Termpaper 18MEC24020

ST.
JOSEPH’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

Bengaluru 560 027
Recognized as 'College of Excellence' by UGC
Re-accredited with A++ grade and 3.79/4.00 CGPA by NAAC
Awarded the DBT Star Status & DST-FIST grant by Ministry of Science & Technology, GOI
Term paper report on

MEMS OPTICAL SWITCHES
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Science in MEC
Submitted by
CHANDRALEKHA S
(18MEC24020)
Under the guidance of

REGINA MATHIAS
Assistant Professor
Department of Electronics
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous)
OCTOBER 2020
1
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the term paper entitled “MEMS Optical Switches”
incorporates the results of my independent research under the
supervision of Ms. Regina Mathias, Department of Electronics, St.
Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bangalore.
I further declare that this dissertation has not formed the basis for any
degree or diploma, fellowship or association or similar title of any
university or institution.
Chandralekha S
18MEC24020
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous)
Bangalore - 560 027
2
PLAGIARISM CERTIFICATE
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would thank all those who have supported me in the endeavor. I thank
the Almighty God for providing me the necessary energy and my dearest
parents for their invaluable support throughout my life.
I would like to extend my gratitude and sincere thanks to Prof. Regina

Mathias, Department of Electronics, St. Joseph’s College, for guiding
and assisting me in my term paper work. As a guide she took a great
initiative in assisting and guiding besides her busy schedule and I’m glad
to have worked under her supervision.
Lastly, I am grateful to my parents and friends for their invaluable

support, guidance and encouragement.
Chandralekha S
18MEC24020
4
INDEX
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………...6
2. Micromachining techniques………………………………………….........8
 Bulk micromachining
 Surface micromachining
3. Switch architectures………………………………………………………13
 2D MEMS optical switches
 3D MEMS optical switches
4. Actuating mechanism…………………………………………………….16
 Electromagnetic
 Electrostatic
 Scratch drive actuator
5. Challenges…………………………………………………………………21
6. Advantages………………………………………………………………...24
7. Disadvantages………………………………………………………….….25
8. Applications……………………………………………………………….26
9. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………27
10.References………………………………………………………………....28
5
INTRODUCTION
We are witnessing the major impact of integrated circuits in the information
technology. Similarly, it is believed that with the development of MEMS along
with MOEMS we will have a major impact on our lives. It is widely acknowledged
that electronic switch fabrics are the bottleneck in tomorrow’s communication
systems.
A device which is used to complete or break an optical circuit is known as the

optical switch. Generally optic switches have one or more input ports and more
than one output ports, usually referred as 1 x N or N x N optical switches. Optical
switches can be primarily divided into two types based on their fabrication process
and technologies. They are mechanical switch and MEMS switch (micro-electro-
mechanical-system switch). In addition to these thermo-optic switch, acousto-optic
switch and electro-optic switch are also used in some specific applications. Optical
switch is a key constituent in the current optical network. It is very beneficial in
optical fiber, components or systems testing and measurement, multi-point fiber
sensor system, provisioning of light paths and protection switching.
The oldest and the most widely deployed optical switch at the time is the
mechanical switch which is also knowns as the opto-mechanical switch. They can
accomplish outstanding reliability, crosstalk and insertion loss but it is
comparatively slow with switching times in 10-100 m range because of its working
principle. These switches collimate beam optics from each input and output fiber
and move these paralleled beams inside the device which allows the distance
between the input and output fiber without harmful effects and attains the lower
optical loss. Opto-mechanical switches have diverse configurations such as 1x1,
1x2, 1x4, 1x16 etc. based on the number of redirecting signals. In other words, the
6
1x4 opto-mechanical switch module connects optical channels by redirecting 1
arriving optical signal into a particular signal from 4 output fibers.
Micro Electro Mechanical System is shortened as MEMS. MEMS technology is

the blend of mechanical and electronical type. The demand for optical devices
composed with advances in MEMS technology has given rise to MOEMS and its
rapid development. MOEMS is abbreviated as Micro Opto Electro Mechanical
System. It is also known as Optical MEMS. MOEMS is a miniaturized system
combining optics, electrical, and mechanical elements, fabricated with collective
techniques derived from MEMS fabrication processes.
MEMS switch has fascinated widespread attention because of their versatility.

MEMS optical switch can be considered as a subgroup of opto-mechanical
switches. Subsequently the variance in fabrication process and its unique miniature
nature, its characteristics, performance and reliability concerns make it different
from opto-mechanical switches. The significant difference that the optical MEMS
switches overcomes is the bulky nature of opto-mechanical switches. Typical
MOEMS optical switches involve input / output optical fibers, movable
micromirrors and actuators. By applying the appropriate driving voltage, the
micromirror array can move along straight line or twist at an angle so as to realize
on and off of the optical path. Electrostatic, electrothermal, electromagnetic,
scratch drive actuation or any other actuations are the driving principle of MEOMS
optical switches.
7
MICROMACHINING TECHNIQUES
Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) fabrication techniques utilize the

mature fabrication technology of the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry. MEMS
fabrication uses several of the same techniques that are used in the Integrated
Circuit field such as oxidation, ion implantation, diffusion, sputtering, etc., and
combines these abilities with extremely specialized micromachining methods.
The most popular micromachining material is silicon as it exhibits excellent

mechanical properties and which is also the primary substrate material used in the
IC circuitry. The other material which can be used are GaAs, quartz, polymers,
ceramics and many more. The material which is used as the sacrificial layer must
exhibit few mechanical properties such as adhesion and low residual stress in order
to avoid failures in the switch. The most frequently used sacrificial materials are
silicon di oxide and phospho-silicate glass. After each step in the process of
fabrication, the dust particles are removed by cleaning. The most generally used
method is piranha cleaning which is a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen
peroxide. Etching is a process in which a specified portion is removed by the
chemicals or gases. Wet etching and dry etching are the two types of etching.
Silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and polymethyl methacrylate are the widely used
dielectrics in the micromachining process.
Bulk micromachining and surface micromachining are the two popular

micromachining technologies which are used to fabricate the micro-mechanical
structures in MEMS optical switches.
8
BULK MICROMACHINING
The most mature, the oldest and simple micromachining technology is the bulk
micromachining technology. At times it is also known as the etching/subtraction
process. It involves the direct removal of silicon from the bulk silicon substrate by
etchants in order to realize miniaturized mechanical components. Bulk
micromachining can be achieved by using physical or chemical means. It is widely
accomplished by chemical means.
Wet etching and dry etching are the two types of etching. Chemical wet etching is
the most widely used bulk micromachining technique. This technique is widely
used for the reason that it can offer a very high etch rate and selectivity. It is the
process which involves the immersion of the substrate into a solution of reactive
chemical that will etch exposed regions of the substrate at measurable rates. The
etch rate and the selectivity can be modified by varying the chemical composition
of the etch solution, altering the dopant concentration of the substrate, regulating
the temperature of the etch solution and modifying which crystallographic planes
of the substrate are exposed to the etchant solution.
Anisotropic and isotropic are the two types of chemical etchants. The etchants that
etch different silicon orientation planes at different rates are called anisotropic
etchants. On the other hand, isotropic etchants etch the silicon evenly in all
directions. Note that the mechanical structure which is formed by the bulk
micromachining is not very complex.
9
a) Anisotropic wet etching of (100) and (110) silicon substrates.
b) Deep cavity form in silicon by anisotropic etchants.
c) Isotropic etching of silicon.
Fig(a) shows the silicon planes exposed by using anisotropic etchants. The 3D
mechanical structure which is fabricated using anisotropic etching is shown in
fig(b). The effect of isotropic etches on silicon substrate is shown in fig(c).
10
SURFACE MICROMACHINING
Surface micromachining is an advanced fabrication technique. The
micromachining technique which involves etching of selected additional layers
(sacrificial layers) which are deposited on the silicon substrate. By using alternate
layers of sacrificial and structural materials, a complex 3D mechanical structure
can be created. Spacer material is the material which is used to set the vertical
spacing between the structure and the substrate. Later in the process, this spacer
material is removed. Hence it is known as the sacrificial layer. During the final
release, the sacrificial layers are etched away to obtain a free-standing 3D
mechanical structure.
In this technique, a thin-film material is selectively added to or removed from the

wafer. The thin-film material is deposited to get a free-standing mechanical
structure. This thin-film is the sacrificial layer.
Structural material is the material which is left after the etching of the underlying
sacrificial layer. In surface micromachining, the essential processes to realize
11
micromechanical structures on silicon are the combination of dry and wet etching,
and thin-film deposition.
Most of the times, silicon dioxide (SiO2) is used as the sacrificial layer which are
deposited and grown underneath a patterner material for later removal. Chemical
etching is commonly used for the removal process. The patterned material is left as
the thin-film free-standing mechanical structures as they are suspended over the
substrate by the thickness of the etched sacrificial layer, after the removal of the
sacrificial layer.
Surface micromachining process where the sacrificial layer if grown for the later removal to
obtain the free-standing mechanical structures.
The surface micromachining process of creating a free-standing mechanical

structure is shown in the figure. Deposition of the insulation layer on the silicon
substrate followed by the deposition of the silicon dioxide as the sacrificial layer.
Then the structural layer is deposited on the silicon dioxide. To expose the
12
sacrificial layer, the openings are etched in the structural layer. The underlying
sacrificial layer is etched away to release the fundamental structural layer.
SWITCH ARCHITECTURES
MEMS optical switches can be implemented by the two popular approaches:
 2D MEMS switches
 3D MEMS switches
The striking difference that these two technologies have is in terms of their ability
to redirect light beams and how they are controlled.
Figure (a) shows the two-dimensional MEMS optical switch configuration and
figure (b) is the three-dimensional MEMS optical switch configuration. By
applying discrete Fourier transformation on the waveform of the optical power the
angle errors of each micro-mirrors are separated accurately. Also, the mirrors are
vibrated by the small perturbations with two different frequencies. The absolute
level and uniformity of the optical device performance depends on the optical
13
quality of the micro-mirrors. An extremely low insertion loss and crosstalk can be
achieved by using the right technology and design.
2D MEMS SWITCHES
In this architecture mirrors are arranged in a crossbar configuration. An NxN
crossbar switch is formed by using a two-dimensional NxN mirror matrix
collective with linear input and output fiber. Thus, the term two-dimensional
switch. The position of each individual mirror is decided by the control signals
which are applies to the MEMS chip. These control signals control the mirror to
either intersect or pass the input light beams and also leading each incoming light
signal to the chosen output port.
Each mirror has only two positions and is placed at the intersections of light paths
between the input and output ports. The two positions are the ON and the OFF
position. In On position the mirrors reflect the light whereas in the Off position
they let the light to pass uninterruptedly. The control scheme is greatly simplified
by the binary nature of the mirror positions. A total number of N² mirrors are
required to obtain an NxN port switch.
A 2D crossbar switching architecture.
14
By allowing compact optical switch modules with up to 32x32 input and output, a
very low insertion loss and crosstalk can be realized. The control circuitry consists
of appropriate amplifiers which provide adequate voltage levels to actuate mirrors,
and a simple transistor-transistor-logic (TTL) gate.
3D MEMS SWITCHES
The three-dimensional MEMS switch is also referred as the analog MEMS switch.
In this there are mirrors which can rotate about two axes. This architecture is most
suitable for the huge optical switching fabrics within a single switch phase. With
the help of 2N mirrors which has N controllable positions, NxN switch can be
realized.
When compared with two dimensional MEMS switches, three dimensional MEMS
switches have lower insertion loss. This is due to the reason that the micro-mirrors
are indeed controlled by the closed loop servo electronics. This is why it is best
suitable for large optical switching fabrics in a single switch phase.
A 3D MEMS switching architecture Micro-mirror
The micro-mirrors can rotate about two axes. Each mirror can rotate for about 20º
angle. That is, it can rotate 10º on each side. The mirrors have the precise rotational
15
angles because of the stop pads which are provided by the landing electrode. Each
mirror is mounted on hinge support posts. When no power is applied to the circuit,
the mirror is restored to its default horizontal state i.e., at an angle of 0º. This is due
to hinge restore. The switching time for the micro-mirrors is less than 20 micro
seconds.
ACTUATING MECHANISM
Actuating is the process which causes moment of parts in a machine. In MEMS the
tilting mirrors achieve their switching functionality when the mirrors modify the
free-space propagation of light beam by moving into their propagation paths. The
actuating mechanism which are used to move the micro-mirrors must be easy to
construct, minor, accurate, reliable, probable and consume small amount of power.
Actuators are the devices which causes moment of parts in a machine, here it is the
micro-mirrors. Electrostatic, electromagnetic and scratch drive actuators are the
three actuating mechanisms which are being researched expansively in the
industries and in the university laboratories.
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ACTUATION
The actuating mechanism in which the micro-mirrors are moved by the
electromagnetic forces are known as electromagnetic actuation. . The micro-mirror
was fabricated on a silicon plate which was supported by cantilever beams. At the
bottommost of that silicon plate, usually copper coil is found.
16
An electromagnetic 2x2 MEMS optical switch was developed by the California
Institution of Technology and also an electromagnetic three-dimensional MEMS
optical switch was developed by Integrated Micromachines Inc. (IMMI), based in
Monrovia, California which has much lesser loss when compared to their
competitors. Irrespective of the switch size, they appealed an insersion loss of
about 3 dB. IMMI also claimed that by using elctromagnetic actuation as an
alternative of the weaker electrostatic actuation, the driving voltage does not exeed
a maximum of 10V. There are benefits in both the system and the eonomic levels
when the switches has low insertion loss and low power consumption.
A schematic illusion of operation principle of the 2x2 bypass fibre optic switch
In response to the varying magnetic field, the thin micro-mirror moves up or down.
When the micro-mirror moves up, it blocks the optical path of the light signal
forcing it to change its original optical path by reflecting it. This new optical path
is decided by the micro-mirror i.e., by the angle of rotation of the micro-mirror.
When the micro-mirror moves down, it doesnot change the optical path of the light
signal i.e., it doesnot block the signal path instead it lets the signal to move in its
original path. The reponse of the light signal when the micro-mirror moves up is
17
shown in the first figure. The response of the light signal when the micro-mirror
moves down is shown in the second figure.
Since the electromagnetic actuation can generate large forces with high linearity by
which it requires low driving voltages. This is one of the major advantage of using
this method. The drawback of this method is the sheilding from other magnetic
devices to avoid crosstalk which is quite difficuit and has to prove its reliability.
ELECTRO-STATIC ACTUATION
The actuation by the attraction between two oppositely charged plates is known as
electrostatic actuation. This method of actuation is studied well and reached more.
The advantages by using this method of actuation is the repeatability which is a
very important property in optical switching. Here, there is no requirement of
shielding. Electrostatic actuators are simple to fabricate. And they also consume
very less power. One of the application of this method is that it is used in the
Marxer el al. optical switch. But they require a high driving voltages to compensate
for the low force potential. Also the force vs voltage graph is non-linear. These are
few drawbacks of using electrostatic actuation.
18
An overall 2x2 optical switching matrix design.
An electrostatic actuator comprises of the micro-mirrors being held in parallel

plane to the underlying electrodes. The micro-mirror is tilted down to its ON
position which changes the original optical path of the light signal and takes it to
another output fiber. This micro-mirror is tilted when an electrode is charged at a
different voltage level than that of its corresponding mirrors. The force supplied by
electrostatic actuation can be estimated to first order by using a parallel-plate
capacitor approximation.
A 2x2 switching matrix was built by Tosh Yoshi and Fujita of the University of
Tokyo by using electrostatic actuation. These switches are successfully being used
in Oakland, California as route live data traffic in an unmanned central office.
SCRATCH DRIVE ACTUATORS

In this method both the micro-mirror and the scratch drive actuators (SDAs) are
integrated on the silicon substrate. This can be achieved by using surface
micromachining techniques. Pushrods are connected to the mirrors. The translation
19
plate is connected to the pushrods through micro-hinges. Due to these pushrods,
translation plate and micro-hinges the rotation of the micro-mirrors are realized.
The rotation of the micro-mirrors is achieved when the translation movement of
the translation plate by the scratch drive actuators is converted to the rotational
movement of the micro-mirrors.
A schematic design of a free-rotating fiber optic switch
Generally, 75mm is the length of the pushrod. Also, the distance between the hinge
joint located on the micro-mirror to the hinges at the bottom of the micro-mirror is
70mm. When the translation plate is moved 2mm and 900 at a translation distance
of 22mm the micro-mirror can rotate up to an angle of 450. The plate translation
distance is determined by the number of bias pulses applied to the scratch drive
actuators. Hence the rotation angle of the micro-mirrors is determined. The losses
can vary in the range 3.1dB to 3.9 dB. The switching time is 700 m s i.e., the
optical switch takes 700 m s for rotating the micro-mirror from an OFF position to
the ON position. In this the micro-mirror can be rotated to multiple angles
precisely and reliably. These two properties are the most vital requirements of the
three-dimensional MEMS switches.
20
An array of scratch drive actuators is used as actuators. An 8x8 free-space
micromachined optical switch (FS-MOS) was demonstrated by the AT&T research
labs. The major application of this is for restoration and provisioning in core
transport light wave networks.
21
CHALLENGES
In the short term, MEMS appears to be the forerunner that has the potential to
dominate applications including OXCs, OADMs, and service restoration/
protection switches. Before the widespread acceptance in the core transport
network there remain important issues within MEMS technology that need to be
addressed.
 Reliability
The materials used for the structure, design, and actuating parts play a vital
role for the proper functioning of MEMS switches or devices. Hence the
electronic industry prefers the reliability test for the MEMS devices.
Reliability test is a major challenge in manufacturing MEMS devices at
mass production level. MEMS switches should function reliably in charging
and often adverse environment as any other commercially viable products.
Understanding the underlying physics of different failure modes and the
development of test standards has always been of major concern for the
MEMS designer. Stiction, residual stress, cyclic fatigue are few failure
modes in MEMS switches.
 Manufacturability
Characteristics of MEMS based devices could fluctuate from one batch to
the next. Repeatability of material properties and uniformity of processing
techniques have to be improved to fully address these concerns. MEMS /
CMOS fabrication processes have to be made compatible. The costly hybrid
integrations can be eliminated by the fabricating the control electronics and
wiring schemes in sync with MEMS components.
22
 Serviceability
Matrices of micro-mirrors are fabricated using batch fabrication technique.
Although the inclusion of redundancy in the switches will alleviate the
problem, it remains to be fully explored.
 Scalability
The number one concern of carriers is the ability to incorporate more port
counts when needed. The increasing amount of data traffic in
communication networks, especially for long distance carriers, will demand
even more wavelengths to be deployed. Hence the optical switches
Need the capability to scale in order to manipulate the increased number of
wave-lengths. To gain the widespread acceptance of the carriers, the MEMS
switches must incorporate this key feature.
 Standardization
In the MEMS optical switch market there is a lack of technological
compatibility. For the MEMS based optical switches it is shortsighted to rely
on a single vendor. However, standardization will come with time. There
should be compatibility in the front-end MEMS fabricating processes.
Ultimately, the MEMS industry should mimic what the integrated circuit
industry has done. The standardized fabrication processes / libraries must be
defined to achieve the fabrication of the MEMS / Application Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that can be contracted to centralized foundries
specializing in making MEMS devices.
 Packaging
23
MEMS based optical switches have close interaction with the physical world
through their mechanical components. Since MEMS devices are more
sensitive, hermetic packaging is used. Hermetic packing uses seam, roller or
laser sealing which are composed of materials like ceramic, beryllium oxide,
aluminum, aluminum nitride. Packing of MEMS switches are expensive.
MEMS switches packaging technique itself affect the reliability of the
switch. Packaging should be included in the initial design phase since the
device could yield up to 90% but after the packaging, the yield could be as
low as 20%.
 Automation
For reducing the product cost and cycle time while maintaining product
quality, the assembling of MEMS components, and automatic optoelectronic
packaging and performance testing of MEMS devices plays a crucial role.
Issues such as self-testing, self-assembly, and automated packaging remains
to be fully explored.
 Competing technologies
The constantly evolving electronics switching systems and all the other
optical switch technologies has a major impact on the MEMS based optical
switches because of which it is facing major challenges for widespread. The
current state of the art electronic switching systems offers 512 2.5 GB/s
ports for a combined capacity of over 1 Tb/s. It seems that the adoption of
optical switching technologies is faced with fierce resistance from electronic
switching systems. Ciena’s Core Director are one among the electronic
switching systems who are constantly outselling the Lambda Router which
is yet to be commercially successful. Switching technologies such as MEMS
24
will have a lot more to prove in this current advancement of electronic
switching technology before we can enter the era of purely optical switching
networks.
ADVANTAGES
Optical MEMS switches are promising for several optical apparatuses. They have
certain advantages over other switching technologies.
Three-dimensional MEMS optical switches are fascinating great attention as large-

scale all-optical switching fabrics. This is because of its low cost, less power
consumption, compactness and high optical performance.
MEMS technology uses many of the fabrication processes found in the

semiconductor IC industry. Batch processing techniques whereby ICs are
processed in batches, allow for a large number of ICs to be produced at one time,
and the processing cost to be shared over many units, thus helping to lower
manufacturing costs. The same batch processing techniques can be applied to
fabricate MEMS optical switches; thus, MEMS optical switches can be
manufactured cheaply and in large quantities.
MEMS is a technology for miniaturization. MEMS optical switches are therefore
miniature switches that have lower space requirements. Furthermore, MEMS has
the potential for highly integrated optics. It is described that a Free Space Micro-
Optical Bench (FS-MOB) where micro-optical elements, micro-positioners and
micro-actuators are integrated on the same substrate. Surface micromachining
techniques for MEMS allow entire functional optical systems to be produced on a
single chip, hence reduce the size and weight of the optical systems.
MEMS optical switches use micro mirrors to directly modify the free-space
propagation paths of light signals. Hence, MEMS optical switches operate
25
independently of protocols, wavelengths, data rates, and modulation formats. The
switching function is not affected by changes in these network properties, thus
allowing for easy upgrades.
DISADVANTAGES
a) However, MEMS optical switches also have limitations, most notably
scalability to higher port counts. Optical switches of higher port counts are
achieved by cascading smaller optical switches. The variances in lengths of
the optical paths, through various switch configurations become more
substantial when more switches are cascaded together. Differences in the
propagation distance of light introduce varying amounts of light loss, thus
making the switch behave differently in different states.
b) Even though MEMS optical switches at the micro scale, they are mechanical
devices. They involve the machined moving parts which are controlled by
electronics. Having moving parts raises the question of reliability as these
parts could be worn out after some time. The long-term durability and
robustness of MEMS optical switches has to be addressed for MEMS optical
switches to be viable.
c) Another potential problem for MEMS optical switches is the electrical

connections for the micro mirrors. According to Morris, “at least four
electrical connections per mirror are needed. Thus, thousands of electrical
interconnects must come off the MEMS chip”. The unwanted cross-talk
amid electrical connections must be kept to a minimum, in order to avoid
errors in controlling the movement of the micro mirrors.
26
APPLICATIONS
The main objective of MEMS optical switches to be developed was to eradicate the
usage of Optical-Electrical-Optical (O-E-O) switches. the MEMS optical switches
of lower ports like from 2 to 32 ports are usually used in the optical add / drop
multiplexers and in the network restoration.
 Add/drop Multiplexers
The multiplexers which are expert in extracting and inserting lower-rate

signals from a higher-rate multiplexed signal without entirely de-
multiplexing the signal is known as add / drop multiplexers.
 Network Restoration
When the optical switch sidetracks the optical signal from the main path that
has failed, to the backup path, network restoration occurs. Synchronous
Optical Network (SONET) for instance, is constructed with ring
architectures that offer two paths to any node. This is useful when one path
fails and an optical switch can redirect the optical signals to another path.
 Optical Cross Connects
Optical cross connects (OXCs) are the large optical switches which are
capable of simultaneously switching many input signals to any output ports.
Generally, MEMS optical switches of higher ports are used in it. 3D
switching technique is used in it.
27
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE
MEMS characteristic advantages such as batch processing techniques,
compactness, potential for integration with electronic circuits, collectively with the
well-developed fabrication technology of the IC industry, make MEMS optical
switches the leading all-optical switch technology.
Till date MEMS optical switches has not made a permanent place in the industry
even though this technology can rule all the other technologies, once it is
completely developed.
Even though MEMS optical switches such as Lucent Technologies’ Wave Star™
Lambda Router, are existing in the market, they have yet to be commercially
effective. MEMS optical switches also face rigid struggle from other all-optical
switch technologies.
These rival technologies of MEMS optical switching technology ranges from the
use of liquid crystals to bubbles, to perform the switching function.
A noteworthy example of the latter is the Agilent Champagne switch, in which a

bubble at the intersection of two optical fibers switches the path of the light beam
by total internal reflection. The drawbacks lasting in MEMS optical switches will
have to be spoken before MEMS optical switch technology can become
competitive, and commercially feasible in the long term.
28
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40

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ST.

JOSEPH’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

Term paper report on

Under the guidance of

I would like to extend my gratitude and sincere thanks to Prof. Regina

Lastly, I am grateful to my parents and friends for their invaluable

A device which is used to complete or break an optical circuit is known as the

Micro Electro Mechanical System is shortened as MEMS. MEMS technology is

MEMS switch has fascinated widespread attention because of their versatility.

Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) fabrication techniques utilize the

The most popular micromachining material is silicon as it exhibits excellent

Bulk micromachining and surface micromachining are the two popular

b) Deep cavity form in silicon by anisotropic etchants.

c) Isotropic etching of silicon.

In this technique, a thin-film material is selectively added to or removed from the

The surface micromachining process of creating a free-standing mechanical

A 2D crossbar switching architecture.

A 3D MEMS switching architecture Micro-mirror

An electrostatic actuator comprises of the micro-mirrors being held in parallel

SCRATCH DRIVE ACTUATORS

A schematic design of a free-rotating fiber optic switch

Three-dimensional MEMS optical switches are fascinating great attention as large-

MEMS technology uses many of the fabrication processes found in the

c) Another potential problem for MEMS optical switches is the electrical

The multiplexers which are expert in extracting and inserting lower-rate

 Optical Cross Connects

A noteworthy example of the latter is the Agilent Champagne switch, in which a

1] K. E. Petersen, “Silicon as A Mechanical Material,”

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