Study On MOEMS Optical Switch Array

Explosive growth of optical communication technology promotes the emerging of all optical networks (AON). The development of AON depends on the advancement of optical switch technology. For a few past years a variety of technologies have been studied as candidates for optical switches. MOEMS switching technology has present unparalleled advantages over other technologies. So optical switch based on MOEMS technology will be a key optical device in the next generation optical communication system. Firstly, from the application of optical switch in AON, a variety of optical switch technologies are being compared. Optical switch based on MOEMS technology obviously has more advantages than optical switch base on other technologies, such as wavelength transparence and polarize independence. The foreign and domestic development of the MOEMS optical switch has been described. A MOEMS optical switch based on electrostatic driving and vertical micro mirror technology is presented. Secondly, the reflective characteristic of micro mirror is analyzed. And then a normalized equation that governs the static characteristics of the electrostatic driving structure is derived. In addition, the influence of the structural parameters to the driving voltage is discussed. Subsequently, the natural frequency of the optical switch has been calculated, and the switching time is analyzed. Thirdly, using the MSC Patran software, the electrostatic driving structure is modeling. By the finite element analyzing, the stress distributing of each parts is described. The reliability of the mechanical structure is verified. Finally, by researching the mechanism of the anisotropy etching, the fabricating procedure of MOEMS optical switch array is designed. Using the KOH anisotropy enchant the vertical micro mirror array is fabricated. And also, the result of experiment is analyzed and discussed.