Bistable micromechanical fiber-optic switches on silicon with thermal actuators

A new bistable moving-fiber switch for applications in optical communicatio n systems is developed by employing advanced bulk silicon micromachining. T he bistable switch utilizes actuators based on thermal expansion and the bi metal effect. Switches and switch arrays are successfully fabricated and te sted. Due to the low number of process steps and the high yield and reliabi lity, the process technology is suitable for low-cost single- and multi-mod e fiber optic switches. A typical fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 2 +/- 0. 5 dB (single-mode fibers at 1300 nm wavelength, including MT-connector loss es of typically 0.5-1.5 dB) is achieved in an array of 12 switches. The cro ss talk is below the detection Limit (< -60 dB). The switching power of app rox. 700 mW is needed during switching only. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.