Fabrication of a grating light modulator using standard CMOS processes

A deformable grating light modulator (GLM) also known as a grating light valve™ (GLV) offers fast switching time, low loss, and potential simplicity in fabrication, which are desirable for free-space optical switching systems. The purpose of this paper is to report on the fabrication of a GLM using standard CMOS technology and its simulation results, for use as both a de-multiplexer and switching device simultaneously in this wavelength-selective switching system. In a simplified standard CMOS process, the GLM devices were compatibly fabricated utilizing only four masks in one maskset, and using the stepper lithography system. The investigation showed the potential for using the GLM as an optical switch with low power consumption, and the experimental observations are supported by simulation results.