The Emerging Leadership of Surface Micromachined MEMS for Wavelength Switching in Telecommunication Systems

摘要

We introduce the Network Photonics' CrossWave~(TM) as the first commercially-available, MEMS-based wavelength selective switch. The CrossWave~(TM) combines the functionality of signal demultiplexing, switching and re-multiplexing in a single all-optical operation using a dispersive element and 1-D MEMS. 1-D MEMS, where micromirrors are configured in a single array with a single mirror per wavelength, are fabricated in a standard surface micromachining process. In this paper we present three generations of micromirror designs. With proper design optimization and process improvements we have demonstrated exceptional mirror flatness (<16.2m~(-1) curvature), surface error (<λ/200) and surface roughness (<7A RMS and <4nm peak-to-valley). These values were shown to be comparable to those obtained from bulk micromachining. This excellent optical performance in combination with a CMOS-like approach of the SUMMiT IV process (currently available at a commercial foundry) have demonstrated the emerging leadership of surface micromachining for upcoming optical telecom-munication applications.