Mechanical optical switch and method for manufacturing the same
US6711321B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 2001 |
| Grant date | Mar 23, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 20, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/3576
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A mechanical optic switch is disclosed that is of high mirror quality, high in the accuracy of opto-axial alignment between a mirror and a fiber aligning structure and yet of low insertion loss, permitting fiber optic switching by an electromagnetic force. It is made by a crystallographically oriented face dependent etching process, which simultaneously forms in a Si (100) crystallographically faced single crystal substrate (1), V-grooves (3) for fixing optical fibers (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) with the V-groove's longitudinal axes oriented in the <110> crystallographic direction or in a direction equivalent thereto; and a resilient support beam (5) and a mirror (4, 6) with the longitudinal axis of the resilient support beam and the mirror surface of the mirror oriented in the <100> direction or in a direction equivalent thereto. Slitting into the substrate from a rear surface thereof by etching renders the support beam resilient and flexible.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.