Development of a new 1x4 micro-optical switch

In this paper, we report the development of a new 1X4 micro optical switching device which utilizes electrostatic actuation and vertical silicon mirrors. This device is fabricated using a bulk micromachining process, which allows the fabrication of vertical mirrors and U-grooves through deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon. A limited number of process steps are required in the fabrication. Moreover, the device is patterned in a single lithographic step. A relatively high yield (up to 70%) is achieved during the microfabrication due to this compact process flow. More importantly, a small footprint (<13mm2 in die size) is realized. A single mode fiber with a tapered end is placed into a U-groove and positioned passively by a fiber stopper, prior to adhesive bonding with a silicon substrate and a glass cover. Preliminary characterization on the mechanical and optical performance of this device has been carried out, which reveals the promising characteristics of this 1X4 optical switch for use in optical networks.