MEMS for Light-WaveNetworks
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MEMS for Light-Wave Networks
C. Randy Giles, David Bishop, and Vladimir Aksyuk Introduction As demonstrated in this issue, the emerging field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is beginning to impact almost every area of science and technology. MEMS have the potential to revolutionize light-wave systems. Microdevices such as optical switches, variable attenuators, active equalizers, add/drop multiplexers (ADMs), optical cross-connects (OXCs), gain tilt equalizers, data transmitters, and many others are beginning to find ubiquitous application in advanced light-wave systems. This article shows examples of these devices and briefly describes how they function.
Figure 1. A plot of the evolution of light-wave system capacity as a function of time.
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Why MEMS Devices For Light-Wave Systems? Shown in Figure 1 is a plot of the system capacity of light-wave systems as a function of time. As can be seen, driven by the explosive growth of the Internet, the rate of progress surpasses even that of Moore’s law, the prediction that transistors will double in speed about every 18 months. For light-wave systems, the doubling time for system capacity is 6–9 months. Therefore, light-wave systems architects must quadruple system capacity every year, but may only increase costs by a factor of 2. For equipment vendors, staying on this trend is quite a feat. MEMS have the potential to make it possible.
MEMS devices offer a number of advantages to optical designers. These devices have proven to be surprisingly robust and long-lived, especially ones whose parts flex without microscopic wear points. Research in this area has been extremely active over the last decade, producing microscopic versions of most macromachines. The size scale at which these machines work well makes them a particularly good match to optics problems where the devices, structures, and relevant wavelengths range in size from one to several hundred micrometers. Using integrated-circuit (IC) batch-processing techniques, MEMS devices are economical to produce because many can be made simultaneously. In addition, designers and manufacturers can exploit the extensive capabilities of the IC fabrication industry and profitably use previous-generation equipment. In an era in which an IC factory costs a billion dollars and is obsolete in less than five years, the ability to reuse the equipment for a new class of cutting-edge products is very appealing. IC fabrication techniques also allow designers to integrate micromechanical, analog, and digital microelectronic devices on the same chip, producing multifunctional integrated systems.
Where in a Light-Wave Network will MEMS Devices be Applied? Work at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, on optical MEMS has focused
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of a light-wave network with MEMS applications shown as red dots.
MRS BULLETIN/APRIL 2001
MEMS for Light-Wave Networks
on a number of devices such as optical modulators, variable attenuators, switches, add/drop multiplexers, active equalizers, and optical cross-conne
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