Article comprising an optical cavity
First Claim
1. An article comprising an optical cavity operable to receive an optical signal, said optical cavity comprising:
- a first movable mirror comprising single crystal silicon; and
a second mirror comprising single crystal silicon that is spaced from said first movable mirror and is in parallel relation thereto.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article comprising an optical cavity includes two mirrors, at least one of which is advantageously movable, that are spaced from and parallel to one another. In some embodiments, both mirrors are formed from unstressed single crystal silicon. The single crystal silicon used in some embodiments is advantageously sourced from single crystal silicon-on-insulator (“SOI”) wafers. In a method in accordance with the present invention, a first mirror is patterned in the thin silicon layer of a first SOI wafer. A standoff is disposed on the thin silicon layer near the first mirror. The thin silicon layer of a second SOI wafer is attached to the standoff such that there is a gap between the two, spaced, thin silicon layers. The thin silicon layer of the second SOI wafer is released forming a movable mirror by removing the thick layer of silicon and the buried oxide from that wafer.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An article comprising an optical cavity operable to receive an optical signal, said optical cavity comprising:
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a first movable mirror comprising single crystal silicon; and
a second mirror comprising single crystal silicon that is spaced from said first movable mirror and is in parallel relation thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
a controlled voltage source that is electrically connected to said first movable mirror and to said second mirror.
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9. The article of claim 8 further comprising a first optical fiber in optical communication with said first movable mirror.
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10. The article of claim 9 further comprising a second optical fiber in optical communication with said second mirror.
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11. The article of claim 8 wherein the article is a spectral equalizer, the spectral equalizer comprising a plurality of optical cavities, each having:
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a first movable mirror comprising single crystal silicon; and
a second mirror comprising single crystal silicon that is spaced from said first movable mirror and is in parallel relation thereto.
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12. The article of claim 11 wherein all of said second mirrors are defined in a thin layer of single crystal silicon on a first silicon-on-insulator wafer.
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13. The article of claim 12 wherein all of said first movable mirrors are defined in a thin layer of single crystal silicon on a second silicon-on-insulator wafer.
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14. An article that is formed by:
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defining a first mirror in a thin silicon layer of a first silicon-on-insulator (“
SOI”
) wafer;
forming a second movable mirror in a thin silicon layer of a second SOI wafer;
disposing a standoff on one of either said thin silicon layer of said first SOI wafer or said thin silicon layer of said second SOI wafer; and
joining said first and second SOI wafers via said standoff. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method for forming an article having an optical cavity, comprising:
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defining a first mirror on a thin silicon layer of a first silicon-on-insulator (“
SOI”
) wafer;
attaching a second SOI wafer having a thin silicon layer to said first SOI wafer by;
forming a standoff on at least one of said first or second SOI wafers, and joining said standoff to said thin silicon layer of at least one of said first or second SOI wafers. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification