Variable optical attenuator having waveguides and MEMS actuator

摘要

A variable optical attenuator having a waveguide and an MEMS actuator. In the variable optical attenuator, the input waveguide and the output waveguide face each other and are separated by a gap. The input waveguide increases in width along an optical path in order to expand the width of the light entering through an optical fiber of the input end. The output waveguide decreases in width along the optical path in order to make the expanded light converge towards the optical fiber of the output end. The optical shutter moves in the space between the two waveguides under the control of the MEMS actuator and attenuates the amount of the light. The variable optical attenuator having such configuration can be mass-produced in array form and are unaffected by ambient temperature changes.