Photonic integrated circuits including controllable cantilevers are described. Such photonic integrated circuits may be used in connection with other optical devices, in which light is transferred between the photonic integrated circuit and one of these optical device. The photonic integrated circuit may comprise an optical waveguide having an end disposed proximate to a facet of the cantilever. The orientation of the cantilever may be actively controlled in one or two dimensions, thus adjusting the orientation of the optical waveguide. Actuation of the cantilever may be performed, for example, thermally and/or electrostatically. Orientation of the cantilever may be performed in such a way to align the optical waveguide with an optical device.

An apparatus arranged for deflecting an optical component for alignment purposes of the optical component with a further optical component, wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of adjacently placed elongate carriers, extending mutually parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction, wherein two adjacently placed elongate carriers have a spacing between them for receiving a first optical component such that the received optical component rests against two adjacently placed elongate carriers, wherein the two elongate carriers have slopes such that the spacing between the two adjacently placed elongate carriers is smaller at a bottom side compared to the spacing at a top side of the carriers, wherein the carriers comprise piezoelectric material configured to deflect the carriers in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction by actuating the piezoelectric material.

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.

In some embodiments, a photonic switch includes a first layer, a cantilever coupler, and a set of electrodes. The first layer includes a first waveguide that directs light in a first direction and a second waveguide that directs light in a second direction that is different from the first direction. The cantilever coupler is formed from a lithium niobate material and disposed over the first layer. The cantilever coupler includes a first end that is positioned over the first waveguide and a second end that is bonded to the second waveguide. The set of electrodes apply an electric potential across the first end, which deforms the first waveguide to couple to the second waveguide and propagates light between the first waveguide and the second waveguide.

The present invention relates to a scanner provided with a vibratory beam on or in which is formed a phased array intended to extract according to either one of two parallel faces of the beam a light radiation that could be emitted by a light source.

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.

The present invention relates to a scanner provided with a vibratory beam on or in which is formed a phased array intended to extract according to either one of two parallel faces of the beam a light radiation that could be emitted by a light source.

A passive self-alignment fiber-to-fiber optical device is provided. The device includes a silicon base, a fiber alignment region, and an actuation region. When the device is configured as a fiber optical attenuator, displacement of a plunger in the actuation region alters the alignment of two optical fibers in the fiber alignment region, thereby varying the optical intensity between the two fibers. A series of beams in the actuation region successively reduces an initial displacement of a first beam to a smaller displacement of the plunger. When the device is configured as an optical switch, displacement of the plunger in the actuation region displaces the first optical fiber from a first position in alignment with the second optical fiber into a second position in alignment with a third optical fiber.

Photonic integrated circuits including controllable cantilevers are described. Such photonic integrated circuits may be used in connection with other optical devices, in which light is transferred between the photonic integrated circuit and one of these optical device. The photonic integrated circuit may comprise an optical waveguide having an end disposed proximate to a facet of the cantilever. The orientation of the cantilever may be actively controlled in one or two dimensions, thus adjusting the orientation of the optical waveguide. Actuation of the cantilever may be performed, for example, thermally and/or electrostatically. Orientation of the cantilever may be performed in such a way to align the optical waveguide with an optical device.

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.