Patent ID: 6847756

Claim:
An optical switching matrix, made from a semiconductor- or dielectric-based substrate, comprising: at least one set of optical input fibers ( 12 ) and at least one set of optical output fibers ( 14 ) oriented substantially perpendicular to each other, a set of moveable mirrors ( 5 , 13 ) placed at the intersections of the directions defined by the various optical fibers, each mirror ( 13 ) being capable of moving in order to reflect a beam coming from an optical input fiber, bound for an optical output fiber, a set of channels defined between the mirrors, inside which the various beams are propagated before and after having encountered the mirrors, in which: the set of mirrors is made on a first substrate wafer ( 2 ), said first wafer being covered with a second substrate wafer ( 20 ), the various channels ( 38 ) are formed between protruding zones ( 34 ) present under the second substrate wafer, said protruding zones comprising housings ( 33 ) inside which the moveable mirrors are able to move.