ELECTROSTATICALLY DRIVEN FIBEROPTIC MICROMECHANICAL ON-OFF SWITCH AND ITS APPLICATION TO SUBSCRIBER TRANSMISSION-SYSTEMS

A new electrostatically driven fiber-optic micromechanical on/off switch which has advantages in terms of its small size and low driving power is proposed. Structural design of the switch element is evaluated theoretically and experimentally, and an optimum combination of membrane length and insulator thickness is obtained. Based on the results, a 32-element electrostatically driven switch array is fabricated and its switching performance is confirmed to be excellent. The switch array is applied to a subscriber transmission system using an optical star coupler and is used to separate an abnormal subscriber end. A disturbance light from an abnormal subscriber end is successfully interrupted. © 1990 IEEE