3D-MEMS optical switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733432-B2
Application number	US-201615153290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A 3D-MEMS optical switch is disclosed. In an embodiment, the 3D-MEMS optical switch includes a collimator array, a PD array, a wedge prism, a light-splitting triangular prism, a micro-electro-mechanical system MEMS micro-mirror, and a core optical switch controller that is connected to the PD array and the MEMS micro-mirror. In the present invention, the PD array is integrated into a core optical switch, which simplifies an architecture of the optical switch and reduces a volume of the optical switch; the wedge prism and the light-splitting triangular prism are used to perform light splitting, and some optical signals are transmitted to the PD array to detect optical power, so that the core optical switch controller adjusts the MEMS micro-mirror according to the optical power, which is detected by the PD array, of the optical signal, making an insertion loss of the 3D-MEMS optical switch meet a preset attenuation range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A 3-dimensional micro-electro-mechanical system (3D-MEMS) optical switch, the 3D-MEMS optical switch comprising:
an input port collimator array;
an input port MEMS micro-mirror;
an output port MEMS micro-mirror;
an output port collimator array;
a wedge prism;
a light-splitting triangular prism;
an input port power detector (PD) array;
an output port PD array; and
a core optical switch controller,
wherein the wedge prism is disposed between the input port collimator array and the input port MEMS micro-mirror, the wedge prism being configured to:
split an input optical signal from the input port collimator array into two channels of optical signals,
transmit one channel of optical signal to the input port MEMS micro-mirror, and
reflect the other channel of optical signal to the input port PD array,

wherein the input port PD array is configured to detect a first optical power of the input optical signal reflected by the wedge prism,
wherein the output port MEMS micro-mirror is configured to reflect to the light-splitting triangular prism the optical signal from the input port MEMS micro-mirror,
wherein the light-splitting triangular prism is disposed between the output port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port collimator array, the light-splitting triangular being configured to:
split an output optical signal from the output port MEMS micro-mirror into two channels of optical signals,
transmit one channel of optical signal to the output port collimator array, and
reflect the other channel of optical signal to the output port PD array,

wherein the output port PD array is configured to detect a second optical power of the output optical signal reflected by the light-splitting triangular prism, and
wherein the core optical switch controller is configured to determine, according to the first optical power and the second optical power, whether at least one of the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror needs to be adjusted, and when an adjustment is needed, adjust at least one of the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror.

2. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the wedge prism comprises two film-coated surfaces, wherein the two film-coated surfaces are parallel and at an angle of 45 degrees to an upper horizontal plane of the wedge prism, wherein one film-coated surface is coated with some reflective films, and the other film-coated surface is coated with a highly reflective film, wherein the some reflective films are configured to split the input optical signal from the input port collimator array into two channels of optical signals, to transmit one channel of the optical signal to the input port MEMS micro-mirror, and to reflect the other channel of the optical signal to the highly reflective film, and wherein the highly reflective film is configured to reflect, to the input port PD array, the optical signal reflected by the some reflective films.

3. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the light-splitting triangular prism comprises two film-coated surfaces, wherein the two film-coated surfaces are mutually perpendicular, wherein one film-coated surface is coated with some reflective films and is located at an angle of 45 degrees to a bottom surface of the light-splitting triangular prism, wherein the other film-coated surface is coated with a highly reflective film and is located at an angle of 45 degrees to a bottom surface of the wedge prism, wherein the some reflective films are configured to split the output optical signal from the output port MEMS micro-mirror into two channels of optical signals, to transmit one channel of the optical signal to the output port collimator array, and to reflect the other channel of the optical signal to the highly reflective film, and wherein the highly reflective film is configured to reflect, to a PD array, the optical signal reflected by the some reflective films.

4. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the wedge prism is fastened to the input port collimator array or to an optical channel between the input port collimator array and the input port MEMS micro-mirror.

5. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the light-splitting triangular prism is fastened to the output port collimator array or to an optical channel between the output port collimator array and the output port MEMS micro-mirror.

6. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the wedge prism is integrally molded or comprises a small wedge prism array covering one input port collimator.

7. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the light-splitting triangular prism is integrally molded or comprises a small light-splitting triangular prism array covering one output port collimator.

8. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 ,
wherein a plane on which the input port collimator array is located is parallel to a plane on which the output port collimator array is located,
wherein a plane on which the input port PD array is located is parallel to a plane on which the output port PD array is located, and
wherein a plane on which the input port MEMS micro-mirror is located is parallel to a plane on which the output port MEMS micro-mirror is located.

9. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the core optical switch controller is configured to adjust at least one of the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror according to the first optical power and the second optical power comprises to calculate an insertion loss of the 3D-MEMS optical switch according to the first optical power and the second optical power, and when the insertion loss of the 3D-MEMS optical switch is not within a preset attenuation range, to adjust an angle of at least one of the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror.

10. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflector disposed between the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror, wherein the input port MEMS micro-mirror is configured to reflect, to the reflector, the optical signal transmitted by the wedge prism, wherein the reflector is configured to reflect, to the output port MEMS micro-mirror, the optical signal reflected by the input port MEMS micro-mirror, and wherein the output port MEMS micro-mirror is configured to reflect, to the light-splitting triangular prism, the optical signal reflected by the reflector.

11. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflecting triangular prism disposed between the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror, wherein the input port MEMS micro-mirror is configured to reflect, to the reflecting triangular prism, the optical signal transmitted by the wedge prism, wherein the reflecting triangular prism is configured to reflect, to the output port MEMS micro-mirror, the optical signal reflected by the input port MEMS micro-mirror, and wherein the output port MEMS micro-mirror is configured to reflect, to the light-splitting triangular prism, the optical signal reflected by the reflecting triangular prism.

12. The 3D-MEMS optical switch according to claim 10 , wherein the input port collimator array and the output port collimator array are located on the same plane, wherein the input port PD array and the output port PD array are disposed on the same plane, and wherein the input port MEMS micro-mirror and the output port MEMS micro-mirror are located on the same plane.

13. The 3D-MEMS optical switch accord

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jiang Chendi
• Zhang Chunhui

Classifications

• G02B6/3518 Primary

  the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device (MEMS devices in general B81B; manufacture of MEM devices in general B81C; micromechanical devices controlling the direction of light G02B26/0833) · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0039

  Electrical control · CPC title

• H04Q11/0005

  Switch and router aspects · CPC title

• G02B6/3556

  NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation · CPC title