MEMS VARIABLE OPTICAL ATTENUATOR EQUIPPED WITH MOVABLE OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING MOVABLE OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an MEMS variable optical attenuator equipped with a movable optical waveguide that can vary attenuation nearly linearly in accordance with a driving voltage applied to a micro actuator.;SOLUTION: The MEMS variable optical attenuator equipped with a movable optical waveguide includes: a substrate 60 having a flat upper face; optical transmitting/receiving ends 65a, 65b arrayed on the upper face of the substrate 60 in a manner that the optical axes are mutually aligned; a movable optical waveguide 90 arranged at a position where attenuation is maximized relative to the light transmitted between the optical transmitting/receiving ends 65a, 65b; a micro actuator arranged on the substrate 60 for the purpose of moving the movable optical waveguide 90; and a voltage supply section for providing a driving voltage to the micro actuator. The micro actuator moves the movable optical waveguide 90 so that attenuation decreases according as the driving voltage increases which is given by the voltage supply section, in the structure of the MEMS variable optical attenuator. Since attenuation varies nearly linearly in accordance with the driving voltage in the MEMS variable optical attenuator as a whole, the attenuation is more accurately controlled by the driving voltage even in the absence of a control circuit.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI