1×6 Compound-Driven Optical MEMS Device for Multifunctional Fiber Optic Communication

A 1×6 compound-driven MEMS-based optical device with optical switch and variable optical power attenuating functions has been proposed to optimally serve multifunctional optical fiber-based networking applications. The device manipulates the light with binary-slope mirrors driven by compound electrostatic actuator. The optical models for attenuating are investigated. Performances of the fabricated devices assembled with ball-lensed fibers are measured and discussed. Measurements reveal that the insertion loss of the device is less than 2.7 dB and the controllable attenuation range is more than 40 dB for the switching and attenuation function, respectively.