For waveguide type optical switch circuits, there is a problem in that both reduction in time required for switching and switching-back and reduction in power consumption cannot be achieved. One embodiment of a waveguide type optical switch circuit includes: a waveguide that has a clad layer stacked on a substrate and a waveguide core embedded in the clad layer; a heater that is formed on an upper surface of the clad layer above the waveguide core; and a groove that is obtained by removing the clad layer in a vertical direction of the substrate and has a surface parallel to a side surface of the waveguide core. A distance X between the waveguide core and the heater is designed to be equal to or greater than a distance Y between the heater and the groove (X≥Y)

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has enabled telecommunication service providers to provide multiple independent multi-gigabit channels on one optical fiber. To meet demands for improved performance, increased integration, reduced footprint, reduced power consumption, increased flexibility, re-configurability, and lower cost monolithic optical circuit technologies and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have become increasingly important. However, further integration via microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) of monolithically integrated optical waveguides upon a MEMS provide further integration opportunities and functionality options. Such MOEMS may include MOEMS mirrors and optical waveguides capable of deflection under electronic control. In contrast to MEMS devices where the MEMS is simply used to switch between two positions the state of MOEMS becomes important in all transition positions. Improvements to the design and implementation of such MOEMS mirrors, deformable MOEMS waveguides, and optical waveguide technologies supporting MOEMS devices are presented where monolithically integrated optical waveguides are directly supported, moved and/or deformed by a MEMS.

An optical switch includes a bus waveguide supported by a substrate, an actuation electrode supported by the substrate, the actuation electrode having fins that protrude in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and to the bus waveguide, and a reaction electrode having interdigitated fins configured to form a comb drive with the actuation electrode. When a voltage difference between the reaction electrode and the actuation electrode is less than a lower threshold, the reaction electrode is positioned a first distance from the bus waveguide, when the voltage difference between the reaction electrode and the actuation electrode is greater than an upper threshold, the reaction electrode is positioned a second distance from the bus waveguide, and the second distance is less than the first distance.

An optical switching device (20) includes a substrate (39) and first and second optical waveguides (23, 25) having respective first and second tapered ends (62, 64), which are fixed on the substrate in mutual proximity one to another. A pair of electrodes (36, 38) is disposed on the substrate with a gap therebetween. A cantilever beam (32) is disposed on the substrate within the gap and configured to deflect transversely between first and second positions within the gap in response to a potential applied between the electrodes. A third optical waveguide (21) is mounted on the cantilever beam and has a third tapered end (60) disposed between the first and second tapered ends of the first and second waveguides, so that the third tapered end is in proximity with the first tapered end when the cantilever beam is in the first position and is in proximity with the second tapered end when the cantilever beam is in the second position.

MEMS-actuated optical switches can be implemented on photonic chips. These switches are compact, essentially planar, simple to implement and include only one moving MEMS component per switch. The switches exhibit low optical loss, require low power to operate, and are simple to control and easy to integrate with other optical devices. Each switch has two optical waveguides that are optically coupled in an ON switch state and not coupled in an OFF switch state. An end or a medial section of one of the two waveguides may translate between the ON and OFF states to affect the coupling. Alternatively, a coupling frustrator may translate between the ON and OFF states to affect the coupling.

Hybrid optical integration places very strict manufacturing tolerances and performance requirements upon the multiple elements to exploit passive alignment techniques as well as having additional processing requirements. Alternatively, active alignment and soldering/fixing where feasible is also complex and time consuming with 3, 4, or 6-axis control of each element. However, microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems can sense, control, and activate mechanical processes on the micro scale. Beneficially, therefore the inventors combine silicon MEMS based micro-actuators with silicon CMOS control and drive circuits in order to provide alignment of elements within a silicon optical circuit either with respect to each other or with other optical elements hybridly integrated such as compound semiconductor elements. Such inventive MEMS based circuits may be either maintained as active during deployment or powered off once the alignment has been “locked” through an attachment/retention/latching process.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has enabled telecommunication service providers to provide multiple independent multi-gigabit channels on one optical fiber. To meet demands for improved performance, increased integration, reduced footprint, reduced power consumption, increased flexibility, re-configurability, and lower cost monolithic optical circuit technologies and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have become increasingly important. However, further integration via microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) of monolithically integrated optical waveguides upon a MEMS provide further integration opportunities and functionality options. Such MOEMS may include MOEMS mirrors and optical waveguides capable of deflection under electronic control. In contrast to MEMS devices where the MEMS is simply used to switch between two positions the state of MOEMS becomes important in all transition positions. Improvements to the design and implementation of such MOEMS mirrors, deformable MOEMS waveguides, and optical waveguide technologies supporting MOEMS devices are presented where monolithically integrated optical waveguides are directly supported, moved and/or deformed by a MEMS.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has enabled telecommunication service providers to provide multiple independent multi-gigabit channels on one optical fiber. To meet demands for improved performance, increased integration, reduced footprint, reduced power consumption, increased flexibility, re-configurability, and lower cost monolithic optical circuit technologies and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have become increasingly important. However, further integration via microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) of monolithically integrated optical waveguides upon a MEMS provide further integration opportunities and functionality options. Such MOEMS may include MOEMS mirrors and optical waveguides capable of deflection under electronic control. In contrast to MEMS devices where the MEMS is simply used to switch between two positions the state of MOEMS becomes important in all transition positions. Improvements to the design and implementation of such MOEMS mirrors, deformable MOEMS waveguides, and optical waveguide technologies supporting MOEMS devices are presented where monolithically integrated optical waveguides are directly supported, moved and/or deformed by a MEMS.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has enabled telecommunication service providers to provide multiple independent multi-gigabit channels on one optical fiber. To Microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) integrating optical waveguides upon a MEMS can provide further integration opportunities and functionality options. Improvements to the design and implementation of MOEMS devices are presented where monolithically integrated optical waveguides are directly supported, moved and/or deformed upon a beam coupled to and manipulated by a MEMS. Accordingly, such MOEMS can provide programmable functionality by enabling alignment of the optical waveguide upon the MEMS to one of multiple optical waveguides disposed relative to the moving facet of the rotating optical waveguide.

An apparatus for driving and position sensing in a comb-drive actuator includes a generator, a driver circuit, sensing circuitry, and signal processing circuitry. The generator is configured to apply a sensing-voltage to a first electrode of the comb-drive actuator. The driver circuit is configured to apply a drive-voltage to a second electrode of the comb-drive actuator, having an opposite polarity relative to the first electrode. The sensing circuitry is configured to measure at the second electrode a sensed-waveform resulting from the sensing-voltage applied to the first electrode. The signal processing circuitry is configured to estimate a position of the first electrode relative to the second electrode based on the sensed-waveform.