Micromechanical optical switch

• US 20050275932A1
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cheetah Omni LLC
• Original Assignee: Cheetah Omni LLC
• Inventors: Islam, Mohammed N., Kuditcher, Amos
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/291
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• 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 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3516 the reflective optical element moving along the beam path, e.g. controllable diffractive effects using multiple micromirrors within the beam
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3518 the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device MEMS devices in general B81B; manufacture of MEM devices in general B81C; micromechanical devices controlling the direction of light G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/352 the reflective optical element having a shaped reflective surface, e.g. a reflective element comprising several reflective surfaces or facets that function together
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3546 NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3548 1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output of N possible outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3552 1x1 switch, e.g. on/off switch
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/356 in an optical cross-connect device, e.g. routing and switching aspects of interconnecting different paths propagating different wavelengths to (re)configure the various input and output links switching polarized beams G02B6/3594; power equalizers G02B6/356 and G02B6/3594; path selecting means H04Q11/0001
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3584 constructional details of an associated actuator having a MEMS construction, i.e. constructed using semiconductor technology such as etching MEMS per se B81B, B81C
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0015 using splitting combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/002 using optical delay lines or optical buffers or optical recirculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0039 Electrical control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0077 Labelling aspects, e.g. multiprotocol label switching [MPLS], G-MPLS, MPAS

Abstract

An optical switch element is described, which includes a fixed layer disposed outwardly from a substrate and a movable mirror assembly disposed outwardly from the fixed layer. The moveable mirror assembly is operable to move relative to the fixed layer responsive to a voltage applied to the movable mirror assembly. In a particular embodiment, the movable mirror assembly includes an inner strip spaced apart from the fixed layer by a first distance and an outer strip disposed approximately adjacent to the inner strip and spaced apart from the fixed layer by a second distance which is greater than the first distance. The optical transmission of the optical switch element changes depending on the position of the movable mirror assembly.

Claims

1. An optical processing system, comprising:

an optical amplifier operable to receive an input optical signal from an optical communication link and to at least partially compensate for losses in the input optical signal;

a receiving device coupled to the optical amplifier and operable to receive the input optical signal, the receiving device comprising;

a first wave-guide based router operable to separate the input optical signal into a first plurality of optical signal wavelengths; and

a linear array of wavelength detectors operable to receive at least a portion of at least some of the first plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to convert the at least some of the first plurality of optical signal wavelengths into one or more electrical signals, wherein the first wave-guide based router and the linear array of wavelength detectors are co-located on a first semiconductor substrate;

an electronic processor operable to receive at least a portion of the one or more electrical signals and to perform an electronic processing operation on at least one of the one or more electrical signals and to generate, based at least in part on the at least one processed electrical signal, a second plurality of optical signal wavelengths;

a transmitting device coupled to the electronic processor and operable to receive at least a portion of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths, the transmitting device comprising;

an optical switching array comprising a linear array of modulators and operable to receive at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths, at least some of the modulators operable to perform an optical switching operation on at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths; and

a second wave-guide based router operable to receive the at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to combine at least the at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths into an output optical signal, wherein the linear array of modulators and the second wave-guide based router are co-located on a second semiconductor substrate.

2. The optical processing system of claim 1, wherein the first and second wave-guide based routers are selected from the group consisting of a waveguide grating router and an arrayed wave-guide grating.

3. The optical processing system of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor is located on the first semiconductor substrate.

4. The optical processing system of claim 1, wherein the first and second semiconductor substrates comprise a material selected from, the group consisting of silicon and indium phosphide.

5. The optical processing system of claim 1, wherein at least one wavelength of the first plurality of optical signal wavelengths comprises a wavelength between 1500 and 1600 nanometers.

6. The optical processing system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the linear array of modulators operate at 10 Gb/s or higher rate.

7. An optical processing system, comprising:

a transmitting device coupled to a first end of the processing system and operable to receive a plurality of optical signal wavelengths, the transmitting device comprising;

an optical switching array comprising a linear array of modulators and operable to receive at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths, at least some of the modulators operable to perform an optical switching operation on at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths; and

a first wave-guide based router operable to receive the at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to combine at least the at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths into an optical signal, wherein the linear array of modulators and the first wave-guide based router are co-located on a first semiconductor substrate;

an optical amplifier operable to receive the optical signal from an optical communication link and to at least partially compensate for losses in the optical signal;

a receiving device coupled to a second end of the processing system and operable to receive the optical signal, the receiving device comprising;

a second wave-guide based router operable to separate the optical signal into the plurality of optical signal wavelengths; and

a linear array of wavelength detectors operable to receive at least a portion of at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to convert the at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths into one or more electrical signals, wherein the first wave-guide based router and the linear array of wavelength detectors are co-located on a second semiconductor substrate.

8. The optical processing system of claim 7, wherein the first and second wave-guide based routers are selected from the group consisting of a waveguide grating router and an arrayed wave-guide grating.

9. The optical processing system of claim 7, further comprising an electronic processor operable to receive at least a portion of the one or more electrical signals and to perform an electronic processing operation on at least one of the one or more electrical signals and to generate, based at least in part on the at least one processed electrical signal, a second plurality of optical signal wavelengths.

10. The optical processing system of claim 7, wherein the first and second substrates comprise a material selected from the group consisting of silicon and indium phosphide.

11. The optical processing system of claim 7, wherein at least one wavelength of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths comprises a wavelength between 1500 and 1600 nanometers.

12. The optical processing system of claim 7, wherein at least some of the modulators operate at 10 Gb/s or higher rate.

13. An optical processing device, comprising:

a linear array of wavelength detectors operable to receive at least a portion of a first plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to convert at least some of the plurality of optical signal wavelengths into one or more electrical signals;

an electronic processor operable to receive at least a portion of the one or more electrical signals and to perform an electronic processing operation on at least one of the one or more electrical signals and to generate, based at least in part on the at least one processed electrical signal, a second plurality of optical signal wavelengths;

an optical switching array comprising a linear array of modulators, at least some of the modulators operable to receive at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to perform an optical switching operation on at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths; and

a wave-guide based router operable to receive the at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths and to combine at least the at least some of the second plurality of optical signal wavelengths into an output optical signal, wherein the linear array of wavelength detectors, the linear array of modulators, and the wave-guide based router are co-located on a semiconductor substrate.

14. The optical processing device of claim 13, further comprising an optical amplifier operable to receive the first plurality of optical signal wavelengths from an optical communication link and to at least partially compensate for losses in the first plurality of optical signal wavelengths.

15. The optical processing device of claim 13, wherein the wave-guide based router is selected from the group consisting of a waveguide grating router and an arrayed wave-guide grating.

16. The optical processing device of claim 13, wherein the electronic processor is co-located on the semiconductor substrate.

17. The optical processing device of claim 13, wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon and indium phosphide.

18. An optical processing element operable to receive and switch optical signals, the optical processing element comprising:

an optical tap operable to receive an input optical signal and to separate the input optical signal into a first signal part and a second signal part;

an electronic processor operable to receive at least a portion of the second signal part and to perform a processing function on at least the portion of the second signal part, the processing function performed by the electronic processor being based at least in part on a control signal voltage; and

an optical switching array operable to receive at least a portion of the first and second signal parts, the optical switching array comprising an array of modulators, each modulator operable to perform an optical switching operation on at least a portion of the first signal part, wherein the electronic processor and the linear array of modulators are co-located on a semiconductor substrate.

19. The optical processing element of claim 18, further comprising a wave-guide based router operable to receive the at least some of the first and second parts and to combine at least the first and second parts an output optical signal, wherein the wave-guide based router is located on the semiconductor substrate.

20. The optical processing element of claim 18, further comprising a combiner operable to combine the first and second signal portions into an output signal.