Optical MEMS for telecoms

✍ Scribed by Richard R.A Syms; David F Moore

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 837 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1369-7021
• DOI: 10.1016/s1369-7021(02)00839-8

✦ Synopsis

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are of increasing importance in optical systems, particularly for telecommunications applications. This paper presents a review of materials, fabrication technologies, and applications in two key areas: optoelectronic packaging and functional optical devices. In packages, the advantage of MEMS are their ability to provide accurate passive alignment features or optical surfaces at low cost. In devices, the attraction is the possibility of combining mechanical, electrical, and optical features in movable components that switch, attenuate, or filter light. These free-space components can, in many cases, out-perform their counterparts in bulk or guided wave optical formats.