Steffen Gloeckner

Potential of transmittive micro-optical systems for miniaturized scanners, modulators, and switches

The utilization of micro-optical components in systems for optical beam deflection and modulation offers the possibility for realization switches and scanners. As the required displacement of the micro-optical components for efficient beam manipulation is quite small, high speed actuators with small electrical power consumption can be used. We present a variety of micro-optical configurations and discuss their potential for the creation of different types of miniaturized scanners and switches. The combination of micro-optical components already available and semiclassical piezoelectric actuators leads to new types of switching and modulation systems for a very broad spectrum of applications.

Micro-optical modulators and switches for multimode fiber applications

External modulators and switches for multimode fiber transmission systems are required for aplenty of applications in optical metrology and communication systems. We show that a confocal arrangement of microlens arrays with certain filter elements in the common focal plane of the arrays, which are moved with the help of piezoelectrical actuators, is a very simple and flexible concept to meet the needs of a number of very different applications. The focal length, lens pitch and width of the arrays have to be chosen properly. We discuss which optical elements are required for certain applications. We present experiments for an intensity modulator.

Multichannel fiber optic switches based on MOEM systems

Fiber-optic switches become more and more appealing components not only in the field of optical communication, but also in measurements systems, sensors and data storage. We have developed a number of concepts for fiber-optic switches, all based on different types of special micro-optical components, actuated by miniaturized mechanical systems, primarily piezoelectric actuators. We present micro-optical configurations and discuss their potential for the creation of different-types of miniaturized switches. Keywords: micro-optics, micro-optical switches, piezoelectric actuators

Miniaturized fiber optic switches for optical metrology and optical communication

The utilization of micro-optical components in systems for optical beam deflection and modulation offers the possibility for realization of miniaturized switches and scanners. As the required displacement of the micro-optical components for efficient beam manipulation is quite small, high speed actuators with small electrical power consumption can be used. We present micro-optical configurations and discuss their potential for the creation of different types of miniaturized switches. The combination of micro-optical components already available and semiclassical piezoelectric actuators leads to new types of switching and modulation systems for a very broad spectrum of applications.

Miniaturized optical switches based on piezoelectrically driven microprism arrays

Using the principle of focussing an incoming beam onto a plane with special optical microstructures, novel miniaturized switching elements can be built up for different applications. As switching is achieved by a lateral movement of the microstructures, only small displacements (about 10 micrometers ) are sufficient for efficient beam manipulation. In this paper, we present the results of both theoretical and experimental investigations on a concept of multichannel beam deflection by microprisms located in the focal plane of an incoming beam. This concept is suitable for singlemode fiber switches. It is shown that nearly aberration free operation can be achieved by choosing the right substrate thickness and the axial focal position with respect to the microprisms for the cases of placing them on the front or rear substrate surface. A trade-off must be made between the numerical aperture of the focussed beam, the prism angles and the number of output channels of the deflecting element in order to achieve sufficient angular separation of the deflected beams. Two different techniques have been tested for microprism fabrication: wet anisotropic etching in silicon and a new method of mask projection onto scanned photoresist layers. Microprisms with sufficient optical quality have been fabricated with both methods. In experimental investigations, we showed that for a singlemode fiber 1 X 9-switch low insertion loss (< 1 dB) and low cross-talk between the output channels (-50 dB) can be obtained.

Micro-optical beam deflectors and modulators: present state of development

The utilization of micro-optical components in systems for optical beam deflection and modulation offers the possibility for realization of miniaturized switches and scanners. As the required displacement of the micro-optical components for efficient beam manipulation is quite small, high speed actuators with small electrical power consumption can be used. We present a variety of micro-optical configurations and discuss their potential for the creation of different types of miniaturized scanners, switches and modulators. First experimental results and even prototypes of modulators and switches have been achieved, indicating that the combination of micro-optical components already available and semiclassical piezoelectric actuators leads to new types of switching and modulation systems for a very broad spectrum of applications.

System integration of micro-optical systems for beam steering and modulation applications

Using technologies such as replication or batch-fabrication, a number of micro-optical elements can be fabricated with low costs. However, as the realization of complex optical functions, for instance beam shaping and beam deflection, often requires several optical components, the mounting effort increases dramatically. It makes sense to emphasize the system aspects already in the design work. With the help of some examples for micro-optical fiber switches and modulators driven by piezoelectric actuators, we demonstrate that the combination of gradient-index optics with planar surfaces and replicated optical elements like micro-prisms, lens arrays on these surfaces can be an important step in the system integration.

Switching of light by the use of optomechanical microdevices

Fiber-optic switches become more and more appealing components not only in the field of optical communication, but also in measurement systems, sensors and data storage. We have developed a number of concepts for fiber optic switches, all based on different types of special microoptical components, actuated by miniaturized mechanical systems, primarily piezoelectric actuators. We present microoptical configurations and discuss their potential for the creation of different types of miniaturized switches.

Complex microprism structures and their application to multichannel fiber optic switches

Microprisms play an important role in a number of micro- optical systems for beam shaping and beam deflection. The task of the prisms is to deflect a beam selectively in order to bring it into an other optical channel of the system or to redirect a beam in the way that the redirected beam propagates parallel with respect to the optical axis of subsequent optical elements. We derive general requirements for microprisms for these applications and discuss some experimental results.