Fiber optic switch concept with analog micromirror device

Christine Lausch; Rolf Goering; Frank Wippermann

doi:10.1117/12.499274

21 January 2003 Fiber optic switch concept with analog micromirror device

Christine Lausch, Rolf Goering, Frank Wippermann

Proceedings Volume 4983, MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems III; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.499274
Event: Micromachining and Microfabrication, 2003, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

A novelle concept for miniaturized multimode fiber optical switches is presented, which can be applied for the whole spectrum of fiber core diameter and numerical aperture. It is particularly useful for large core high numerical aperture fibers used for applications in illumination systems, sensing and optical spectrometers. Because of relaxed positioning tolerances - compared to singlemode setups - most existing solutions are based on moving fibers or fiber collimators leading to devices with excellent optical parameters. Due to the mechanical properties of the fibers it is difficult to use these switching principles for fibers with large diameter. The system we present is based on fixed fibers, each having a collimating lens. A following imaging system projects the incoming optical beam to a tilting high-reflectivity micromirror placed in the focal plane. The reflected beam travels back through the imaging system targeting an output fiber which is addressed by the angle position of the mirror. Due to the folded optics design both input and output channels are located on the same side of the device. Special emphasis was taken on the chromatic dispersion behaviour of the setup leading to a broad spectral range. We present the optical and mechanical design considerations and experimental results obtained with first realized prototypes of 1×4 and 1×8 style switches for 400μm core diameter multimode fibers.

Citation Download Citation

Christine Lausch, Rolf Goering, and Frank Wippermann "Fiber optic switch concept with analog micromirror device", Proc. SPIE 4983, MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems III, (21 January 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.499274

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