS actuators are receiving increasing attention for co-integration with optical components leading to several innovative photonic devices [ 16 , 17 ]. They can be used for out-of-plane actuation as in [ 18 ], or in-plane actuation as in [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Rotary comb actuators are one key actuator type.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The micro-platform is integrated under optical waveguides to control the direction of propagation of light within a die. Prior work on the MEMS actuator was briefly presented in [ 29 ]. This article presents a detailed analysis of the optimization as well as testing results of the fabricated structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rotating Circular Micro-Platform with Integrated Waveguides and Latching Arm for Reconfigurable Integrated Optics

et al. 2017

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This work presents a laterally rotating micromachined platform integrated under optical waveguides to control the in-plane propagation direction of light within a die to select one of multiple outputs. The platform is designed to exhibit low constant optical losses throughout the motion range and is actuated electrostatically using an optimized circular comb drive. An angular motion of ±9.5° using 180 V is demonstrated. To minimize the optical losses between the moving and fixed parts, a gap-closing mechanism is implemented to reduce the initial air gap to submicron values. A latch structure is implemented to hold the platform in place with a resolution of 0.25° over the entire motion range. The platform was integrated with silicon nitride waveguides to create a crossbar switch and preliminary optical measurements are reported. In the bar state, the loss was measured to be 14.8 dB with the gap closed whereas in the cross state it was 12.2 dB. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first optical switch based on a rotating microelectromechanical device with integrated silicon nitride waveguides reported to date.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rotating Circular Micro-Platform with Integrated Waveguides and Latching Arm for Reconfigurable Integrated Optics

et al. 2017

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“…More recently, another co-integrated architecture has been proposed where the mirror is rotating for providing an 1 × n optical switch ( Figure 9 ). Interestingly in this device [ 76 ] the length of free-space propagation (and the associated diffraction loss) is kept to a minimum by using a planar waveguide that will show diffraction in the in-plane direction only. This spread is then compensated by focusing the light with a curved mirror instead of a flat mirror.…”

Section: Devices Based On Coupling Between Fixed Waveguidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Devices Based on Co-Integrated MEMS Actuators and Optical Waveguide: A Review

Chollet

2016

Micromachines

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The convergence of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and optics was, at the end of the last century, a fertile ground for a new breed of technological and scientific achievements. The weightlessness of light has been identified very early as a key advantage for micro-actuator application, giving rise to optical free-space MEMS devices. In parallel to these developments, the past 20 years saw the emergence of a less pursued approach relying on guided optical wave, where, pushed by the similarities in fabrication process, researchers explored the possibilities offered by merging integrated optics and MEMS technology. The interest of using guided waves is well known (absence of diffraction, tight light confinement, small size, compatibility with fiber optics) but it was less clear how they could be harnessed with MEMS technology. Actually, it is possible to use MEMS actuators for modifying waveguide properties (length, direction, index of refraction) or for coupling light between waveguide, enabling many new devices for optical telecommunication, astronomy or sensing. With the recent expansion to nanophotonics and optomechanics, it seems that this field still holds a lot of promises.

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“…This architecture is based on optical switches containing several instances of silicon photonics large radix (1:48) planar optical switches [3,4], which are parallelized to support quad parallel lane optics to then enable switching on each lane. Use of large radix switches avoids cascading smaller switches in a butterfly configuration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%