Micro-optical phased arrays for spatial and spectral switching

This paper describes two optical devices based on linear arrays of micro mirrors. The first is a phased array of micro mirrors that can be rotated as well as translated vertically to maintain coherence across the array. We demonstrate experimentally that such micro mirrors are capable of high-diffraction-efficiency, phased-array scanning of laser beams. The second device is a Gires- Tournois interferometer with a micro mirror array that provides tunable phase modulation for the multitude of partially reflected beams within the interferometer. We demonstrate experimentally that the MEMS-GT interferometer can operate as a tunable deinterleaver for dense Wavelength Division Multiplexed fiber optic communication.