Application and Development on MEMS Optical Switch

MEMS is a mechanical and electrical integration device or system composed by highly integrating MEMS device such as micro structure and micro actuator whose geometric dimensioning or operation size is only at micrometer, submicron even nanometer level and controlling circuit on a very small space of silicon substrate or non-silicon substrate material. MEMS component has characteristic of small size, light weight, low consumption, small inertance and short response time. It can massively integrate microstructure of different function, sensitive direction and actuating direction together to conduct batch copy and massive production by micro electroforming method.

MEMS processing has similar technology with semi-conduct assembly circuit. Its primary characteristic is preparing MEMS by taking use of integrated circuit common technics like photoetching and mechanical erosion and acquiring tender moving structure by finally selecting corrosion technology to release structure unit on the basis of thin film deposition. Entering 90s century, with the successful application of deep groove mechanical erosion technology, bonding technology and other critical technology, bulk silicon micro mechanics gets rapid development and further exploits new technique combined of multiple bulk silicon process and surface micro mechanism technique. This makes MEMS technology not only get rapid development in sensor field but acquire unprecedented development in application and study in fields like optical fiber communication, micro chemical analysis system, DNA analysis and micro robot.
Optical fiber communication enters into optical fiber network age after realizing high speed and high capacity point to point transmission. MEMS has greatly wide application range in optical fiber communication field. Almost each constitutional unit in all optical networks can apply MEMS to manufacture component and develop MEMS. It is the synthesis of multiple technologies like mechanism, electricity, light, magnetism, chemistry, automatic control, sensor technology and information treatment. Make a comprehensive survey of optical fiber communication component development history, we can observe component development trend is bulk conglomeration optical fiber and MOEMS integration. In present situation that integration component is still not quite mature, MEMS or MOEMS optical component has emerged commercialized products.
MEMS technology one very important application in optical fiber communication network is taking use of tender moving micro-mirror to manufacture optical switch matrix. Tender moving micro-mirror can adopt up and down folding method, left and right shuffling method or rotation method to realize connection and break function. MEMS optical switch manufactured by MEMS technology integrates mechanical structure, micro touching component and micro optical component on a same substrate, equipping characteristic of compact structure, light weight and easy expandability. Compared with mechanical optical switch and waveguide mode optical switch, it has better excellent like low insertion loss, small intrusion tone, high extinction ratio, good repeatability and moderate response speed. It has nothing to do with wavelength, polarization, speed rate and modulation system. With long service life and high dependability, it can expand into massive optical cross liking switch matrix.
Global optical fiber communication market has experienced three years hibernation period. After that, with the Alcatel-lucent market share turning good and market value looking up, it rekindles hope springs in people. Though MEMS optical component manufacturers are amidst the winds of change and experience turn of the tide, MEMS technology application field is not only optical communication and still keep strong vitality. It is sure to get wide propagation and application in limitary and civilian fields like communication, navigation, sensor, medical, traffic and aerospace by virtue of its inherent feature and born advantage like research direction diversification, process technique pluralism, system monolithic integration, assembly and packaging unification and application field entirety.
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