CN108345068B

CN108345068B - Optical switch and optical switching system

Info

Publication number: CN108345068B
Application number: CN201710062729.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 涂鑫; 李明; 邢界江
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-01-25
Filing date: 2017-01-25
Publication date: 2020-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-25
Also published as: CN108345068A

Abstract

The application provides an optical switch and an optical switching system, wherein a first waveguide of the optical switch is immovable relative to a substrate, a second waveguide is immovable relative to the substrate, a third waveguide is a bent waveguide, and a reticular flat plate drives the third waveguide to rotate relative to the substrate around a rotating shaft under the drive of an electrode; when the reticular flat plate drives the third waveguide to move to the first position, the third waveguide is optically decoupled from the first waveguide and the second waveguide, and the optical switch is in a direct-on state; when the meshed flat plate drives the third waveguide to move to the second position, the meshed flat plate is located in a plane different from the first waveguide and the second waveguide, the third waveguide is optically coupled with the first waveguide and the second waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, and the optical switch is in a downloading state. The movable optical waveguide of the optical switch can be coupled with the fixed optical waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the 2 fixed optical waveguides, so that the state of the optical switch is controlled, the process is simple, and the loss of the optical switch can be reduced.

Description

Optical switch and optical switching system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of optical communications, and more particularly, to an optical switch and an optical switching system.

Background

With the application of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology in optical communication systems and data center systems, all-optical switching has become a development trend capable of meeting the increasing bandwidth requirements. In a DWDM system, different optical wavelengths bear different optical signals, and the optical signals are transmitted in the same optical fiber, so that high-capacity and low-loss data communication can be realized. The optical switch, as a key device for realizing an all-optical switching system, can have the functions of routing selection, wavelength selection, optical cross connection, self-healing protection and the like of an all-optical layer. Optical switches that have been implemented at present include conventional Mechanical-structure optical switches, micro-electro-Mechanical systems (MEMS) -based optical switches, liquid crystal optical switches, waveguide-type optical switches, semiconductor optical amplifier optical switches, and the like.

The traditional MEMS optical switch is usually based on a micro-mirror structure driven by static electricity and has the advantages of low insertion loss, small crosstalk, high extinction ratio, good expandability, simple control and the like. The scale of an optical switching system formed by a plurality of MEMS optical switches can reach more than 1000 ports. For example, M input optical signals enter an optical switching system composed of MEMS optical switches, are rearranged by reflection of a plurality of micromirrors rotated to different angles, and are output from N output ports, thereby implementing an optical switching function. However, the MEMS optical switch has poor mechanical vibration and stability, and the micro-mirror has a slow rotation speed, and the switching speed of the micro-mirror can only reach the millisecond level, which cannot meet the requirement of the switching speed of the microsecond level in the future.

Waveguide-type optical switches are typically fabricated On Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) platforms or indium phosphide platforms by means of well-established Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) processes. The thermo-optic effect or the plasma dispersion effect of the silicon material can enable the switching speed of the waveguide type optical switch to reach nanosecond to microsecond magnitude, the waveguide type optical switch is small in size and high in integration level, and the CMOS process can enable the waveguide type optical switch to achieve low-cost mass production. However, the optical switching system needs to be formed by connecting a plurality of stages of 1 × 2 or 2 × 2 waveguide type optical switches by optical waveguides, and the larger the number of ports of the optical switching system is, the more the number of stages of the optical switches is, and the larger the insertion loss of the optical switching system is. Compared with the MEMS optical switch, the existing waveguide type optical switch has poor indexes such as insertion loss, extinction ratio, polarization sensitivity, port number, control difficulty and the like, and is not widely used commercially.

Therefore, optical switching systems that achieve microsecond switching speeds, low insertion loss, large port count, and low cost are an important part of the future development of all-optical switching technologies.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an optical switch and an optical switching system, which are simple in manufacturing process and low in loss.

In one aspect, an optical switch is provided, the optical switch disposed on a substrate, the optical switch including a first waveguide, a second waveguide, a third waveguide fixed on a mesh plate, and an electrode for driving the mesh plate to rotate relative to the substrate, the first waveguide being immovable relative to the substrate, the first waveguide having a first input port IP1 and a first output port OP 1; the second waveguide is immovable relative to the substrate, the second waveguide having a second output port OP2, the first and second waveguides lying in a first plane parallel to the substrate; the third waveguide is a bent waveguide and is not positioned in the first plane, and the meshed flat plate rotates around a rotating shaft relative to the substrate under the driving of the electrode; wherein, when the mesh panel moves the third waveguide to a first position, (1) the third waveguide is optically decoupled from the first waveguide and the third waveguide is optically decoupled from the second waveguide, (2) IP1 is optically conductive with OP1 and IP1 is optically blocked with OP 2; when the mesh plate moves the third waveguide to a second position, (1) the mesh plate is in a second plane different from the first plane, the third waveguide is optically coupled with the first waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, and the third waveguide is optically coupled with the second waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, (2) the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP1 and the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP2 through the third waveguide.

The optical switch comprises 2 optical waveguides fixed on the substrate and 1 optical waveguide which is driven by the reticular flat plate to move relative to the substrate, wherein the movable optical waveguide can be coupled with the fixed optical waveguide in a plane vertical to the 2 fixed optical waveguides, so that the state of the optical switch is controlled, the process is simple, and the loss of the optical switch can be reduced.

The optical switch is in an off state or called a Through (Through) state when the third waveguide is in the first position, and the optical switch is in an on state or called a Drop (Drop) state when the third waveguide is in the second position.

In a possible implementation manner, a first end of the mesh-shaped flat plate is connected to the electrode, the third waveguide is fixed to a second end of the mesh-shaped flat plate, the second end is opposite to the first end, and the rotating shaft is located at the first end.

In another possible implementation manner, a first end of the mesh-shaped flat plate is connected to the electrode through a conductive suspension bridge, the electrode is adjacent to a second end of the mesh-shaped flat plate, the second end is opposite to the first end, the third waveguide is fixed to the first end of the mesh-shaped flat plate, and the rotating shaft is located at the first end.

In yet another possible implementation manner, the optical switch further includes an electrode plate, the mesh plate is electrically connected to the first waveguide and the second waveguide, the electrode is located in the first plane and electrically isolated from the first waveguide and the second waveguide, the electrode is electrically connected to the electrode plate, the electrode plate is located below the mesh plate, the third waveguide is fixed to a first end of the mesh plate, and the rotating shaft is located at the first end.

In one possible implementation, the optical switch further includes a distance control member located between the substrate and the mesh plate for controlling a distance between the third waveguide and at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide. In this possible implementation manner, the distance control component can precisely control the distance between the third waveguide and the first waveguide and the second waveguide at the optimal operating point of the adiabatic gradual change coupler, so that the optical switch can realize digital control.

In one possible implementation, the distance control member may be provided on the mesh plate.

In another possible implementation, the distance control component may be provided on the substrate.

In one possible implementation, the third waveguide includes an input and an output, and when the third waveguide is located at the second position, the input of the third waveguide and the first waveguide form a first coupler in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, and the output of the third waveguide and the second waveguide form a second coupler in the plane perpendicular to the substrate.

In one possible implementation, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the input portion in the first coupler has a first effective refractive index and a second effective refractive index, and the output portion in the second coupler has a third effective refractive index and a fourth effective refractive index, the first effective refractive index being smaller than the second effective refractive index, and the third effective refractive index being larger than the fourth effective refractive index.

In one possible implementation, the first waveguide in the first coupler has a fifth effective refractive index and a sixth effective refractive index along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the second waveguide in the second coupler has a seventh effective refractive index and an eighth effective refractive index, the fifth effective refractive index is greater than the sixth effective refractive index, and the seventh effective refractive index is smaller than the eighth effective refractive index

The effective refractive index of the waveguide in the coupler is gradually changed, so that transmission in a wider spectral range can be realized, optical signals are more stable, the process tolerance of the coupler can be increased, the performance of the optical switch is improved, and the working wavelength range of the optical switch can exceed 100 nm.

In a possible implementation manner, the first waveguide and the second waveguide are vertically intersected straight waveguides, the third waveguide is a curved waveguide with a gradually-changed curvature, and the optical path in the third waveguide completes a 90-degree turn from the input port of the input portion to the output port of the output portion.

In one possible implementation, the optical switch further includes an optical power monitor for monitoring optical power of the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The optical switch can estimate the position of the third waveguide according to the power of the optical signal by monitoring the power of the optical signal in each element, thereby more accurately controlling the position of the third waveguide.

In another aspect, an optical switching system is provided, where the optical switching system is an M × N optical switch matrix, and includes M × N optical switches described in any one of the above possible implementations, where the second waveguide of the optical switch further has a second input port IP2, and the M × N optical switches are configured to: (1) IP1_i,jAnd OP1_i,j-1Optically conducting, wherein i takes on values from 1 to M, and j takes on values from 2 to N; (2) IP2_i,jAnd OP2_i-1,jThe optical conduction is carried out, and the optical conduction,wherein i takes on values from 2 to M and j takes on values from 1 to N.

The optical switching system in the aspect can realize microsecond switching speed and has the advantages of low insertion loss, large port number, low cost and the like.

In one possible implementation of this aspect, at IP1_i,1And OP2_M,jThere is a path between the first and second optical switches that includes only one optical switch with the third waveguide in the second position, i having values 1 to M, and j having values 1 to N.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a through state of an optical switch; fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the optical switch in a down-loading state.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the optical switch shown in fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an adiabatic coupler in the optical switch shown in fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of optical path switching of the optical switching system of CrossBar architecture.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a top view of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the control principle of the optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the down-loading state of the optical switch shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of an optical switch according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 12 is a top view of an optical switch according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch shown in fig. 11 and 12.

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the down-loading state of the optical switch shown in fig. 11 and 12.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of an optical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 16 is a top view of an optical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch shown in fig. 15 and 16.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the down-loading state of the optical switch shown in fig. 15 and 16.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of an optical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 20 is a top view of an optical switch of yet another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram of a distance control component of one embodiment of the present application in a through state of an optical switch.

Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of a distance control unit in a down-load state of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 23 is a schematic block diagram of the structure of an optical switching system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the terms referred to in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described.

Optical coupling (optical coupling): the optical coupling of the waveguide X and the waveguide Y means that the waveguide X and the waveguide Y are close to each other, so that optical fields in the two waveguides are interacted, and the transmission of light energy between the two waveguides is realized.

Optical decoupling (optical decoupling): the waveguide X and the waveguide Y are far away from each other, so that optical fields in the two waveguides do not interact with each other, and light energy is not transmitted between the two waveguides. Inevitably, of course, when waveguide X and waveguide Y are optically decoupled, there may also be a weak interaction of the optical fields in the two waveguides, so that a small amount of optical energy may be transferred between the two waveguides in the form of crosstalk, and such crosstalk should be as small as possible.

Optical conduction: the input port a being in optical communication with the output port B means that a path for an optical signal is established between the input port a and the output port B. Inevitably, of course, when the input port a and the output port B are optically conductive, a small amount of light may be output from the other output port than the output port B in the form of crosstalk, or a small amount of light in the form of crosstalk may be transmitted from the other input port than the input port a to the output port B, and such crosstalk should be as small as possible.

Optical blocking: the optical block between the input port a and the output port B means that there is no optical signal path between the outputs of the input port a and the output port B. Inevitably, of course, when the input port a is optically blocked from the output port B, there may be a small amount of light transmitted from the input port a to the output port B in the form of crosstalk, and as such, the smaller such crosstalk should be, the better.

Effective refractive index (effective refractive index): which may also be referred to as the equivalent refractive index, may be designated as n_effWherein n is_effβ/(2 π/λ), β is the propagation constant of the optical field mode in the waveguide, and λ is the wavelength of the light in vacuum.

In order to realize an optical switching system with microsecond switching speed, low insertion loss, large port number and low cost, the prior art provides an optical switch adopting a hybrid technology of a micro electro mechanical system and a silicon-based optical waveguide, and a plurality of optical switches can form an optical switching system with a CrossBar architecture.

Fig. 1 and fig. 2 are schematic diagrams of two states, namely, an off state, also called a Through (Through) state, and an on state, also called a Drop (Drop) state, of an optical switch 100 in the optical switching system, respectively. The optical switch 100 in the optical switch matrix comprises an upper layer of optical waveguide and a lower layer of optical waveguide based on a silicon-based optical waveguide technology, wherein the lower layer of optical waveguide comprises 2 crossed fixed optical waveguides (a Through waveguide 120 and a Drop waveguide 130) fixed on a substrate 110, the upper layer of optical waveguide comprises 1 shunt optical waveguide 140 capable of vertically moving relative to the substrate 110, and the shunt optical waveguide 140 is driven by static electricity based on an MEMS technology.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the optical switch 100 shown in fig. 1 and 2. In fig. 3, the upper vertically movable light-diverting waveguide (i.e., light-diverting waveguide 140), the lower fixed light-guiding (i.e., Through waveguide 120 and Drop waveguide 130), the suspension bridge, and the electrodes are shown. As can be seen from fig. 3, the optical switch 100 includes a vertically oriented plate capacitor driver, and the switch optical waveguide is connected to the plate capacitor driver. The plate above the plate capacitor driver is movable, and moves in the vertical direction under the driving of the electrostatic force generated by the applied voltage, and the suspension bridge drives the two ends of the light waveguide of the switch rail to move in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 1, when the optical switch 100 is in a Through state, no voltage is applied to the planar capacitive actuator, the vertical distance between the switch optical waveguide 140 and the 2 fixed optical waveguides is large, no optical coupling occurs, the input light is transmitted along the Through waveguide 120 perpendicularly intersecting the Drop waveguide 130, and the output light is output from the Through waveguide 120. The loss is of the order of 0.01dB when the optical switch 100 is in the Through state. As shown in fig. 2, when the optical switch 100 is in the down (Drop) state, the plate capacitor driver applies a voltage, and the switch optical waveguide 140 moves vertically downward, so that the vertical spacing between the two fixed optical waveguides becomes smaller, and the two fixed optical waveguides are optically coupled to form two vertically coupled Adiabatic couplers (Adiabatic couplers). Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an adiabatic coupler in the optical switch 100 shown in fig. 1 and 2. The switch optical waveguide and the fixed optical waveguide are coupled to form the heat insulation coupler. The input light is coupled from the Through waveguide to the switch optical waveguide 140 Through a first adiabatic coupler (formed by coupling the Through waveguide and the switch optical waveguide), and the output light is coupled from the switch optical waveguide 140 to the Drop waveguide 130 Through a second adiabatic coupler (formed by coupling the Drop waveguide and the switch optical waveguide), and the output light is output from the Drop waveguide 130. The loss is of the order of 1dB when optical switch 100 is in the Drop (Drop) state. Due to the adoption of the silicon-based optical waveguide technology, the size of the device is greatly reduced compared with that of the traditional MEMS micro-mirror, and the switching speed reaches 1 microsecond order.

In the optical switches shown in fig. 1,2 and 3, the two ends (input end and output end) of the switch optical waveguide are separately connected to the plate capacitor driver, so that two drivers are included in one optical switch, and the two ends of the switch optical waveguide need to be controlled simultaneously during switching, which increases the difficulty in manufacturing and controlling the optical switch.

In addition to the optical switches shown in fig. 1,2 and 3, there is also an optical switch in the prior art, which includes 2 fixed optical waveguides (Through waveguides and Drop waveguides) crossing each other and fixed on a substrate, and 1 switch optical waveguide movable relative to the substrate. The movable switch optical waveguide can be coupled with the fixed optical waveguide in the plane of the 2 fixed optical waveguides to form a directional coupler, so that the optical switch is controlled to be switched between a Drop state and a Through state. The movable switch optical waveguide and the fixed optical waveguide form a coupler in the same horizontal plane, because the width of the optical waveguide is required to be narrow in horizontal coupling, the transmission loss is large, and on the other hand, during horizontal coupling, the position of the movable switch optical waveguide is continuously adjustable along with the change of the electrostatic driving voltage, the optical coupling efficiency is vibrated along with the change of the electrostatic driving voltage, and digital control cannot be realized.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of optical path switching of the optical switching system of CrossBar architecture. As shown in fig. 5, the optical switching system is composed of M × N optical switches forming a matrix of M rows and N columns, the M × N optical switches are respectively located at the intersections of each row and each column, the first output port OP1 of one of the N optical switches in each row is connected to the first input port IP1 of the adjacent optical switch, the first input port IP1 of the optical switch of which the first input port IP1 of the N optical switches in each row is not connected to the first output port OP1 of the other optical switch is an input port of the optical switching system, the first output port OP1 of the optical switch of which the first output port OP1 of the N optical switches in each row is not connected to the first input port IP1 of the other optical switch is a Through (Through) port of the optical switching system, the second output port OP2 of one of the M optical switches in each column is connected to the second input port IP2 of the adjacent optical switch, the second output port OP2 of the optical switch in each column of M optical switches is not connected to the second input port IP2 of other optical switches, and the second output port OP2 of the optical switch is a Drop port of the optical switching system.

On each optical path of the optical switching system shown in fig. 5, at most only one optical switch is in the more lossy Drop (Drop) state, and the remaining optical switches are in the less lossy Through (Through) state. Therefore, when the number of ports is large, the loss of the optical switching system based on the CrossBar architecture is much smaller than that of other types of silicon-based optical switches, and the advantages of low cost, high switching speed, low insertion loss, large number of ports and the like are achieved.

In view of the above problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a microsecond level, low insertion loss optical switch 200. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an optical switch 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 7 is a top view of an optical switch 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the optical switch 200 is disposed on the substrate 210, the optical switch 200 includes a first waveguide 220, a second waveguide 230, a third waveguide 250 fixed on the mesh plate 240, and an electrode 260 for driving the mesh plate 240 to rotate relative to the substrate 210, the first waveguide 220 is immovable relative to the substrate 210, the first waveguide 220 has a first input port IP1 and a first output port OP 1; the second waveguide 230 is immovable relative to the substrate 210, the second waveguide 230 having a second output port OP2, the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 being located in a first plane parallel to the substrate 210; the third waveguide 250 is a curved waveguide and is not located in the first plane, and the mesh plate 240 is rotated about a rotation axis relative to the substrate 210 by the electrode 260.

Wherein, when the meshed slab 240 moves the third waveguide 250 to the first position, (1) the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the first waveguide 220 and the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the second waveguide 230, (2) the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP1 and the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP 2; when the meshed plate 240 moves the third waveguide 250 to the second position, (1) the meshed plate 240 is located in a second plane different from the first plane, the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled to the first waveguide 220 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210, and the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled to the second waveguide 230 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210, (2) the IP1 is optically blocked from the OP1 and the IP1 is optically conducted to the OP2 through the third waveguide 250.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the rotation of the mesh plate 240 relative to the substrate 210 about the rotation axis under the driving of the electrode 260 means that the mesh plate 240 can rotate relative to the substrate 210 about the rotation axis under the driving of the electrode 260, and does not limit the mesh plate 240 to rotate relative to the substrate 210 about the rotation axis at all times.

Alternatively, the third waveguide 250 of the embodiment of the present application may be a MEMS optical waveguide, that is, the third waveguide 250 may be a movable optical waveguide controlled by MEMS technology.

Alternatively, it can be considered that the optical switch is in an off state or referred to as a Through (Through) state when the third waveguide 250 is in the first position, and the optical switch is in an on state or referred to as a Drop (Drop) state when the third waveguide 250 is in the second position.

Alternatively, the first plane in the embodiment of the present application may be a plane parallel to the substrate 210. Substrate 210 may be silicon-based.

Alternatively, the electrode 260 of the embodiment of the present application may be a metal electrode. The mesh plate 240 of the present embodiment may also be metallic.

The optical switch of the embodiment of the application comprises 2 optical waveguides fixed on a substrate and 1 optical waveguide which is driven by a reticular flat plate and can move relative to the substrate, wherein the movable optical waveguide can be coupled with the fixed optical waveguide in a plane vertical to the 2 fixed optical waveguides, so that the state of the optical switch is controlled, the process is simple, and the loss of the optical switch can be reduced.

The optical decoupling of the third waveguide 250 from the first waveguide 220 and the optical decoupling of the third waveguide 250 from the second waveguide 230 may be achieved simultaneously when the third waveguide 250 is adjusted to the first position, and is not achieved separately in two steps. The third waveguide 250 is optically coupled to the first waveguide 220, and the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled to the second waveguide 230 for the same reason, which is not described herein again.

It should be understood that the sizes and shapes of the substrate 210, the first waveguide 220, the second waveguide 230, the mesh plate 240, and the third waveguide 250, and the positions and directions of the IP1, the OP1, and the OP2 shown in fig. 6 and 7 are illustrative and do not limit the embodiments of the present application. The first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 are fixed optical waveguides or non-movable optical waveguides; the third waveguide 250 is movable by the mesh plate 240, and is called a movable waveguide.

Alternatively, the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 may be straight waveguides that intersect perpendicularly, the third waveguide 250 may be a curved waveguide with a gradually changing curvature, and an optical path in the third waveguide 250 makes a 90-degree turn from the input port of the input portion to the output port of the output portion. This structure is advantageous for forming a CrossBar-structured optical switching system from a plurality of optical switches, but the shape of each optical waveguide is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The control principle of the optical switch of the embodiment of the present application is described below. The electrodes 260 of the optical switch 200 of the present embodiment are connected to the mesh plate 240, and the mesh plate 240 and the underlying substrate 210 form a plate capacitor driver. The mesh plate 240 is rotated around a rotation axis relative to the substrate 210 under the driving of a voltage, and can move the third waveguide 250 thereon. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the control principle of the optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 8, the substrate 210 is a silicon-based substrate, on which an electrode 260 (the electrode 260 is a metal electrode) may be fixed, and silicon dioxide (SiO) may pass through the middle₂) And silicon (Si) bonding. When the voltage difference V applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210 is equal to 0, due to the metal stress at the connection between the electrode 260 and the mesh-shaped flat plate 240 (the mesh-shaped flat plate 240 is a metal flat plate), the mesh-shaped flat plate 240 tilts upward around the fixed shaft at the connection, so that the position of the third waveguide 250 fixed on the mesh-shaped flat plate 240 is higher than the first plane where the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 are located, at this time, the distance between the movable optical waveguide and the fixed optical waveguide is large, and the optical waveguide is in an optical decoupling state, and the routing state of the optical signal is in a direct-through state. An optical signal is input from the first input port IP1, passes Through the first waveguide 220, and is output from a Through (Through) port, i.e., a first output port OP 1. When a certain voltage difference V ═ V is applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210₀(V₀> 0), an electrostatic attraction is generated between the mesh plate 240 and the substrate 210, the movable mesh plate 240 of the plate capacitor driver rotates around the fixed shaft from top to bottom to drive the movable optical waveguide to approach the fixed optical waveguide, the distance between the movable optical waveguide and the fixed optical waveguide is reduced, and finally a coupling state is achieved, and the routing state of the optical signal is a downloading state. That is, an optical signal is input from the first input port IP1, passes through the first coupler and the second coupler, and is output from the Drop (Drop) port, that is, the second output port OP 2.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 6 and 7. In the on state, the applied voltage difference V between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210 is 0, the mesh plate 240 is tilted upward, the upper third waveguide 250 has a certain initial distance (typically about 1 μm) from the lower first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP1, and the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP 2.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 6 and 7 in a down-loading state. In the down-loading state, the voltage difference V ═ V applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210₀The mesh plate 240 rotates from top to bottom around the fixed shaft under the action of electrostatic attraction force, the third waveguide 250 at the upper layer falls on the first waveguide 220 at the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 at the upper layer falls on the second waveguide 230 at the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 is respectively optically coupled with the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210 to form a first coupler and a second coupler, the IP1 and the OP1 are optically blocked, and the IP1 and the OP2 are optically conducted through the third waveguide 250.

In the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 6 and 7, a first end of the mesh plate 240 is connected to the electrode 260, and a third waveguide 250 is fixed to a second end of the mesh plate 240, wherein the second end is opposite to the first end, and the rotation axis is located at the first end. The mesh plate 240 of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 6 and 7 does not cover the intersection of the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230.

In addition, the embodiment of the present application provides another optical switch, as shown in fig. 11 and 12, where fig. 11 is a perspective view and fig. 12 is a top view. The optical switch 200 shown in fig. 11 and 12 also satisfies that the first end of the mesh plate 240 is connected to the electrode 260, the third waveguide 250 is fixed to the second end of the mesh plate 240 opposite to the first end, and the rotation axis is located at the first end. However, unlike the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 6 and 7, the mesh plate 240 of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 11 and 12 covers the intersection of the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 11 and 12. In the on state, the applied voltage difference V between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210 is 0, the mesh plate 240 is tilted upward, the upper third waveguide 250 has a certain initial distance (typically about 1 μm) from the lower first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP1, and the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP 2.

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the downloading state of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 11 and 12. In the down-loading state, the voltage difference V ═ V applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210₀The mesh plate 240 rotates from top to bottom around a fixed shaft (a first end connected to the electrode 260) under the action of electrostatic attraction force, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the first waveguide 220 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the second waveguide 230 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled with the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210 to form a first coupler and a second coupler, the IP1 is optically blocked from the OP1, and the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP2 through the third waveguide 250.

The embodiment of the present application also provides another optical switch, as shown in fig. 15 and 16, where fig. 15 is a perspective view and fig. 16 is a top view. In the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 15 and 16, a first end of the mesh plate 240 is connected to the electrode 260 through the conductive suspension bridge 280, the electrode 260 is adjacent to a second end of the mesh plate 240, wherein the second end is opposite to the first end, the first end of the mesh plate 240 is fixed with the third waveguide 250, and the rotation axis is located at the first end.

It should be understood that the suspension bridge may be a spring, may also be another elastic material component, and may also be a connecting component without elasticity, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that in order to rotate the mesh plate 240 about the first end, the first end of the mesh plate 240 may be fixed by a fixing member 290 as shown in fig. 15 and 16, such that the first end is fixed and the second end becomes a free end that can rotate relative to the substrate 210 about the rotation axis.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of the through state of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 15 and 16. In the on state, the applied voltage difference V between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210 is 0, the mesh plate 240 is tilted upward, the upper third waveguide 250 has a certain initial distance (typically about 1 μm) from the lower first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the first waveguide 220 and second waveguide 230, the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP1, and the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP 2.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the downloading state of the optical switch 200 shown in fig. 15 and 16. In the down-loading state, the voltage difference V ═ V applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210₀The mesh plate 240 rotates from top to bottom around a fixed shaft (a first end to which the third waveguide 250 is fixed) under the action of electrostatic attraction force, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the first waveguide 220 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the second waveguide 230 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled with the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210 to form a first coupler and a second coupler, the IP1 is optically blocked from the OP1, and the IP1 and the OP2 are optically conducted through the third waveguide 250.

The embodiment of the present application further provides another optical switch, as shown in fig. 19 and 20, where fig. 19 is a perspective view and fig. 20 is a top view. The optical switch 200 shown in fig. 19 and 20 further includes an electrode plate 295, the mesh plate 240 is electrically connected to the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230, the electrode 260 is located in a first plane and electrically isolated from the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230, respectively, the electrode 260 is electrically connected to the electrode plate 295, the electrode plate 295 is located below the mesh plate 240, the third waveguide 250 is fixed to a first end of the mesh plate 240, and the rotation axis is located at the first end.

It should be understood that in order to rotate the mesh plate 240 around the first end, the first end of the mesh plate 240 may be fixed by a fixing member 290 as shown in fig. 19 and 20, such that the first end is fixed and the second end becomes a free end that can rotate relative to the substrate 210 around the rotation axis. Further, the mesh plate 240 is electrically connected to the lower waveguides (the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230) by digging a hole downward through the fixing member 290 so that the potential thereof is equal to that of the substrate 210. Electrode plate 295 is electrically connected to electrode 260 and is at a potential equal to electrode 260. Thus, mesh plate 240 and electrode plate 295 form a plate capacitor driver. A gap may be provided between the electrode 260 and the first and

second waveguides

220 and 230 such that the electrode 260 is electrically isolated from the first and

second waveguides

220 and 230, respectively.

In the on state, the voltage difference V between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210 is 0, that is, the voltage difference V of the plate capacitor driver formed by the mesh plate 240 and the electrode plate 295 is 0, the mesh plate 240 is tilted upward, the third waveguide 250 on the upper layer has a certain initial distance (typically about 1 μm) from the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 on the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 is optically decoupled from the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230, the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP1, and the IP1 is optically blocked from the OP 2.

In the down-loading state, the voltage difference V ═ V applied between the electrode 260 and the underlying substrate 210₀That is, the voltage difference V ═ V of the plate capacitor driver formed by the mesh plate 240 and the electrode plate 295₀The mesh plate 240 rotates from top to bottom around a fixed shaft (a first end to which the third waveguide 250 is fixed) under the action of electrostatic attraction force, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the first waveguide 220 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 of the upper layer falls over the second waveguide 230 of the lower layer, the third waveguide 250 is optically coupled with the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230 in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210 to form a first coupler and a second coupler, the IP1 is optically blocked from the OP1, and the IP1 and the OP2 are optically conducted through the third waveguide 250.

Optionally, the optical switch 200 of the embodiment of the present application further includes a distance control member 270, where the distance control member 270 is located between the substrate 210 and the mesh flat plate 240 and is used for controlling a distance between the third waveguide 250 and at least one of the first waveguide 220 and the second waveguide 230. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6 and 7, and any one of fig. 9 to 20, the distance control member 270 is provided on the mesh flat plate 240. In another embodiment, fig. 21 and 22 show schematic diagrams of another distance control unit in the through state and the down state of the optical switch, respectively. The distance control part 270 shown in fig. 21 and 22 is provided on the substrate 210. The distance control component can accurately control the distance between the third waveguide and the first waveguide and the second waveguide at the optimal working point of the adiabatic gradual change coupler, so that the optical switch can realize digital control.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the third waveguide 250 may include an input portion and an output portion, when the third waveguide 250 is located at the second position, the input portion of the third waveguide 250 and the first waveguide 220 form a first coupler in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210, and the output portion of the third waveguide 250 and the second waveguide 230 form a second coupler in a plane perpendicular to the substrate 210. IP1 is optically blocked from OP1 due to the first coupler; and, the IP1 is in optical communication with OP2 due to the second coupler. Input light is input from the first input port IP1 of the first waveguide 220, an optical signal is coupled by the first coupler into the input portion of the third waveguide 250 for transmission, coupled from the output portion of the third waveguide 250 at the second coupler into the second waveguide 230 for transmission, and finally output light is output from the second output port OP2 of the second waveguide 230.

Optionally, the first coupler may be arranged to: along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the change of the bending degree of the first waveguide in the first coupler is smaller than a first threshold value, and the change of the bending degree of the input part of the third waveguide in the first coupler is smaller than a second threshold value. I.e., the input of the third waveguide 250 and the first waveguide 220, are coupled as much as possible on a straight waveguide, thereby reducing the loss of the optical signal at the coupler. The first threshold and the second threshold may be equal or unequal, and their values may be 5 °, 10 °, 15 °, or 20 °, and specific values may be determined according to system requirements, waveguide performance, and modes and powers of optical signals, which are not limited in this application. Similarly, the second coupler may also be designed similarly, and this is not limited in this embodiment.

Alternatively, in the embodiment of the present application, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the effective refractive index of the input portion and/or the effective refractive index of the first waveguide in the first coupler may be gradually changed, and the effective refractive index of the output portion and/or the effective refractive index of the second waveguide in the second coupler may be gradually changed. Thus, the first coupler and the second coupler are referred to as adiabatic gradual couplers.

Specifically, the effective refractive index of the waveguide may be adjusted by changing the structure (e.g., width, height, shape, etc.) of the cross section of the waveguide, or by changing the material composition of the waveguide, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Existing optical waveguides are generally rectangular in cross-section, and the effective refractive index of the waveguide can be adjusted by changing the width of the waveguide. For example, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the width of the input portion and/or the width of the first waveguide in the first coupler may be gradually changed, and the width of the output portion and/or the width of the second waveguide in the second coupler may be gradually changed.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the input portion in the first coupler has a first effective refractive index and a second effective refractive index, and the output portion in the second coupler has a third effective refractive index and a fourth effective refractive index, the first effective refractive index is smaller than the second effective refractive index, and the third effective refractive index is larger than the fourth effective refractive index. In other words, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the effective refractive index of the input portion in the first coupler may gradually increase, and the effective refractive index of the output portion in the second coupler may gradually decrease.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the first waveguide in the first coupler has a fifth effective refractive index and a sixth effective refractive index, and the second waveguide in the second coupler has a seventh effective refractive index and an eighth effective refractive index, the fifth effective refractive index being larger than the sixth effective refractive index, and the seventh effective refractive index being smaller than the eighth effective refractive index. In other words, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the effective refractive index of the first waveguide in the first coupler may gradually decrease, and the effective refractive index of the second waveguide in the second coupler may gradually increase.

In a specific example, the width of the input portion or the output portion of the third waveguide is gradually changed along the transmission direction of the optical signal, for example, the width of the input portion is gradually increased, the width of the output portion is gradually decreased, and the widths of the first waveguide and the second waveguide are constant. In another specific example, the width of the input portion or the output portion of the third waveguide is gradually changed along the transmission direction of the optical signal, for example, the width of the input portion is gradually increased, the width of the output portion is gradually decreased, and the width of the immovable waveguide is also gradually changed, for example, the width of the first waveguide is gradually decreased, and the width of the second waveguide is gradually increased. The gradual change of the effective refractive index of the waveguide in the coupler can realize the transmission in a wider spectral range, so that an optical signal is more stable, the process tolerance of the coupler can be increased, the performance of the optical switch is improved, and the working wavelength range of the optical switch can exceed 100 nm.

The shapes of the first waveguide, the second waveguide and the third waveguide can be further improved on the basis of the adiabatic gradual coupler. The modified first, second and third waveguides may be rib-shaped optical waveguides. The ridge-shaped optical waveguide can reduce the transmission loss of optical signals on one hand, and can enhance the mechanical performance of the structure on the other hand, thereby improving the performance of the optical switch. Of course, the first waveguide, the second waveguide, and the third waveguide may also be rectangular optical waveguides, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The optical switch of 1 × 2(1 input port 2 output port) in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above, and the following description focuses on the optical switch of 2 × 2(2 input port 2 output ports) in the embodiment of the present application.

On the basis of the structure of the 1 × 2 optical switch described above, a 2 × 2 optical switch can be obtained. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, and fig. 9 to 20, the second waveguide 230 further has a second input port IP2, and the optical switch further includes a fourth waveguide fixed to the other mesh plate and also a second electrode for driving the other mesh plate to rotate relative to the substrate, the fourth waveguide also being a curved waveguide and not located in the first plane. The other mesh plate is capable of rotating relative to the substrate about a rotation axis under the drive of the other electrode. When the other mesh plate drives the fourth waveguide to move to the third position, (1) the fourth waveguide is optically decoupled from the first waveguide and the fourth waveguide is optically decoupled from the second waveguide, (2) the IP2 is optically connected with the OP2 and the IP2 is optically disconnected with the OP 1; when the other mesh plate drives the fourth waveguide to move to the fourth position, (1) the fourth waveguide is optically coupled with the first waveguide and the fourth waveguide is optically coupled with the second waveguide, (2) the IP2 is optically blocked from the OP2 and the IP2 is optically conducted with the OP1 through the fourth waveguide.

In the embodiments of the present application, the third waveguide may be a curved waveguide which is an arc-shaped waveguide or a curvature-graded waveguide, and thus a loss of an optical signal when the optical signal is transmitted through the optical waveguide may be reduced. The third waveguide may also be an optical waveguide with another shape, which is not limited in this embodiment.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the optical switch may further include an optical power monitor, where the optical power monitor is configured to monitor optical power of the first waveguide and the second waveguide. Wherein, the optical power monitor can be used for monitoring the optical power of the first waveguide and/or the second waveguide, and also can be used for monitoring the optical power of IP1, OP1 and OP 2. The optical switch of the embodiment of the application can estimate the position of the third waveguide according to the power of the optical signal by monitoring the power of the optical signal in each element, thereby more accurately controlling the position of the third waveguide.

Based on the optical switches of the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides an optical switching system, where the optical switching system is an M × N optical switch matrix, and includes M × N optical switches, and each optical switch may be the optical switch shown in fig. 6 to 20 (where the second waveguide 230 of each optical switch further has a second input port IP 2). Each of the optical switches may be denoted as SC_ijWherein i takes on a value of 1,2, …, M, j takes on a value of 1,2, …, N, the mxn optical switches being arranged to: (1) IP1_i,jAnd OP1_i,j-1Optically conducting, wherein i takes on values from 1 to M, and j takes on values from 2 to N; (2) IP2_i,jAnd OP2_i-1,jAnd (3) optical conduction, wherein i takes a value from 2 to M, and j takes a value from 1 to N.

Therein, at IP1_i,1And OP2_M,jThere is a path between the first and second optical switches that includes only one optical switch with the third waveguide in the second position, i having values 1 to M, and j having values 1 to N. Or, in IP1_i,1And OP2_M,jThere being at least one path comprising only one third waveguide.

At IP1_i,1And OP2_M,jThere is a path between the first and second optical switches that includes only one optical switch with the third waveguide in the second position, i having values 1 to M, and j having values 1 to N.

Specifically, the connection relationship of the respective optical switches of the M × N optical switch matrix may be as shown in fig. 23. For example, at IP1_1,1And OP2_M,NThere is at least one path (e.g. SC) between₁₁To SC_1NTo SC_MN) Comprises only one optical switch SC with a third waveguide in a second state_1NOr the optical path includes only one third waveguide (SC)_1NThe third waveguide).

The optical switching system of the embodiment of the application can realize microsecond switching speed and has the advantages of low insertion loss, large port number, low cost and the like.

It should be noted that, based on the optical switch of the embodiment of the present application, an optical switching system having other modified connection relationships may be connected. For example, changing the directions of the input port and the output port of the optical switching system in fig. 23 can be implemented by changing the connection relationship of the optical switch accordingly, which is not described herein again.

It should be understood that the reference herein to first, second, third, fourth, and various numerical designations is merely for ease of description and distinction and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" herein is merely one type of association relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical switch, wherein the optical switch is disposed on a substrate, the optical switch comprises a first waveguide, a second waveguide, a third waveguide fixed on a mesh plate, and an electrode for driving the mesh plate to rotate relative to the substrate,

the first waveguide being immovable relative to the substrate, the first waveguide having a first input port IP1 and a first output port OP 1;

the second waveguide is immovable relative to the substrate, the second waveguide having a second output port OP2, the first and second waveguides lying in a first plane parallel to the substrate;

the third waveguide is a bent waveguide and is not positioned in the first plane, and the meshed flat plate rotates around a rotating shaft relative to the substrate under the driving of the electrode;

wherein, when the mesh panel moves the third waveguide to a first position, (1) the third waveguide is optically decoupled from the first waveguide and the third waveguide is optically decoupled from the second waveguide, (2) IP1 is optically conductive with OP1 and IP1 is optically blocked with OP 2;

when the mesh plate moves the third waveguide to a second position, (1) the mesh plate is in a second plane different from the first plane, the third waveguide is optically coupled with the first waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, and the third waveguide is optically coupled with the second waveguide in a plane perpendicular to the substrate, (2) the IP1 is optically blocked with the OP1 and the IP1 is optically conducted with the OP2 through the third waveguide.

2. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein a first end of the mesh plate is connected to the electrode, a second end of the mesh plate is fixed to the third waveguide, the second end is opposite to the first end, and the rotation axis is located at the first end.

3. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein a first end of the mesh plate is connected to the electrode by a conductive suspension bridge, the electrode is adjacent to a second end of the mesh plate, the second end is opposite the first end, the third waveguide is fixed to the first end of the mesh plate, and the rotation axis is located at the first end.

4. The optical switch of claim 1, further comprising an electrode plate, wherein the mesh plate is electrically connected to the first waveguide and the second waveguide, wherein the electrode is in the first plane and electrically isolated from the first waveguide and the second waveguide, wherein the electrode is electrically connected to the electrode plate, wherein the electrode plate is located below the mesh plate, wherein the third waveguide is fixed to a first end of the mesh plate, and wherein the rotating shaft is located at the first end.

5. An optical switch according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a distance control member located between the substrate and the mesh plate for controlling the distance between the third waveguide and at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.

6. An optical switch according to claim 5, wherein the distance control member is provided on the mesh flat plate.

7. An optical switch according to claim 5, wherein the distance control member is provided on the substrate.

8. The optical switch according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the third waveguide comprises an input and an output, the input and the first waveguide of the third waveguide forming a first coupler in a plane perpendicular to the substrate and the output and the second waveguide of the third waveguide forming a second coupler in a plane perpendicular to the substrate when the third waveguide is in the second position.

9. The optical switch of claim 8, wherein the input portion of the first coupler has a first effective refractive index and a second effective refractive index, and the output portion of the second coupler has a third effective refractive index and a fourth effective refractive index, along the transmission direction of the optical signal, the first effective refractive index being smaller than the second effective refractive index, and the third effective refractive index being larger than the fourth effective refractive index.

10. The optical switch of claim 8, wherein the first waveguide in the first coupler has a fifth effective refractive index and a sixth effective refractive index, the second waveguide in the second coupler has a seventh effective refractive index and an eighth effective refractive index, the fifth effective refractive index is greater than the sixth effective refractive index, and the seventh effective refractive index is less than the eighth effective refractive index, along the transmission direction of the optical signal.

11. The optical switch according to claim 8, wherein the first waveguide and the second waveguide are vertically intersecting straight waveguides, the third waveguide is a curvature-graded curved waveguide, and the optical path in the third waveguide makes a 90-degree turn from the input port of the input section to the output port of the output section.

12. An optical switch according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an optical power monitor for monitoring the optical power of the first and second waveguides.

13. An optical switching system, characterized in that it is an mxn optical switch matrix comprising mxn optical switches according to any of claims 1 to 12, the second waveguide of the optical switch further having a second input port IP2, the mxn optical switches being arranged: (1) IP1_i,jAnd OP1_i,j-1Optically conducting, wherein i takes on values from 1 to M, and j takes on values from 2 to N; (2) IP2_i,jAnd OP2_i-1,jAnd (3) optical conduction, wherein i takes a value from 2 to M, and j takes a value from 1 to N.

14. The optical switching system of claim 13 wherein IP1_i,1And OP2_M,jThere is a path between the first and second optical switches that includes only one optical switch with the third waveguide in the second position, i having values 1 to M, and j having values 1 to N.