A 1×4 optical switch has been fabricated using amicromachined rotary actuator and commercially availableminiature optics. This switch features an electrostatic actuator anda separately fabricated out-of-plane mirror. An importantcharacteristic of such a device is its switching speed. Improvedswitching time can be obtained by damping the fundamental modeof motion to reduce the effect of ringing when the switch output ischanged to a different fiber. In addition, damping the motormotion will improve the switch’s immunity to externally appliedaccelerations. One means to passively damp the actuator modes ofmotion is to use a damping fluid with a viscosity greater than air(190 uP). Switching times of ~1 msec have been obtained for afluid filled switch with less than 0.5 dB insertion loss.
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