Compound semiconductor optical waveguide switch
First Claim
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1. An optical waveguide switch, comprising:
- (a) a moveable optical waveguide formed from a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers epitaxially deposited on a substrate, with the moveable optical waveguide having a portion thereof cantilevered above the substrate, and with an end of the cantilevered portion being moveable in the plane of the substrate; and
(b) an electrostatic actuator operatively coupled to the moveable optical waveguide to move the end of the cantilevered portion in the plane of the substrate and into optical alignment with one of a plurality of fixed optical waveguides formed on the substrate from the same plurality of epitaxially-deposited compound semiconductor layers.
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Abstract
An optical waveguide switch is disclosed which is formed from III-V compound semiconductors and which has a moveable optical waveguide with a cantilevered portion that can be bent laterally by an integral electrostatic actuator to route an optical signal (i.e. light) between the moveable optical waveguide and one of a plurality of fixed optical waveguides. A plurality of optical waveguide switches can be formed on a common substrate and interconnected to form an optical switching network.
104 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An optical waveguide switch, comprising:
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(a) a moveable optical waveguide formed from a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers epitaxially deposited on a substrate, with the moveable optical waveguide having a portion thereof cantilevered above the substrate, and with an end of the cantilevered portion being moveable in the plane of the substrate; and
(b) an electrostatic actuator operatively coupled to the moveable optical waveguide to move the end of the cantilevered portion in the plane of the substrate and into optical alignment with one of a plurality of fixed optical waveguides formed on the substrate from the same plurality of epitaxially-deposited compound semiconductor layers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An optical waveguide switch, comprising:
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(a) a III-V compound semiconductor substrate;
(b) a pair of fixed optical waveguides formed on the substrate from a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers including a pair of cladding layers sandwiched about a core layer; and
(c) a moveable optical waveguide formed on the substrate from the plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers, with the moveable optical waveguide having a cantilevered end thereof which is electrostatically moveable into alignment with one or the other of the pair of fixed optical waveguides. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for forming an optical waveguide switch, comprising steps for:
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(a) epitaxially depositing a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers on a substrate including, in order of epitaxial growth, a layer of a sacrificial material, a lower cladding layer, a waveguide core layer, an upper cladding layer, and a cap layer;
(b) depositing a contact metallization on the substrate over portions of the cap layer wherein electrical connections to the optical waveguide switch are to be made;
(c) anisotropically etching down through the plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers for exposing portions of the sacrificial material, and for defining shapes for a moveable optical waveguide, a plurality of fixed optical waveguides and an electrostatic actuator; and
(d) forming a cantilevered portion of the moveable optical waveguide by selectively etching away the exposed portions of the sacrificial material using a selective wet etchant.
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Specification