Optical MEMS platform for low-cost on-chip integration of planar light circuits and optical switching

Kristine A. German; Joel Kubby; Jingkuang Chen; James Diehl; Kathleen Feinberg; Peter Gulvin; Larry Herko; Nancy Jia; Pinyen Lin; Xueyuan Liu; Jun Ma; John Meyers; Peter Nystrom; Yao Rong Wang

doi:10.1117/12.528996

1 July 2004 Optical MEMS platform for low-cost on-chip integration of planar light circuits and optical switching

Kristine A. German, Joel Kubby, Jingkuang Chen, James Diehl, Kathleen Feinberg, Peter Gulvin, Larry Herko, Nancy Jia, Pinyen Lin, Xueyuan Liu, Jun Ma, John Meyers, Peter Nystrom, Yao Rong Wang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5357, Optoelectronic Integration on Silicon; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.528996
Event: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices 2004, 2004, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Xerox Corporation has developed a technology platform for on-chip integration of latching MEMS optical waveguide switches and Planar Light Circuit (PLC) components using a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) based process. To illustrate the current state of this new technology platform, working prototypes of a Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) and a l-router will be presented along with details of the integrated latching MEMS optical switches. On-chip integration of optical switches and PLCs can greatly reduce the size, manufacturing cost and operating cost of multi-component optical equipment. It is anticipated that low-cost, low-overhead optical network products will accelerate the migration of functions and services from high-cost long-haul markets to price sensitive markets, including networks for metropolitan areas and fiber to the home. Compared to the more common silica-on-silicon PLC technology, the high index of refraction of silicon waveguides created in the SOI device layer enables miniaturization of optical components, thereby increasing yield and decreasing cost projections. The latching SOI MEMS switches feature moving waveguides, and are advantaged across multiple attributes relative to alternative switching technologies, such as thermal optical switches and polymer switches. The SOI process employed was jointly developed under the auspice of the NIST APT program in partnership with Coventor, Corning IntelliSense Corp., and MicroScan Systems to enable fabrication of a broad range of free space and guided wave MicroOptoElectroMechanical Systems (MOEMS).

Citation Download Citation

Kristine A. German, Joel Kubby, Jingkuang Chen, James Diehl, Kathleen Feinberg, Peter Gulvin, Larry Herko, Nancy Jia, Pinyen Lin, Xueyuan Liu, Jun Ma, John Meyers, Peter Nystrom, and Yao Rong Wang "Optical MEMS platform for low-cost on-chip integration of planar light circuits and optical switching", Proc. SPIE 5357, Optoelectronic Integration on Silicon, (1 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.528996

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available