Patent ID: 7961993
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: G02B,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An optical switch including at least one MEMS mirror and a control section that regulates an angle of an optical reflecting surface of the MEMS mirror to lead an input optical signal to a predetermined output position, wherein in the MEMS mirror, at least one of a movable electrode disposed on a movable body including the optical reflecting surface and a fixed electrode arranged to face the movable electrode is coated by an insulating film, and the angle of the optical reflecting surface is changed by an electrostatic force generated when a drive voltage is applied between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode, the control section comprising: a polarization amount memory which stores information relating to a polarization amount in the insulating film; a polarization amount calculating section that calculates the information relating to the polarization amount in the insulating film at each predetermined time to update the information relating to the polarization amount in the insulating film stored in the polarization amount memory; a drive voltage setting section that reads out the information relating to the polarization amount in the insulating film from the polarization amount memory, and corrects the drive voltage according to the read information relating to the polarization amount in the insulating film, to set a new drive voltage; and a driving section that applies the set new drive voltage between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode.