Surface-micromachined free-space fibre-optic switches

Abstract
A novel 2 × 2 free-space fibre-optic switch has been fabricated using surface-micromachining technology. The switch is monolithically patterned on the Si substrate. With this approach, the switch can be made compact, light weight and low cost. In addition, it is potentially integrable with other micro-optical elements and interface electronics. The switch is attractive for fibre-optic local area network applications.