Abstract
This paper presents the design, fabrication, alignment and experimental
tests of a 2x2 mechanical optical switch. The key component of the mirror device
is fabricated by the MEMS process that coats both sides with an ultrathin
high reflection Au/Cr film (thickness less than 1.8 microns and roughness
5.7 nm) to allow double-sided reflection. The mirror is mounted on a thin
metal arm, which is switched by a mechanical relay. Compared to the 4-mirror
type of single-sided reflector which is used by other 2x2 optical switches, this configuration
significantly reduces the size and number of the components. The optical alignment
and the component assembly can rapidly be accomplished by two stages: visual
coarse alignment and automatic fine alignment. Due to the feature of an adjustable
mirror positioning and orientation, insertion losses can be reduced to a very
low level. Experimental results show that the insertion losses, crosstalk,
switching time and long-cycle test can all meet the Bellcore 1073 specification
requirements.
© 2009 IEEE
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