Angular-precision enhancement in free-space micromachined optical switches

Free-space micromachined optical-switching technology has emerged as a prom ising means of building the large-scale optical crossconnects that will be needed in future optical-transport networks. Although this technology has r apidly demonstrated promising optical performance, its ability to expand to the required port-count has yet to be demonstrated. In particular, the tig ht angular tolerances imposed by free-space interconnection present a signi ficant challenge. In this letter, we demonstrate integrated mechanical stru ctures that are capable of achieving better than 0.1 degrees micromirror an gular repeatability, thus opening the path to high-port-count optical cross connects that live within cross-office optical-loss budgets.