Patent ID: 6587612
Filing Date: 2003-07-01
Classification: B81B,G02B

Abstract:
A system for directing a selected light beam to at least one light beam receptor, said system comprising:an array of stationary optical fibers, each one of said stationary optical fibers constructed and arranged to conduct one of a plurality of light beams including the selected light beam; an optical switch fabricated on a substrate, the switch having an array of movable reflective surfaces, and having a single thermal actuator associated with each reflective surface, each thermal actuator comprising a cantilevered arm having a fixed end attached to the substrate and a free end to which the reflective surface is attached, the arm being made from a material having a thermal expansion property, the arm having a top surface and a bottom surface with a layer of material having a different thermal expansion property on a portion of at least one of these surfaces, and the cantilevered arm having an air gap between its top and bottom surfaces; a lens at the end of each optical fiber, operable to direct the light beams to the switch or to collect light from the switch; wherein each reflective surface is attached such that it is substantially perpendicular to the substrate; and wherein the optical fibers are arranged around the perimeter of the substrate, such that each reflective surface is moveable into the path of one or more of the optical fibers.