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Optical design and performance of a novel multifunction optical device
Author(s) -
Chen Q. H.,
Wu W. G.,
Wang Z. Q,
Yan G. Z.,
Hao Y. L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
microwave and optical technology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.304
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1098-2760
pISSN - 0895-2477
DOI - 10.1002/mop.23603
Subject(s) - optical attenuator , attenuation , optical power , insertion loss , materials science , splitter , attenuator (electronics) , optoelectronics , optical switch , fiber optic splitter , microelectromechanical systems , microwave , optical coupling , optics , actuator , optical fiber , electrical engineering , engineering , physics , telecommunications , fiber optic sensor , laser
This letter presents a novel MEMS‐based multifunction‐integrated optical device capable of performing as variable optical power splitter (VOPS), optical switch (OS), and variable optical attenuator (VOA). The device manipulates the light with a binary‐slope mirror driven by compound electrostatic actuator. The optical models for splitting and attenuating are investigated, respectively. Ball‐lensed fibers are assembled with the device to achieve high coupling efficiency in this work. Measurements reveal that the excess loss of the device is less than 3 dB, and the controllable attenuation range is up to 39 dB. Moreover, polarization‐dependent loss is less than 0.7 dB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2185–2189, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23603