Applications of SOI based optical MEMS

in fiber optics communication and others

Key features of MEMS technology
• Array ability: which is the term that we use for
the ability to place tiny devices in large-scale
arrays
• Reconfigurability: i.e. the ability to reconfigure
the optical properties, spatially and temporally,
via localized micro-actuation and/or deformation
• Nanopositioning: nanoscale precision control of
position and alignment for microscale devices
 Optical-MEMS or MOEMS
Three Technologies coming together
• Micro-optics:
Semiconductor Laser Waveguide

• Micro-mechanics:
Resonant Gate transistor

• Micro-Electronics:
IC fabrication
 In OFC
There are four main domains:
• Amplifiers
• Switches or Optical Cross Connectors (OXC)
– 2x2, 4x4, NxN
• Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA)
• Filters
Overview of Silicon on Insulator (SOI)
Technology
• Polycrystalline silicon on top of the buried SiO2
layer (100mm -2μm -75 μm)
• Photolithography: Patterning and depositing
• DRIE: narrow structures of about 2μm to 5μm
can be achieved with very smooth sidewalls.
• The buried SiO2 serves as etch stop for DIRE –
as etching rate is different in different directions
• The resist is removed by oxygen plasma
etching.
• Buried Sio2 is removed by etching with 50%
conc HF acid
• SiO2 pedestals remains – serves as insulators
between different electrodes
• Deposition of Gold for conductivity and proper
reflection of mirror.
 2x2 optical switch
• Two input two output fibers in 75 um
high grove
• Their endfaces all meet at one point,
where a movable gold-coated mirror is
located. This way, the light of either one
of the input fibers can be switched to
either one of the output fibers
• Refractive index matching fluid: reduces
two effects: first the Index step between the
fiber endfaces and the ambient and Secondly
the divergence of the freely propagating light;
hermetically sealed

The optical and mechanical properties

• The mirror is attached to a long beam
of the switch are which is electrostatic ally actuated by
excellent. The insertion loss is between comb drive
0.3 and 0.5dB.
The switching time is about 500μs
Electrostatic Comb drive Actuators
• Driving Principle:
Electrostatic force
generated when voltage
is impressed between
both sides of the comb-
drive electrodes
 ---Polyimide is used as the structural
material. Since polyimide is an insulator,
which cannot be driven electrostatically
by impressed voltage if it is left as it is,
depositing a metallic membrane on
polyimide

---- The structure is the one that supports the

fixed electrode by the anchor of the electrode.
This structure makes it possible to insulate the
fixed electrode and the movable electrode
because the metallic membranes cannot be
formed in the shadow parts of fixed electrodes
when metals are accumulated from the upper
direction by a sputtering technique after
fabricating the actuator structures
Fabrication
 4x4 switch design

• Consists of 16 2x2 MEMS switches that will be

optically interconnected by integrated optical
waveguides
• Top chip holding the waveguides and the electrical
connections for the switches. The two chips will be
combined by standard flip chip bonding technology.
Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA)
• Losses due to absorption,
bending, scattering
• Amplification wavelength
dependent
• Channels are split of different
intensities
• WDM-VOA-WM
• MEMS based VOA: A mirror
that is rotated by 82° to the axis
of light propagation can move
linearly between two opposing
fibers that are held by small leaf
springs in two U-grooves. The
slight tilt prevents the back
reflection into the input fiber.
The attenuation efficiency
versus the driving voltage is
depicted.
• Not linear hence has to be
calibrated before use.
Fourier transform spectrometer
• FT spectroscopy is used for
week and extended sources
• High cost; miniature –
reduced cost
• FTS are based on Michelson
Interferometer configuration
with scanning mirrors .
The output signal of the interferometer is the
variation of the light intensity IR as a function
of the optical path length d. The relation of IR
to d is referred to as the interferogram. The
wavelength power spectrum and the recorded
interferogram IR(d) are related by a Fourier
transformation. Therefore, a spectrum of a
light source can be obtained by simply
recording IR(d) and a subsequent FT.
 MEMS based Accelerometer

• The optical source is an LED

• The optical detection utilizes the partial and simultaneous light coupling
from one source fiber into two output fibers
• The light of the source fibers hits the point of a V-shaped mirror, which
splits and couples the light evenly into the two identical output multimode
fibers
• The output fibers guide the light to two photodiodes allowing differential
measurement of optical fiber.
 Advantages of Optical MEMS
• More sensitive than electrical sensors based
systems
• Higher dynamic range
• Free from electromagnetic and electrical
interference noises
• Thermal Mechanical noise is negligible
• High arability due to miniature in size
• Nano-positioning, very precise