Patent ID: 11874504
Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. An optoelectromechanical switch for programming an optical network, the optoelectromechanical switch comprising:
an isolation substrate;
an optical feedline disposed on the isolation substrate in optical communication with an electrically conductive high-index optical waveguide and that receives resonator light that is subject to optical communication to a resonator when a cavity length of the resonator supports an electromagnetic mode at the wavelength of the resonator light;
a resonator comprising:
a low refractive index optical layer disposed on the isolation substrate, comprising an electrically conductive high-index optical waveguide that:
receives the resonator light from optical feedline when the cavity length of the resonator supports an electromagnetic mode at the wavelength of the resonator light,
does not receive the resonator light from optical feedline when the cavity length of the resonator does not support an electromagnetic mode at the wavelength of the resonator light, and
receives substrate electrical counter potential to be electrically biased at the substrate electrical counter potential;

a non-conductive spacer disposed on the low refractive index optical layer and that spaces apart the electrically conductive high-index optical waveguide from an electrically conductive membrane to provide a cavity length of the resonator;
the electrically conductive membrane disposed on the non-conductive spacer, such that that non-conductive spacer is interposed between the low refractive index optical layer and the electrically conductive membrane, such that the electrically conductive membrane:
receives a membrane electrical potential to be electrically biased at the membrane electrical potential, and
deflects toward and away from the electrically conductive high-index optical waveguide based on a difference in potential between the membrane electrical potential and the substrate electrical counter potential;

the cavity length that is variable and under electromechanical control of the deflection of the electrically conductive membrane based on the difference between the membrane electrical potential and the substrate electrical counter potential.