MEMS mirror array for a wavelength-selective 1xK switch

Abstract

We present a new MEMS mirror device that fulfills the requirements needed for its use in a wavelength selective switch. The MEMS device consists of a 1D array of individually controllable tilt micromirrors with almost 100% filling factor. Each mirror in the array is used to manipulate an individual wavelength channel, attenuating or redirecting it into a different output. The mirrors are electrostatically rotated around a fixed pivot and they use a novel concept of angle amplification to increase their out-of-plane angular rotation. A detailed analysis of their mechanical and optical response is presented.

Diffraction-gated real-time ultrahigh-speed mapping photography using a digital micromirror device

“…Separating from existing relevant approaches [31,32], DRUM photography presents the only modality that uses the DMD's inter-pattern transition for ultrahigh-speed imaging at high spatial resolution. It is worth noting that the diffraction-gating method introduced in this work is adaptable to other devices, e.g., a one-dimensional micro-electromechanical-system mirror array [33], to further enhance energy efficiency. In addition, despite only being demonstrated by using the 473-nm continuous-wave laser as the light source, the operation of DRUM photography could be extended to other spectral regions.…”

Wavelength selective switching for optical bandwidth management

“…However, due to the high fill-ratio requirement, such a solution is unfeasible. Three different solutions have been pursued to circumvent this difficulty: placement of the rotation axis beneath the mirror surface [72,75], shifting of the rotation axis to the edge of the mirrors [29,38,39], or turning the rotation axis to be orthogonal to the dispersion direction [55]. The first solution requires multilevel processing and hence is more complex to fabricate, in the second solution the rotation will be accompanied by displacement into the plane, and the third solution is more sensitive to both mirror curvature and diffraction off the mirror edge [46,47].…”

“…This allows for the use of anamorphic optics [44,48] to increase the number of ports without sacrificing spectral resolution. To illustrate the second and third types of mirrors, we will discuss micromirrors developed at Bell Laboratories [29,38,39,55] for WSS and shown in Figure 9. A mirror utilizing the scheme of changing the axis of rotation to be orthogonal to the dispersion is shown in Figure 9a.…”