Optical beam steering using MEMS-controllable microlens array

Novel, two-dimensional MEMS-controllable microlens array has been integrate d with a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array using flip-ch ip assembly. The MEMS/VCSEL hybrid system is built as an efficient and reli able smart pixel array for board-to-board or chip-to-chip optical interconn ects in digital systems. Theory including geometrical and Fourier transform analysis and beam steering experimental results are presented. By translat ing polymer microlens, fabricated on a MEMS X-Y movable plate, using electr o-thermal actuators, a beam steering angle of 70 mrad is achieved. VCSEL be am steering was successfully demonstrated in our MEMS/VCSEL hybrid system t o collimate and steer laser beam for a precision alignment in a two-dimensi onal free-space optical interconnect. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.