Patent ID: 6999650

Claim:
An optical switch manufactured by use of micromachining technology comprising: a first substrate that comprises: a fixed electrode substrate that has a flat surface; and a fixed electrode formed on said flat surface of said fixed electrode substrate; a spacer on said flat surface of the fixed electrode substrate, said spacer having a through hole exposing said fixed electrode; a second substrate that comprises: a thin single crystal silicon layer on said spacer substantially in parallel with the fixed electrode and with a gap therebetween; an insulation layer on said thinner single crystal silicon layer; and a thick single crystal silicon layer on said insulation layer, said thick single crystal silicon layer being thicker than the thin single crystal silicon layer; a movable plate-like electrode formed in the thin single crystal silicon layer of the second substrate; a plurality of flexible beam-like members supporting the removable plate-like electrode to be movable toward and away from the fixed electrode, said flexible beam-like members formed in the thin single crystal silicon layer of the second substrate integrally with the movable plate-like electrode; a plurality of optical fiber securing grooves formed on the thick single crystal silicon layer of the second substrate; and a plurality of micro-mirrors that are located within an opening of the thick single crystal silicon layer of the second substrate, said opening positioned above the movable plate-like electrode, said micro-mirrors standing erect from the top surface of the movable plate-like electrode through the insulation layer of the second substrate that exists between the top surface of the movable plate-like electrode and the micro-mirrors being-located on extensions of the optical fiber securing grooves; and wherein the optical switch is constructed such that an optical path for an optical beam incident thereon is changed by electrostatically driving the movable plate-like electrode toward the fixed electrode thereby to displace the micro-mirrors.