Solder-packaged optical MEMs device and method for making the same
First Claim
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1. A micro-electro-mechanical device comprising:
- a mirror layer comprising a frame, at least one mirror and a plurality of solder wettable metallized regions, the mirror movably coupled to the frame;
an actuation layer comprising at least one conductive path at least one electrode and a plurality of solder wettable metallized regions;
the mirror layer and the actuation layer bonded together by solder joints between metallized regions on the respective layers with a gap spacing and in lateral alignment so that the movement of the mirror is controlled by an electrical signal applied to the electrode.
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Abstract
In accordance with the invention, a MEMs mirror device comprises a mirror layer including a frame structure and at least one mirror movably coupled to the frame and an actuator layer including at least one conductive path and at least one electrode for moving the mirror. The mirror layer and the actuator layer are provided with metallization pads and are bonded together in lateral alignment and with predetermined vertical gap spacing by solder bonds between the pads. The device has utility in optical cross connection, variable attenuation and power gain equalization.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A micro-electro-mechanical device comprising:
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a mirror layer comprising a frame, at least one mirror and a plurality of solder wettable metallized regions, the mirror movably coupled to the frame;
an actuation layer comprising at least one conductive path at least one electrode and a plurality of solder wettable metallized regions;
the mirror layer and the actuation layer bonded together by solder joints between metallized regions on the respective layers with a gap spacing and in lateral alignment so that the movement of the mirror is controlled by an electrical signal applied to the electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
The improvement wherein the optical MEMs device is a device according to claim 1. -
26. An optical variable attenuator comprising:
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at least one input optical fiber;
at least one output optical fiber; and
at least one optical MEMs device according to claim 1, the device mirror aligned to receive an optical signal from the input fiber and to reflect a portion of the input signal to the output fiber, the size of the portion reflected to the output fiber chosen in accordance with the desired attenuation.
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27. An optical power gain equalizer system comprising:
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a plurality of input optical fibers;
a plurality of output optical fibers; and
at least one optical MEMs device according to claim 2, the mirrors of the array aligned to receive optical signals from respective input fibers and to reflect portions of the input signals to respective output fibers, the size of the respective portions chosen to equalize the respective output signals.
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28. The device of claim 1 wherein the mirror layer comprises a composite layer of silicon, insulator and silicon.
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29. The device of claim 28 wherein the mirror is formed on the layer of silicon proximal the actuation layer.
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30. The device of claim 28 wherein the mirror is formed on the layer of silicon distal from the actuation.
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31. The device of claim 30 wherein the layer of silicon proximal the actuation layer is configured to at least partially enclose the region underlying the mirror between the mirror and the actuation layer.
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32. The device of claim 31 wherein the layer of silicon proximal the actuation layer is doped with impurities or coated with conductive material to provide electrostatic shielding of the mirror.
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20. A method of making an optical MEMs device comprising a mirror layer including at least one mirror movably coupled to the layer and an actuator layer including at least one conductive path and at least one electrode for moving the mirror, comprising the steps of:
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a) forming a plurality of solder-wettable metallization pads on a surface of the mirror layer and on a mating surface of the actuator level, b) applying solder between metalization pads of the respective layers; and
c) heating and bonding together the respective layers by forming solder joints of predetermined gap spacing between the metallization pads of the respective layers. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification