Patent ID: 7103243
Filing Date: 2006-09-05
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An optical switch comprising: a single crystal silicon substrate the top surface of which has a Miller index(100); a fixed board-like electrode; a movable board-like electrode that consists of a portion of said single crystal silicon substrate; a flexible beam-like element that consists of a portion of said single crystal silicon substrate and supports said movable board-like electrode for vertical movement and in parallel with said fixed board-like electrode with a predetermined space between it and the fixed board-like electrode; two mirrors each of which consists of a portion of said single crystal silicon substrate and that includes two vertical crystal faces having a Miller index (100) and forming a right angle with each other, wherein the vertical crystal faces are coated with a substance having high reflectivity and the two mirrors are formed integrally on the surface of said movable board-like electrode such that they are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween and each of the two vertical crystal faces of one mirror forms a right angle with an opposed vertical crystal face of the other mirror; four V-shaped grooves that are formed on the single crystal silicon substrate along two straight lines in parallel with each other passing through the two mirrors, wherein two of said four grooves are formed along one straight line such that each groove is aligned with a respective vertical crystal face of one minor and the remaining two grooves are formed along another straight line such that each groove is aligned with a respective vertical crystal race of the other mirror; four optical fibers that are positioned and fixed in corresponding four V-shaped grooves respectively, wherein each of the four optical fibers is aligned with a respective vertical crystal face of the two mirrors; and wherein by applying a voltage between the fixed board-like electrode and the movable board-like electrode, the movable board-like electrode and the mirrors are moved together toward the fixed board-like electrode thereby to switch an optical path for an incident optical signal.