Patent ID: 7136588

Claim:
An apparatus operable to facilitate add/drop multiplexing of optical signals, the apparatus comprising: an input operable to receive an input optical signal and an added optical signal, and to generate a first and a second copy of the input signal and a first and a second copy of the added signal; a plurality of at least substantially reflective surfaces, each operable to receive either the first signal copies or the second signal copies and to reflect the copies for ultimate combination at an output to form an output signal for transmission, at least one of the at least substantially reflective surfaces comprising a micro-electro-optic system (MEMS) device, the MEMS device comprising: a moveable mirror operable to change its position relative to the input to create a phase shift between the first and second signal copies so that either the input optical signal or the added optical signal is communicated as the output signal depending on the position of the at least one moveable mirror; and an inner conductive layer disposed inwardly from the moveable mirror and forming a space between the moveable mirror and the inner conductive layer, wherein the moveable mirror comprises an at least substantially conductive layer operable to move relative to the inner conductive layer in response to a voltage difference between the moveable mirror and the inner conductive layer.