Optical redundancy

• US 9,766,409 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Pelley, Perry H., Stephens, Tab A., McShane, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLEVINS, JERRY M
• Application Number:
  US13/914,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20140363124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 385 16
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3502 involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or displacing an interposed waveguide between stationary waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3562 Switch of the bypass type, i.e. enabling a change of path in a network, e.g. to bypass a failed element in the network
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3596 With planar waveguide arrangement, i.e. in a substrate, regardless if actuating mechanism is outside the substrate

Abstract

A high density, low power, high performance information system, method and apparatus are described in which an integrated circuit apparatus includes a first integrated circuit link element (657) and a redundant integrated circuit link element (660) connected in parallel between first and second deflectable MEMS switches (652-655, 662-665) which are connected in a signal path and controlled to deselect the first integrated circuit link element (657) and connect the redundant integrated circuit link element (660) in the signal path in response to a two-state control signal provided to the first and second deflectable MEMs switches which identifies the first integrated circuit link element as being defective.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first deflectable MEMS switch comprising a first deflectable optical beam waveguide that is deflectable under a first electric field influence;

a second deflectable MEMS switch comprising a second deflectable optical beam waveguide that is deflectable under a second electric field influence; and

a first optical link element and a redundant optical link element located in parallel between the first and second deflectable MEMS switches which are controlled to deselect the first optical link element and connect the redundant optical link element in an optical signal path in response to an indication that the first optical link element is defective.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the first optical link element and redundant optical link element comprise, respectively, a first optical circuit and a redundant optical circuit formed in a single integrated circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, where the first optical link element comprises a first die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a first die and a second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a second die that is separate from the first die edge by an open air gap, where the first and second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflectors are coupled in the signal path during a normal mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, where the redundant optical link element comprises a first redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on the first die and a second redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on the second die, where the first and second redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflectors are coupled in the signal path during a replacement mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical fuse circuits which may be programmed to provide the indication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where each of the first and second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguides are each formed with an optical beam structure which is encapsulated by a waveguide beam structure to extend into a deflection cavity and which is surrounded by a plurality of deflection electrodes that are positioned to provide two-dimensional deflection control of each deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide in response to application of one or more deflection voltages.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where each of the first and second deflectable MEMS switches comprises an optical beam structure which is encapsulated by a waveguide beam structure and a plurality of deflection electrodes positioned to provide two-dimensional deflection control of each deflectable MEMS switch in response to application of one or more deflection voltages in response to the indication.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, where the first optical link element comprises a first die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a first die and a second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a second die that is separate from the first die edge by an open air gap, where the first and second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflectors are coupled in the signal path during a normal mode.

9. A method comprising:

providing a first optical link element and a redundant optical link element located in parallel between first and second deflectable MEMS switches which are coupled in an optical signal path in response to one or more control signals, where the first and second deflectable MEMS switches comprise, respectively, first and second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguides, each of which are deflectable under a separate electric field influence; and

applying one or more first control signals to the first and second deflectable MEMS switches to disconnect the first optical link element and to connect the redundant optical link element in the optical signal path in response to an indication that the first optical link element is defective.

10. The method of claim 9, where the first optical link element and redundant optical link element comprise, respectively, a first optical circuit and a redundant optical circuit formed in a single integrated circuit.

11. The method of claim 9, where providing the first optical link element comprises providing a first die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a first die and a second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on a second die that is separate from the first die edge by an open air gap, where the first and second die edge MEMS I/O beam deflectors are coupled in the optical signal path during a normal mode.

12. The method of claim 11, where providing the redundant optical link element comprises providing a first redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on the first die and a second redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflector formed on the second die that is separate from the first die edge by an open air gap, where the first and second redundant die edge MEMS I/O beam deflectors are coupled in the optical signal path during a replacement mode in response to application of the one or more first control signals.

13. The method of claim 9, where the first optical link element is determined to be defective by applying predefined functionality criteria to assess a functionality measure of the first optical link element.

14. The method of claim 9, where the first optical link element is determined to be defective by generating the one or more first control signals from one or more data values stored in a non-volatile storage circuit.

15. The method of claim 9, where applying one or more first control signals to the first and second deflectable MEMS switches comprises applying a plurality of deflection voltages to a first plurality of deflection electrodes positioned around a first deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide and to a second plurality of deflection electrodes positioned around second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide to provide two-dimensional deflection control of each deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide, thereby disconnecting the first optical link element and connecting the redundant optical link element in the optical signal path.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a first deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide formed in an optical beam plane to extend into a deflection cavity with a first plurality of deflection electrodes positioned to provide two-dimensional deflection control of the first deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide in response to application of one or more deflection voltages to the first plurality of deflection electrodes;

a second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide formed in the optical beam plane for optical communication alignment with the first deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide with a second plurality of deflection electrodes positioned to provide two-dimensional deflection control of the second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguide in response to application of one or more deflection voltages to the second plurality of deflection electrodes;

an optical link element formed in the optical beam plane to block optical communication between the first and second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguides when positioned in a first deflection position; and

an optical reflection layer formed outside of the optical beam plane to provide a reflection surface in the deflection cavity for reflecting optical communications between the first and second deflectable MEMS optical beam waveguides when positioned in a second deflection position for reflecting optical communication off the optical reflection layer to cross over the optical link element by applying the one or more deflection voltages to the first and second plurality of deflection electrodes.