Latchable electromagnetic 2/spl times/2 photonic switch for low power operation

An electromagnetic 2/spl times/2 MEMS optical switch having non-mechanical latch mechanism is presented. In this research, the latch characteristics of the electro-permanent magnet are verified with a simple driving circuit. In addition, the iron cover on the micromirror chip is shown to further reduce the power consumption. Through the latch functionality and the optimization of the electromagnetic circuit, power consumption of the switch can be reduced down to a quarter level.