An electrostatically actuated 1 x 2 moving-fiber switch

A 1/spl times/2 moving-fiber switch for optical protection switching is presented. A detailed measurement of the optical performance is given. A coupling loss of 0.5 dB is achieved in the lensless optical path based on butt-coupled standard single-mode fibers. The actuation voltage is approximately 30 V. Both the electrostatic parallel-plate actuators and the fiber alignment structures are realized by anisotropic machining of crystalline silicon. This type of switch is designed for compact rows of switches.