GB2367906A - Opto-mechanical valve and valve array for fiber-optic communication - Google Patents

Opto-mechanical valve and valve array for fiber-optic communication

Info

Publication number
GB2367906A
GB2367906A GB0201261A GB0201261A GB2367906A GB 2367906 A GB2367906 A GB 2367906A GB 0201261 A GB0201261 A GB 0201261A GB 0201261 A GB0201261 A GB 0201261A GB 2367906 A GB2367906 A GB 2367906A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
valve
opto
fiber
optic communication
substrate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB0201261A
Other versions
GB0201261D0 (en
Inventor
Roberto Igal Chertkow
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Memlink Ltd
Original Assignee
Memlink Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Memlink Ltd filed Critical Memlink Ltd
Publication of GB0201261D0 publication Critical patent/GB0201261D0/en
Publication of GB2367906A publication Critical patent/GB2367906A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
    • G02B6/358—Latching of the moving element, i.e. maintaining or holding the moving element in place once operation has been performed; includes a mechanically bistable system
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/264—Optical coupling means with optical elements between opposed fibre ends which perform a function other than beam splitting
    • G02B6/266—Optical coupling means with optical elements between opposed fibre ends which perform a function other than beam splitting the optical element being an attenuator
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
    • H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
    • G02B6/3512—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
    • G02B6/3514—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror the reflective optical element moving along a line so as to translate into and out of the beam path, i.e. across the beam path
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
    • G02B6/353—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being a shutter, baffle, beam dump or opaque element
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
    • G02B6/3554—3D constellations, i.e. with switching elements and switched beams located in a volume
    • G02B6/3556—NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
    • G02B6/3568—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details characterised by the actuating force
    • G02B6/357—Electrostatic force
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
    • G02B6/3584—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details constructional details of an associated actuator having a MEMS construction, i.e. constructed using semiconductor technology such as etching
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
    • G02B6/4201—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
    • G02B6/4219—Mechanical fixtures for holding or positioning the elements relative to each other in the couplings; Alignment methods for the elements, e.g. measuring or observing methods especially used therefor
    • G02B6/4228—Passive alignment, i.e. without a detection of the degree of coupling or the position of the elements
    • G02B6/423—Passive alignment, i.e. without a detection of the degree of coupling or the position of the elements using guiding surfaces for the alignment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/0036—Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]
    • H01H2001/0084—Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] with perpendicular movement of the movable contact relative to the substrate
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
    • H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
    • H04Q2011/0007—Construction
    • H04Q2011/0026—Construction using free space propagation (e.g. lenses, mirrors)
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
    • H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
    • H04Q2011/0007—Construction
    • H04Q2011/0026—Construction using free space propagation (e.g. lenses, mirrors)
    • H04Q2011/003—Construction using free space propagation (e.g. lenses, mirrors) using switches based on microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
    • H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
    • H04Q2011/0052—Interconnection of switches
    • H04Q2011/0056—Clos
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
    • H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
    • H04Q2011/0052—Interconnection of switches
    • H04Q2011/0058—Crossbar; Matrix

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
  • Mechanical Light Control Or Optical Switches (AREA)

Abstract

A microelectromechanical system optical switch is introduced which includes a mirror (1) constructed on a substrate (3). The mirror (1) is movable parallel to the surface of the substrate and either allows an input ray incident at an oblique angle, preferably 45{, to the mirror surface (1) to pass undisturbed through a transparent part of a substrate or reflects the ray to an alternate output.
GB0201261A 1999-07-20 2000-07-19 Opto-mechanical valve and valve array for fiber-optic communication Withdrawn GB2367906A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14462899P 1999-07-20 1999-07-20
US17049299P 1999-12-13 1999-12-13
US17048299P 1999-12-13 1999-12-13
US17049499P 1999-12-13 1999-12-13
PCT/IL2000/000425 WO2001009653A1 (en) 1999-07-20 2000-07-19 Opto-mechanical valve and valve array for fiber-optic communication

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0201261D0 GB0201261D0 (en) 2002-03-06
GB2367906A true GB2367906A (en) 2002-04-17

Family

ID=27495626

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB0201261A Withdrawn GB2367906A (en) 1999-07-20 2000-07-19 Opto-mechanical valve and valve array for fiber-optic communication

Country Status (5)

Country Link
AU (1) AU6012100A (en)
CA (1) CA2379936A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2367906A (en)
IL (1) IL147521A0 (en)
WO (1) WO2001009653A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6647164B1 (en) 2000-10-31 2003-11-11 3M Innovative Properties Company Gimbaled micro-mirror positionable by thermal actuators
US6711318B2 (en) 2001-01-29 2004-03-23 3M Innovative Properties Company Optical switch based on rotating vertical micro-mirror
US6718084B1 (en) 2001-05-10 2004-04-06 Axsun Technologies, Inc. Integrated optical line card protection module
JP3952902B2 (en) * 2002-08-09 2007-08-01 住友電気工業株式会社 Optical switch, optical add / drop device, optical transmission system, and optical switch manufacturing method

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4703215A (en) * 1986-03-13 1987-10-27 Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Stacked piezoelectric ceramics displacement magnifying device
US5479064A (en) * 1993-02-28 1995-12-26 Nec Corporation Piezoelectric actuator with a displacement enlarging feature
US5742712A (en) * 1996-10-08 1998-04-21 E-Tek Dynamics, Inc. Efficient electromechanical optical switches
US5943454A (en) * 1997-08-15 1999-08-24 Lucent Technologies, Inc. Freespace optical bypass-exchange switch

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4703215A (en) * 1986-03-13 1987-10-27 Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Stacked piezoelectric ceramics displacement magnifying device
US5479064A (en) * 1993-02-28 1995-12-26 Nec Corporation Piezoelectric actuator with a displacement enlarging feature
US5742712A (en) * 1996-10-08 1998-04-21 E-Tek Dynamics, Inc. Efficient electromechanical optical switches
US5943454A (en) * 1997-08-15 1999-08-24 Lucent Technologies, Inc. Freespace optical bypass-exchange switch

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001009653A1 (en) 2001-02-08
CA2379936A1 (en) 2001-02-08
IL147521A0 (en) 2002-08-14
AU6012100A (en) 2001-02-19
GB0201261D0 (en) 2002-03-06

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)