Phase-shifter using submicron silicon waveguide couplers with ultra-small electro-mechanical actuator.
Phase shifter is an important part of optical waveguide circuits as used in interferometer. However, it is not always easy to generate a large phase shift in a small region. Here, a variable phase-shifter operating as delay-line of silicon waveguide was designed and fabricated by silicon micromachining. The proposed phase-shifter consists of a freestanding submicron-wide silicon waveguide with two waveguide couplers and an ultrasmall silicon comb-drive actuator. The position of the freestanding waveguide is moved by the actuator to vary the total optical path. Phase-shift was measured in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to be 3.0pi at the displacement of 1.0 mum at the voltage of 31 V. The dimension of the fabricated device is 50microm wide and 85microm long.
Ikeda
Taro
T
Department of Nanomechanics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Takahashi
Kazunori
K
Kanamori
Yoshiaki
Y
Hane
Kazuhiro
K
D002138:Calibration; D004581:Electronics; D004867:Equipment Design; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D007368:Interferometry / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D055096:Optical Devices; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity; D013696:Temperature
D011108:Polymers; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid; D012825:Silicon